Bright and early this morning, our friends at the New York Post posted this story to their website. “Cleveland is Seeing a Revival,” reads the headline.
The miniature travel-style piece is basically a rundown of the Ohio City, Tremont and University Circle neighborhoods, highlighting their trendiest new joints and a few iconic landmarks — the West Side Market, St. Theodosius, etc. — with little commentary other than the hackneyed, wide-eyed “dying industrial town gets hip” angle.
It’s not like I’m completely over that angle. I mean I still dig the postindustrial aesthetics and the fact that I feel entitled, by birth, to compensatory grit. It’s just that I’ve seen so many stories celebrating this “renaissance” — Cool chefs! Unlimited microbrews! Arts out the wazoo! — that, in the first place, I think media peeps can stop peddling this “revival” as something new and unexplored.
“Hold your horses,” a chorus of pundits interjects on what feels like a quarterly basis. “Cleveland — You heard right, Cleveland — is cooler than you always thought.”
Plus, there’s definitely been an emotional shift, at least from a native’s perspective (i.e. mine). There was a time when seeing stories like these in national media outlets was exciting, almost validating. We have been acknowledged by the New York Times; therefore we are.
Now it’s like, I don’t know, we get it already. Nothing feels unique or worthwhile about this genre of “Cleveland-as-Phoenix” finger-pointing, especially because we’ve seen replicas of these stories (featuring the exact same content) a hundred times before.
And is there anything to be gained from this coverage, other than a potentially modest boost in regional tourism? Are New Yorkers suddenly flocking to get their paws on the goods from “Cupcake Wars” winner Bon Bon Pastry & Cafe?
I doubt it.
I don’t get the sense that “cosmopolitan” folks on the coasts suddenly respect us or something. I feel like Cleveland is the fat kid who got fit ten years ago, and New York (as a symbol for bigger, more established cool cities) are the popular kids who approach us every month announcing, “Oh my God, you’ve lost weight!”
This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 1, 2013.
How about the NYT is pretty late to the party? I mean, people have only been writing about Cleveland’s “revival” for how many years now? Where was this author before, living in a hole in the ground? I mean, seriously. That being said, free press is free press. I’ve never heard any smart, successful business say “no thanks, we don’t want you to advertise for us for free.”
I think we should take all the press we can get..
True Clevelanders, know this is a great city.. and defend it .. always
Personally, I love the Kamm’s area in West Park!
who cares? they like our city. you sound like the one hit wonder that’s bitter and complains because they have to play their only hit song every night to sold out crowds. waahh. we’re getting press. it doesn’t matter from who or where, we’re doing well in some things..let them talk about it. better than them scaring away tourists
by talking about our rate of violent crime. everyone’s always naysaying
For every story like this out of some coastal metropolis, there are a hundred that trash Cleveland. Therefore they manufacture their own ability to be “so surprised” about our “revival” because they are constantly peddling negativity about the region in between these sporatic complimenary pieces.
OOOOH, New YAWK…they like us, they like us! Sofa king what? Why is everything in this town based on what New York thinks or doesn’t think? You think the Manhattan refugees currently gentrifying yuppifying Brooklyn are going to suddenly have a light bulb go off in their heads and say…”Hey, what about Cleveland? Yeah!” and do the same thing here when that borough gets too pricey for them? And who the hell would want them here, anyway? When certain areas of Cleveland become a smaller New York, albeit with more snow…I’m done here.
We continue to play right into this NYT crap…we don’t feel really cool unless the cooler kids say we are. I wish I had a dollar for every local bar or restaurant that describes their ambiance as having “a New York feel”…I could open my own joint. Gimme a break already. You’ll never see any New York establishments touting “a Cleveland feel”…not in a million years.
Once you stop reading the NYT and the New Yorker, and feeling left out of their party, you’ve taken the first step in that long journey…to free yourself from what the coasts think. Fuck the coasts…both of them.
Grow and flower where you’re planted. And if Cleveland isn’t good enough for your new-found coolness, Chicago is a lot closer than either coast. Cheaper, too.
Chuckles the Clown
I don’t care what New Yorkers think. Why should I?
I moved to New York City from Cleveland for college about 12 years ago. The only people that I’ve met here that are excited about Cleveland and all of its changes have been former natives, or other people that went to JCU or CIA.
New York has lost a lot of its sparkle since I’ve been here and all those stereotypes of Brooklyn-nites yelling at cabbies “hey I’m walkin’ hea” or “fugeddaboutit” exist only in deep parts of Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, or Staten Island. And none of these places are where the “cool kids live” with the exception of 3 or 4 neighborhoods inside the boro of Brooklyn. In other words, when your here, most parts of the city cater to their local demographic and are not so high in the sky. So if the Manhattan based New York Post is just finding out about the greatness of Cleve-o definitely take it in stride. People always show up late here and then try to play it cool. Afterall, it is The New York Post, the most laughable news source known for it quirky and ridiculous headlines, in this city.