Living in Cleveland after I graduated was never a realistic possibility to me so I did not entertain the idea. After coming home from school, I re-discovered a magnificent city. Cleveland, in my eyes, is an insider city. What this means is that you won’t “get” how wicked Cleveland is from a tour book. The spots that make Cleveland divine are on a huge spectrum, from the some place your family tailgates for Brown’s games every week to our upscale restaurants that serve duck mac’n'cheese.
Why I love Cleveland story #1:
Last season I was tailgating in the Pit before the Browns v. Falcons game and had yet to grab tickets. I figured I’d buy a pair from a scalper or watch the game from the Dive Bar on West 6th, my options were endless. An older man with a motorcycle jacket on approached our group and asked if anyone was looking for tickets. I jumped at the chance to buy a pair from him and said I was looking for two tickets.
“Here you go,” he said and handed me two tickets. I hesitated to take them and inquired how much he’d like for them. “Just use them,” was his response. I said thank you and the tickets were mine. Where else could that possibly happen besides Cleveland? The tickets were high up in a great and energetic section and we watched the Browns play hard with our very own eyes. The man who handed us two of his tickets was seated next to us (of course) and every time I got a beer, I got one for him too!
