#happyinCLE

So have you heard of this magazine called Forbes?

Did you know that they have a need to put down Cleveland?

No?

Great.  Well guess what?  Forbes sucks.  No, I am not going to link the story because it will pad Forbes' statistics.

If you are twitter you have seen the hashtag, #happyinCLE.  It was started by the Convention and Visitors Bureau to prove that there are plenty of happy people in Cleveland.

I am told that whomever wrote that whole article never even came to Cleveland to check it out.  So here is my letter back to Forbes.

Dear Forbes,
  I understand from the outside looking in that Cleveland doesn't seem to be as appealing as other cities across this great nation of ours.  Sure, the Cleveland Browns haven't won a championship since 1964, the Cleveland Indians blew it in the 9th inning in 1997, and the economy that was once based on the steel mills has all but eroded.
  What you don't seem to have a grasp of is that Cleveland is resilient.  We look at things a little different than your crap colored glasses.  Let's look at some good things that Cleveland has gone for it.
  Our food scene has been written up in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Bon Appetite Magazine.  Michael Symon has not only opened doors for other Cleveland chefs, but according to Chef/Owner of Rocco Whalen, "He's built bridges and highways."  The Cleveland Cavs were your only excpetion, but if that is the only exception you see, then I'll politely tell you to go throw yourself off the nearest skyscraper.
  Cleveland is home to the largest theater complex outside of Broadway.  Cleveland is committed to becoming the model for a green technology.
  More importantly, Cleveland is where I CHOOSE to make my home, and have a family.  By telling your dwindling subscribers that Cleveland is miserable, you are telling me I have made a mistake for living here, and that my friend is just a jerk move.
  So the next time you want to put Cleveland on a list for not being awesome, maybe you should actually send a reporter here and see how the people in Cleveland get along.  Maybe actually doing research would be better than reading wikipedia and throwing out some facts about Cleveland that were relevant 30+ years ago.

Sincerely,

Adam, btw, I wish I had a subscription to cancel, but I guess I'm glad I never gave you my money.


For those of you who want to support the Cleveland cause there are 2 great t-shirt companies selling t-shirts basically telling Forbes to eff off.

Fresh Brewed Tees

The C.L.E. Clothing Company