Coming Home to the "Poorest City in America - again"

... is what the headlines read when I stepped off the Metro Rapid, taking a break at Tower City to get some coffee, see Shanny for a minute and figure out my next bus/rapid connection. It was, once again, a whirlwind tour of my favorite Midwest city. I picked up the paper and my first thought was "Oh, come on Cleveland, you can do better than this." And it made me sad and yes, the stats don't really take into account the whole picture. But the fact is Cleveland's core is rotting and the poverty is spreading and will, eventually, catch up with the suburbs. The fact is there are so many new ideas and so many people working on these issues. The fact is I didn't leave this city because of all of these issues but that there is an "old boys' club" that still yields a lot of power and control over the city and they need to hurry up and die so that some new energy and new ideas can take over. It made me so sad to read this - again. But I love this city.

Being gone for a little longer this time around, there were many questions. Some of them were just plain odd - what are your 2 to 5 years plans? (um.....) There's a job listing at this Cleveland organization - why don't you apply? (um...because I have a job?) What are you going to be when you grow up? (um... I'm 32 - I think my career as a fundraiser is working out pretty well...) But two questions were the most common and most easily answered:
This question was often asked:

What do you like about Seattle?
Mountain-water-mountain-water; a sense of optimism; a sense of confidence; the "international" feel to everything - as if any foreign country isn't that far off; roller derby; Sunday hikes - anywhere; the public transportation system; caffeine addiction; my new friends; the smell of sea salt that wakes me in the morning; the ocean; Seattle International Film Festival; my old friends; politics; organic and bulk foods.

What do you miss about the Midwest?
I miss the people - their honestly and sincerity; I miss thunderstorms and cicadas; I miss the frogs that chirp in stream I grew up with behind my parents' house; I miss the Peanuts (my twin nieces); I miss my friends, my parents, my brothers; I miss the struggle - sometimes; I miss the heat (when it's actually there); Midwest guys; I miss the SNOW (as a snow princess that I am); I miss all these new babies that are becoming such a huge part of my friend's lives; the tightly knit arts community; the Old Angle; I never wanted to own a house until I couldn't afford one - I could in Cleveland; I miss The Westside Market and Nate's and my colleagues at PPGC.

Cleveland - it's not a bad place to live - even as the poorest city in the country.