Writer and Cleveland resident John Hyduk offers up a personal tale of what it means to grow up a sports fan in this town and -- spoiler alert -- it ain't pretty. In the poignant New York Times essay, Hyduk shares an emotion shared by many here: We've been disappointed since 1964.
 
"As a Cleveland sports fan, I hold these truths to be self-evident: no matter how promising the plan or how high the draft pick, someone will screw it up," he leads off wi... Read more >

In a Salon story titled “Cleveland: Ground zero for the housing bubble,” Edward McClelland shares a compelling tale of how the housing collapse hit Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood with a first-hand account from a lifelong resident.
 
“If houses go to heaven, then Classen Avenue, in the Cleveland neighborhood of Slavic Village, has been the scene of a mass Rapture. Ted Michols watched it all happen. A retired trade magazine editor, a bac... Read more >

In a The Wall Street Journal feature titled “Rust-Belt Cities Reach Out for Immigrants,” writers Mark Peters and Jack Nicas touch upon how rust belt cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Detroit were a draw to immigrant workers who knew they would be able to find manufacturing jobs.
 
As time went on, those jobs disappeared, populations began to decline, and immigrants no longer looked to those cities to begin their new life in the United States.
 ... Read more >

In a Pittsburgh-based NPR post feature titled “Pittsburgh and Cleveland Square Off Again… In Biking?” Nick Jovonovich explores the traditional CLE/PGH rivalry that includes the cities’ football teams and museums -- however, a different type of competition is brewing as they battle it out for the title of “Rustbelt Champion” within the National Bike Challenge.
 
Registering the most riders and logging more miles than the opponent wi... Read more >

In a Preservation Nation Blog post titled “Cleveland’s PlayhouseSquare Theaters Set Stage for World’s Largest Theater Restoration Project,” guest writer Linda Feagler highlights the efforts of Ray Shepardson, who took a struggling and decrepit collection of theaters and began the process that has turned PlayhouseSquare into the second-largest performing arts centers in the nation.
 
“Today, Shepardson’s once improbable effort is Cle... Read more >

In an NBC Sports story titled “Draft Day descends on Cleveland this week,” Mike Florio shares that filming is ready to get underway on the NFL-related movie Draft Day starring Kevin Costner and Jennifer Garner, with the storyline centered on the Cleveland Browns.
 
“The bulk of the filming starts in and around Greater Cleveland on [May 8]. Shaker Heights and Berea, where the Browns are headquartered, appear on the list of sites where scenes will be s... Read more >

In a thoughtful piece on farm-to-table cooking in the Rust Belt, New York Times writer Julia Moskin covers the mutually beneficial relationships between farmers and chefs that has helped boost our region's image from dead zone to world-class food destination.
 
"Until recently, the American food revolution seemed to bypass this region, leaping from Chicago to Philadelphia without making stops in places like Toledo, Cleveland, Akron and Pittsburgh," Moski... Read more >

In an Art Daily feature titled “Cleveland Museum of Art acquires dramatic painting by seminal 20th century German artist Max Beckmann,” the editors continue to praise the Cleveland Museum of Art for their ongoing work in building some of the most comprehensive collections in the country, including the recently added painting by German artist Max Beckmann.
 
“The acquisition of the Beckmann marks the successful conclusion of a decade-long hunt for a m... Read more >

In a Wine Enthusiast Magazine story titled “Hot in Cleveland: Three Wine Bars to Visit in Cleveland,” the editors point out that Cleveland is attracting the likes of young artists, artisans, and web entrepreneurs due to modestly priced real estate and an above-average food and beverage scene.
 
“And while the food and beer scenes have always been strong (C-town is home to Michael Symon's empire and the Great Lakes Brewing Co.), this recent trend ... Read more >

In an Indystar piece titled “Fine art, fresh fare: Museum restaurants revamp menus to meet diners’ expectations,” Jolene Ketzenberger explores how museums are transforming dank snack bars into upscale dining experiences.
 
Museums across the country are revamping their food offerings, including Cleveland’s Museum of Art, where chef-partner Douglas Katz designs special menus around featured exhibits at the newly unveiled Provenance restaurant.Read more >

In a Forbes Magazine post titled “Behind the Brand: CMO Paul Matsen On Cleveland Clinic’s Strides As A Global Marketer,” Jennifer Rooney explains how Paul Matsen has taken his experience from prior endeavors such as Delta Air Lines and worked to establish Cleveland Clinic as one of the most recognizable healthcare brands in the world.
 
From the use of digital, social and traditional media, Matsen's primary goal is to increase brand awareness and... Read more >

In a Rust Wire feature titled “The Oh-So-Clevelandish Life of Harvey Pekar,” Angie Schmitt shares her thoughts on the late Harvey Pekar in an article than does not necessarily honor his accomplishments as a writer, but the genius behind his work.
 
“Here is this creative genius and intellectual and he won’t follow his doctor wife out of the region because he has a civil service job -- a steady, reliable government job. That is the most Clevelan... Read more >

In a PR Newswire item posted in The Wall Street Journal titled “New Roster Of Hopefuls Vie For Culinary Stardom In Season Nine Of Primetime Competition Series Food Network Star,” the release announces the finalists for the upcoming season in addition to some background on the show.
 
Cleveland’s own Chris Hodgson of Hodge's Restaurant and food truck fame is among the finalists.
 
The finalists for season nine are: Nikki Dinki (New Yo... Read more >

In a NPR story titled “Cleveland Celebrates Superman, Its Hometown Hero,” Brian Bull explains Cleveland’s historical past in relation to the comic book hero Superman, who turned 75 years old on April 18.
 
“Less well-known is that the superhero is not native to the lost world of Krypton, nor the rural Kansas burg of Smallville. Superman is Cleveland's native son -- at least as far as the city's residents are concerned.”
 ... Read more >

In a Thumbtack.com survey titled “United States Small Business Friendliness,” the editors grade Cleveland an “A-“ in overall friendliness to small business. They also gave Cleveland an “A” in ease of hiring and an “A+” in training and networking programs.
 
“Starting a business is one of the greatest risks I have undertaken. I have the good fortune of starting that business in Ohio. The State gave me an entire webs... Read more >

In a The Atlantic piece titled “If Other Cities Are Demolishing Skywalks, Why Does Cleveland Want a New One?” Sarah Goodyear writes of Horseshoe Casino’s plan to erect a skywalk connecting the gaming center and the parking garage. This plan has the full support of the city and its administration but not from all of the urban dwellers.
 
In it Goodyear quotes local writer and Fresh Water contributor Joe Baur, a 26-year-old who moved downtown and has s... Read more >

In a The Editor's Room feature titled “The Times-Picayune Fiasco: Newhouses Give Cleveland a Better Deal Than New Orleans,” Errol Laborde explores in his commentary why the Cleveland Plain Dealer did not get sliced and diced nearly as badly as New Orleans’ Times-Picayune in their restructuring.
 
Laborde details how both city's citizens were vocally passionate about saving their dailies, however Cleveland was somehow spared whereas New Orlean... Read more >

In an Associated Press story published on Vindy.com titled “Playhouse Square theater district in Cleveland to get $16M exterior upgrade,” editors write of the streetscape upgrade in the works for Cleveland’s famed PlayhouseSquare Theater District.
 
“The nonprofit PlayhouseSquare Foundation plans to spend $16 million over the next year to upgrade the district with bright signs, gateway arches and digital displays,” the article states.
... Read more >

In honor of National Grilled Cheese Month, a Relish listicle rattles off “America’s 10 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.” Cleveland’s Melt Bar and Grilled makes the list with multiple locations throughout the area.
 
“Boring thin-sliced white bread and American [cheese] are things of the past,” says Melt Bar and Grilled owner Matt Fish of his forwarding-thinking sandwich philosophy. “The more attitude and adventurous you can mak... Read more >

In an Eater.com feature titled “Noodlecat Chef-Owner Jonathon Sawyer on Cleveland, Expansion, and the Ramen Boom,” Amy McKeever talks to local chef Jonathon Sawyer regarding the one-year anniversary of the Noodlecat spot in Cleveland’s historic West Side Market.
 
In her lengthy interview she touches on all aspects of the satellite location, from opening to inspiration, to the difficulties of working in a cramped 45-square-foot space. Despite focus o... Read more >