In a Post-Searchlight story titled “Cleveland -- from gritty to gleaming,” Dan Ponder shares his pleasant surprise upon discovering that Cleveland is far from the dark and dismal stereotype so prevalent among the uninformed.

Ponder writes how he came to the city on a dreary and rainy day, which only served to reinforce his opinion of what our city is like. But once he arrived downtown from his drive from the airport, those opinions quickly changed.

“From that point on, everything we saw and did was a pleasant surprise," he writes. "Cleveland, once the fifth largest city in the United States, is now the 45th largest city. However, they have literally transformed their downtown area into a bustling area full of public parks. It was clean and felt safe. There were interesting restaurants everywhere and downtown seemed alive -- full of people living in converted loft apartments.”

Ponder goes on to talk about the various sports stadiums, the new convention center, and many other attractions that make Cleveland special.

Read the full article here.