Talking Sides

All too frequently when Clevelanders meet for the first time, they ask, almost suspiciously, "East Side or West Side?" The Western Reserve Historical Society is currently examining our physical divide with an exhibit of historic maps titled East Versus West. Despite our legendary split, there are still some things on which we can all agree.

Kyrie Irving is not LeBron James ... For a city suffering from King James fatigue, Irving's post-Rookie of the Year Award tweet was a welcome dose of humility: "Special day for me!!! Glad I could share with my family, friends, and fans ... love y'all"

The Jimmy Haslam Browns can't be any worse than the Randy Lerner Browns ... The team has gone 47-97 (their worst stretch of football dating back to the team's 1946 founding) with no playoff appearances since Randy Lerner took over in 2002.

The Cleveland Orchestra is a must-see ... So is the house from A Christmas Story ...
Not many things in town compare to the power of seeing Franz Welser-Möst conduct the orchestra, but standing on the spot where Ralphie nearly shot his eye out is pretty great too.

Whiskey Island sounds way cooler than Whiskey Peninsula ... No, it's not South Beach. It's not even an island. This swath of land where Clevelanders party and play is actually a peninsula that was formed when the mouth of the Cuyahoga was moved in the early 1800s.

Joss Whedon needs to film Avengers 2 here ... Where else will you find a city full of people who don't care that part of their downtown's main drag is shut down for a month? We have a street or two we'd be happy to let you fill with rubble again, Joss.