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Melissa Williams, 36
Business development director, Buckeye Area Development Corp. Favorite place in the world: Toronto. It's a very metropolitan city, and it's very clean like a cleaner version of New York... I love the museums, and I typically go there in the summer for Caribana, a Caribbean festival they have each year.
Favorite place in Cleveland: The Cultural Gardens are an oasis in the middle of the city. They are very quiet, and for some reason, you can't hear traffic when you are in the middle of the gardens. The Italian garden is very beautiful. Which three people, dead or alive, would you invite to dinner? I always ask people this question at dinner parties! I would say Laurence Fishburne, Nicolas Cage and Jerome Bettis. I'd probably sit there and drool a little, just kidding! I'm a sports fanatic, a theater buff and I love movies. Some people have chocolate. I have football and movies. Love me, love my: Pittsburgh Steelers. I'm probably closing out my dating options. But all my friends are die-hard Steelers fans, and I'm out in the open. I'm waving my Terrible Towel. My ring tone: "Show Me What You Got" by Jay-Z My motto: My new motto is "It's all about me. This is the year of Melissa." In the past, my motto was "Have fun, will travel." I decided I was going overseas in 2003 and went to Paris and Hawaii. |
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Rose Abood, 33 Favorite place in the world: Summertime on the deck in my back yard, music playing with friends and family around me |
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Brendon Bergen, 29 Biggest turn-on: A woman with an overwhelming glow
Biggest turn-off: MySpace. It seems like people act like they are on there for one reason, but they're really there for dating. The perfect date: Dinner at Lago, stroll through the art galleries in Tremont, quiet drinks at The South Side, then let loose at the Treehouse. Where would you hate to go on a date? Edgewater Park By the third date: I know if she's a good apple or a rotten one, and if she's worth climbing to the top of the tree. I own too many: DVDs of romantic comedies: "You, Me and Dupree," "The Break-Up," etc. My ring tone: "Interstate Love Song" by Stone Temple Pilots My pet: A German shepherd named Sweetheart My drink: Guinness My season: The Indian summer part of the fall My passion: Real estate My motto: Follow your heart and let the chips fall where they may. |
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Denise Ross, 35 Favorite place in the world: Paris, France |
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Andrea Vecchio, 31 Favorite place in the world: I still seek it: but near the beach and the ocean in Cancun. |
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Lisa Zone, 31 Favorite place in Cleveland: The patio at D'Vine in the summer
The perfect date: Low-key dinner and fun conversation Where would you hate to go on a date? Anywhere I'd have to take off my shoes. I hate feet. I own too many: magazine subscriptions,10 or more. Something most people don't know about me is: I can't learn how to play card games to save my life. My pet: Two Persian cats My drink: Tanqueray and tonic My restaurant: Three Birds My sport: Cheerleading, back in the day My motto: There's always room for Mitchell's Ice Cream. |
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| Billy Gall, 23
Makeup artist and business manager,
Laura Mercier Cosmetics at Saks Fifth Avenue
Favorite place in the world: The white sands of Jamaica. I was a flight attendant for three years, and it was the best experience I ever had.
Biggest turn-on: When you have the feeling of the first kiss every time Biggest turn-off: People who are pushy and selling themselves like used cars on the first date Love me, love my: best friends. Mandi, Jessica and I kinda come as a package deal! I own too many: shoes. I have an entire shoe closet, with 60 pairs total. In my old place, they were organized by color and alphabetized by brand. My ring tone: "I'm Bossy" by Kelis My pet: A 2-year-old bijon-Jack Russell terrier mix named Sophia Marie My bar: Bounce My restaurant: Mama Santa's, because I'm half Italian My passion: Traveling, seeing new places, meeting new people My motto: My high school theater teacher told me, "If you always do what you've always done, then you'll always get what you've always got." |
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Swasti Crain, 43
Brand manager for the SK2 product line at Saks Fifth Avenue Favorite place in the world: Yogya, Indonesia. It's my hometown and it's so far away, so I miss it very much.
Favorite place in Cleveland: Edgewater Park Biggest turn-on: Chocolate Biggest turn-off: Cleveland's winter winds Love me, love my: flaws. By the third date: we'll see if I have butterflies. Something most people don't know about me is: I do classical dancing from the island of Bali and Java, and speak four languages: English, French, Javanese and Indonesian. My drink: Ice water My season: Fall My passion: Travel. I've seen 23 countries, and the U.S. is No. 24. I still want to go to Alaska and visit the North Pole and South Pole. My motto: Do the best that you can. |
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Leno Elfers, 46
Athletic department supervisor, The Club at Key Center Favorite place in the world: Kelleys Island, where I was born. It's commercialized, but not as much as other places. There is still only one traffic light.
Which three people, dead or alive, would you invite to dinner? My mother, who is dead, so I could have one more dinner with her. Jesus, so I could ask him why he put us in this great big mess we're in. And Rodney Dangerfield to smooth out the conversation during dinner. I own too many: Christmas lights. I have 5,000 of them. Something most people don't know about me is: when I was 17, I danced at Studio 54. A girlfriend and I got picked up by a talent scout out of New York City when we did a dance contest at a little bar called Bojangles on Brookpark Road. We went to New York City for two nights to dance for the producers of a show, and we did the live takes between commercials for studio audiences. Then we traveled cross-country for six months dancing. My ring tone: "Time Warp" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". My pet: I don't have a pet, but if I did, I'd get a fish or something that would require the least amount of work. My car: A red, 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse. But my dream car is a gold Viper with black leather interior. My passion: Life. I cherish every day because as a kid I went through so many hardships, losing family. I realized every day I wake up, there is a little bit of life left. |
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Dr. Jean Stevenson, 50
General surgeon and surgical oncologist at MetroHealth Medical Center Favorite place in the world: Jacobs Field, I'm an Indians season-ticket holder.
What three people, dead or alive, would you invite to dinner? My mother, who died two months ago; John F. Kennedy, because I thought he was a fascinating president; and Lou Gehrig, though I don't know if they'd have anything to talk about! Love me, love my: cat, Lex, a brown tabby cat. Something most people don't know about me is: I enjoy doing yard work. I do the entire yard: all the beds, shrubs, flowers and pruning. I do it to relax when I'm angry. My drink: Red wine My restaurant: The Cabin Club in Westlake; my favorite meal is the Ritz Cracker grouper. My passion: Traveling to warm locations to get out of Cleveland's damp, dreary weather My motto: Work hard and be honest. |
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Craig Christ, 53
Entrepreneur and owner of Compass Energy LLC Favorite place in the world: Any chance I get, I'm outside. I'm in a park, running, swimming, cross-country skiing. My favorite place in the world is the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I go whenever I can get out, so it's the middle of the night sometimes. I see things that no one else sees.
Which three people, dead or alive, would you invite to dinner? Winston Churchill, because of his breadth of knowledge. And with my last name, I'd like to meet Jesus Christ. I want to find out, was he that good? The third is Emilie du Chatelet, a remarkable woman who lived in the 1730s. Voltaire was one of her lovers. They lived together, and he could not keep up with her intellectually. Something most people don't know about me is: I sing in a church choir at St. Vincent in Akron. The only time someone finds out is if it is 3 a.m. after my last drink and I say, "I have to get to bed so I can get up for choir practice tomorrow." My ring tone: I don't have a cell phone. I had one since 1985, and I realized there wasn’t that much important conversation going on. Besides, you can borrow anyone's cell phone, even babies have phones. |
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Brooke Barker, 27
Conservator (she restores artwork) Favorite place in the world: Florence, Italy. It's the most romantic city. The art and the architecture are beautiful.
Favorite place in Cleveland: The Grog Shop. I go there too much! I like to see the good music that comes through, and the bartenders are fabulous. Which three people, dead or alive, would you invite to dinner? Artist Hieronymus Bosch, Marilyn Monroe and Axl Rose Love me, love my: tattoos. I have 10 tattoos, including a full sleeve of religious icons. My ring tone: "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" by The Ramones My restaurant: Pacific East. I didn't think it was possible for Cleveland to have good sushi. I'm from California and Pacific East rivals all my favorites there. My sport: Snowboarding. I grew up in Lake Tahoe, so I've been snowboarding my whole life. My passion: Art. I've been an artist my whole life. ... I work on paintings all day. My motto: "You can do anything you put your mind to." I know it's cheesy, but it's true. |
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Collette Appolito, 41
President of the President's Council and a mentor for the Civic Innovation Lab Favorite place in the world: Hawaii. The beaches are beautiful, and they have great sun and lots of activities. It's just a nice place and culturally diverse.
Favorite place in Cleveland: Edgewater Park. I like being by the water. It’s very picturesque at that angle to look at downtown Cleveland. The perfect date: A nice place for dinner. I enjoy eating, so at a nice restaurant or something fun and different. I typically like any type of ethnic food. My favorite food is Mexican or Italian. Love me, love my: hair. I own too many: Prince and Jim Brickman CDs. Something most people don’t know about me is: that I was born and raised in San Diego. My bar: Lola. It's new, different and I like the atmosphere and the people there. My sport: Swimming. I like to swim in the ocean. My motto: My motto actually came from something my mother told me in high school. It's something I had to remind myself more often than not in the past couple years. When people are speaking negatively about you, or there's rumors flying, as long as you know the truth, don't let it get to you. |
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| Zdenko Zovkic, 36 Owner of XO Prime Steaks Favorite place in Cleveland: I love where I'm living, Quay 55. I love being by the water. It’s nice and private and relaxing. I like to relax there, especially on a Sunday in the summertime by the pool.
Which three people, dead or alive, would you invite to dinner? Martin Scorsese, my 4-year-old son, Ivan, and Robert De Niro The perfect date: The perfect date would be a woman that has a sense of humor, a sense of style, confidence and who is really enjoying, loving being a woman, who is comfortable with herself. And you can't wait to see the person again. By the third date: it's time for you to buy dinner. I own too many: ties. Something most people don't know about me is: I was a semiprofessional pool player in Germany. My drink: Aged Scotch My passion: Everything the restaurant business embodies: exchange of culture, communicating, great food, great beverages, aesthetics. My motto: Don't lower your standards for something you want to achieve. |
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Woodie Anderson, 44
Actor and owner of a stamping plant Favorite place in the world: Maui. It's just paradise.
Biggest turn-on: Laughter Biggest turn-off: Negative people. Some people just love to whine, don't they? They'll complain about a sunny day. The perfect date: A woman [he's joking, we think]. Going to Fahrenheit, dancing and ending up at the Pickwick & Frolic Midnight Martini Show. Love me, love my: sense of humor. By the third date: we should know each other better. I own too many: magic videos. My pet: A gray parrot named Georgie and a green parrot named Houdini. My restaurant: Salmon Dave's. You gotta have the lobster bisque, it's amaaaazing! My car: A Sebring convertible. I was going to get a Mustang, but I was told it would scream midlife crisis. So this is a convertible that doesn't scream midlife crisis. My passion: Flying and skiing My motto: If you can't laugh at yourself, you're probably just not funny. |
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Jack Mulloy, 32
Owner, Nitor Partners, a software consulting business
Biggest turn-on: A sense of humor. I need to make sure I answer that question so it won't get me in trouble [laughs]. Yeah, I'll go with that.
Biggest turn-off: Girls that wear a lot of makeup Which three people, dead or alive, would you invite to dinner? George W. Bush and both of my grandfathers. I think the conversation would be all over the board. We'd start with politics, though. Love me, love my: friends. By the third date: I would have met her parents. Something most people don't know about me is: I wrestled a bear in college while I was working at a bar. For a promotional event, they brought in Caesar the Wrestling Bear. They didn't get enough people to sign up to wrestle it, so my boss asked if I would do it. I got roped into wrestling a 1,100-pound bear, and I had three minutes to pin him. I wore headgear and a white T-shirt, and I had to sign away my life. My drink: Chocolate milk My passion: Success, whether professional or with friendships and family. I'm close to my family. I have three sisters, and we all live on the West Side. |
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Damon Jones, 30
Guard, Cleveland Cavaliers Favorite place in the word: Miami. It's fun, and there's a lot of sun. |
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Brodney Pool, 22
Defensive back, Cleveland Browns Favorite place in the world: Back home in Austin, Texas. The weather's nice. I love being there with my family. |
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John Connor, 38
DJ at Q104 Favorite place in Cleveland: The Metroparks' Brecksville Reservation and the Buckeye Trail. I love running on the muddiest, hilliest, gnarliest part of the Buckeye Trail. |
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Vandana Patel, 29
Cavaliers dance coach Favorite place in the whole world: A tie between Hawaii and Long Beach, Calif.; home is where the heart is, that's where my family is. |
