The signs directed West Siders to enter at the front, East Siders in the back. As if the two groups needed any help segregating themselves.
Their host, Michelle Johnson, a Geauga County native who had maintained a "working visa" to the West Side for years, knew they did not. Her recent move from Cleveland Heights to Ohio City was more than a victory for her West Side friends. It was an excuse to throw an "expatriate party."
Some invitees betrayed their biases on the party's Evite message board. One even wondered whether Michelle's move would necessitate a new 'do. ("Since you are now on the West Side does this mean you will now have big hair?") Michelle, who was once a real expat living in Côte d'Ivoire (Africa) as a Peace Corps volunteer, did not poof out her hair for the occasion, but did twist it into an updo set off by tiny silver stars. All night long, she twirled around her new abode in an "expat dress," a little navy-blue bridesmaid's number draped with a silver-starred sash. A perfect ensemble, it turned out, for breaking into the samba, an appropriately neutral dance from the Southern Hemisphere.
Some guests made passport jokes. Those who had crossed over wore plastic skull rings, as might have been handed out on the bank of the River Styx. Many brought food, which amounted to a bicoastal spread of East Side vegetarian and West Side decadence, including egg rolls, Mexican chocolate fondue and big, frosted cookies from Truffles. The libations flowed freely, as did the guests' opinions on Cleveland's longest rivalry. Some even admitted to crossing the river and (gasp!) liking it.
Judith Pindell
Affiliation: East Side (Highland Heights)
Last time she crossed over: This afternoon, for a meeting
Grudging admission about the West Side: Many social-service agencies and nonprofits are centralized on the West Side.
Nanci Ballantyne
Affiliation: West Side (Lakewood)
Last time she crossed over: Last week, for work
Grudging admission: The East Side has the Cedar Lee Theatre.
Heather Majchrycz
Affiliation: West Side (Lakewood)
Last time she crossed over: Today, for work
Grudging admission: She had to stay on the West Side. Otherwise her West Sider parents wouldn't visit her.
Jeon Francis
Affiliation: West Side
Last time he crossed over: A few weeks earlier, for the Feast of the Assumption in Little Italy
Grudging admission: Loves MOCA, the cultural gardens, University Circle, "everything from the landscaping to the architecture."
Samba dancers
Julie Kanter, Claudia Muñoz and Michelle Johnson
Kanter
Affiliation: East Side (Cleveland Heights)
Grudging admission: None. She loves the West Side. "If we didn't go to Case [medical school], we'd live on the West Side."
Muñoz, Kanter's roommate
Affiliation: East Side
Grudging admission: "I love the atmosphere here. It's more down-to-earth, more normal. I love Tremont and the falafel at the West Side Market."
Noel Harris and James Djunaidy
Harris
Affiliation: East Side (Cleveland Heights)
Last time she crossed over: Last week, she went to Talkies in Ohio City.
Grudging admission about the West Side: "Damn, that [Talkies] coffee's good!" Also enjoys the Middle Eastern and Puerto Rican restaurants.
Djunaidy
Affiliation: East Side (Cleveland Heights)
Last time he crossed over: Last week. Often goes to the West Side Market and plays sports in Tremont.
Grudging admission about the West Side: "It's more convenient."
Elizabeth Collins and Mike Sanders
Collins
Affiliation: West Side (Lakewood)
Last time she crossed over: A couple of weeks ago, to see friends
Grudging admission: None. She really thinks the West Side is the best.
Sanders
Affiliation: West Side (Old Brooklyn)
Last time he crossed over: Today, to see his mom
Grudging admission: You can stay out later on the East Side.
