A preserved past and slow progress towards a promising future are rewriting decades of decline. Oh, and it's beach city that loves meat. There's lots of meat.
Great piece. As a lifelong native of the area and a current resident of Cleveland city proper, I can say you really captured a lot of the heart of the city.
* Our large body of water is Lake Erie, not Lake Eerie
Sort of wish you'd called your blog Second-Tier Cities rather than Second-Rate Cities with its negative connotation, but nonetheless, keep up the good work.
Glad you got to Slyman's! (I was waiting for that through the whole piece.) I've enjoyed every time I've visited Cleveland, this was a great reminder of what a great city it is.
Great piece. As a lifelong native of the area and a current resident of Cleveland city proper, I can say you really captured a lot of the heart of the city.
A few minor clarifications:
* "Population loss is now a trickle not a torrent." Believe it or not now we're now amid a apopulation GAIN, albeit a trickle as you suggest. https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2025/05/28/cleveland-population-shows-estimated-growth
* Our large body of water is Lake Erie, not Lake Eerie
Sort of wish you'd called your blog Second-Tier Cities rather than Second-Rate Cities with its negative connotation, but nonetheless, keep up the good work.
Oh my god, how embarrassing on the Lake Erie spelling 🫠 thank you for pointing that out! Updated.
Good to know about the population too, I took my stats from 2024 I believe, so I should have clarified that, but I can likely update.
As for the name, that’s intentional. The idea is that people talk about them negatively but they’re great. It’s a bit tongue and cheek.
Appreciate the edits and you reading, glad it felt fairly accurate.
Huge! Uplifted my spirits massively reading this man, what a write-up. #tubedmeatcapital here we come!
Hahaha thanks so much dude! I’m still yearning for more UK pubs in my life.
Glad you got to Slyman's! (I was waiting for that through the whole piece.) I've enjoyed every time I've visited Cleveland, this was a great reminder of what a great city it is.
Hahah you a me both! I really thought I was going to miss it, so glad I squeezed it in. Totally worth it. And yeah, Cleveland is really fun place.
Magnificent write-up, Zach. There's so much community and culture in workin-peoples' places in workin-peoples' towns.
Many thanks.
No doubt about it. Thanks for reading and commenting, it always makes publishing that much more fun.