Earlier this week, Frank Jackson, Cleveland's four-term mayor, said that "Cleveland's perceived to be the butthole of the world." (You can watch here.)
The Mayor certainly isn't going win any civic promotional awards for his comment. In an effort to prove that Cleveland isn't the "butthole of the world," let me offer 10 reasons why I love Cleveland, my home town for the past 26 years.
1/ The Cleveland Metroparks—23,700 acres with more than 300 miles of trails spread across 18 different reservations that ring our county.
2/ Our amazing local music scene.
3/ Michael Symon, who single-handedly kickstarted Cleveland into becoming a first-class dining destination.
4/ Yes, it snows. But we also have four actual seasons.
5/ Among the lowest traffic congestion and commute times anywhere.
6/ The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
7/ Diversity.
8/ Our cultural institutions: the Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Playhouse Square (the largest performing arts center in the US outside of New York City), the Cleveland Play House, and Great Lakes Theater (where Tom Hanks got his start).
9/ Nobody calls a baseball game like Tom Hamilton.
10/ Lake Erie and its sunsets.