You Want Me to Go Where?!

Sides

“I’ll get on a plane and go to Shanghai, but you ask me to go to Rocky River and I’m like ‘Ohhhh’ (throws arms up).”

That was a comment made by panelist Jonathan Leiken, president of the Cleveland Bar Association, at Cleveland Hillel’s Crossroads to the Future event last night.

His comment, which is not out of this world, brings up a more controversial discussion, one in which the audience highly engaged in yesterday evening — making the journey from one side of Cleveland to the other (OY VEY).

The entire panel discussion only lasted an hour but a solid portion of that hour was spent chattering over:

How come people from the East Side won’t go to the West Side, and how come people from the West Side won’t go to the East Side?”

One of the panelists, Oleg Fridman, a young entrepreneur and native of Cleveland, who along with his friends that are now his business partners founded ONOSYS, a restaurant online ordering company that was recently purchased by LivingSocial, basically stated over and over that Cleveland is the place to be. The rent is affordable, (it’s $3 per square foot at my company’s office) and you can live downtown at a reasonable cost (Cleveland was ranked among the Top 20 Cities for 20-Somethings).

Fridman made the argument that it only takes 25 minutes to really get anywhere in Cleveland. He lived downtown in the mid-2000s when nobody was really living downtown and he commuted outward to Case Western Reserve University. Now a resident of Macedonia (is that even a place?), he says it’s still a quick shot to downtown where the headquarters of his company is located.

The real conversation piece is why East Siders won’t go to the West Side, and why West Siders won’t travel to the East Side. Are they meeting downtown in the middle? Is it traffic? Is it because of some silly rivalry?

What it can’t be is a lack of things to do. That point was also made last night by a panelist, Dr. David C. Kaebler, a “transplant” to Cleveland. No matter what side of town you may be from each side is booming with entertainment and incredibly delicious food.

So in regards to the unheard of adventure of driving to either side of town, let’s point out that there’s no real reason it shouldn’t happen. In about 25 minutes you can drive practically anywhere:

26 minutes from Legacy Village to the West Side Market — No Excuse

LegacyW25

28 minutes from Detroit Road in Lakewood to Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights — No Excuse

Detroit Rd LakewoodtoCov

22 minutes from Beachwood Place to Tremont — No Excuse

beachwoodtotremont

And here are even more reasons why West Siders, East Siders, North Siders (huh?), South Siders or Any Siders should venture on over to the other side.

Crocker Park in Westlake to the Museum of Contemporary Art in University Circle

CrockerParktoMOCA

University Heights to West 6th Street in Downtown Cleveland

JCUtoW6

Rocky River to the PlayhouseSquare District in Downtown Cleveland

RRtoPlayhouseSquare

 

If the commute still spooks you enough to not leave your part of Cleveland, then maybe this will make you reconsider your weekend plans. . .

The fact that there are organizations in Cleveland dedicated to making sure YOU HAVE FUN!

Downtown Cleveland Alliance

Positively Cleveland

The Brain Gain Cleveland Project


#KOSHERCLEVELAND

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