Cleveland terrible city, silver lining

So why in the hell was I going to Cleveland, the place known affectionately to other’s from Ohio as the “Armpit of Ohio”? Well work, of course. More specifically I was visiting the partner company to my current employer.

I’ll leave the company names out, mostly because I really love my job and our partner is pretty damn awesome and I would hate to insult either and risk the wrath of unemployment.

But in general I can make this a very short wanderlust report because Cleveland in fact does suck.

Unlike many other work/live downtown’s around the country, Cleveland does not have a thriving nightlife nor is the downtown area very livable. In fact in can be downright dangerous.

During one of my more stupid moments of non-clarity, we asked our driver to take us to the absolute worst bar in Cleveland. Now remember I’ve been in the worst parts of Chicago, Philly, New York, and shanty towns in 3rd world countries but I was not prepared for the downright UGLY women with clear stab wounds and cigarette burns on the booty. It was terrible. The bartenders hated us, the girls were ready to fight, and the dudes looked like they were ready for a knife fight.

So I would have to rate this city as an absolute epic FAIL!!!!

But wait, what about the silver lining?

Well, there really is a silver lining and boy what a silver lining it was. As I said, I was out to visit a partner company and they are located in the suburb of Westlake and our corporate apartment that they just leased for us is located in a complex called Crocker Park.

Crocker Park is a $480 million project encompasses 12 city blocks and features a mixture of internationally known retail stores, spacious office buildings, great restaurants, luxury apartments, and spectacular homes. It’s all in a park-like setting filled with the captivating charm and bustling energy of a traditional downtown main street.

Approximately 2,000 people will live at Crocker Park in apartments and condos located above the main-street storefronts and in comfortable townhouses and spacious traditional homes that will be built on the fringes of the project.

So is Crocker Park enough of a reason to visit Cleveland? Well for all the Crocker Park is, Cleveland-proper is not. Although I will be back to Cleveland often for work, I cannot recommend anyone race out and buy tickets any time soon.

Grade: C