“Cleveland– at least we’re not Detroit!” was written on a white T-shirt worn by a fellow passenger on my flight back home this past weekend. Clearly something did go wrong; a comparable city, Pittsburgh, which grew to prominence via similar industrial means, has successfully built up other sectors and is thriving. Cleveland, however, is still visibly suffering. Surprisingly, the city remains a cultural hub even if it does not seem to have the cultural capital to sustain it. The Cleveland Museum of Art is a world-class institution, the Cleveland Orchestra is considered one of the best in the country, the Cleveland International Piano Competition is prestigious, and so on. I’m thankful I had these resources growing up, but I still don’t get it…the culinary, nightlife and entertainment scenes are so far behind those of other metropolitan areas.
My apologies for the photograph being a little dark– there’s a charming permanent sculptural piece titled “Home, School and Office” by Andy Yoder in the Continental Airlines Terminal at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. If you can’t make it out, there are three “paper” planes, each a different form and type of paper, whimsically floating to the ground. Note to self: airport art is a great topic for a coffee table book.
