Paris on the Cuyahoga

Cleveland is a city divided by a river, the Cuyahoga. Divided just like Paris - which is of course split in two by the Seine. Like Paris each side of the Cuyahoga has it's own flavor. The East side is older and houses the world famous Cleveland Museum of Art and Severance Hall, home to the world famous Cleveland Orchestra. The West side is considered nouveau when considering it's riches which include the West Side Market, one of the few truly European food markets in the U.S. I'd have to say the East side is thought of as more sophisticated and the West side as lower class. Like most generalizations that is not entirely true, but for the purposes of this blog it capsulizes the differences. Cleveland is located at 41 degrees latitude and Paris at 48. So we enjoy similar weather. Otherwise we do not have much in common. Cleveland has a decidely unglamorous image. Living here can be bleak. When I started this blog I decided to change that, for myself at least. I decided to to live a fabulous, chic life here on the banks of the Cuyahoga. Now that I've gone public with this blog, I am going to promote this eurostyle life because I believe it is healthy, enjoyable and more fun than the typical lifestyle 'enjoyed' by my compatriots. I am not an American basher, but I don't think we have the joy of living sussed out the way the Europeans do. I believe in good food and good wine for everyone! Lots of mandatory vacation time! Family time! Walking! Gardening! Time not spent in front of the tv! Exclamation points! (insert grin here).....and more....which I hope to explore and share here. If you are a local, please join me and share your secret/not so secret places and things to do. If you are not from around here I'd still love your input and ideas and to have you join me on this ever evolving journey. Bisous, La