New York City vs. Cleveland - A Cultural Comparison

I’ve been living in Cleveland for about 2 years - 1 year straight & then back and forth between NYC & CLE for the last year. Some of my friends and family thought I was crazy to move to Cleveland. Most New Yorkers think NYC is the center of the world. Why would anyone want to leave, let alone move to Cleveland? Well...NYC can get overwhelming at times. I needed a change and an opportunity to slow down. Cleveland presented itself and I jumped.

While I typically spend my time training on cultural differences between countries, I also spend a good amount of time talking about US regional differences as well. Everyone knows that US American culture isn’t the same all over the country. The Northeast, Midwest, Deep South - not to mention specific cultures of say, Silicon Valley or Miami - all are different. I’ve lived in 5 different states in the US: New York, Ohio, Florida, California, & Arizona, and they all have their own specific cultural elements. Adapting to each place has had its challenges, and Midwestern culture is something I’m still adapting to.

Here are some cultural differences I have found between CLE & NYC:

• Speaking Styles - Probably not surprising to anyone....New Yorkers speak fast. We want to get out what we want to say quickly, and we want you to do so too. In Cleveland, people speak a bit slower & take their time explaining things. Not a bad thing necessarily - just different. Another big difference I find is in interrupting. If you know me well, you know that I have a tendency to interrupt. I like to call it ‘cooperative overlapping’... Look it up - it’s a thing ??. Well, compared to Clevelanders, New Yorkers interrupt all the time. I know interrupting can be seen as rude, but to many New Yorkers, it’s a way to show interest in the conversation or a way to show you are engaged & excited in what the other person has to say. If you’re in a meeting in NYC, you may have to talk over people or you’ll never get heard.
• Pace of Life - Also not surprising, I’m sure, is the difference in the pace of life between the two cities. New Yorkers are always rushing everywhere and packing their days full. Clevelanders still have busy schedules, but they don’t rush around as much. There seems to be a better work-life balance overall, where people make sure to have enough time for family, friends, or just recharging. People aren’t honking their horns all the time and will slow down & give a friendly wave to let you cross the street, regardless of who has the right of way.
• Religion - Most religious demographics for NYC & CLE are similar to the national stats out there, and there aren’t glaring differences between the two cities. What does stand out to me, however, is that in Cleveland, religion is more “in your face.” People will openly talk about religion with colleagues and friends. That does not happen often in NYC. There may be just as many religious people in NYC as there are in CLE, but it’s not as apparent. Fun fact: Most restaurants in Cleveland have an entire separate menu just for Lent! This is something I’ve never seen in NYC (or anywhere else for that matter).
• Diversity - Both cities are diverse, but in different ways. Both share strong Irish, Italian, & German immigrant histories; however, NYC has more ethnic groups overall. Queens, NY is said to be the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world. NYC is definitely more mixed, in that all different groups can live in the same neighborhood or on the same block. In Cleveland, however, it’s a bit more segregated, with specific races and ethnic groups generally living in the same area.
• Making Friends - Those Midwestern manners.... People are very open and warm. When I moved to a new apartment in CLE, I found myself instantly being invited to neighbors’ homes and parties. Clevelanders love to party, and it seems the more the merrier. I personally think New Yorkers are friendly too, but I would say it may take a lot more time to create relationships in NYC. People are just too busy to make new friends.

I love both cities for different reasons. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. Below I compare CLE & NYC and declare a winner for each of the 10 different categories. Please take my teasing of both cities with a grain a salt ??.

*Full disclosure - I am originally from NY, so I may be a bit biased in my comparison ?????♀?.

Let the battle begin!! ??????

1. SMALL TALK - Clevelanders are very friendly and often want to chat, but they’re not as great at small talk as New Yorkers in my opinion. Every Monday at work in CLE it would be 45 minutes of “Hi, how was your weekend? What did you do? I went skiing with the kids” from 10 coworkers before I could get anything done. I tried to be polite, but sometimes the New Yorker in me had to cut them off in the middle of their story in order to get to work. (My loss... I’ll never know how the incident with Scruffy and the squirrel turned out). Clevelanders are great at talking about sports, beer, and how great their city is... But New Yorkers can talk about anything to anyone. WINNER: NYC

2. SPORTS FANS - Cleveland is such a huge sports town (Go Browns!). I do love a good underdog, so I admit I enjoy rooting for the Browns - it’s fun to have nowhere to go but up. CLE sports fans take their teams very seriously. I never worked at a company before where people had sports paraphernalia hung up in their cubicles & would wear sports gear to work (Browns jersey, Cavs hat) on game days. NYC sports fans might disagree and think they have the best fans, but if you haven’t lived in Cleveland, you can’t really say that with confidence ??. WINNER: CLE

3. LATE NIGHTS - In Cleveland, a lot of stores & restaurants are closed on Sundays. One time I was in downtown CLE on a Sunday at 3pm and couldn’t find any place open to eat. I ended up getting snacks from a CVS drugstore for dinner ????. Lots of places in Cleveland also close early. At the bars, last call is usually 1am in CLE & 4am in NYC. Food delivery in NYC anytime you want it? Sold! WINNER: NYC

4. WALKABILITY - When I asked an old coworker in Cleveland if he had a car, he looked at me like I was crazy...as if to say, “Of course I have a car. Who wouldn’t have a car in this city?” It almost has a negative connotation if you don’t own a car in Cleveland. When I tell people I don’t own a car, they look at me like I’m nuts. People just don’t walk often in Cleveland (unless they’re walking their dogs). In all fairness, CLE is just not as large of a city as NYC, so things are farther apart and public transportation isn’t as good. WINNER: NYC

5. COSTS - Some things in CLE are cheaper, some are not. Drinks in CLE are very cheap! I’m talking a $5 glass of wine in CLE vs. a $15 glass of wine in NYC. One main area where Cleveland is much more expensive than NYC is beauty - I still haven’t gotten my nails done in CLE bc I refuse to pay $35 for a manicure and $60 for a pedicure when I could get both done for $30 in NYC! That’s right ladies of Cleveland! You are overpaying for your nails!! ???? Restaurants are about the same price overall, but I do miss those small cheap mom & pop places in NYC where you can get chicken, rice & beans for $7 and it will last you 2 meals. The biggest difference in costs, however, is housing (which should come at no surprise). “I’m sorry... How much is that 425 square foot 4th floor walk-up no bathtub just a shower child-size appliances studio in Fort Greene, Brooklyn? $650,000 you say? Is that Thai Baht? I’ll take the 1250 square foot 2 bedroom 2 bath with washer/dryer dishwasher porch and backyard in Cleveland for $200,000 Alex.” WINNER: CLE

6. CROWDS - A new cool concept restaurant just opened up in the Lower East Side? Good luck getting a reservation for 6 months. Want to watch a movie under the Brooklyn Bridge? I hope you enjoy other people’s feet on your blanket. For 4th of July last year in Cleveland I went to see fireworks at a spot downtown. My friend & I arrived after the start time, and I was so worried we wouldn’t be able to find a spot on the lawn. I guess I thought we were in NYC for a moment. We had a whole part of the lawn to ourselves and never saw anyone’s feet. Have you ever been in NYC during rush-hour commute? WINNER: CLE

7. CLEANLINESS - Not sure if I even have to say much here, but maybe it’s a good time to remind people to wash their hands after they touch the subway pole. If you’re interested in all the diseases you can catch on the subway, read this: https://www.thrillist.com/lifestyle/new-york/all-the-diseases-you-can-catch-on-the-subway. Do I need to even mention pizza rat? WINNER: CLE

8. BEACHES - Lake Erie is massive. It looks like an ocean. There are several beaches in the area, and about an hour’s drive away are islands where people party in the summer on their boats. For some dumb reason, when I moved to Cleveland I was shocked to see people out on the lake & rivers in their boats. When I think of partying on boats, I think of Miami, not Cleveland. Some Clevelanders will complain about Lake Erie being dirty - “I would never swim in that water” - but it has nothing on the East River & Hudson River. NYC beaches are dirtier. Sure, you have nicer beaches in New Jersey & Long Island, but you have to get up at 5am to get on the road and avoid traffic, pay to park, and then listen to someone’s loud EDM music all day. The beach near me in CLE is free, you don’t have to pay for parking, and even when it’s crowded you can get a spot on the beach. They also offer stand-up paddle boarding & kayaking, and you don’t have to wait in line for an hour like you do at Brooklyn Bridge Park. WINNER - CLE

9. PARKS - Cleveland has many parks throughout the city & surrounding areas; it’s actually a network of parks that are all connected. While officially called Cleveland Metroparks, the parks are unofficially referred to as the ‘Emerald Necklace.’ The parks total just over 21k acres & include bike trails, horse trails, and even golf courses. NYC has roughly 30k acres of parks that include hiking trails, swimming pools, and tennis courts; there are over 1,000 playgrounds & 800 playing fields. Most of the CLE parks are located a in the suburbs, whereas, NYC parks are spread throughout all boroughs & are often right in the middle of the city; you can access most of them by a short subway ride or walk. That said, the parks in NYC are more crowded than the CLE parks. WINNER: TIE

10. POLITENESS - New Yorkers have a bad rap for being rude, but that’s generally a misconception. New Yorkers can appear rude because they’re always in a hurry; we may omit pleasantries in order to get on our way faster (and allow you to get on with your day as well). Most Clevelanders I know seem to be very nice, but they can be just as rude as New Yorkers - it’s just a bit more subtle. (Although I think people are overwhelmingly nice in both cities). Often times, Clevelanders are not as direct or honest; they don’t speak their minds like New Yorkers do. While Clevelanders may be trying to be polite by avoiding direct, blunt speech, it can be interpreted as fake or insincere. Sometimes I just want to shake people in CLE and say “Please say what you really mean!!” WINNER: NYC - because I just love direct, in-your-face honesty ??.

Have you lived in 2 cities with large constrasts? Perhaps you are from a small town & moved to a big city? Or maybe you moved from the North to the South in your country. What are some comparisons you have?

P.S. Dear Cleveland, it’s soda & sneakers...not pop & tennis shoes. That is all.

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