Wow, such great answers - it's clear we all love the city we call home. Everyone had great answers - really great answers. Congrats to Hallie and Eddie, the two winners.

What I love about Cleveland is that it continues to surprise me. I've lived here my whole life, with the exception of college, and I couldn't imagine life anywhere else.

I love that just when I think I know everything about this town I discover a new restaurant, neighborhood, store, park, etc that I never knew existed.

I'm amazed by the optimism of its residents and the belief that we can help it prosper in a time of such economic disaster.

I'm proud to be a Browns fan and season ticket holder no matter how many years they continue to suck. I still love that feeling before the opening game kickoff when you believe this could be our year.

I feel at one with the lakeside and fondly remember the summers I spent sailing on my parents' boat.

I long for Tower City to rejuvenate and become the destination shopping space it once was. I miss the model train shop with the train tracks that wound throughout the store overhead.

What do I love about Cleveland? Everything and anything.

I smile, sigh and breath a little deeper when I think of Cleveland. I moved away thinking I wanted a big city. Turns out, my big city of Chicago left me a big Cleveland-shaped hole that another city won’t fill. But this isn’t about me, it’s about Cleveland. It’s uniqueness has everything to do with the people who love the city and continue to push it to be all it can be. Born and raised in Cleveland, I am constantly boasting about “my city”. We tend to our customers, our lawns, our friends and families with the a proud diligence. No detail or name goes unnoticed.

The level of love and pride is contagious for even the newest of Clevelanders. And the "elders" who take pride in their history in the city, think of every year as another notch in their belt. Ask any of them, and they will give you all their wisdom and stories. You have to have that "Cleveland-level" of toughness to live and love the city. Outsiders ask, “how can you love the brutal winters and the terrible things that have happened to your teams?” I tell them it’s the people and their attitudes that keeps the winters warm and the teams proud.

Cleveland is my home even though I have lived in Columbus for the past 20+ years. Cleveland is where I feel at peace when I come back for a getaway weekend. It's where I go for great food (thank you Michael Symon. It's where I go when I need to stare at Lake Erie to feel grounded again. It's where I go when I cheer (albeit often fruitlessly) my beloved Indians and Browns. There is a peacefulness I feel whenever I come around the corner of 71 and see the Terminal Tower. I live in Columbus, but Cleveland is home.

I'm originally from Detroit but I have lived in Cleveland over 10 years now. I originally lived in North Olmsted now I live just a little east of downtown. Having lived on both sides of town I feel comfortable hoping in the car and driving to Great Northern or going east to Beachwood Mall. I love how there are little pockets all around the city - that I have realized not even Clevelanders know about! Fat Cats is a little gem tucked away that I am torn btwn raving about and keeping all to myself! The Miles Farmers Market makes me drive way out just to get a taste of that sweet corn. Sure, I can get my clothes cleaned anywhere, but the Italian owner of the little greasy shoe repair shop in North Olmsted greets me by name and I love it. I wouldn't exchange driving thru the ump-teen Metroparks while the leaves are changing for anything!

I appreciate living in Cleveland...crazy drivers and all! I urge all my friends to discover downtown Hudson and the paper store on Old Detroit, A Cookie and a Cupcake and the other little gems both on the east AND west sides. Also, thanks to you and your little munchkin for all the great restaurants you visit, making our mouths water and giving us another place to put on our 'must visit' lists!!

it's not too hard to live well, affordably, in Cleveland. we have great cultural institutions, some of which are free (CMA). I've been told Browns tickets are some of the most affordable in the NFL, although it doesn't always feel that way when I pay the bill. :) thanks to Continental, you can get pretty much anywhere you want to go for a decent price, and many cities - Chicago, DC, NYC, etc. are maybe an hour away. if you like to eat, you're in good company, and the prices are reasonable. homes are relatively inexpensive, we have a great park system and a giant lake just north of us...and I know I'm just hitting the tip of the iceberg.

My love of Cleveland, in Haiku form.

Stadium Mustard
Spicy Brown Goodness For All
Bottle of Awesome

When I left Cleveland almost 9 years ago, I swore I'd never come back. I spent my youth here and it wasn't that I disliked the city but more that I always thought of myself as a "city person." I was 17, and, looking back, had a lot to learn.

I moved to Boston and, within 2 months, knew that someday I wanted to return to Cleveland. The east coast - and many modern metropolises - grant you the gift of anonymity. While sometimes nice (read: getting your grocery shopping done quickly without bumping into everyone you know), it also makes you feel completely disconnected. Uprooted. And, sometimes, lonely. I found most Bostonians to be cold and generally uncaring. I would run along the esplanade and rarely would another runner wave back to me.

I left Boston quite a bit for business. And spent a lot of time in other cities. But I never felt home like I do in Cleveland.

What I realized is that the things I love about other cities - the dining, the museums, the architecture, world class parks, the shopping, etc. - all exist in Cleveland and are much, much more affordable (and, a lot of the time, free). But beyond affordability, it's the people that brought me back. This city is filled with a lot of love. If you have a great idea, there are dozens of people that want to help you make it happen, no questions asked. And they don't expect anything in return. They just want to see good people do good work.

I know now that I was right about one thing: I am a city person. And Cleveland is my city.

I like my life in Cleveland.

Ahhh Cleveland, tailgating for Browns games, Stadium Mustard and Great Lakes Christmas Ale. Does it get any better than that?!

Cleveland is a great city with fun events for every season of the year, great restaurants and plenty of family friendly activities. It's a very afforadable city and easy to get around.

I begrudgingly moved to Cleveland for school over two years ago and am now a die-hard fan of this city. There is so much to do here, I'm constantly amazed at how much this city has to offer. My favorite part about living here is that Cleveland offers everything a "big" city has - diverse culture, incredible restaurants, theater, sports teams, health care, universities, etc etc - but it isn't so big that you feel lost in it, like one would in New York or Chicago. I feel like I'm a part of a living, breathing, evolving city living here, but in an intimate and personal way - not a face-lost-in-the-crowd kind of way. That's why I call Cleveland home (and plan on staying here after graduation).

I moved to Newport Beach almost 5 years ago and wake up every Saturday and Sunday morning to be at the bar before 9:00am for the Buckeyes and Browns. I look forward to the tons of conversations I've had convincing Lakers' fans that LeBron is better than Kobe. Every time I'm back in Cleveland I make sure I bring back Stadium Mustard, Skyline Chili and a different Great Lakes Beer (especially Christmas Ale). I miss the leaves changing, the Q, the Tribe, Tower City, Corky & Lenny's, Coventry, Lee Rd., wings at the Winking Lizard, the Feast in Little Italy, Red Wanting Blue at the House of Blues, Tremont, the West Side Market, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a date at Chagrin Falls, Blossom, Geraci's, Mama Santa's, Beachwood Place, my family and High School friends... and a late night Panini's sandwich... Cleveland will always be home.

I live in NYC now, but my husband and I both grew up in Cleveland (east side for me, west side for him.)

Favorite things for me include Humphrey's Popcorn balls, stadium mustard, the restaurants- Lola, Paladar, Sarava, Lolita, Balaton's, Lucy's Sweet Surrender, (I could keep going on), Unique Thrift, the rapid (still my favorite way to get downtown or to Tribe games), the way that people from Cleveland have this understanding about what it means to never give up, no matter how futile our hopes may seem.

Although I live about 45 minutes east of Cleveland, I still refer to it as where I live. The culture, the food, the sports...it all embodies the simpleness that I want in my life!

Wow, where to even begin. I love Cleveland and like so many others will stand up for my city when others speak badly about it. I have lived here for most of my 24 years- spending only 2 away when I went to Ohio University. So, why do I call Cleveland home?

Tailgating for Browns games, the energy walking to and from as well as inside the Browns stadium(can't be explained in words), the first changing of the leaves, the first snow fall that doesn't stick, watching the cavs just pound opponents, everyone's hope and belief in the city's future, walking downtown during my lunch hour and having most of the people i pass smile or say hi, driving over the detroit/superior bridge at night, the city's skyline (all views- from rocky river/lakewood to tremont), rock bottom brewery and Great lakes, lakewood, rocky river, the metroparks, all the festivals, the great blogs dedicated to the city written by people who truly love the city, learning something new about cleveland on a regular basis, lake erie and the feeling of being out on the water, the great neighborhoods one can live in if they don't want to live downtown, the view driving west on rt.2, whiskey island, edgewater.. i think i have gone on too long- you get the idea. just writing this post makes me happy that i live in cleveland and gives me hope that the city will only get better!

my husband and i are both transplants to cleveland (he is from houston and i am from buffalo) and we have found such a happy medium here. the city is so easy to live in with perfectly priced housing to great restaurants to interesting areas to explore to an immense array of choices to do on any given weekend. what we like most about cleveland is that it feels like home now. our family has followed us here and we have great friends, we know we will never leave. how could we leave such a perfect place to live? (oh, and how could i forget- pacific east has the best sushi ever!)

Cleveland is the place I call home. I grew up there and lived there after college. There are so many amazing things about the city. The lake, the change of seasons, and the history behind the town and the neighborhoods is what gets me. The typical trip back includes a beer at the Great Lakes Brewery, some thrifting at the Unique Thift store in Ohio City and some Pizza at Mama Santas in Little Italy. Of course it's centered around a baseball, football or basketball game. Christmastime is amazing as well. I love to drive my friends from out of town down to Tremont to have a beer at the Treehouse and see the Christmas Story house. Hopefully I'll be back to town soon.

My husband and I have both lived in Cleveland our whole lives. It's hard to hear people talk negatively about our home. There are so many wonderful things about our home that we would find it hard to leave. The food, world-class, unique restaurants, culture and entertainment, and our amazing park systems. How can you ever get bored with such a variety of events happening?! And those Browns...you just gotta love them! My family has had Dawg Pound seats since 1984! You'll find us tailgaiting every weekend! That shirt would make me the star of the show downtown! Even though we were born and raised here, we now choose to stay here.

I love that Cleveland has so many different faces. Hang in Cle on one day and the Indians are playing. The smell of hot dogs wafting through the air. Check out Cleveland on Sunday, it's freezing and there are thousands bundled up, eating food off tailgates in the Browns Stadium parking lot. West S Market could swallow up a foodie for an entire day! I love how multi cultural we are, how multi -everything! We have a little bit of evertying here...I love the energy! I love the people...I just Cleveland.

I should mention that I do not live in Cleveland. I live in a small town close by called Seville. I realize this disqualifies me from winning any shirts. lol I just don't get many opportunities to express the love for Cle. :)

What I love about our city is that while many others look at Cleveland from the outside and say "What's so great about Cleveland?", we look at all that we do have and feel truly blessed to be a part of this city. Whether it be our undying (sometimes to a fault!) love for our sports teams, our pride in our hometown chefs, or our support of local arts, Cleveland is a city of many treasured, but also of untapped potential. Oh yeah, and it doesn't hurt that A Christmas Story House and Museum is here, too! As my all-time favorite movie, I have to mention that!

There aer MANY great things about the city, way too many to list. The #1 thing will always be this though...it's home!

What I love about this city is that I can eat my way through it. There are so many GREAT places to eat here. And when I hear that we've got an iron chef and everywhere I turn there's another restaurant in Cleveland being featured on the Food Network....I'm super proud.