Ah, Cleveland

Returning from Chicago--where the skyline of downtown seems to spread out forever--to this distant view of Cleveland's lakefront. The advantage we have here in Cleveland is that when we measure the time it takes us to get somewhere, that time usually doesn't vary by more than 10 to 15% even in rush hour. In Chicago, a trip that takes 11 minutes at 8 pm can take up to two and a half hours during the height of traffic. My sister from Chicago is constantly amazed that we can hop in the car here and arrive at downtown in 30 minutes or less, no matter what time of day it is. From Shaker Heights you can make it in 14 minutes if you know the back roads.

In Chicago, there are no back roads.

Cleveland skyline 
I love Chicago, my hometown. But I'm always glad to come back to the home I adopted some 30-plus years ago.