Cleveland has long been ridiculed as a dysfunctional city bisected by the once-infamous Cuyahoga River, where oil-soaked debris caught fire in 1969. Yet today more than 40 species of fish live in the far cleaner Cuyahoga, crew teams ply its curves, and the $250 million Flats East Bank development, with an 18-story office tower, hotel, nightclubs, and apartments, is rising amid the numerous bridges that link the city's halves. Burning River, meanwhile, is the name of a pale ale made by the local Great Lakes Brewing Company'a signal of counterintuitive pride in the city's big moment of shame, and a measure of how far it's come since then.
You have 0 complimentary articles remaining.
Unlimited access + premium benefits for as low as $1.99/month.