New Yorker Mulls moves to the Midwest. Cleveland feels very empty

• As a New Yorker, I was curious about moving to a different city.
• I've liked other cities in the Midwest, so I was excited to go to Cleveland.
• I loved Cleveland's walkability, cleanliness and food. I just wished there were more people.

As someone who grew up in the tri-state area and lived most of her life in New York, I've been itching to move in a few years. I love my neighborhood and will have a hard time leaving, but my partner and I were curious about moving to a more affordable city.

Basically, my dream is a city like New York, but where we could rent (or even one day buy) a bigger apartment. It would also be nice to not feel so crammed in all the time – it was very telling that at the height of the pandemic in New York, I actually felt the calmest I have in years because of how much quieter my neighborhood has become.

So far, I've really been drawn to Midwestern cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, and Madison because they feel like they're walkable and lively without being filled with people I'm irrationally mad at for wanting to have brunch at. same place i do.

Before I go to Twinsburg, Ohio to report on annual festival of the twins, I flew to Cleveland for the first time. I decided to spend the day there and ended up loving it — except for one glaring thing I still don't understand.

Everything was cleaner and refreshingly spacious

My cat sometimes makes a run for it when I open the front door to our apartment, but when she reaches the hallway, she freezes—as if she can't fully process how much bigger the world is outside her messy bubble.

That's how I felt when I left the Tower City RTA station, which I'd compare to the Times Square subway stop in terms of centrality — but without any of the chaos.

As I started walking, it felt strange not having to brace myself to let someone pass or artfully avoid a rat the size of a Chihuahua. I also never felt like I was in anyone's way when I opened my phone to look up directions. I could go at my own pace and seeing wide sidewalks without litter felt like a brain cleanse.

Cleveland is a foodie's dream

Since I was in Cleveland for such a short time, I only tried a few spots I Googled, mostly out of convenience: Barrioa Mexican chain where you can build your own tacos. Brewnutsa beer and donut shop, and Earthy, a classic brewery. I enjoyed everything, especially the tacos, which I got with gochujang tofu.

Other places I had on my list were West Side Market (a huge public food market with over 60 vendors). La Plaza Taqueriaa favorite taco spot; Astoria Cafe & Marketa Greek-inspired brunch hotspot. Happy doga hot dog bar with live music and Cloak & Daggera vegan cocktail bar.

From what I could tell, there's no shortage of cuisines or fun food ideas (did I mention I ate a donut with a beer?).

Cleveland felt surprisingly walkable compared to other major cities

One thing I love about living in New York is not having to drive. It drives me crazy (pun intended) that so many American cities are so dependent on driving. Even if I enjoyed driving (I don't), I would feel uncomfortable spending a 73-degree day stuck in traffic, as I might in cities like Los Angeles, Austin, and Nashville.

It would be nice to have a car in Cleveland as the neighborhoods are quite far apart. But overall, I found it surprisingly easy to get around just by walking and using public transportation. I don't recall a single time the pavement ended abruptly or rolled onto a clear highway.

I found out later that according to research by Smart Growth AmericaCleveland ranks as the most equitably walkable city — meaning walkability is accessible to a wider range of social groups (New York ranked second).

A beach, a stadium and an arts district are all quite close

In less than eight hours, I passed Cleveland Browns Stadium, Edgewater Beach, and the Gordon Square Arts District.

New York has the equivalent of these things, but any major stadium is essentially a day trip on the subway, as is the beach. Theoretically, you could do a lot in one day in Cleveland: There are also museums, outdoor spaces, concert venues, and even the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

“Midwest nice” is real (and great)

I hate it when they say New Yorkers aren't nice: I think it's just that sometimes we're busy and a little messed up (at least I am).

But I found the “Midwest nice” to be real and a very different experience each time.

Due to last minute flight changes, I didn't have a hotel to leave my luggage at, so I carried my locker all day. A guy saw me at a crosswalk and just said “Oh, that doesn't look like fun.” It was a small moment, but kind of cool. I it was struggling a bit, and there was something humanizing about being seen rather than blurring into a crowd.

Later in the day, I was walking past a quiet row of beach houses when I heard a soft “hello!” I took a few steps back and saw a woman sitting on her porch. We waved and I kept walking.

Sometimes, however, the beauty was very different from what I was used to. I just wanted to retreat into solitude and mingle. It made me realize how unusual I am to have a waiter check-in so many times or an Uber driver immediately ask me questions.

There was one thing I didn't like about Cleveland: The emptiness

While I longed for less crowds, I didn't expect the strange emptiness I saw in Cleveland, especially since so many of the places I went were considered touristy. As someone who is used to seeing crowds of people everywhere all the time, the lack of crowds made me feel uncomfortable in otherwise beautiful areas.

Part of it may have been my timing: I was in town late on a summer Friday afternoon. Maybe people were at work, I thought, or on vacation. But it still didn't explain the terrifying juxtaposition between the sheer size of the city and all its attractions — and the actual attendance.

I asked an Uber driver about it. He said I didn't imagine it: It used to be Cleveland one of the largest and most important cities in the USA. But, partly due to the decline of the steel industry, it suffered severe population loss and never really recovered.

A Reddit user likened Cleveland to “feeling like you've somehow walked into disneyland when all the rides are operating but it's closed to the public.” That's exactly how it felt — cycling past beautiful shops and flower-filled streets, knowing that the New York counterparts would be bursting with people.

It made me miss the unexpected: Having more strangers around, if only to tell them how much this city rules.