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| Photo by John Schrimpf |
And yet...I don't always long for the good old days. My friend, Lynne, shared a link to Cleveland.com on my Facebook page. There is a photo gallery of images from 1970's Cleveland that was created by the EPA for a study they did on air pollution.
Their picture of Cleveland is not anything the visitor's bureau would have shared. It depicts our town as a smoggy wasteland. Men of my parents' generation used to say we shouldn't complain because dirty skies meant full employment. That's why they moved to the suburbs.
Personally, I'm thrilled that the EPA stepped in. While you can still get a whiff of the factories if you're cruising down Jennings Road, it's nothing like it was forty years ago. The photos bring back how bad the air was and what a long way we've come.
Besides the industrial part of town, there are photos of downtown buildings and stores. And Chester Commons, where I spent many a lunch hour (in the 80's, though, not the 70's). There was a certain noir about the place. I love the "Eliot Ness for Mayor of Cleveland" sign painted on the side of one building. (My brother photographed that same wall back in the day when he lived on Prospect Avenue.)
It's fun to go back in time, but it's also good to acknowledge that some things are better left in the past. It was not fun living in the city dubbed "The Mistake on the Lake."
Hopefully, the weather will turn warm for good, and I can visit Lakewood Park and pay homage to the EPA for helping to restore the beautiful views we enjoy.
P.S. If you're interested, the photo gallery can be found here:
http://photos.cleveland.com/4501/gallery/vintage_photos_of_cleveland_in_the_1970s_a_gritt/index.html#/0
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