My Collinwood; Installment No. 2: "Where can I get a cup of coffee around here?" and "I caught my own perch!"

Fresh eyes, not fish eyes. The author's catch of perch from the Linda Mae, down at Wildwood, August 2013.

Making the most of fresh eyes.

When you move to a new place – be it a home, a city, or even a country – there exists a brief window during which you posses a unique superpower: the ability to see everything clearly and precisely.

In Collinwood I am using my powers wisely to see the good, the bad, the ugly, and most of all, the prospects.

Collinwood is a neighborhood some people find difficult to love. It’s a neighborhood under construction: a tear-down on one street, a rehab on the next, all around construction barrels warn of asphalt worn down to the sandy loam.

It’s a neighborhood of great potential.

Collinwood is one of the more connected parts of the city, especially in terms of interstate connectivity. Coming from New Jersey - the state infamously ridiculed as a mere highway linking the great eastern metropolises - Collinwood represents an important nexus where I can be most anywhere worth going in fifteen minutes or less.

Connected we are, but amenities we lack. Too often I ride to Euclid for an espresso and wifi, to Lakewood for “healthy” pizza, back to the old turf in Cleveland Heights for spinach pie and sushi. Although, recently I dined at Bistro 185 for the first time and loved every morsel. Then, the next day I set sail on the Linda Mae and pulled the most delicious perch from the depths of Lake Erie. Chili Peppers crafts the best burrito in this city, hands down; and I have a soft, too soft, spot for V’s Chicken.

Certainly, there are gems and shiny, new establishments in the pipeline. Still, where do I pick up a quick cuppa Joe on the way to my studio? (ps. This is not a rhetorical question. I want to know!)

And it’s not (always) food that I crave. Where does company stay when the guest room is full? Where can I buy a tube of white acrylic paint because I am always running out? Where can I practice my downward dog or pick up new yoga pants?

Collinwood is my home but sometimes it also feels like my island. We have amazing green space, indoor and outdoor pools, libraries and schools. We have the Lake, a covetable arts scene, and truly amazing people (those last three things are THE reasons I moved here, in total honesty).

But with my rose-colored glasses (you, know, the ones we made at the Euclid Beach Blast!) I see my neighborhood blooming. I see a branch of my bank, a cooperative grocery store, coffee, a corner store that looks less ominous, a yoga studio, a greasy spoon and a crunchy-granola marketplace, Japanese food, a brewery, a wine bar, pottery classes, welding workshops, and an old-fashioned ice cream shop.

I see a huge sign on either end of Lakeshore that shouts Welcome!” I see graphic wayfinding and signage on streets, on buildings so you can know that you’re oh-so-close to the bubbling over-awesomeness that is our neighborhood. I see a lively place to match the vibrant lives of its inhabitants.

What do you see? How can we make our home the best it can be for ourselves and our future, new neighbors? Collinwood may have its challenges, but through these fresh eyes, charm is all I see!

Allison is a new Collinwood resident, artist, and neighborhood cheerleader loving her sunset views over Lake Erie, Waterloo Arts, the pool at the rec center, Project Pop-Up Galleries and, of course, brunches at the Beachland.

Allison Lukacsy

Allison is a new Collinwood resident, artist, and neighborhood cheerleader loving her sunset views over Lake Erie, Waterloo Arts, the pool at the rec center, Project Pop-Up Galleries and, of course, brunches at the Beachland.

Read More on Naturally Collinwood
Volume 5, Issue 8, Posted 1:20 PM, 09.12.2013