10 Strange Habits Every Clevelander Will Defend To The Death

The weather in Cleveland is fickle to say the least. The months between October and May are a real grab bag: it's either 75 and sunny or 2 degrees with a negative wind chill. You can always spot a Clevelander when you see a lawnmower and a snowblower in their garage at the same time -- and they're both still in active use.

There's no beer more iconic to Cleveland than the Great Lake Brewing Company suds. The brewery's most famous beer, Christmas Ale, is something Clevelanders readily celebrate. When Great Lake releases it for the season each fall, local bars throw parties to celebrate. We love this stuff so much that you can even buy Christmas Ale flavored bacon at the West Side Market.

What do you call that little strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street? In Cleveland (and Akron), we call it the tree lawn. It's a word with roots specific to Cleveland, and it seems to stay here for some reason.

Cleveland is known for its cold, long winters. We're no stranger to snow and ice, so when the weather finally breaks in the early spring, we're usually itching to slip on our flip flops and don our shorts. You know you're in Cleveland when you see people outside in shorts and tank tops on the first 50 degree day of the year.

If you're not at all athletic but wish to participate in a sport that takes little to no physical exertion, you'll love how we Clevelanders play corn hole at pretty much every family get-together. We throw beanbags onto colorfully decorated boards with a small hole in the middle. It's a sport even couch potatoes love -- especially because it's usually done while drinking a beer.

Had a little too much to drink last night? We Clevelanders have just the remedy: go grab a delicious Romanburger from our local fast food joint, Mr. Hero. This sub-like burger is topped with a creamy sauce, grilled salami, Italian herbs, and veggies on buttery grilled bread. It's got just the right amount of grease to soak up all that extra alcohol sitting in your stomach. We'll fix you right up!

On the third Saturday in October every year, we Clevelanders celebrate "Sweetest Day." The holiday originated right here in Cleveland back in 1921. It was a collaboration from local candy makers, who wanted a holiday designated just for sharing sweets among loved ones. While many view it as a second Valentine's Day, we know the real truth -- and thus we celebrate with chocolate, because... well, yum.

As you may have surmised from the lawnmower and snowblower entry up there, Cleveland weather is downright crazy. One minute it's snowing and the next it's humid and hot. This is why Clevelanders habitually check the weather. Should we wear a coat today? Yes? Oh wait, we'll need one in the morning but not the afternoon? Should we trade it for an umbrella? Snow boots?

We've got Lake Erie to thank for this one. Each May and June, Cleveland gets bombarded with these pesky, winged bugs called Mayflies. They live under the surface of the lake until the hatch and fly toward land when the weather warms up. Once here, they mate and then die, leaving behind thousands of crunchy buggy bodies for us to sweep away like dirt. It's really, really gross, but we're used to it.

Cleveland is home to the discount and grocery store chain Marc's. The store is one of the few that doesn't accept credit cards (except Discover but who carries Discover??), so for many of us who never carry cash otherwise, we hit up the ATM just so we can grab some necessities and oddities from the Marc's closeout aisle.