MayDay

Queen B here ;-) As far as Beachcliff Place apartments, I suppose their location is alright (across the street from a small park with a pier on Lake Erie called Bradstreets Landing) and they're in easy driving distance to some places worth mentioning. However, there's very very little in easy walking distance other than a convenience store. They're a bit of an anomaly - Rocky River is a rather upscale inner-ring suburb but these are basically "commie block" style apartments. There's nothing aesthetically redeeming about them - at least on the exterior. I can NOT recommend them if you're planning to be car-free (I've been car-free since 2002 so I'm familiar with the areas that will and won't work), and especially for a commute to MetroHealth. You can figure that it will take 35-45 minutes *minimum* to board a bus downtown-bound, and then add at least another 15-20 minutes minimum for your downtown connecting route to MetroHealth. Now, if you're driving - it might be about 30 minutes which isn't too bad. Portions of Rocky River are a little more densely built than others (north of Westway/Hilliard and east of Wagar) but as much as I love that area, I don't think I'd choose to be car-free and live there if I worked at MetroHealth. That said, I've heard rather mixed reviews about the Kensington Club apartments which are east of Beachcliff Place - I can't speak for the actual building, but the location is much more walkable, with a small grocery store, wine store, and pizza joint adjacent, and other amenities (including a full-service grocery) in an easy 10 minute walk, as well as an adorable lakefront "pocket park" nestled in a very upscale neighborhood. Your commute via the busline will still be lengthy but at least you'll have a nice walkable environment in your off-hours. If you decide you HAVE to reside in Rocky River while being car-free, definitely aim for the areas north of Westway/Hilliard and east of Wagar. Once you get away from that, it becomes rather drab 1960s-era strip mall that's not at all conducive to walking. But I have to admit, if I had to choose a suburb to live in, Rocky River (specifically the areas mentioned above) would be in my top 3 choices.

Well you didn't specify!?! There's another one of my pet peeves - people who leave out essential details! ;-)

The next time you post a photo of the Vosges boutique, it'd d@mn well better be a minimum of 800 pixels wide, missy!

You beat me to it. That's indeed at Detroit and West Blvd.

This building is on Euclid Avenue near CSU - the smaller building on the left is one of the few remaining mansions from Millionaires Row, now part of the Parker-Hannifin complex. The building itself is home to Ah-Roma Cafe, Sacred Path Books and 10,000 Villages:

"I just ran into a girl from Montana. She wouldn't stop talking about her hometown. I literally had to walk away from her. In my travels, I have never experienced that from a Clevelander. So, if we don't talk up our city, we should not expect others to do it for us." To a point, I agree but the day I encounter a Clevelander who comes across like a boosterish pageant queen is the day I use one of those "Good for One B!tchslap" tickets that MTS is so fond of. Maybe some people prefer an approach that Clevelanders "have something to prove", but I don't.

It may not be their fault - where I used to work, the stairwell doors were locked (aka you could get IN the stairwell, but to get out you could only exit via the emergency door to the outside on the first floor). It was allegedly due to security and the insurance company for the building required it. Years before I worked there, someone was attacked by an intruder and they're guessing he got in via the stairwell. I used to work on the fifth floor, but had to go to the third every now and then. I was having a rather bad day when someone (I'm guessing new to the building) scoffed at me as I was getting off on the third, something along the lines of "like he couldn't just take the stairs". I turned around, stopped the door from closing and "You DO know that the stairwell doors are locked, right? If you want people to take the stairs - and believe me, I'd love to, go yell at building management - and from the looks of it, YOU could use a few trips up the steps as well!".

^That's what happens when you essentially have a giant swamp cooler just to the north - Lakebreezes are a pain now, but a godsend in warmer summer months. Nice shots as always, Andrew! :-)

"I don't buy into the latest trends like Apple." Yeeeah, I've been using various incarnations of that "latest trend" for about 18 years now. :roll:

^I second Lakewood - particularly with Grandma in Westlake; she'd have maybe a ten minute drive to Lakewood via I-90. There are also some main roads (surface streets/boulevards) that are near Westlake, cut through adjacent Rocky River and eventually get to Lakewood. For example, taking Lake Road through Rocky River from Clague would put her in Lakewood's western section within 20 minutes at most - and during the winter, those main roads are often better kept/plowed than the highway. She might even feel more comfortable utilizing those routes, I know I did when I lived in Westlake. As for getting to University Heights, taking I-90 from Lakewood to East 55th up to Carnegie and then to Cedar... probably 30+ minutes in good traffic but not likely over an hour (outside of REALLY inclement weather). In all honesty, if your choice in any way needs to accomodate Grandma's driving from Westlake - disregard Shaker Square, Cleveland Heights, etc. That's simply not practical if she's part of the equation - and why would you give up having free babysitting? ;-)

So far, I'd say everyone has good suggestions - as MetroHealth is centrally located, it has good transit access. As rockandroller said, Lakewood is a good option if you want to be somewhere with good public schools. It's not as convenient as an inner-city neighborhood but as an older suburb, Lakewood has well established and frequent transit to downtown - and most of the bus lines that have stops directly in front of MetroHealth hospital originate from downtown. So if you're not opposed to a "two seat" transit commute (in other words, take one bus from Lakewood to downtown, and another bus to MetroHealth), Lakewood's a great option - and would still be good for when your spouse and kids arrive. If you choose to own a car, MetroHealth is an easy 15-20 minute commute from Lakewood. There are also routes that connect to the Red Line (heavy rail line) which has a stop at West 25th Street and that station is adjacent to a bus stop where multiple buslines pass by MetroHealth. The other neighborhoods within the city itself are great but of course there are tradeoffs - Cleveland city schools could be better, but your commute would be much shorter. I live in Tremont, and if I worked at MetroHealth, my commute would be under 5 minutes via car, and probably 10-15 minutes by bus. Then again, I don't have children so while I'd love to have better schools for the sake of property values, I don't have to worry about sending my own. Please feel free to let us know if you have any other questions - and welcome to Cleveland! :-)

Wonderful news about the Wick Pollock!

The general vicinities of the photos from this thread: I apologize in advance for some blurred shots - I picked up a new lense that doesn't have image stabilization so it's taking some getting used to. Heading out of Tremont, passing by St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Church: Can you see Key Tower? The view of downtown from I-490: And from I-77: Walker and Weeks condos - great spaces, not the most ideal location: And welcome to (North) Collinwood - East 152nd Street and Waterloo Road: Good building stock on this stretch, just needs some TLC: And we arrive at our destination - well, the Beachland Tavern next door for brunch (highly recommended!). The Beachland Ballroom is a former Croatian hall, now a venue for lots of indie rock bands http://www.beachlandballroom.com/ A few people out and about on a sunny but chilly day: But we had places to be, so off we go - north on East 156th: A mostly intact strip of commercial/mixed-use buildings: And we reach Lakeshore Boulevard - in the background, one of dozens of highrises along Lake Erie: Pretty sure Lakeshore had a streetcar back in the day (accounting for the extra wide road): Quaint homes in the Shore Acres neighborhood north of Lakeshore: Like lots of projects around the country, in need of a bailout: Once we cross the border into Bratenahl (a separate municipality bordered by I-90 on the south and Lake Erie on the north), things are a tad different: One Bratenahl Place: The smaller and much more contemporary-styled Breezy Bluff Estates: But we've reached the end of Lakeshore Boulevard, back onto I-90: CSU's Rhodes Tower on the left and Fenn Tower (dorms) on the right: Although it's unfortunate that a former warehouse was demolished - it opened up the next two views: That was it for that day: Now, over to Detroit-Shoreway: Detroit Avenue on the left, the Shoreway on the right: More Detroit Avenue: The Big Egg is a recently reopened landmark in the area: Interesting commercial buildings on this stretch: We missed our turn so we take a peek around - forumer DanB owns a building in this area, a smaller and more sedate version of Little Italy on the West side: Newer residential construction along Father Caruso Drive: Here we are - we wanted to try Stone Madd on West 65th. Decent food, great beer options, and there's plenty of eye candy: http://www.cleveland.com/events/index.ssf/2008/05/irish_pub_repaved_the_way_to_g.html Just up the street, this little storefront needs some TLC: A quick (and blurry) peek inside the Gordon Square Arcade - part of the Detroit-Shoreway's renaissance into an arts district: Cleveland Public Theater, one of the neighborhood's cultural anchors: Adjacent residential: Nice subtle gothic details on the building on the left: A view down West 65th - with the spires of St. Colman's on the left: And time to head home - this time via Franklin Boulevard: Back to West 25th Street in Ohio City - hope you enjoyed!

A properly drunk and condescending queen at least knows how to spell "throne". :roll:

Good to hear from you again! :-) I want to say I've heard a possible summer opening for Dante but don't quote me on that.

Welcome to the forum! As a resident of Tremont, I think the area is generally safe but that's my perception as a guy and as someone who is more familiar with the area. One thing that's for sure - there aren't as many people out and about as the Warehouse District but that's probably a given with the lack of high-density housing. And as with any area, the main streets are generally fine but there can be "pockets" that are problematic. If you'd like, feel free to send me a private message and we can discuss further. Not sure about the Tremont Place Lofts - I like the location, but I'm not familiar with the developers/owners.

Might be able to swing this one - I say we try Hooples again.

Good point - I'm guessing both of those images are from the Broadway site, but there's no mention anywhere that they rebuilt/expanded on Broadway, so maybe that's just been omitted from local history sites.

Amazing shots - I'm pretty sure this view is looking north toward West 9th. The building in the foreground left was demolished and is now the parking area between National Terminal and Bingham; the building on the right stood on the site that's now a parking area at Johnson Court and West 9th (with Marshall Place apartments in the background): "As Clevelanders, we should all be ashamed we let the Flats East Bank collapse" And Higbees, and Halles, and Millionaires Row, and the Dual Hub, and Ameritrust Center, and and and and and and and ... hey, if you're into self-flagellation, have at it.

Wow, St. Ignatius of Antioch on West Boulevard and St. Colman on West 65th are slated to close: I'm really shocked to see that St. James in Lakewood is slated to close as well:

Bah, he's twink-ish but not full-on twink. I mean sure, he's blonde and young and whatnot but he's not Twinkernelle - if he was, I'da shanked him in the kidney! ;-)

Update from March 5th:

Update from March 5th:

Apparently it IS rocket science... the bridge will connect where the yellow arrows indicate: