MayDay

If the Clinic and adjacent healthcare institutions would at least man up and drop the horsesh!t line of "we care about building green" while demolishing buildings like East 105th/Carnegie (the greenest building is the one that's already built) and lobbying for swaths of wetlands/forest to be demolished for far-flung exurban campuses (and the highway-centric infrastructure) in Avon and Twinsburg, I'd be more hesitant to call them out on their hypocrisy. I mean thank god McDonalds no longer serves downtown but hey, Avon will have about 60 acres of trees vaporized! :roll:

"There is no correct answer..." There are plenty of incorrect statements - such as "having a car is pretty much a necessity (in Cleveland)". I'm not shoving car-free living at anyone but I will sure as h#ll correct them when they say it can't be done here, and more to the point - point out HOW it can be done if someone wanted to know. Of course, we can't even get sustainability experts to promote transit for their events so sometimes I wonder why I bother...

Checked out the new rooftop pavilion (open to the public :-) ) at the Heart and Vascular Institute - too bad it wasn't a nicer day, guess I'll have to come back and re-shoot at some point:

My funeral will have an open bar - I'm *not* joking.

Yeah, because if you don't own a car, you certainly can't utilize car-sharing, car renting, public transportation, taxis, bicycles (in good weather) - yeah you absolutely HAVE to own a car :roll: I've met plenty of people who would consider moving to Cleveland but DREAD the fact that they might have to own a car - of course, once they realize that it's not completely necessary (dependent on where they move and where they work), that removes an obstacle for them.

First impressions are that while the renderings (I know, just conceptual at this point) of the Medical Mart component aren't terribly impressive from an architectural standpoint, I *love* the fact that they're making the northeast corner of St. Clair/Ontario a major entry point. That will help immensely with the somewhat justified concerns of getting people from the Tower City hotels/amenities over to the Mall site.

First window in:

:-) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dentil

I walked by the 515 Euclid garage today - it looked like there was some sort of work going on in one of the retail spaces - can anyone confirm?

Everyone know it stands for "America's Roast Beef, Yes Sir!" - the commercials said so!! :-D And get this - when we told people we were going to Honolulu, they said "oh you HAVE to get these doughnuts called "malasadas"!!! like they were the most unique thing on earth. A little research and it turns out that these mythical and "exotic" doughnuts? Pacszkis! :roll:

Oh, they know. Believe me, they know.

A tad off-topic but let me get this straight: GCBL (which admittedly does a lot of great things) which is based in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History is already calling out MMPI for a green building (something I support), the building industry for contributing to global warming (an unfortunate fact), yet the institution in which they're based makes NO mention of how to utilize transit to reach their facilities? They promoted a "Sustainability in Your Backyard" event at the Botanical Gardens and offered no mention of transit alternatives (but ample free parking!), but here they are ready to pounce on MMPI if they dare build something not to their "green" specs? :roll:

^Ditto on "Engulfed in Flames" - I started it on the return flight but with a colicky baby in the seat behind me I couldn't finish it.

With an 8-hour flight, I wanted some decent reading material* - I found "Alek" by Alek Wek to be pretty interesting. If escaping the war-torn countryside of Sudan and eventually ending up as a supermodel qualifies as harrowing, you might be interested: *Thanks again to the Cleveland Public Library

From everything I've gathered from those who have been, I think I'd be happiest with a 60/40 split between 60% Oahu (well, Honolulu/Waikiki) and 40% one of the other islands. I don't know if it's my semi-rural upbringing but after 3 days of "quiet", I get a little stir crazy.

Sorry for the mix-up but we hit the zoo earlier but there were too many photos to include with the other threads, so here they are, followed by some random shots): Flamingo! Native bird I believe: Native tree - from a distance I thought someone had spraypainted those colors on: Natve birds: Pardon the blur, I had to shoot this through a tight cage, but this guy thought I might be hitting on his wife (pffft!!!) But apparently my explanation that I thought HE was the hot one didn't go over so well :roll: The most drag-queenish flora I've ever seen (LOVED it!) Ring-tailed Lemurs: Fuzzy monkey-types - didn't have the time to get their names, sorry: Turtles in dating season - didn't have time to see how that played out: Flora! Spiny-tailed fauna: And probably my favorite animal in the zoo - a box turtle from Pakistan; I swear I thought it was either a stray Ukrainian easter egg or a decorative piece: More of his scaly friends: A flora interlude: And back to the scaly folks: Possibly the most fascinating creature - I've NEVER in my life seen a setup like this - the end was about the size of a paint can!!! I felt so inadequate: Mind you, the owner was about as standoffish as this beast: But the hippos were at their playful best (so said a lady next to me who had visited the zoo for the past 8 years and never saw them): But there were other critters to visit: As well as other flora - this was a white cacti sorta plant - who knew? And of course, the bird of paradise plant: The peacocks/peahens are the descendants of the Hawaiian royals and are allowed to roam at will: The zoo has an extraordinary bird exhibit: But as Nelly Furtado sang, all good things must come to an end - so I leave you with the parting shots: Our last sunset - mind you, this day was the most overcast, so we didn't expect any kind of sunset: The next morning, one of the hotels was replacing an HVAC unit - here we thought they were filming an action film! Ah well, at least I got a funky Escher-esque balcony shot! Overhead shot of the Royal Hawaiian: And the Marriott: The DFS (Duty Free Shopping) Galleria tower: St. Augustine's Church: And people-watching from our balcony and the hotel bar: Hey tourists in the Sebring convertible, you've earned your @sshat! And after 9 hours of flight and 2 colicky babies (one who was so bad I actually asked the attendant if there was a "special needs" baby on board) later, I was actually happy to see Cleveland in its snow-covered glory: Southern "edge city" Independence: Blurred view of University Circle: But what brought a smile to my travel-weary face: And the west side neighborhoods: Along with Lakewood: And West Park: And over I-480, last shot before we landed - hope you enjoyed :-)

A very informative first post - welcome to the forum! :-)

Looks like the dentil work is coming along nicely (get it? dentil work? nyuk nyuk)

Next message that has anything to do with anything OTHER than 11 River will get the perp three days off.

You can't touch anything comparable (especially new construction) worth mentioning in any metro the size of Cleveland or larger for less than $300K. Clevelanders are absurdly spoiled to the affordable real estate prices. Why is it that 20somethings in Cleveland should be entitled to buying new construction when their 30-40something peers had to first rent (possibly with roomates), then rent alone, save up and THEN buy a home/condo? I don't get where this is coming from at all.

Keep in mind that Strang's article didn't single out the Med Mart for University Circle - he suggested plunking the *whole* project out in University Circle.

jpop, how many conventions have you attended recently? How many have you helped coordinate? I'm asking sincerely.

He thinks he's a member of ZZ Top? (photo from flickr.com)

Probably as old and irrelevant as he perceives downtown to be. :roll:

Okeydokey, today was the driving day east to Hanauma Bay for snorkeling and then north to the North Shore. Up early to catch the sunrise over Diamondhead: Over to the Ala Moana Center area to pick up the car - although there's a lot of Brutalist buildings in Honolulu, some are kinda cool! And we're off - a few new glassy condo towers have added to the skyline: Hmm, that weather's not looking too promising :| This gave me vertigo just looking at them: And onto the highway (the H1 I believe): The glass tower with the antenna is Century Center, one of the earliest modern skyscrapers in Honolulu (42 floors, 350 feet to the roof, built in 1978): The "back end" of Waikiki: More "back" of Waikiki, the construction crane is for the Trump building: Mt. Doom/Mordor in the background, residential areas hugging the hills in the foreground: Aww yeah!!! :banger: Koko Crater - note the line on the side; that used to be a tramway which was decommissioned, closed briefly and then reopened as a trail. We didn't make it over there, but two hikers were attacked by a mentally ill guy. What struck me was how most news coverage was as un-WOIO as it gets. http://www.khon2.com/news/local/38847937.html Anyway, we made it to Hanauma Bay - one of the most popular areas in the world for snorkeling. I'd never snorkeled in my life and it wasn't on my "to do" list but I figured I'd try it - it was actually pretty cool, you didn't have to get into really deep water to see some amazing fish. When we arrived it was a downpour, but as soon as we walked out of the visitor center (for an orientation video), it was nothing but sunshine: Down on the beach at Hanauma Bay, it gets a little busy but never obnoxiously so - fortunately they have a tram that takes you back to the top in case you're tired (we were). Note Koko in the background: It's not just the sights underwater that are cool - the lava rock formations kick arse too! Lifeguards, and note the person snorkeling - you can be in two feet of water and see plenty of fish: As we learned from travel guides and every website, when you see this - they ain't playin': This area of the bay is called Witches' Brew - apparently a tourist or three has been knocked off the rocks and swept out to sea over the years. This was as close as I needed to get (and the waves got way bigger than this): There's a lookout area above the parking lot - those clouds never seem to go away: Ah well, time to move on - next a drive up the coast (if you like that sort of thing): I'm glad I wasn't driving - my (undiagnosed) ADD would have been a liability: Some sort of shrine - didn't get a chance to stop, though: Sandy Beach: Rock formations in Waimanalo Bay: I think this is near Kailua - note the skies are getting a little less sunny: I was just awestruck - there's this kick-arse mountain in the foreground, and then one so tall that (because of the clouds) we never saw the top. Can you believe my partner expected me to follow a map with sights like this? I have photos to take!!: We got a little turned around and ended up on another highway but made it back to Kamehameha: If you ever want to be reminded that you (and mankind) are pretty much an insignificant gnat in the grand scheme, take a drive along the Kamehameha Highway (not exactly a highway, just a well-paved two-lane road) - this is near Kahaluu: Un.f#cking.real: And apparently we're on the "rainy" side of the island at this point: I'm guessing the Brigham Young University is nearby: Not sure what this was: I swear it was "go around the curve. Big Mountain. Isolated beach." - rinse, lather, repeat: This rock formation is nicknamed "Chinaman's Hat" near Kaneohe: Perhaps a former WWII lookout point? Some quaint churches along the way: Now up in Kahuku at the northeasternmost area of Oahu - I guess no matter where you are, if there's a convenience store near a school, the scene is pretty much the same. My partner said "could you imagine going to school here?" - my reply was an emphatic "YES!!!": The legendary Giovanni's Shrimp Truck - wish we had a chance to grab some but my partner's not a fan and was worried they wouldn't have anything BUT shrimp - note the signatures of their customers: Giovanni's wasn't alone: This shell was next to a sign saying "convalescent home" :? Here we are at Waimea Beach - much bigger waves than Waikiki but not the 20'-30' we'd hoped to see: The "blur" in the wave would be a boogie-boarder: Now THAT was a big wave (guessing closer to 20'): And off we go, one last look at Waimea Beach: We'd heard the Haleiwa area was popular with surfers and sure enough: Memorial near Haleiwa: Haleiwa reminded me of Peninsula (in Summit County) with a surfer twist: Haleiwa's landmark bridge: After a quick lunch, we had to head back to Honolulu if we wanted a ride back to our hotel. The mountains of western Oahu are in the distance: Some sort of farm/plantation: Back to civilization: Note the outbound traffic clusterf#ck: Aloha, Aloha Bowl! Honolulu's skyline: The old church was pretty nifty: Hmmm... I believe this is Imperial Center: Waikiki Landmark, one of the more distinctive skyscrapers: And in the next section, parting shots and the zoo!