MayDay

Sorry folks - I moved some of the followup comments to the "Cleveland Restaurant/Tavern/etc. - discovery" thread.

^Considering the new University Hospitals building (currently under construction) has a setback that's about a fifth of a mile from Harvard Road, and a parking area that dwarfs the site of the actual building, I'm gonna guess that the answer to that is a big fat "h#ll to the naw!". From the University Hospitals site: "...its design will be a prominent addition to the landscape, while having a minimal impact on the environment as an eco-friendly facility."

I'm the first to admit that when I open my mouth, a Barbie Dream House has been known to fall out - but even *I* cannot approve of Cleveland *jazzhands*. But good to hear the ceremony is being well received so early in the game - and welcome to the forum! :-)

Spin-off, who can really say? Parking-wise, none that I can think of - and I imagine that the proposed Staybridge Suites (East 6th and Rockwell) could get a shot in the arm.

^True, and there are other factors playing against their proposal but until the fat lady sings...

Way up at the top - 1st photo.

I just noticed - are they almost done with restoring the cornice?

"Mayday why don't you take your fancy new camera over there and show the kids what they're missing." Like I have anything better to do?!? :? The restored section is in the center of this pic:

Granted they have as many construction cranes working away as we currently do, but it's very much in play: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=157034

^Go to woio.com (aka sensationalism at its best) and click on their video features on the right side of the page.

Barneys May Be Sold By Retailer’s Dubai-Based Owner By Sara Gay Forden and Haris Anwar Jan. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Barneys New York’s owner, Dubai’s Istithmar World PJSC, may sell the retailer less than two years after buying it as the fund struggles with losses and the luxury market slows, two people familiar with the situation said. Istithmar doesn’t want to sell the business for less than the $942.3 million it paid in 2007, said one of the people, who declined to be identified because the talks were private. The state-owned fund has had calls from potential buyers and would sell its entire stake, one of the people said. Istithmar Chief Executive Officer David Jackson declined to comment. The Dubai investment fund has struggled to expand Barneys outside the U.S. after Howard Socol resigned as chief executive in May and the luxury market withered. Istithmar was one of seven Gulf funds that lost a cumulative 15 percent in 2008, according to Saudi bank Samba Financial Group. “If they’re in a hurry and need the cash right now, they will have to pay the price,” said Armando Branchini, vice president of Intercorporate, a Milan-based consulting firm specialized in luxury. “If Istithmar can be patient, they’ll get the pay-off.” Dubai borrowed $80 billion to finance its transformation into the Persian Gulf’s finance and tourism hub and is being stung by a drop in oil and real-estate prices. Debt watcher Moody’s Investors Service has said Dubai may need help from the neighboring emirate of Abu Dhabi to fund those borrowings. Istithmar suspended its vice chairman and chief financial officer in September after Dubai police detained them for alleged embezzlement at their previous jobs. Istithmar Investments Barneys sells fashions by designers ranging from Balenciaga to Manolo Blahnik. Founded by Barney Pressman as a cut-rate men’s suit store in 1923, the company began building up women’s lines in the 1970s. The Pressman family lost control in 1998 and the company exited bankruptcy protection in 1999. It was bought by Jones Apparel Group Inc. for $294.3 million in 2004. Istithmar acquired Barneys from Jones in September, 2007. Istithmar was talking with Prada SpA about a partnership to expand in the Middle East as recently as last summer. Since then, the luxury market has worsened. Cie. Financiere Richemont AG, the world’s second-biggest luxury-goods company, this week said conditions are the worst in 20 years. It’s unlikely anyone would pay “full price” for Barneys after the downturn in the U.S. economy and departure of Socol, said Branchini, the Intercorporate consultant. Socol added “edgy” brands to the Madison Avenue store, Branchini said, and distinguished it from rivals such as Saks Fifth Avenue. Dubai Boom Istithmar, which as of last year managed more than $10 billion, also owns 20 percent of Canadian circus troupe Cirque du Soleil and a majority of Gulf Stream Asset Management LLC. Dubai is the second-largest sheikhdom in the United Arab Emirates, and said in November that it was seeking help from the federation’s government and pulling back supply of new real- estate projects. The emirate built the world’s tallest building and palm tree-shaped islands during its boom this decade. Surging economic growth in Dubai, helped by record oil prices and new laws allowing foreigners to own property, sparked a real-estate boom that saw residential property prices increase fourfold in the last five years. Oil prices have since collapsed, while the collapse of global credit markets cut Dubai and its state-owned entities’ access to new borrowings.

In a way I feel like Admiral Ackbar when the super Star Destroyer was vaporized in 'Return of the Jedi' but obviously there's a lot of things that need to be played out. Still, as much criticism as the commissioners have earned recently, I think they've definitely made a good choice.

Sorry - take one smart@ss, a little bit of self-diagnosed ADD (ooo... SHINY!!!), and the glorious repository of everything that is the internet... what can I say? ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSqucD0C_jU

bump

Just some shots from today... I'm already thinking I want need a wide-angle lense but all in good time:

Again, another event that sounds great! But... ONCE AGAIN, we have a sustainability-focused event that makes NO mention of any transportation options except what?!? Here's a wacky idea - when you use the phrase "walk the walk", start by practicing sustainability in the driveway as well as the backyard!

And of course, there's the little details like the clock at the center kiosk - those faceplates are each a solid piece of opal. :-o

Thanks - some different angles there! Is the general public allowed to bring cameras into the Justice Center?

"In conclusion I hope I opened up this whole new truth to the viewers here." Riiiight. Anyway, I'm still trying to figure out the settings on my camera but here's an evening shot of the Terminal Tower - wish I'd had my tripod with me:

Thanks Joseph, I think you helped me set a record - at 8:06 you spammed the board. At 8:11, you had your account banned. Carry on folks! :-)

I was in the same spot for all three shots (the Euclid entrance to the Arcade). According to the Google pedometer tool, it's .2133 of a mile.

Okay, if there was ever any question about whether my new camera was worth the investment... I had no idea there was THIS level of detailing (specifically the scrollwork behind the "ball"):

Updates on the Terminal Tower restoration:

From crainscleveland.com: Eaton to lay off more than 5,000 employees worldwide By DAN SHINGLER 11:00 am, January 20, 2009 Cleveland-based Eaton Corp. (NYSE: ETN) said it’s laying off more than 5,000 people, or more than 6% of its work force, as a result of the global economic slowdown. “We are reducing our global staffing level by about 5,200,” said Eaton spokeswoman Kelly Jasko. “This is a global impact, and the reason for it is to further align our cost structures with the weakening markets that we compete in.” The layoffs will include about 60 employees at Eaton’s five locations in and around Cleveland, where the company employs about 800 people, Ms. Jasko said. Employees will be told in the next few weeks whether their jobs are being cut; those affected will receive severance pay, the opportunity to continue their benefits and outplacement services, Ms. Jasko said. More at http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20090120/FREE/901209969