MayDay

It's entirely possible that some of the applicants ARE in school or trying to retrain for a different career but in the meantime, they need to put food in their childrens' mouths. Hearing some of the comments on this forum (not just yours, jpop - I'm not singling you out), I have to wonder how many have actually been in a situation where you have to choose between feeding your children or paying bills. I have to wonder how many have had a decades-long career pulled out from under them (along with the pension/benefits that came with it) and had to retrain and adapt, all the while dealing with the shame that's synonymous with receiving assistance, etc.. Obviously there's no choice for many people BUT to retrain but it's not always a matter of taking out a loan, going to school and voila, happy middle-class lifestyle.

" "We aren't sure why we never learned of the city's attempts to reach us for information until the scoring was completed." Let's see... Huntington, Key, National City, Fifth-Third, Charter One, and FirstMerit ALL managed to submit appropriate info and were scored accordingly. If Chase couldn't get their act together (and the comparatively dinkier locals could), too d@mn bad.

I'm pretty sure that's the New England Building as seen from Holiday Inn Express. Nice photos - and as far as good Chinese food, you obviously didn't make it to Chinatown (or ask a local *cough*me*cough*).

Good point. ;-)

"It's becoming just another playground for the bridge-and-tunnel crowd" But, if you live east or south of the Innerbelt, or west of the Cuyahoga, then you likely came across a bridge to get there. :-D /smart@ss

[broken record] Does Latitude 41 have a web site?[/] Have they done anything to market themselves beyond signs in the window and neighborhood promos? A simple google search turns up nothing but an Free Times article mentioning their opening and that they're an "upscale wifi diner". That's all well and good but uhhh... that doesn't make them unique. I searched the cleveland.com Food forum (one of the few at cleveland.com that's worth mentioning) and nada. Michael Symon participates there and it's not like he needs to do to that to grow his business. They need to provide some compelling reasons to go there beyond "we're new and local" - and ways for people who go to spread the word.

It's semantics but I think the question should be "how many people will it take" for that resurgence to occur. I say this since there are already people living car-free, promoting mixed-use and density, etc. in Cleveland - but obviously we need more.

Rob, I know you love the urban and the rural - I've just had the "city bug" since I was a kid. I think I was four when I asked my parents if we could move to Youngstown :lol: "Now we just need high speed rail connecting everything so you don't have to zombie-drive," RiverViewer, that's too funny - I said the exact same thing to my partner - somewhere in Morrow County.

It's about 1957-58 - 55 Public Square is under construction.

Forgot to mention - the chocolate store in O'Bryonville is to.die.for.

Paid a quick weekend visit to one of my galpals, and snapped a few pics along the way. The weather wasn't cooperative for most of the trip but whaddya gonna do: After two-ish hours of a zombie drive on 71: Downtown, yay! You don't have to tell me twice... ... because we were driving THROUGH it! We finally get to Point Pleasant, near my galpal's house - apparently it's Grant's birthplace: On our way to lunch: Finally we arrive - if you go to the Green Papaya, try the Penang Curry dish... drooool... The main commercial drag through O'Bryonville: This was odd: Off to our next destination, we pass downtown Cincy: Big Mac Bridge! Look Ma, it's Kentucky! On Sunday we stopped by Lebanon: They want $179K for this beauty! And heading back north: Yeah, can't say I'm a fan: And another 2-ish hour zombie drive and we're home!

Welllll, I did manage to have 6 or 7 Christmas Ales this past Saturday night but that was while I was in Cincy. Hmm...

Wanna be really p!ssed, check out what USED to be there:

It's so odd to see him without the funky glasses.

^^^Geez, weddings, "The Today Show"... anyone in the market for a lovingly restored Victorian within walking distance of the Christmas Story house? Imagine entertaining during the holidays! ;-)

I'm sure I'll be accused of having a "can't do" attitude but sorry - if Cleveland were to build the "largest" convention center, it would be the biggest white elephant in the city history. It's foolish to think that Cleveland could and/or should compete with the likes of McCormick in Chicago, or the center in Vegas, etc. - and building a comparable facility on the site of the current center? Let's say you want something comparable to the Las Vegas Convention Center - where would you put FIFTY loading docks? Where would you place the marshalling yard for the dozens of trucks using those docks? Don't get me wrong - I absolutely support an expanded and improved convention facility, but rather than try to keep up the Joneses, I'd rather see Cleveland have a sensibly-expanded and fully-modernized facility that gets used for smaller shows year-round than some albatross plunked down in the middle of the CBD. And as far as a casino - are we forgetting the voting patterns of the State?

That's as absurd as me saying "yo yo, I used to live in E-dub* on the west siiiiieeede!!!" :roll: *Edgewater

^aka "bungalow belt".

Crain's did their "Big Issue" this week with the Euclid Corridor Project as the topic. Note the woman who happens to be the only naysayer - she's standing in front of Lola saying "Legacy, Crocker Park, no one's going to come downtown". If she's going to make ignorant comments on camera, the least she could do is get her roots done. :roll: http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20071119/MULTI/71116034/1107

I guess my stance would be in the middle - I think the blame rests equally on the sub-prime opportunists, as it does on the lax government leaders who lacked the balls to provide nominal enforcement of reasonable regulation, as it does the deluded and/or gullible person who thinks they can afford far more than usual just because some shady lender says so. Maybe I'm naive, and maybe it comes from being the youngest in the family but I do think that someone can learn lessons from the mistakes and failures of others. What worries me is that the folks getting the economic lesson the hard way will 1. won't see it as a lesson, but as a setback and once/if they recover will return to the same patterns and mistakes, and/or 2. develop the idea that what they've gone through is S.O.P. for 99% of anything finance-related. Believe me, my parents were never able to provide the material things that so many of my friends enjoyed but you don't have to tell me twice - I am d@mned grateful for what they could provide aka common sense, healthy skepticism, self-reliance and a work ethic. I hear what you're saying that people don't always have such role models but at some point some of it has to be *their* responsibility, even if their only motivation is "so I don't f#ck up like they did".

"The consumers did not know what they were buying." "They probably had some expectation that there were consumer protection laws to prevent such things." Okay, so my parents not only seared the idea of "live within your means" into my brain but also: - "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." - "Look out for yourself. There are some royal scumbags out there." - "Whenever someone makes you sign a contract, read every single word before you sign it. And after that, read it again." - "The government won't bail you out." - "Any time you're considering making a big purchase, sleep on it. If you feel as good about it the next day, go for it. If they flinch and want you to sign right then and there, walk away from it." We're not talking advanced microeconomics - just simple awareness and skepticism of anyone trying to shill something; especially if you know they'll be benefitting financially regardless of your circumstances. I'm not saying I'm immune to some scheister's scheme but quite a few of the foreclosure cases were preventable. "Some blame needs to be on the consumer." That's all I was trying to say. It's a given that lenders and financial institutions spend billions on covering their @sses, but it's wrong for me to suggest that consumers look out for their own interests to a reasonable extent? I've been told by some people (landlords, car sales, employers etc.) that I'm one of the few (if not only) who actually sits and reads the contract they've handed me. If there's a part I don't understand, or it looks shady, you'd better believe I ask for an explanation. If I'm not satisfied, I ask to take the contract home so I can review it - and I call some people with more savvy than me. If they get impatient, they don't need my business.

Um, I think the emphasis is on "some of the best...", as in a few of the photos are really appealing to them. :-)

^I've told my partner in no way, shape or form are we taking the Innerbelt until it's completely rebuilt. I don't care if the timetable is 50 years. This quote from cleveland.com got my attention - I knew the Main Avenue bridge was non-redundant but I didn't know the Innerbelt was as well: "Since the 48-year-old bridge is built with a deck truss construction similar to the I-35 span, it's getting extra attention. Like I-35, it's nonredundant, meaning if one part fractures, the whole structure can fall down"

Lilly's Wholesome Chocolates (not an exact quote).

Alright, I had planned on putting together a few threads but separately they looked a little sparse, soooo I put 'em all together. Sit back, grab a beverage of your choice and let 'em load! The postcard shot from Cliff Drive: Cornices old and new: Cheek to cheek in the Warehouse District: Case kids: I see dead people - oh right, it's Lakeview Cemetery: Pretty sunset - how often do you get a nice view from the Muni Lot? Who knew the Statler had so much detail? The street and the buildings - they'll be nice when they're finished! I sooo love taking Columbus Road into downtown: Spires here, spires there: Witnessing a nice sunset: Able to leap this in a single bound: Stacked and setbacks: When the background was built, the foreground was considered out of fashion and "fussy": A little jumbled: Residential on downtown's eastern fringe: "You don't come back from..." That's a comforting sentiment: Crocker what? I wanna go higher: She's a brick... warehouse! I'll take the one on the right for a cozy pad - needs a little work, though: Our Lady Liberty vs. Key Tower - I think she could take it! Guess they won't have that sweeping view to the west any time soon :clap: Nice wonderful people - but maybe de-caf next time ;-) The horn on this ship reminded me of the bass from the mothership in "Close Encounters": Just another day on the job, making sure a 636' long ship makes its way along the Cuyahoga: The bird decided to help: I wonder if they ever thought about hanging those "Overhead Clearance ___ Feet" signs like they have for parking garages: And I have problems parallel parking a Mini Cooper some days :-P Lonely little Red Line train: Set II - my galpal pays a visit... The weather wasn't the greatest, but we started off with some java from Lucky's in Tremont so of course the obligatory shot of St. Theo's: Pretty snazzy for the PJ's: Michael Symon, local celebrity chef the NEXT IRON CHEF! If this isn't Cleveland I don't know what is - a Crip sign painted on the Gospel Press Building (under renovation into apartments), and someone expressing their sentiments in return: She looks gruesome from some angles, but I love this city: Anyhoo, off to our destination - the East side! Cedar-Fairmount's commercial strip: The weather wasn't the greatest but this area still defines "bucolic suburb". The leaves were just past peak but ah well: In all my years in Cleveland, I've never been to the Shaker Lakes Nature Center so we figured what the heck. Glad we made the trip - and I loved the mural in the lobby describing how Al Porter (I'd be happy to spit on his grave, and I say that about very few people) wanted to plow this (and 400 homes in the area - see above) all over for a freeway: This or a highway? Enough of the nature hike, off to grab some snacks - on the way: Belgian Village http://www.chhistory.org/FeatureStories.php?Story=NationalRegister&View=FairhillHistoricDistrict&section=3 Just across the border in the city, some well-kept "duckbill doubles": I hear great things about this place on Larchmere: Just for MyTwoSense: A few people out braving the less than pleasant weather: There's the choo-choo, kids! Ahh, snack time - we stopped at Dewey's on Shaker Square. I had the most incredibly de-fricking-licious Ancho Chili Hot Cocoa - highly recommended. This place got packed at lunch: The residential wall along the tracks: New construction on the site of the former St. Lukes - great view of downtown even with the crappy weather: Time to head back, one of my favorite views on Cedar Road: Another "it'll be great when it's finished": Kudos to my galpal for pointing out a cool shot through the moonroof: It ain't pretty, but I liked this shot: East to West: In need of "gateway" infrastructure: HeLLO? Where else would we be going? :drunk: The altar of all things tasty: That's right folks - we finally got a title!!! Signing off - hope you enjoyed: