MayDay

Nice - some of the photos remind me of Salem; like you said, a genuine independent small-town.

Hmm... I think there's a copyright issue involved there... :-D

"So much for "gays" and "taste." Honey, just let me know when you can go out wearing anything measuring 8 inches :evil: The Red purse, made me kii-kii! Listen sister, the purse matched the shoes - and kii-kii-ki-kiii right back at ya! :-D 8Shades, the only time I ever dressed in official drag was 10 years ago (the photo I posted was from 1993), and go figure - I was Jackie O'Mygawd :lol:

Alright fair enough... since musky was brave enough... Folks, we all have a time in our lives that could best be described as a "phase", right? Welllll, my phase involved 8" red patent leather stacked platforms (made them myself), feather boas, metallic fake eyelashes, barettes with "Little Miss America", white pleather belts, and lots and lots of makeup... I can't complain though, I got into a lot of clubs and parties for free :-) Of course, I run into people from back in the day (fellow freaks) and we always do a double-take since we can't recognize each other in "normal" clothes :lol:

From cleveland.com - ugh :roll: Giant Eagle plans store at I-90 and W. 117th Posted by Zachary Lewis July 31, 2007 15:28PM Categories: Breaking News Giant Eagle wants to open a new supermarket and GetGo fuel station on Cleveland's west side. The property under consideration is near Interstate 90 and West 117th Street, adjacent to a new Target store. More at cleveland.com http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2007/07/giant_eagle_plans_store_at_i90.html

New proposals for a public art installation on Mall B; looks pretty cool so far:

Dutch, here are some photos of the different neighborhoods mentioned so far: Ohio City: http://urbanohio.com/ClevOhiocity.htm Tremont: http://www.urbanohio.com/ClevTremont.htm Downtown: http://urbanohio.com/ClevDT.htm These aren't comprehensive, but they'll give you a good feel for the overall vibe of each area.

8Shades, fwiw, I wasn't directing my comments at you. And not that it should need to be restated, but I love and adore many of the hoods east of downtown. I had thought seriously about suggesting Asiatown as well - but let's face it, it's not always just three minutes to hop on the Innerbelt and away you go. With the current (and upcoming) construction projects slated for that stretch, there could be some serious headaches for anyone hoping to use the Innerbelt as their primary commuting route, and especially if that's how they'll be starting their day. I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir but I spent six months commuting from Hudson to Cleveland (about the same distance, albeit with better highway access - on a bad day it was 1.5 hours) and as jamiec said, even if driving doesn't phase you - a lengthy commute seriously detracts from your quality of life.

:roll: :roll: :-P I'm sorry but given some peoples' history (and provincialism) in threads like these, I felt it best to directly address it. Dutch is going to be commuting to Wellington which is 35 miles from downtown - and that's just as the crow flies. Add on the time it takes to get to the highway, and then the time to get past any traffic trouble spots, and it would be absurd to suggest somewhere like Shaker Square, etc. They're beautiful, gorgeous areas of the city but in this case they're simply not practical. Would you prefer I suggest North Olmsted? :-P

Congrats, and welcome! Honestly, unless there is horrific snow or a 50-car pileup, Cleveland's traffic is usually always moving - there may be slow spots and maybe a little stop and go, but (knock on wood) in the years I've lived here, I've *never* encountered a backup where traffic just sat... and sat... and sat... Here are a few routes to try (maybe on a weekend trial run): Red Route: Detroit to West 28th; West 28th to Fulton; Fulton to Lorain; Lorain to West 44th; West 44th to I-90; I-90 "becomes" I-490 which links to I-77, or you can exit onto 176/Jennings Freeway. Keep in mind that I-90 is busy from West 44th to the 176/490/71 split. Green Route: West 25th to Franklin; Franklin to Columbus; Columbus to Abbey; Abbey to West 14th; West 14th to 176. Blue Route: Same as Green Route, but take West 14th to Starkweather; Starkweather to West 7th to I-490.

Since you won't mind the commute, and you'll need easy access to the highways (specifically I-71 and I-480 which will take you out toward the Wellington area), you'll want to look in areas that are no further east than downtown Cleveland. I say that because the Innerbelt (I-71/I-90 near downtown) has bad traffic during rush hour. If you locate somewhere west, you'll not only be "reverse commuting" (everyone else is driving toward Cleveland, you'll be driving away), but you'll miss the traffic jams on the Innerbelt entirely. Anyone who recommends anywhere east of downtown for your circumstances doesn't know what they're talking about. I can recommend downtown, Ohio City, and possibly Tremont. Downtown is the most "built up" area of the three, Ohio City is a good balance of "built up" with a neighborhood feel, and Tremont is probably the most neighborhood feeling of the three. I live in Tremont, and I love it but if you're looking for a more densely built environment, I'd suggest Ohio City or the western areas of downtown (the West Bank of the Flats; Warehouse District; Stonebridge Apartments, etc.). Here's a map to give you some perspective - the red line represents the Innerbelt (the rush hour traffic jams); the blue areas show each of the areas I'd recommend; and the green dots represent where you would access I-71. Note that in Tremont and Downtown, you can probably be on the highway within a few minutes (or less). In Ohio City, you'll have to spend a few more minutes on the surface streets to get to the highway.

Dutch, your commute from Westlake to Wellington would be about 45km. A commute from downtown Cleveland to Wellington would be approximately 65km. If you don't mind my asking, what is your profession/industry? If you find the job in Wellington isn't appealing after a few months, there may be options that are closer to the city. This is a perfect example of why it's foolish for companies to locate far, far away from public transit routes.

Are you thinking of Max and Erma's?

There's plenty of residential in and around the former location - you have the Beachcliff neighborhood, new townhomes along Lake and Linda, the Westlake condos, and yes, the Detroit/Sloane area of Lakewood is in easy walking distance (along with other shops, Beachcliff Market Place, etc.). More importantly, the former location was near River's old downtown area which is far more charming, pedestrian-friendly, and scenic than Severance Town Center West... ahem, I mean Westgate. Let's compare - Old Detroit Road or Center Ridge, which is a nominal notch up from Lorain Road in North Olmsted. And what's the big draw for the new location? More parking! :roll:

"I am sure SO needs to put a couple hours in every weekend?" Not really at this point - granted there was a Saturday (and part of a Sunday) in the spring that was pretty much the "I'll be out planting, you go ahead and spend time on your geekboard". With these results, I don't mind so much :-) Aside from the once-a-week 15-20 minute tidying, and with our lack of rain setting the sprinkler (the area is small enough that you can 'set it and forget it') once in a while, it's not as much maintenance as you might think. Granted, I ain't about to buy matching gardening gloves and boots, but it's nice to enjoy the rewards. What's really nice are the dahlias are all in one area so in the past few weeks it's like watching fireworks in super-slow motion (I wish I had time-lapse footage).

Well, the moonflower isn't hard to grow but it's 1. sometimes invasive, and 2. one big-@ss plant. See the plant with the *really* big leaves on the lower left? That's it. The blooms can be anywhere from 4 to 8 inches in diameter:

If the units listed are truly sold, I'd say it's doing well: http://www.pinnacle701.com/pricing.htm I think Walker Weeks could take off once CSU gets the ball rolling on the College Town. I just remember going to the open house and the units were nicely done, with fantastic decks but the immediate neighborhood is nothing but parking lots.

Dan, looks great and keep us posted - I think there are a lot people who would be interested in your experience (what's involved with a rehab, what vendors/contractors are good to work with, etc.).

The best is that homes along this retention pond will be advertised as having a "lake view" :roll:

I agree - sorry folks, once again I have to ask people to keep this thread on topic. Maybe I should just lock it until the first bathtub window is removed? :roll:

I'm not much of a gardener but my partner does quite a nice job - thanks to his efforts, this is what I see when I enjoy my morning coffee on the weekends. Not quite sure what this is: A Russian zinnia - a friend brought some seeds back from a trip to St. Petersburg: One of the beautiful dahlias: Cleome: Birds enjoying their swimming pool: A moonflower: Macro dahlia: A robin stops to check out the topiary: Dahlia - this version is called Snowbound: Morning Glory: More dahlias (Marne) Russian Sage: A bumblebee on the Nicotiana: Another dahlia (Orchid Lace) Coneflowers (echinacea) Hollyhocks: Before/after: A moon flower furled up - it'll open later in the day: Yeah, you can't have a nice yard in the city ;-)

I won't hold my breath, but that sounds a little more promising.

Oddly enough, that was the stairtower of the parking garage at Gateway (corner of Huron and Ontario).

Thank you - taken from the #246 park-and-ride bus :-) I loved that CBS clip :clap:

It's "HOE-guh" - I said it, that settles it!