MayDay

This year, I've been called the following by them: "Sexy-@ssed n____" and "Uppity motherf#ckin' b!tch". I was flattered by the first one, the second one was simply an affirmation for me :)

Just to bump this up. I'll be there :)

In the past, I've had similar issues with neighbors being noisy and I don't care if people think I'm a "noise nazi", I need my sleep. Their right to be noisy ends at my eardrums. Don't get me wrong, I put on a fan at night and quiet music for "white noise". However, I have no qualms walking down to the on-site manager's place no matter what time of night and waking them up to have THEM take care of a rude tenant. I don't pay my rent on time, every month, to do their job. Fortunately, my current neighbor is good about keeping it quiet during prime sleep hours (11pm to 7am). jamiec, you have rights as a tenant - I suggest you look into the escrow option.

Images from this weekend: View from Jennings Freeway (I-176) northbound - new signage at left: Northern section: Looking to the south:

^I still prefer the smaller places like Daves and Heinens. One thing I've noticed with the mega-grocers - they'll have dozens of registers, but only a handful open at any time.

"Does anyone know how much a retailer must pay for credit card transactions?" I've heard it's something along the lines of 2%-3%, thus you see a lot of places having a minimum purchase for using a credit card.

"I want to know who has that neon palm tree in their window." Please, please, please tell me it's not one of "my people". I'd hate to have to revoke a membership but we just can't have that. :-P

^^ I checked the Brigade site - not too bad. I saw a shirt I'd like to pick up for my S.O.* Skinny black pants - such a lovely trend, suitable for emaciated @ssless twinks :roll: *I guess I'm jaded from having worked in menswear - my rant isn't directed at any specific place, but this is an example of areas that need improvement. So I saw the shirt and gave them a call asking if they had it in stock. The person answering was really nice, but said "we keep a light inventory to keep it fresh, but come on down and check us out - we have great prices". I'm sure they do have a fresh inventory and from the looks of it, their prices are decent. However, when you see something on a store's site - one is naturally inclined to think they have it in stock. If their site said "Not all items in stock" or "Items shown are representative of inventory, please visit for more", I could totally understand. I don't mind having to go to the store to actually buy it, but at least offer customers the convenience of browsing your inventory ahead of time. Had the shirt been in stock, they'd have a guaranteed sale (and likely more if I found something else I wanted). As much as everyone poo-poos chains, etc., you can't deny that they have a successful business model and much of that is directly linked to online sales. Let me put it this way - I could check the menswear section at nordstrom.com (which carries just as funky stuff as Brigade at similar prices), find something I want, call to see if it's in stock, and within minutes have an answer. I want to support downtown and independent retail but they need to offer customer service that's competitive and makes it just as easy to shop there as any of the chains.

Interesting... *cough*markofthebeast*cough* :evil:

Wow! First time I ever heard of that. Glad to see it didn't happen, though.

"perhaps the brick building in the foreground of MayDay's photos is one?" That's the Metro Lofts project. I don't think the residents would care to be booted out ;-)

I don't think Lakewood necessarily offers "better" urban living, but I'd say it offers a good compromise of density, transit access, etc. along with decent schools. It's a good option for people who want to be close to the city, but want good public schools, something Cleveland can't offer - yet.

^I think sooner is saying that it would be nice to read about options for the not-so-wealthy. Perhaps an article on someone who bought a unit at Water Street or Pointe at Gateway.

As long as the spirit no longer involves the umm... sentiments of the artwork directly behind the sculpture! :-o

"The only kind I can stand is Heineken (for some reason, I may never know why)." By chance do you enjoy drinking carbonated water? I used to be a strictly vodka drinker and one day a friend took me to Great Lakes Brewing and she said - "try this beer with this food" - and I got it. Thankfully I no longer need a brat platter to drink beer, but you get the idea. I like hoppy floral beers that strip your palette (like vodka). If you like fruity cocktails, try Holy Moses. I truly believe that if I can be converted, anyone can - beer wise that is.

DetroitYES if memory serves correctly. There's pretty much a version for every city all over the globe - UrbanOhio is one of the better sites and I'm *not* being boosterish.

"If you don't like that kind of store, don't go to it." Thanks, chief - duly noted. I'm not pissed that there is retail opening up downtown - I never ever said that. I simply made a comment about a certain concept of retail that isn't my cup of tea, but I totally understand that "the kids seem to love it". I'm thrilled it's going there, I'll probably stop in at some point and lord only knows if I see a pair of jeans that I like (preferably $80 or less), I'll likely be a buying customer. I'm simply asking - no matter what store it is, no matter where it's located, for merchandise that's easy to sift through and a simple acknowledgement that I've walked in the door and might have disposable income at hand. I say that from working in retail and knowing what I like when I shop. Others may not care about that stuff - I do. This place may end up being a great funky place for the kids yet provide customer service for people like me - let's hope so. I was talking about current trends in retail. You're the one who is translating that into some anti-downtown retail mentality - not me.

^See my sidenote. I'm trying to keep you guys "hep" to our 'mo jive ;)

Hey! I thought *I* was the Julia Sugarbaker* around here! *Translation for the hets: Julia Sugarbaker was a character on the series "Designing Women", portrayed by Dixie Carter. Julia Sugarbaker was noted for her dry wit and outspoken demeanor, particularly when her overdeveloped sense of justice parlayed into a boisterous soapbox tirade.

90% of the time I've been in similar situations, I do speak up. As I suggested to others who complain about the smoking/loitering people in the vestibules at Tower City - SAY SOMETHING. The other day, this group of gals was puffing away, blocking the entrances - I went over to the info desk, informed the cop and he hopped right up and shooed them away. If we don't say anything, people won't know any different.

^Well, John Bender might disagree - look what happened to him when he spilled paint on the garage floor. Or was that a cigar? :?

"Oh, and drinking alcohol does not affect the health of others, at least not as directly as smoking does." Well it depends on how people handle their booze - when lightweights ruin my buzz, their health is certainly in danger!

"all the news articles in the world aren't going to cause critical mass to happen" Welllll not necessarily. The most common thing I hear on the bus (that goes over the Main Avenue Bridge, in full sight of Stonebridge Plaza) is "who would live there?". Without articles like these, those people on the #55 from Westlake/Bay/River would never know that hey - professionals they might know are there; people in their age group are there, you name it. It's like peeling layers from an onion - now people on the bus might say "oh yeah, I saw that article about that place" instead of "who would live there?". No, it's not a magic wand but it's a good way to change perceptions and once perceptions change, that removes yet one more obstacle toward getting that critical mass.