MayDay

Here are a few rants of my own... mostly involving the Downtown Cleveland Partnership site: And about the Downtown ambassadors - they're a great idea but why is it: 1. Since they've made their debut, I've been hit up more frequently by panhandlers? 2. Why did I see one sitting IN a parking lot booth at Huron across from Quicken Arena, chatting with a parking lot attendant? (I hope he was on lunch break). 3. There's no way to directly contact them to make a complaint about trash/panhandlers or ask questions?

Hi, you aren't breaking any rules but this post technically goes under "Urbanbar/chit-chat" rather than Forum Issues. Good luck with your search.

""Niche specialty" shops is exactly what I am saying is the opportunity for revitalizing Cleveland's retail areas." Amen. My S.O. and I are regulars at South Side and Lava Lounge - we're not about to go to a fricking Ruby Tuesday in SYC even though it would be closer to his place. We like La Tortilla Feliz and Chipotle/Taco Hell just ain't gonna cut it. Neither of us will ever buy anything from Wal-Mart and we'll continue to make our grocery runs to Dave's in Ohio City (though trips to Trader Joes are an evil necessity). And even though I drink Starbucks during the workweek (until some GOOD local places open downtown), we routinely buy coffee beans from Civilization. We could get everything cheaper in the big chain places but like many have said - there's a definite market for people who loathe the mega-conglomerates and prefer smaller independents. Unfortunately, it's not the majority of the consumer market :| What the existing mom-and-pops need to do is do a little pre-emptive strike against their competition in SYC. Whether it's a marketing blitz to remind them of the personal service, or discounts on selected items, or building a website so people can browse ahead of time. I know it's an uphill battle but I know too many small business people who have managed to thrive in similar situations.

^I know, I know - I was being facetious (well, the phrase "gay persons" is still kind meh, but ah well) :-) My first four years in the design industry were spent with newspapers (Daily Kent Stater and Record Publishing), and I paid my dues helping editors keyline, layout, you name it. Thus, I don't envy editors one bit - and I don't have any inclination to work in newspapers ever again.

I listened to it - she did a great job :-)

Some nifty shots - the duotone works well for them!

"gay persons" If I am ever referred to as a "gay person", someone's gonna get b!tchslapped. I mean - we're supposed to have a bit of mystique and it ain't gonna happen with people calling us "gay persons". Is it so hard to just say "gay community" and clarify it in the article (if need be)?

"Man, I'm a wound up guy, and I know Clevelanders tend to have a chip on their shoulder, but that's no reason to make things personal." This coming from someone who uses PMs to lambast someone as an "idiot" who "obviously can't read". Also the same person who apologized if someone FELT that he put words in their mouth, rather than owning up to his caustic demeanor. Also the same person who routinely makes demeaning comments about an entire city's population based on a development that he doesn't like. Now who is making things personal? As far as "the City of Cleveland isn't doing a whole lot to convince anyone that they understand what it takes to create a quality urban environment." - check blinker12's post, along with some of the other posts in Projects and Construction and you might actually learn something.

"rustbelt dereliction" ;-) "I do think it can be an impressive part of a tour, but you have to be careful what you present." Exactly, but if you avoid Euclid Avenue, you avoid Playhouse Square, WT Grant Lofts, CSU, etc. I'm being somewhat facetious but my point is - whenever you show someone an area (of any city), it helps to understand the context. Right now, if you saw the buildings on Euclid at East 4th - you see boarded up storefronts, but in a few months the Corner Alley will be open there. The same can be said for the parking lot east of the Galleria (Avenue District), the three buildings east of the Huntington Building (recently bought for residential conversion), the list goes on and on.

They worked for me :? http://www.progressiveurban.com/sbplaza/images/4th_floor_plan_02_2006.jpg http://www.progressiveurban.com/sbplaza/images/11th_floor_plan_02_2006.jpg http://www.progressiveurban.com/sbplaza/images/penthouse_1st%20floor_02_2006.jpg http://www.progressiveurban.com/sbplaza/index.html

She's getting up there!

Okay, bear with me as I'm testing out my camera's movie capabilities AND QuickTime Pro. These are all in .mov format so you may need to download QuickTime to view them. Like most media files, they're realllllly big. I've listed their size so you know how large the files are, but if anyone has suggestions for how to compress them, I'm all ears. Also, you might want to turn down the volume BEFORE you open them - I'm not sure just how loud they'll be :| Enjoy :-) Arcade entrance on Euclid - 9.1 megabytes http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/movies/arcade.mov Arcade interior - 2.9 megabytes http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/movies/arcadebridge.mov Euclid Avenue at Public Square - 18.1 megabytes http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/movies/euclidavenuepublicsquare.mov Edward Oglebay freighter from Shooters in the Flats - 4.2 megabytes http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/movies/freighter.mov Cruising with my S.O. on the Innerbelt northbound - 6.9 megabytes http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/movies/innerbeltdrive.mov Key Tower from Public Square in front of the May Company Building - 10.3 megabytes http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/movies/keytowerpublicsquare.mov Mall A and the War Memorial Fountain - 9.2 megabytes http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/movies/malla.mov The site of Stark's Pesht project - 8.9 megabytes http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/movies/peshtsite.mov Panorama from Shooters in the Flats - 3.8 megabytes http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/movies/shooters.mov A bus ride on the Shoreway heading west from downtown - 16 megabytes http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/movies/shoreway.mov My attempt at splicing together some photos with music by Thievery Corporation - 29 whopping megabytes http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/movies/overview.mov

^I and a few others have a royal beef with emporis.com. When they began as skyscrapers.com, they actively recruited me and other architecture geeks under the premise that they would be a non-profit site basically doing what we do - providing information to the public. However, they eventually expected everyone like me (who already had a full-fledged site about their respective city) to replicate all of our efforts on their site. Those who didn't were banned from being editors/contributors. They not only kept the information we gave them, but in some cases copyrighted photos. Photos that were contributed with the impression that skyscrapers.com was not going to make any money off of them. Some former contributors have been contemplating legal action because emporis.com is allegedly not paying them photography fees for images that third parties have purchased. This isn't to say that emporis.com doesn't have a lot of useful info and that all of the people in charge are shady, but I think people should be aware of their background.

Hi folks - I'm happy where I am, but I thought I'd pass this along. I got word of a graphic design job in Akron. It's a temporary gig but it would pay rather well. Send me a PM if you're interested.

"But no, now it seems he's trying to rob an inner ring suburb of its crowning artistic glory to feed the culture-starved beast he created in the cornfields." I guess I don't see it that way, at least not completely. As KJP stated - Stark is a developer first, and his business isn't to plunk down a few million for an arts center without seeing any kind of return. Let's face it, if he handed over some cash to Beck so they could rebuild on their current site - what would he get out of it, other than some goodwill and publicity? Ideally, that would be enough - but he's in business to make money, not give it away. Also - if Beck moved to Crocker Park, they won't be doing it with Stark holding a gun to their head. You have to look at it from a few different angles - Beck's current facilities are hampering their ability to carry on their mission. Stark has offered them an alternative - not a desirable one in a lot of peoples' minds, but an alternative nonetheless. What alternatives have been presented that would persuade Beck to stay put? As the article said - should Beck turn down any offer to relocate simply because it would be considered distasteful to some (myself included), at the risk of going under like other organizations? One thing I can assure you though - if they move to Crocker Park, Scott Spence's fear of compromising Beck's programming will become reality. Mark my words. Westlake is way too uptight for their current offerings.

Well, it was probably the sunset but maybe a little pride was there ;-) rob - if you're ever in Cleveland, check boatnerd.com - I think they actually post shipping schedules. The thing about Shooters (yes, it's pretty cheesy) - the freighters were going to and from Ships Channel over by the Cargill mines. I didn't see any going further south on the river. But yeah, Hooples is a great spot :-)

" Were you out in a boat for the one picture, or was that the zoom lens in effect?" That would be the zoom lens :-)

Yeah, the river was a tad dirty - we recently had a bunch of rain and whenever that happens, a lot of sediment and umm, "other" stuff gets flushed into the Cuyahoga :?

Sorry that these haven't been posted yet - the summer social season has kept me really busy. Some various pics from the Forum Meet, Pride Festival and lots more. Enjoy :-) From Cliff Drive, you can usually see people flying massive kites from Edgewater Park: Woohoo - wind turbine! Soldiers and Sailors Monument: ColDayMan gets attacked by giant space noodles! Medical Mutual's park looks nice and user-friendly! Cleveland City Hall rotunda during Pride Week: Row, row, row your boats... I didn't get to see the parade but the Pride Festival was well attended: Support from the William G. Mather: These gals were part of some promotion at Playhouse Square: I think these Mennonite people got quite the cultural experience on their Goodtime III cruise! :lol: A happy family moment: Thelma Houston (known for "Don't Leave Me This Way") did an amazing job: Over at Shooters in the Flats, the food was so-so but the views of the freighters was awesome! The Bingham, looming large: On a recent booze cruise: I wish I brought my tripod. It's blurry but you can see how awesome the skyline looked with the full moon in the background: But this turned out pretty well!

I'll take care of the Cleveland entries. Stonebridge Tower (Phase IV) and Pinnacle are both completed. Cleveland WTC was canceled.

Hi Phil - welcome to the forum. One of my loved ones is on disability so my heart goes out to your client. And kudos to him for pursuing something he's interested in. I've asked around and while I don't know any available spots myself, perhaps others do. One question, though - aren't there limitations on those on disability as far as supplemental income goes? In other words, if his work-at-home business turned a substantial profit, would his benefits be penalized?

Ah yes - from my hometown of Salem; if I recall it's in even worse shape now (cornice fallen off the bay window, etc.):

This sad place has been decaying for years - it's located along the Red Line on Cleveland's East Side:

Tom, welcome to the forum! Please - by all means keep us updated on the progress. I really think the area has so much potential and your project will help fill a prominent spot on Detroit. Let us know if you need any help posting photos. By the way - I don't suppose that buying out (or shutting down) Linda's Superette is part of the plan? :-)

""Berea? I don't 'do' south of 480"" WHO would ever say something like that? :-D