MayDay

"I'd love people to come away wowed by their experience here, not saying "well, what did you expect, it's Cleveland after all" There are *always* going to be people who no matter what, are going to say that. I'm not suggesting that anyone will be blown away by our gay club scene but if someone comes from a place like NYC, LA, etc. and expects something comparable to what they have at home - I think that reflects more on their ignorance and provincialism than anything else. Megaclubs (gay or otherwise) have been closing for years, gay clubs outside of the larger cities have been struggling and the younger crowds seem much more open to going to more mixed environments (I'm 41 but that's the feedback I get). Maybe something will pop up in time for the games but I'd rather it be something sustainable instead of the tired "LIKE NOTHING CLEVELAND HAS EVER SEEN!!!" repurposed club that lasts six months. Where Cleveland seems to do well are special events like G2H2, WH2, the GIFT Cruise - those are always busy and I think the games will probably have something comparable in venues that will really make the event. "But I'm still surprised that the owner is opting to just close down Twist rather than sell it to another investor to keep it going. The bar always seems to be busy." The owner has had the place for a *long* time - around 20 years, and moved it from downtown to the current location (the previous name was Detours). For any club to be open that long is a hell of an accomplishment - I don't feel it's my place to disclose someone's health issues but 'keeping it going' might be the least of their concerns. :|

I remember when a proposal in University Circle came up (might have been Intesa) - I can't remember the square footage, but a local apartment owner scoffed at the idea of people not wanting/needing as much space. I definitely think cloud storage, shrinking technology and whatnot will have an affect on rentals targeting the younger generations. When it comes to Cleveland though, the microapartments are popping up in places where land is at a premium (i.e. NY, SF) so I don't know how applicable they'd be here except for a few specific areas like University Circle. I'm probably not the best person to ask - when I moved in with my S.O., I went from a 550 sq. ft. apartment to a 3K sq. ft. SFH :|

Demolition has started - the former used car lot at West 20th was gone as of this morning.

The inside meat stands aren't quite like the produce arcade where you *do* have some shady purveyors (fyi, for produce - stick with Basketeria, DeCaros and Bacha and you'll be fine). I have to agree with bumsquare, for pork and poultry I go to Whittakers - make sure to tell them what you're planning to make, how many people, etc. They have pork chops that are thick, extra-thick, butterfly, thin, etc. so if you can tell them "I need to make _____ for x-amount of people", that'll help them help you. If you don't know how long to cook something, ask them - they'll write it down.

Thanks for posting these - I've been under the weather and couldn't make it out for the festivities. Looks like a lot of people were able to enjoy it - thanks for the pics!

I'm not saying that there *weren't* other factors involved (i.e. contentious relationship with the White administration, etc.) - there may well have been, but could those suggesting that provide some actual evidence? When I did some research about the tower, I contacted Jennifer Frutchy (Lewis' philanthropic advisor and spokesperson at the time) and when asked about the tower not being built, she stated "it was a business decision made when Al Lerner was chairman of the board at Progressive". If there's more to it, she didn't mention it and I didn't feel it was my place to press the issue. With that, I feel the same way about those who say the stained-glass dome in the Cleveland Trust rotunda is Tiffany - when I'm provided with more than hearsay and rumors, I'm more than happy to listen. That said, Jennifer was very gracious and put me in touch with some contacts at Frank Gehry's team who were very helpful and provided this description and shot of the model. I'm a little proud to say this wasn't ever published in a large or publicly available format until I put it on clevelandskyscrapers.com. I do have to wonder how things would have played out *had* it been built as envisioned: Occupying a site as the northern end of Cleveland's historic Burnham Mall, the corporate headquarters building would have been erected within the space provided by air rights over the existing railroad tracks, separating the Mall from Lake Erie. The master plan called for the end of the Burnham Mall to be flanked by the Progressive Corporation tower and a high rise hotel, creating a gateway to the city and mirroring the positioning of City Hall and the County building. The project would have brought together under one roof the majority of Progressive Corporation, an innovative and rapidly expanding insurance company currently housed in a number of buildings throughout the suburbs. In addition to the one million square feet of office space in the high rise configuration, the project would have included an art museum, a creativity center, a health club and a research center. The visual mass of the office tower was broken down into two contiguous vertical elements clad with metal and stone, respectively. Executive and mechanical penthouses, and a restaurant were articulated at the top of the building by changes in both form and material. The art museum, with its scholars' library and auditorium, was to be located to one side of the health club, training center and cafeteria were to inhabit a structure separated from the tower to preserve views from City Hall to the Lake. The 100-foot walkway from the Mall to the Lakefront was to be designed by Donald Judd. Richard Serra was to craft a sculpture on the deck of the parking garage, the first installation of a proposed art park. Claes Oldenberg's carpenter's C-Clamp sculpture was to appear to hold down a part of the health club and an oversized newspaper perched atop the tower was to create an unusual sky landmark. CLIENT: Progressive Insurance Company AREA: 1,000,000 sq. ft. (approximately) SCHEDULE: Begin Design: 1987 (not scheduled for completion at present) COSTS: N/A PROJECT TEAM: Frank O. Gehry - Design Principal;David Denton - Project Principal; Bruce Biesman-Simons - Project Architect; C. Gregory Walsh - Project Designer; Eileen Yankowski - Project Team; Susan Narduli; Andrew Alper; CJ Bonura ASSOCIATE ARCHITECT: van Dijk, Johnson & Partners AWARDS: 1991 LA/AIA Honor Award

Nice mix of structures - I'll take one of these, please and thank you :-)

From cleveland.com: By Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer on November 23, 2013 at 7:38 PM, updated November 24, 2013 at 5:54 AM Peter B. Lewis, the brash, iconoclastic and philanthropically generous chairman of Progressive Corp. died Saturday at his home in Coconut Grove, Fla. Jennifer Frutchy, Lewis's philanthropic adviser, said Lewis died between 3 and 4 p.m., apparently of natural causes. He was 80. During a career that lasted more than half a century, Lewis grew Mayfield-based Progressive Corp. from a tiny 100-person firm to the fourth-largest auto insurance company in the U.S., with $17 billion in premiums and 26,000 employees nationwide. More at: http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/11/peter_b_lewis_dies.html#incart_m-rpt-2

I feel so ignored..... http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,28381.msg682043.html#msg682043 No hard feelings meant! :-) I think your rendering is accurate on the height but positioning-wise, it might need moved a little to the left. I think I can see the former 113 St. Clair Building (where the GCHIwhatever is) and the hotel would obscure that.

I posted these over on the skyscraperpage.com forum - just some very rough ideas of how the hotel will show up in the skyline:

Alright folks, activity and programming at the Mall might eventually be affected or enhanced by the convention center hotel but we're getting off-topic. If someone wants to create a 'Cleveland - Parks/Public Spaces Programming' thread in City Discussions and continue with the discussion, I wouldn't be opposed :-)

The more I look at the renderings, the more I'm reminded of the former Westgate resorts tower in Las Vegas: I'm really hoping the facade is anything but a shimmering flat glass wall like the above or the JW Marriott in Indianapolis. I'm also wondering about that angled section... depending on how the sun hits, could that have a 'death ray' effect like other buildings have had issues with? http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/sep/06/walkie-talkie-architect-predicted-reflection-sun-rays

That area is like Carnegie Avenue Jr. - fast-food shacks, vacant lots, rinse/lather/repeat. Adding to the vacant lot inventory isn't good but as buildings go, those aren't much of a loss, imho.

^It's been there for about two weeks - no idea on the background but I can only imagine it's there to tear down one or more of the structures.

Okay folks, let's save the discussion of bloggers and their agendas for another thread and keep this thread on topic for the actual construction in Playhouse Square.

Don't suppose you have a link to the article? I'm seeing some influence of the Ernst & Young tower (not necessarily a bad thing) but as convention hotels go, I'm pleasantly surprised. Not wowed but I've seen some absolute clunkers so here's hoping.

First off, a special thanks to forumer porco (proprietor of - you guessed it, Porco Tiki Lounge!) and his crew for being great hosts. To those who couldn't make it, you missed out on a good time but I highly recommend checking out Porco sometime - it's a fun, unique place and we wish them the best. I just snapped a few photos and as usual was so busy chatting I didn't get as many as I'd hoped. Ah well, hope everyone had a good time: Porco is officially approved by ColDayMan! We had a nice turnout - Paul, sorry my big noggin got in the way of your S.O. :|

Earlier this year, the UrbanOhio forum server had some issues and deleted quite a few threads, including this. I've re-posted it for those who might enjoy it. Ahh, summer in Cleveland - gotta love it, especially three of my favorite activities - visiting the Towpath Trail in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, attending the annual 'Solstice' party at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Cleveland Pride Parade and Festival, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. Lots of photos - sit back and let them load. Part 1 - Towpath Trail/Cuyahoga Valley National Park First up, the Towpath Trail which largely follows the original canals that lead to Cleveland's growth. I know there's debate about whether the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is 'worthy' of the designation. I don't care, I just love that it's so easily accessible and offers a variety of backdrops from busy bike trails to isolated waterfalls and of course, the flora and fauna. My partner and I like to start in Peninsula, a charming small town located along the Cuyahoga River. It has a 'New England' feel, which isn't surprising considering the area was once part of Connecticut. http://ech.case.edu/cgi/article.pl?id=WR2 I love the Leg Lamp from 'A Christmas Story': We always grab lunch and fuel :cheers: at the Winking Lizard, located in this historic former dance hall. Bridge over the Cuyahoga, and Century Cycles - they're always busy in spring and summer with the bike rentals: Today's fuel, a Black and Gold - Great Lakes Brewing Dortmunder Gold + Guiness: Another fun part of the park is the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad - in addition to regular rides, you can take your bike on board: Anyway, over to the Towpath Trail we go: There are quite a few galleries in the area and artists: First stretch of the trail is paved: Interesting flora right off the bat: The waters of the Cuyahoga, cleaner and healthier than ever: Pretty sure this is a grackel: Industrial ruins from the canal: Let's have some fun, guys... :rolleyes: Woodpecker! I'm always hopeful to see a great blue heron - well, not a close up but a decent shot I suppose: More flora: Railroad bridge - still active but not frequently used. The tunnel underneath doubles as a kick-arse echo chamber: ALVIN!!! Wasn't sure what kind of bird this is: The next stretch is boardwalked over a marsh: Alien flora? Again, ALVIN!!! Grackel with a snackel :rolleyes: I don't care if they poo every five seconds, I think Canadian Geese are beautiful: Photo doesn't show it, but this was one *big* turtle: Remember how I said I hoped to see a great blue heron? We've managed to see a few over the years but there was usually trees and whatnot in the way. My jaw dropped - this was a huge heron and just RIGHT THERE: Canadian Geese again - they mate for life :hug: No, this is not the dreaded emerald ash borer - if it were, I'd have squished it: More of this stuff - not sure what it is: As much as the river has been cleaned up, there's still progress to be made - this is an overflow area which collects debris and litter from a much larger area: The towpath is around 100 miles long from Cleveland to Tuscarawas County - most of it is complete but there are a few gaps. It's interesting how they've tied it all together, including bridges, boardwalks, etc.: Get out of here - another heron! :) Speaking of getting out of here, time to go home via the Ohio Turnpike - downtown Cleveland's visible from the bridge over the Cuyahoga: Part 2 - Solstice party at the Cleveland Museum of Art Every year, this party sells out - staggered admission/pricing makes the crowd more interesting as the night goes on. At 7pm, the people who have $ection$ of the museum named after them, they get open bar and free food. At 8pm it's the regular museum members and non-members willing to shell out a little extra. At 10pm it's time for 'steerage' - JUST KIDDING - that's essentially the general admission but skews younger and more diverse. By night's end all these people are hobnobbing together, with diverse musical acts all with the backdrop of the museum. Speaking of - the expansion of the museum is ongoing but they recently opened the Asian galleries - a strongpoint of the museum's collection. I'd say 'worth the price of admission' but general admission to the museum is FREE :) Starting out like so many trips - the view at the end of my street: En route to one world-class Cleveland institution, we pass another: The plan was to 'pre-game' at a nearby Asian spot in the Uptown development - here's phase two under construction: That's directly across the street from the newly opened Museum of Contemporary Art. Here's a close-up of the mirror-finished steel facade: Ah here we are - Accent; notice the empty patio? Yeah, it was in the upper 80s and tropical dewpoints (aka ick!!!) so we opted to sit inside: Did I mention they have a Saturday happy hour? Five dollar half-pitchers of Sapporo served in frosted mugs? If you happen to go - get the pork belly, edamame chips and hummus, and of course the Sapporo! :cheers: I love the funky sci-fi decor (the pattern is made of the restaurant's name) Alright, over to the party - we pass by Case Western Reserve University's 'Old Main' building: And here we are - a major part of the expansion was this atrium, larger than a football field. I have to applaud Raphael Viñoly - I was apprehensive about how this would turn out and it's flat out amazing: The atrium frames the original 1916 building - I love how airy it looks: First stop, the newly opened Asian art galleries - there were people getting misty-eyed. This collection used to be housed in a cubby hole on the museum's lower level. It's absolutely exquisite and does the collection justice: Immediately adjacent are the also newly-opened Art of the Americas galleries: Kids with the 'gauges' crack me up - try wearing THESE in your nose! Of course, being an art museum party there's bound to be some wacky costumes. These reminded me of the creepy monsters in the subway in the movie 'The Wiz'. Yeah, yeah - Impressionists gallery - sorry, didn't have time (that's how crazy and cool this party gets!) Contemporary art installation: Outside to the south terrace, people are still filing in: Back inside, I've always loved this guy - and no, the glasses aren't "ironic" Another gem in this gem, the Armor Court: A 'performance art' installation - each speaker had a different monk chanting: Yep, this guy enjoyed the party too! :cheers: South terrace, one of the busier spots: Some of the music groups are people you've never heard of, but they always pick a great variety and the crowds appreciate it: See the bottom of 'The Thinker'? Apparently in the 1970s, anarchists planted a pipe bomb on the statue - the museum decided to leave the statue as is, to reflect history: As the temps went down, more people came outside: And *another* cool part of the expansion is Gallery One - a fully interactive gallery with a gigantic 'touch' wall which is the largest of its kind in the world. I love that they designed it to encourage people to go find the original piece, not just see it on a screen. Check it out http://www.clevelandart.org/gallery-one/about They use the facade of the museum to show off different aspects - this year was about Gallery One: Back inside for a second: My partner loves the collection of Fabergé pieces, and I'm more than happy to indulge him: Imperial Red Cross egg - one of two in the world: The central rotunda - a great spot to sit for a minute and people watch: No rest for the MayDay, back out to the south terrace The Crystal Ark had a great show: And back inside, where we danced our arses off to DJ Afrika Bambaattaa and closed the joint! Part 3 - 25th Annual Cleveland Pride Parade and Festival This year we couldn't make it to the parade, so it's just festival photos. They managed to get Deborah Cox as the headliner and she did a great job. Along with the 25th anniversary, the Supreme Court decisions this week added to the revelry :) You know the routine, the view from the end of my street :) Lots of construction cranes - they're building the new Innerbelt bridge, largest transportation project in the history of the State of Ohio: Passing through Playhouse Square en route to the festival: Almost there! A lot of people go to the parade and stay all day for the festival, so I can't blame them for being a little tired! C'mon now, like I'm *not* going to get a shot of Key Tower? Yep, I think we're in the right spot! My partner remarked that "you can't say that our Pride festival isn't diverse!" and I agree - but to be honest, for every drag queen or scantily-clad whatever, there are plenty more plain ol' regular-looking people who happen to be gay. The festival is held at Voinovich Park, with a great view of the Rock Hall and the skyline: The lawn near the performance stage: This performer goes by "Bitch" - last time we saw her, she was doing some weird folk 'chant', this time around she was really good! Like I said - diverse! Plenty of people selling rainbow accoutrements: Diverse footwear - though not the best for walking on grass, I would think? And then the DJ started to spin some old school 'line dance' tunes and Clevelanders love their line dancing and... WHOA!!! To her credit, she was wearing pasties but I, I... I got nothin' :uhh: That reminds me, I need to get to the gym: A little more line dancing: The lyrics at this moment were indeed "how low can you go?" Like I said (I'm not a fan) but Clevelanders go batsh!t over line dancing: This gentleman had writing on his back saying "I'm Single". I'm hoping he finds someone who can cook - my inner ethnic grandmother was saying "Look at you - you so skiiiinny, you need to EAT!" It's not just a black and white issue ;) Or male/female: More of the crowd: Deborah Cox - fabulous!!! Terminal Tower - also fabulous!!! Not sure what they were going for but it's distinctive! Remember what I said about the footwear? I had a similar pair back in the day :-) Ah well, time to wrap it up - speaking of, the Federal Building is undergoing a glass 'encasement' - oughta be interesting: On the way home: Hope you enjoyed!

Clueless, I'm with you. Although I'm happy to coordinate - ColDayMan was the one who picked the date. I prefer a few weeks notice as well but as you mentioned, with all the new spots opening we should have another meet in the near future.

Usually at these meets, we pause every 30 minutes or so and do an around the room 'I'm _______' or 'I'm _______'s friend'. It's kind of cool and funny how quite a few forumers make a hell of a lot more sense once you meet them in person (if that makes sense?).

Alright everybody! The good folks at Porco have set aside their Tiki Room for our gathering from 6pm to 8pm - mahalo to UrbanOhio forumer porco and Shannon, Porco's GM! Please note, there's another party coming in at 8:30 so while we are welcome to enjoy the rest of the evening in the main area, we *will* be out of the Tiki Room shortly before 8pm so they can prep accordingly. Just letting everyone know ahead of time so when I say it's time to clear out, I won't have to resort to my 'bubbly personality'. Ask my partner how fun it is to be the target of my wrath :x With that: 1. Porco is located at 2527 West 25th Street, approximately .5 mile south of West 25th/Lorain (West Side Market and West 25th Rapid Station). Onsite parking is available as well: 2. Foodwise, they offer tacos - a vegetarian option and a 3-meats of the day option. Since we have so many people, it's probably best to keep things simple :-) Of course, if you need other sustenance, there's plenty nearby in Ohio City and Tremont. 3. Drinkwise, I've heard rave reviews for their tiki cocktails. For those preferring beer, they have Kona Brewing's Pipeline Porter, Firerock Pale Ale, and Longboard Lager on tap and a few others - I believe Old Rasputin may be available this weekend. 4. For those who were hoping to bring youngsters - they are welcome provided they remain in the Tiki Room during our gathering but afterward they'll have to skedaddle. 5. For the first forumer (and only the first) who shows up wearing a grass skirt, I will buy you a drink (and only one drink and I ain't talking Cristal or rare-batch cognac!). :drunk: If you have any questions or need more info, please send me a PM. See you Saturday - aloha!

Okay folks,we're meeting at Porco at 6pm. Details later tonight.

Would everyone be okay with having a few tables or a small area (as opposed to formal sitdown)?

^Both are great spots but get crowded (and loud).