TBideon

Pretty accurate, albeit gloomy, way to begin my week

Recreate some of the scenes - ranging from street cars to department stores to fine buildings - that I've read in the Cleveland Images for America series. Also institute a juggernaut sales and salt tax Also create a mini Amsterdam - say in the Flats - where people can smoke bud, hire prostitutes, and gamble.

Let's see. Wake up at 11:00:00am Roll over to my computer: 11:00:30am And that's my commute. At least one benefit of having your own business :mrgreen:

Best chocolate martinis in town has to be at Pickwick. And they're only $5 during happy hour

"Or, as they are saying across much of the gay world, "Cleveland?" " Isn't Lakewood a pretty well known gay area? It doesn't seem like a huge stretch then to have the games around there?

I don't know if this is precisely within the Gordon Square Arts District, but I was at La Boca on Detroit on Sunday for drinking and tango on Sunday, and let me say, that neighborhood has not gentrified as much as I'd hoped. Some fun looking characters outside the restaurant, which was a pretty cool place and one I will certainly be returning. The food is FAR more reasonably priced that I would have expected, and the class was fun, especialy when it ended and a number of the patrons joined us in dancing (I'd say the place was at least 75% filled to occupancy). But as to the people outside, I don't know how the restaurant can dissuade them from glaring at us beyond tinting the windows or something.

I'll be at La Boca on Monday for wine and tango classes. It'll be cool seeing that whole area for the first time too

How horrible

Depressing stats and conversation all around, but I'm not surprised by these numbers

There are some fascinating books on the histories of Cleveland from the latter 18th century through 2000, Bay Village, Aurora, Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, Westlake, Cleveland department stores, Black Clevelanders, the Flats, and some others I can't remember. Each book has dozens if not hundreds of pictures of various families, architectures, and events. I spent about three hours today surfing through a few of these books. I probably most enjoyed the Cleveland department stores one and was disappointed by the Flats book, which inexplicably ignored the party days of the last 20 years. The series is somewhat depressing as well. I mean, it's one thing to hear stories about Cleveland being a far more prominent city, but when you see the pictures of crowded streets bustling with stores and people....then yeah, the series is somewhat heartbreaking as well. A great read.

"I really and truly hope you're joking!!! And I really hope others here will exercise enough critical thinking skills to see what is wrong with that logic. There is nothing romantic about a river being so polluted that it ignites from the chemicals. Please... don't go there... Let's not make it look 'cool' because it isn't. We glamorize ignorance, stupidity, and anti-social behavior enough... Let's not make raping the environment seem cool. No, nothing 'bad ass' about defying nature. No, uh uh, nothing cool about a river burning from being contaminated, nor paying homage to it. I doubt people will get the message that it was a travesty if it is made into a festival.... by seeing a river on fire. Instead it will be like "Yeah dude...ain't that cool...the river burns here... huh, huh" Sure, let's just add more 'fuel to the fire' so to speak....let's have the rest of the nation see how retarded we are when they say... "Look at Cleveland...they actually think that because their river caught fire...it's cool...MAN..how dumb are they!" Are you asking for more jokes and smearing and twisting it into something we would regret? Especially from the west.... Its simple.. "pollution-Not good...not cool!" I take it you weren't a fan of those Mike Polk videos then

Watchmen was remarkably boring, though it had an excellent opening. The whole "see the superheroes in the 1940s" scene was completely unique - I've never seen that done in a movie in that manner. Star Trek was MUCH better than expected and I look forward to the eventual sequels. Hangover was okay, but mostly due to that bearded fellow. D9 was a fine movie, but I doubt I'll watch it again.

It's more of a couple's place than a single's bar, at least when i was there Dios mios

Salsa dancing at the View was ok, but the place WAY overcharges on drinks (4 bucks for a bud, 5 bucks for water???). The lessons were pretty good; the post-lessons dancing...eh, it's not the easiest place to meet people.

Eh, that article was pretty much what wikipedia says about Cleveland.

I haven't even heard of half of these cities

I don't think a casino or entertainment district is going to hurt downtown clubs and restaurants in the slightest. During the Flats heyday, there must have been 10s if not 100s of thousands people going down there to eat, pay for parking, and party on a regular basis. There's no way E4, W6/9, Tremont, and Ohio City hit those numbers, so that tells me there are a ton of potential patrons that are just waiting for reasons to spend their money in Cleveland. I think it's a dangerous thought presuming one business necessarily steals patronage from another, because that kind of mentality leads to the kind of overall...stagnation we've had downtown lately. It's good for bars or other entertainment venues to be near one another. This kind of positive congestion induces people to come out and bar hop as they have more options, whereas if there were only one bar, it might not be worth going out. That's why entertainment districts are so appealing.

I guess some groups like telling other people what they can and cannot do with their money. I don't know if Cleveland particularly needs a casino, but I sincerely doubt it will result in our city blossoming or falling into economic blight. There is clearly no general consensus as to how beneficial or detrimental casinos are, and these arguments are getting redundant. All I know for sure is that since my friends and I can't gamble here legally, we go to Canada every so often - perhaps once every few months - to spend our money on slots, tables, hotels, food, and other amenities. If gambling were legal here, we'd probably spent this money in this region instead.

I speak Spanish as well as anyone who took it in high school. Not very but a nominal amount.

I applaud the hell out of Dan Gilbert. He might be our city's finest leader.

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to check out View on Friday and perhaps I do like Touch, MTS, but I've never really seen people Salsa'ing before. The basement is usually more typical club stuff. Also, I went to Sunset on Monday for Tango lessons. 8 guys and three girls = probably my last class unless I bring a girl next time

Better the money stays in the state than goes to Michigan or PA

Google isn't particular helpful, though I will be checking out the View on Prospect this weekend, plus I've heard Sunset on W9 has some salsa sometimes. Does anyone have any other places in mind? It doesn't have to be in downtown Cleveland per se, just in the NE Ohio area.

I would call Eaton, but unfortunately I have Office Max and BP on the other line... Anyway, it'll be good to see some construction downtown.

Oh, the horror