metrocity

Overheard on the Mich Ave bus in Chicago behind me. Picture classic midwestern Mom types...easy care spikey processed hairdos, college sweatshirts with turtle neck underneath, Filenes Basement bags that say "I just got a bargain"...etc. Friend : So Marlene, how is your son's new apartment, you saw it today...right... Marlene: Oh yeah it's real nice...very simple, no brick-a-brack all around...ya know Friend: Oh yeah, that's nice... Say it with a strong "Fargo" midwest accent...it's funny

I thought I would bump this thread...and I think this is the appropriate thread for my shameless self-promo :-D. I have researched a lot of products for smaller condos/apartments for city living and decided to put some of my findings in a blog...and since smaller is greener... Let me know what you guys think, or if you find any of the ideas helpful. Thanks! http://650sqft.com/

Has anyone heard anything about the Hyatt at the Arcade? I stayed there this summer and the rooms are starting to look a bit tattered and still have big tube tv's. Then I read a review on (I think) hotels.com where someone said the same thing and that it was rumored Hyatt was looking for a buyer and wasn't doing any updating. The rooms don't look terribly dated yet, just kinda worn carpet and stuff....and in a brand like that you'd expect an updated TV (the bulky tv in an armoire does the most to date it to the 90's). This Westin will be a welcome addition for sure!

There was a radio program on NPR Chicago Public Radio WBEZ tonight about the entrepreneurial spirit flourishing in Cleveland. They had the guy on that opened the Mountain Biking place, a group of parents that started a school in Ohio City, the Ohio Knitting Mills story, the rowing association....and a few others. I only caught about the second half of it. I was riding in a car and I want to say it was on somewhere between 7pm and 9pm CST....maybe the "ideas" or "sunday specials" program they have listed on the schedule on the website. However, I can't find anything about it on the website. I will check and see if they update the site tomorrow...I wish I had more details. It was a great and positive piece and worth a listen.

Sears eyes Ohio or Texas for HQ By Julie Wernau Tribune reporter 3:00 p.m. CDT, October 5, 2011 Sears Holdings Corp. is pitting Ohio and Texas against its home state of Illinois in a bidding war that has states clamoring for its headquarters. A source close to the matter said a small group of leaders from Sears visited Columbus, Ohio, and Austin, Texas, last month to visit potential sites for their headquarters..... http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-sears-reportedly-pitting-illinois-against-ohio-texas-20111005,0,7237935.story

Not the flats...but right nearby in the warehouse district

Yes, they did, and also included a blurb about their sustainable business practices....but I just caught it out of one ear while I was busy and didn't catch all of the wording.

Not really a movie or TV...but radio media. Was listening to WBEZ Chicago Public Radio (NPR) today at work, and one of the segments was made possible by donations from The Great Lakes Brewing Company of Cleveland.

It's great, I was there in July....the view is spectacular and the staff is giddy to be showing it off. I <3 Cleveland!

I can recommend new furniture places...for smaller scale furniture I usually recommend the following. Room and Board has sofas that you can order in many sizes, and it's good quality and made in North Carolina and fits in with contemporary casual. CB2 is Crate and Barrel's modern lower priced younger store. Most of it is smaller sized for urban spaces. Has kind of an ikea look to it but better quality. For cheap stuff, there is always IKEA. Not the best quality but mostly sized to fit smaller spaces. It is harder to find smaller scale furniture these days at traditional furniture stores....but if you have your measurements and stay away from huge arms on chairs and sofas you can find a few options. I would also recommend going to Amish country to Andreas Furniture in Sugarcreek, my parents shop there and have an older home with smaller scale rooms. http://www.andreasfurniture.com/default.php http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/ http://www.cb2.com/

^ It's kinda funny that it it is even spelled "West-minister" instead of Westminster. You know when the clueless developer named the street they thought they were being classy by naming it after the London Bourough or Westminster Abbey and got it wrong. Hehe Solon = Souless IMO

Was looking for a hotel downtown next weekend...which all mostly seem to be sold out for some reason. Anyway, is it just me or is this the Cleveland Wyndham Hotel on the main page for the brand? It is right? Seems strange they only have one property in the state of Ohio and they showcase it on the main splash page. http://www.wyndham.com/main.wnt Maybe it's a google ad thing since I was looking on a bunch of sites for Cleveland Hotels...what do you see on the site?

People that are too timid/shy/stupid/clueless or whatever to take a divider and empty their small basket of groceries on the checkout belt after the person in front of them while I'm behind them with a cartload of stuff to unload.

Cleveland: Shaker Blvd Van Aken Blvd Chagrin Blvd Transportation Blvd Monticello Blvd Lakeshore Blvd Belvoir Rd SOM Center Rd Gates Mills Blvd One other quirk I like about Cleveland is calling the numbered streets exactly that...like West Sixty Five instead of 65th or East One Five Six instead of E 156th. The rapid operators often do it. I kinda wish Cleveland used the Freeway names that are on maps on it's highway signs: Lakeland Freeway I90 East side Willow Freeway I77 Medina Freeway I71 Northwest Freeway I90 West Side Clark Freeway I490 Akron: Firestone Blvd Goodyear Blvd Lovers Lane Opportunity Parkway White Pond Drive Cadillac Hill Sand Run Parkway Vernon Odom Blvd The Kenmore Leg (I76 connector) I think all of Akron's interstates were named with directional "Expressway" unlike the freeway term used in Cleveland (The East Expressway for example) although they don't use them either on signs (but true Akronites do). Kent: Depeyster St Canton: Hills and Dales Rd

Sears (and Motorola) is featured in this article about how having an insular campus in a far flung burb makes companies go soft and get less competitive as their workforce is less in touch with trends and changing times. And how it is harder to attract young bright talent. This is one of the reasons they state for abandoning their current digs....so Sears may have seen the error of their ways.. The biggest problem with Sears Tower was the huge lower floors designed for catalog call center stuff (that probably should have been off site in a campus type building)....they are a nightmare to re-purpose as the windows are so far! They still have problems renting it. http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20110528/ISSUE01/305289984/crains-special-report-corporate-campuses-in-twilight

^ Interesting and insightful post, thanks for sharing. On the social services front, I have had two friends from Columbus, one a doctor that used to work in hospitals in Columbus (and lives in Chicago now) and one just visited last weekend who is a top lawyer in Columbus now. Both have said that one of the big reasons that Columbus has a such a large immigrant population is that certain groups have learned how to really work the system. They both stated that the Ohio public assistance programs are lax in enforcement and think that Ohio is naive to what is going on and needs to play catch up in that realm. There are so many loopholes and ways to trick the system that people who are well organized, know how to work the system and are robbing it blind. The doctor said generally well off people were getting away with completely free healthcare on Ohio's dime. The lawyer told me about tricks involving (legally) giving away your children to relatives to collect double payments (when the children still live with the parents). These are not lifelong Ohioans or even US born residents....they are a well organized immigrant population that know Ohio is an easy target (from what I gathered). I am not trying to demonize any groups of people, and I was shocked to hear this. By the way, both of these people are ultra liberal and progressive and I respect their opinion. They are not tea baggers, and gladly support paying taxes for the good of Ohio and it's less than well off residents. They both said Ohio is behind the curve and is trying to play catch up to stop the fraud that is going on and know there is legislation in the works. So Ohio may just become more "less free" than it is now in the near future.

He wants to make agriculture "cool" too Kasich charges department with making ag “cool” again http://ohiocornandwheat.org/kasich-charges-department-with-making-ag-fun-again/

Kasich wouldn't know cool if he was naked at the North Pole

^All hail the church of the douchebag

I missed this thread when it was first posted...excellent pics! From the eye of someone who loves the city...clearly. Great job

^That's right, I should have stated it was 19 for regular beer...and 21 for everything else. The 21 rule was loosely enforced once you were in the bars. I was grandfathered in as well.

^Agreed...the chaos, traffic and pedestrians spilling over the sidewalk were all part of the ambience. People drove down into that mess to see and be seen and cruise...anybody that didn't want to deal with it parked in the WSD and walked down the hill (or took the waterfront line or didn't go). Congestion and density of people is not a bad thing...and can actually make a place more desirable for some people. Happens all of the time in old cities here and all over the world. I still say part of the death of the flats was when they made Old River Rd a one way from a two way street to better move traffic.

I caught an episode of policewomen on cincy. They pulled over 2 young guys from Kentucky that were riding a scooter with a cardboard hand written license plate and a flashight duct taped to the handlebars as a headlight. It was funny....the policewoman was pretty nice about it, just made them walk it back to the state line, and said "When you get into KY I don't care what you do, but in the state of Ohio this vehicle is not legal"....or something like that. A bit of overtone of Ohio snobbery about KY perhaps....but funny.

^ Yes, a true dive bar! BTW, the old Gentry downtown on State St is open again and called "Downtown". The Hideout is always one of the best places in Chicago. Intructions from the website: http://www.hideoutchicago.com/location/ From the CTA Blue Line: get off at the Damen stop (North, Damen & Milwaukee) If you come out of the station, turn left & you’re on Damen, walking toward North Avenue. At North avenue (about 40 feet) ride the North Avenue bus or walk eastbound on North. If you come out of the weird little staircase where there’s no station, you’re on the north side of North Avenue, so cross the street to the south side to get on the bus, or start walking eastbound, crossing Damen. Get off the bus at Elston or make a left onto Elston (northbound) & walk 2 blocks. Make a right on Wabansia (east) & walk ’till you see the Old Style sign peeking out from behind the tree.