metrocity

I like the idea of cops undercover using crosswalks and ticketing those that do not yield right of way. They did it around Chicago in areas where pedestrians had been hit a lot.

Best quote in the article: She right, is this kind pf a pass to drivers that they don't need to pay as much attention....my bus is honking, get out of the way! Ped awareness needs to increase for drivers of all vehicles...the "get the hell out of my way" attitude needs to stop...esp bad in the midwest IMO

It does look great....and they moved the parking meters back off the curb like Montreal, helps with snow removal I think

Photos here: http://www.spanglemagazine.com/

No mention of Cleveland...compare/contrast when talking about adding BRT??? Seems strange and provincial. Anyway, Akron Metro seems to be in decent shape...cutting fares and adding service :? is unheard of these days :clap: http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/51882212.html Metro looks to put plan in motion for bus routes Board approval would be bring additions, expansions to service By Linda Golz Beacon Journal staff writer POSTED: 12:18 p.m. EDT, Jul 28, 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Linda Golz can be reached at 330-996-3640 or [email protected].

http://www.ohio.com/entertainment/50717887.html Free rides on train POSTED: 08:35 a.m. EDT, Jul 14, 2009

I can't stand them either in the city, especially at intersections where 9 times out 10 there will be someone wanting to cross. There is one like that near my condo in Chicago at Irving Park Rd and Broadway that really annoys me....there are always peds in the area and you shouldn't have to push a button. It seems out of reach for wheelchairs too.

My favorite foreign ones that show cities and cultures... Central Station starts in Rio and travels across Brazil. Good scenes in the main train terminal in Rio and interesting cross section of smaller town culture...and is an excellent movie. In Portugese, so make sure it is subtitled if you don't speak the language http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwjsrfv9RrU WayDowntown is a surreal movie that takes place in an un-named Canadian city where a bunch of young co-workers in an office make a bet to not go outside and see who can last the longest...since they all live in apartment buildings attached to a maze of shopping malls, underground tunnels and their office building they technically never have to be in outside air. Y tu mama tambien. Good shots in Mexico City and good scenes of small town Mexico Not foreign, but Mondo New York is a good documentary that follows a woman around New York as she visits the underground performance art scene (late 80's) and other strange things that go on underground in NYC. Not for the highly sensitive though.

I think you clip your ticket on that rail when you sit down...if you look close at the pic you see some tickets still there. Then the conductor walks through and punches them. It's really not that awkward when you do it, even though it would seem like it.

Those look nice, good to see NICTD putting some money into some upgrades...the South Shore never seemed like it was kept up as well as the Metra lines. I'll have to plan a trip to the dunes to ride one.

Attending NeoCon this week at the MM made me really get excited about what this could do for Cleveland...I hope they get started soon!

They might be able to get 1500 with 2 shifts as you said. The bank probably had much larger sq footage per person in the space plan...maybe 8-10 sq feet for cubicles. A call center can place people in long continuous desks that take up a 3rd of the space. A lot of the systems furniture companies have new product lines that can maximize space for job functions like this. Since it was the HQ for Firstone Bank at one time, it probably had large conference spaces and filing as well that can be utilized. The building is cool, glad to see it getting use

True, the envelopes for my mortgage payment for Chase has a Columbus address...even though I told them to stop sending paper statements a long time ago!

First Chicago....I mean Bank One....Errr, Chase....Yeah that's what it is now. Chicago's Hometown large banks are mostly gone too. Was going to go to LaSalle, but it became BoFA. Key has no presence here or I'd probably go with them.

Chicago South Side Irish Parade 2009...too bad they cancelled it going forward :cry:

I guess he/she is too busy yuckin it up to reply. I am very interested to hear some good points about why Don should be recalled. I mean, maybe he is a douchebag...I don't know, but he seems to "get it" for an old white dude in an old factory town.

No, it's alive and well. Pick up a Dwell magazine. I disagree about the quality of 1950's and 60's homes...many were pretty solidly built brick and have hardwood floors and some great custom quirky features. Levittown NY is a great example of how the homes can be expanded and re-used. The trend is going toward living in smaller spaces as well so it plays into that. In Columbus, expansion and build out should be pretty easy too because of larger midwest lot sizes. I also think the neighborhoods are built closer to new urbanism standards...with sidewalks, parks and walkable shopping and schools....a lot of emphasis on curvy streets yes, but they tend to be through streets and lack cul-de-sacs. I agree that the 1970's and 80's is a different story. My friends that have moved from NY to Columbus drool over some of those mid-century homes in Columbus.

The worst of it was that the bank was on LaSalle St in the heart of the financial district in Chicago. All of the visible employees were dressed that way... and with my little unemployment check, I wouldn't be taken to one of the "special" rooms...hehe. The good news is today was my first day back in the office, so I am off the dole...and I don't mean pineapple :-D

Haha...I had the same thing happen to me at "Ch..." today. I have been getting unemployment and the state insists that you get your benefits on this debit card type deal. So I decided I was going to try and actually go into a bank and have them transfer these funds that have been piling up on this stupid card into my checking account. Haven't been into a bank in years. The girl says "I see it's been a while since you talked to a banker, can I set you up with an appointment today?" I guess they are trying to drum up business, and I doubt she could "see" anything about when the last time I saw a banker. My pet peeve though actually, is when did ALL of the workers in banks stop wearing nice clothes and start wearing denim shirts and polos with the bank's logo?? I expect this "casual" approach from trashy Wamu....but seriously! Maybe I am old fashioned, but I expect people working in a bank to look like it. And if I was going to take her up on the offer to see a banker, he better at least be in a shirt and tie. If I want to talk to someone in a polo shirt, I'll go to Subway and order a sandwich.

Mid-Century is hot as hell! Doesn't even have to be that architecturally mod on the outside. A few funky details on the interior like flagstone walls, a built in shadow box, or a built in aquarium are desirable. Columbus should target some of those neighborhoods and create a buzz. The midwest is behind on this trend, but I think the demographics and stock of 1950's and 60's architecture would make it a perfect place for a Mid-Century belt around the city.

Thanks, It's good to know that building is being used as something I guess...even though it's a Messy's. These great pics really make me want to book a flight!

^That's too bad...I was there about 4 years ago, and L&T Downtown was going out of business in a beautiful building that looked similar to your pics. Do you know which one I am talking about? I wonder what happened to that building?

I love Philly too! I need to get back. Is the Macy's what was Lord & Taylor a few years ago?

I honestly don't think this about stopping suicide...it's about city liability, and development of this land. The mayor is not stupid, I think he sees it as a great place to create a hot new neighborhood...it's a large underutilized parcel isolated in a valley away from crappy areas, with Downtown/Akron U to the south and St Thomas Hospital and the stable neighborhood of North Hill to the North. Summa Health Systems may be pushing for it too since the HQ and their Hospital is right nearby and the joke is that the jumpers escape from their mental ward. Far fetched plan?... The Merriman Valley developed as an isolated enclave of young professionals in the 80's inside the city limits of Akron and remains one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the city. There is already a gay club(interbelt), a hot new veggie restaurant(Vegieterranean), and one of the oldest and most popular restaurants right on the fringe(Luigi's). In a dream world there could even be commuter rail to Downtown Cleveland someday since the CVSR is already there. Thats 2.5 people a year dropping into a residential neighborhood. If the DOT can build ugly sound walls for millions of dollars along every highway because noise is a nuisance, this should certainly qualify as a nuisance to the residents. AND, doesn't every freakin interstate overpass in Ohio already have a fence because someone threw a brick and killed someone once?? Every once in a while you hear of someone jumping at a place like Water Tower Mall in Chicago. If it somehow became a hot spot for suicide, and 2.5 people a year were doing it, the mall would do something about it. Again I say, use the money to just take the bridge down, along with the useless freeway. You'd probably want a fence if you lived here:

Found a couple of interesting pics near the area around Main and Howard which is presently near the interbelt freeway terminus and the Y bridge urban renewal area http://www.ci.akron.oh.us/history/photos_more.htm