metrocity

In Chicago my choices are RCN and Comcast. It would be nice to have the choice of TW also.

The main thing was that Field's was nicer(as the article below aludes to), and that Chicago takes a lot of pride in it's traditions. Besides, the Chicago market is huge and doesn't have to roll over and play dead in these situations, so if people can have some influence and get their voices heard, more power to them. It sucks that Pittsburghers have to shut up about losing the Kauffman's tradition, and just pray that Federated doesn't close the flagship Downtown. Just "sucking it up" and letting huge corporations do whatever they want is not always the answer...nor should it ever be. Everything in the US has been watered down to lowest common denominator, so personally I think it's refreshing to see people still passionate about something....and not just lethargic and passive. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0702280213feb28,1,7215531.story?coll=chi-news-hed Field days here for Macy's rivals ---------- [email protected]

Very true, I have witnessed firsthand newcomers that find aspects of North Halsted (Chicago) offensive and want to change things. I have been approached on the street to sign petitions to close down bars. A few years back, residents of a large new condo specifically targeted one such night club(that was mainly latino and gay) to shut it down. The club had been there for many years before the condo, and the new condo building itself was built on a site where a large gay nightclub once stood. You hope that most people are open minded and know where they are moving....and accept it. The fact is that a lot of times they don't and want to change things. It gets more infuriating when most of those new residents do not have a long term investment in the neighborhood....with small children, they will move to the suburbs as soon as the child is school age. I don't live in that neighborhood, but I can understand the tension this causes. It is kind of the same for any gentrifying neighborhood when new residents don't like what has been there for a long time and want it "cleaned up". There is a thriving Vietnamese district in my ward facing those problems as well. Vietnamese business owners built the district one small business at a time in the 70's, but many of the new condo owners don't think that the businesses are reputable or clean.

The bottom line is economics...most younger people....gay or straight can no longer afford to live in that neighborhood (or in SF proper for that matter), and without new lifeblood, how do you sustain it as a gayborhood?

I think it's odd that: a) There is still a small regional Bell company like Cincinati Bell still in existence. b) DSL has just now reached parts of a major metro area. c) People believe there are actual good cable companies somewhere that customers love.

I don't think I have ever been in a Home Depot or Best Buy/Circuit City (urban or suburban) without the half assed look in the bag/highlighter tick on the receipt by the security gaurd at the door routine.

I have heard the same thing, but I think you are right, they are referring to the national rail system, not the London Underground. If I recall correctly, the national rail was privatized and it has been a failure, with frequent accidents and bad service. Compared to other countries in the EU, yes it is bad. Compared to the US, it is a dream system.

Sorry, don't mean to hijack the thread, but I found a couple more interesting pics... Crossing Myamar/Thailand border...Myanmar left, Thailand right A street scene in Hanoi Vietnam that I liked. A motorbike with pigs strapped to the back on a country road to Ha Long bay in N Vietnam. The pigs are alive btw

Thailand is great, thanks for reminding me of my trip. I also went to the Karen tribe village, I had a pic with the woman from the tribe with the most rings around her neck...like 26 or something...but I can't find it. The bathrooms along the road in the country are built by the government to try and get the tribes to use them instead of being nomadic and moving on after the land is used up. The Thai govt is very good at trying to preserve those tribes culture, while giving them some tools to help the villages stay and thrive in one spot. I found a couple pics from my trip...an abandoned construction project in the new part of Bangkok. In the early/mid nineties the market there was hot for foriegn investors, then the boom stopped and many developers walked away from huge projects. Also, I found one pic from the Myanmar border.

I have a friend that works for Limited Brands design studio in NY and goes to Columbus almost every week. Often times it's hard for his travel dept to find good hotel rooms, most of the larger hotels downtown are sold out....and usually they only get them because of Limited's clout. I think Columbus is desperately in need of another nice Hotel downtown.

After reading this thread, I was wondering where in the top 100 US newspapers did the Ohio papers stand and figured others may be interested: 21. Cleveland Plain Dealer 450,875 33. Columbus Dispatch 352,510 41. Cincy Enquirer/Post 293,151 74. Akron Beacon Journal 170,870 75. Dayton Daily News 168,645 77. Toledo Blade 167,686 I was surprised to see Columbus with a larger circulation than Cincinnati's dual papers.

Chicago's smart cards were free for a period...they waived the $5 cost when it was introduced. The best benefit is that if you lose the card, it can be replaced with your value still on it, unlike the older chicago Transit Cards and NYC MTA's metrocard. I like the smart card. I have been using it for a year now with no complaints. Sometimes they don't work for whatever reason on certain buses, but the driver usually just waves you on. My company also participates in a program where they take the money from your pay pre-tax, and send it it directly to cta to reload the card monthly. I don't have to hassle with any of it, I always have a card with a fare on it. Chicago also has a graduated fare system that encourage riders to buy the smart card, besides it is now the only way to get a bonus amount which quickly makes up for te $5 fee: Chicago Card and Chicago Card Plus: Full fare is $1.75; transfer for 25 cents. Transfers allow two additional rides within two hours after the first boarding. Chicago Card and Chicago Card Plus customers get a 10 percent ($2.00) bonus for each $20 of value added. Transit Card: $1.75 on buses; $2.00 at rail stations; transfer for 25 cents. Transfers allow two additional rides within two hours after the first boarding. Cash: $2 per ride on bus and rail; exact fare only; no change returned. No transfers issued when paying with cash. PS...the difference between the Chicago Card and the Chicago Card plus is that the you reload the Chicago Card at the machines in the L station, and the Chicago Card Plus reloads automatically from a credit card that you give cta when the amount dips below a certain amount(like $10). You tell them what the reload amount is when you sign up for the card.

I don't understand The Gap. They use black rappers in their commercials to try and get some kind of perceived street cred or coolness...but they always seem to close stores in malls with a predominantly black clientele. They also create a hostile environment in those stores by posting security guards at the entrances. Back in the early 90's they closed Randall Park, Euclid Sq, Severance and Rolling Acres all around the same time, and people I knew that worked there rumored that they closed because they were too black....even though Randall did more business than some of the other area "white" stores. I hated going in the one at RPM because the security guards would lurk over you. Anyway, I have a friend that works for Gap Inc now, and the only division that is doing well is Old Navy...Gap and Banana's sales are tanking.

Thanks for arranging this MayDay, I had a great time meeting everyone and enjoying some fresh GL brew!

Seats are now free with this promotion: http://vacations.travelzoo.com/north-american-vacations/272290 $0.50 -- Bus Fares between Chicago & 8 Cities Chicago to/from 8 Midwest Cities Travel dates: January 17-March 20 Top 20 deal - sells out quickly! By Michael Stitt Travelzoo Staff Just when you thought a $1 deal couldn't get any better, Megabus.com announced that they'll be giving away 25,000 "FREE" seats from January 17-March 20. The only thing you'll pay is their standard $0.50 reservation fee. Your morning cup of coffee probably costs three times as much! Megabus.com is a bus service between Chicago and 8 Midwest cities, with already-fantastic $1 each way fares available on non-stop routes. Having launched April 10 of this year, and already wildly popular overseas in the U.K., here's how it works: Service is available between Chicago and Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and St. Louis. Service is also offered between Indianapolis and Cincinnati and between Toledo and Cleveland. The first few seats on every bus will be FREE, plus a $.50 reservation fee. Each bus has 55 seats. Free seats are limited to 2 per booking on selected dates and routes. Once those are sold, prices go up to $1, $5, then $8, then $10 and so on, until the bus is full. All routes are non-stop and most connect in Chicago with NO stops at smaller cities. You must book your tickets online 4 weeks in advance at Megabus.com to get the lowest prices. There are no walkup fares. For more information, schedules, terminal locations, and a route map click here. When you're ready to book, visit Megabus.com. Travelzoo Tip: We found many free seats traveling midweek, Monday-Thursday. Currently, their Web site will only allow reservations to be made through February 1. However, with each passing day, one additional day will become available.

^ Good call, it's kinda true

This is sad, he was truely a very unique person with a huge passion for art, architecture and the city of Cleveland. I had him for a couple of classes at CSU, and always respected him as a teacher and a person. Dr. Walter C. Leedy, Jr., CSU Architectural Historian, dies http://clevhist.blogspot.com/2006/11/dr-walter-c-leedy-jr-csu-architectural.html

edit: comment moved to non-project related thread for CSU

Put me down as a 'yes' to attend.

Yeah I guess that's true. It seems like the gen x and y are dressing a little nicer though....at least more dress pants and shirts. Baby boomers took golf shirts, pleated docker Khakis and tassle loafers way too far. Ugh! I guess BB is stuck in the middle somewhere. It's too bad, that was a nice space.

The only workers downtown these days are lawyers and bankers it seems, which I would think would need suits. That was the niche that I thought was keeping the holdouts of Ann Taylor/Brooks Bros/Johnston & Murphy/MAC in TC??

Or they could check out Milwaukee: http://www.wisconsinhighways.org/milwaukee/park.html or San Francisco http://www.aia.org/nwsltr_aiaj.cfm?pagename=aiaj_a_20051201_embarcadero I would also like to see it turned into a Boulevard with the street grid back in place in the "Opportunity Park" (old BF Goodrich HQ area south of Downtown). It's impossible to get around that area of town. It's more like a suburban area than a city... with isloated islands of public housing.... and Akron General Hosp....and one way streets...

That wasn't the comparison. The point was that in general, Canada does urban much better than the US. If you can't give a concrete example of Jane Jacobs attitude on the subject, then the point is moot of what she had in mind. Anyway, I was just saying I like how those things co-exist and nobody really cares, or thinks that it does harm to anyone. I am more of a live and let live type though. And I don't think that hiding all that is "evil" from kids makes them any more or less healthier. The knee jerk argument in the US is that those types of busineses breed uncontrollable vice and crime....and Canadian cities are some of the safest in the world. Again, it's just my opinion.

Great pics, really shows the difference between the value and investment of urban space in the US and Canada One of my favorite things about Canadian city's is how there is a Gap next to a porno store next to a Zara next to a strip club....etc. And nobody cares, it all ends up running together and Canadian kids are not f'd up. The US is ran by zoning zealots and Madd Mothers.

HR is neither human nor a resource