clvlndr

Can't wait to get to the Market Garden Brewery; it really looks like it'll be a 1st class place... I was praying they'd be open by the 4th, esp with the Yankees, and a lot of New Yawkas floating around our center city... Sam McNulty, with his Bier Markt and Cento has single-handedly pushed Ohio City/Market Square from being totally dependent on WSM for foot traffic (and otherwise dead) to the more 24-hour buzz it now possesses. And MGB, along with Crop Bistro and other new joints, will make it even moreso... and you've gotta love BM/Cento's "We're open 365 Days/year" sign in the window, along with their (always) late night hours... This is a serious contra to Great Lakes' podunkish (and somewhat lazy/irresponsible) policy of closures on Sunday's and holidays.

I don't have trouble with putting JJ on the block. Sure, he's talented and came a long way last season, but he's a high maintenance player. And even when, after 3 years he became 'more consistent' and decided to use his athletic gifts to rebound and play D, he would still drift in and out at times. And let's not discount the fact that he and his agent realize he's going into a contract year next year... So Thompson can take his spot -- with similar talents and more consistent energy, and JJ could fetch us some valuable young assets, including another 1st rounder... maybe a Lottery pick. Tristan wasn't a great pick, but he wasn't horrible, either. I would have been really upset had we taken Jonas V... Christian Eyenga's enough project players learning the game we need on our roster. ... My problem is that Grant seemed like he had no Plan B when he reailzed Williams and Kanter would be gone by pick 4. Other teams were wheeling and dealing for really talented kids who do what Cavs' players can't do consistently: put the ball in the hoop. ... and I will not let Grant off the hook for his absurd move in throwing away Justin Harper -- I stretch forward who has a sweet outside shooting touch. Please, don't bore me with the company line that, in accepting Orlando's No. 2s the next few years is stockpiling assests... has Grant ever heard the saying: a Bird in hand is worth 2..." Otis Smith was laying for Harper and clearly fleeced Grant.... So yes, I'm pleased Grant secured Irving, a critical point guard and the best player in the draft. But he lost me with subsequent moves (and non-moves); we failed to maximize the amazing position we had, which only comes around once in a Blue Moon... if ever.

The WFNY ("Waiting for Next Year") bloggers are also baffled by our trade of Justin Harper. Their admins are scratching their heads and saying it makes no sense to throw away a No. 32 pick (which NBA.net rated at No. 26), whose got size, and shooting range for a couple late No. 2s in future drafts... Someone's going to have to explain that one to me... ... also, Tristan Thompson shot .480 from the freet throw line... Great, that's all we need, a Hack-a-Tristan!!

Well, you can't argue with Kyrie Irving at the first pick, yet Tristin Thompson at the #4 is a bit of puzzler. I probably would have preferred Derrick then Brandon Knight, but it's not horrible... WKNR is saying this spells the end of JJ Hickson, who is in a contract year, because Thompson is essentially JJ... ... of course we wanted either Derrick Wms or Kanter at No. 4, .... and, of course, they were both gone... ... what is really bothering me is what we did in the 2nd round. Justin Harper is a stretch 4 out of Richmond, who can really shoot beyond the arc, yet we traded him to Oranado for their 2nd round players in 2012 and 13... Am I missing something? If Orlado manages to keep Howard, or trade him for equal value, their No. 2s are going to be low... Pundits immediately are lauding ... Orlando for the trade. Local guys were very excited when we took Harper, who they were surprised fell to us, instead, we end up helping Orlando (boy, that makes me feel good)... Most people are shocked we took Thompson @ No. 4, who is good deensively, but... we still have our same old problem: no guys who can put the ball in the hole. Yes, Irving can, but he's a traditional point. You really want him setting up guys more than having him carrying the scoring load. And then, the guy we get who CAN score -- Harper, we trade him away for No. 2s from a good team, years from now... Given the fact that we landed the #1 and 4 lottery picks, and we have/had the $14.5M trade exception, which appears will be an un-fired bullet left in the Cavs' revolver... I have to say that, at the moment, at least, overall, I'm underwhelmed by our moves, tonight... Let's hope there some Part II before the Lockout.

^ The numbers are good news, esp for rail, and doubly-especially for the Red Line... I have no scientific evidence, but my guess may be that these numbers reflect a combo of: significant bus-route cuts, forcing many to the Rapid, esp the Red Line... as the PeeDee article notes, too, the economy has picked up slightly, and downtown and Ohio City are stronger.

If you see Danielle DeBoe toiling around the store, you might take a min and thank her and wish her luck. Cleveland can't have too many young entrepreneurs like her who really believe in this town as passionately as she does ... Secondly? BUY SOMETHING!!

^Yes, LeBron is a natural 3 but plays on the ball like a point guard which, as we've seen here, and Miami saw in the finals, reeks havoc ... both on the natural point guard (Mo, in the Cavs' case -- who really was a weak point anyway), and on LeBron, at least in the finals, when he seemed confused when he didn't get enough touches, which I contend, threw off his game.

I appreciate Jerry's research on this issue, and it sounds like RTA is making the best of it with the resourses -- actually, lack thereof -- it it's disposal these days... It's good to know there is a logical system of getting word to the proper people to repair damages, esp when we the public put RTA on notice of such. And for the record, I sure hope RTA can do something about circulating the air on hot days at stations like W. 25th. ... I still believe, however, that repairs are one thing, and routine maintence (ie, cleaning/scrubbing) is quite another... I don't care how tight the budget is, the W. 25 should NEVER stink of urine; and quite frankly, it strains my memory to recall when it didn't -- I sometimes use the elevator up, and it always smells that way. That's just plain unacceptable. And even though I agree with MTS that we are all caretakers of RTA and have a duty to report these things -- how can RTA not know about these things? I mean, the last 2 or 3 times of used W. 25, there's been a gaggle of RTA cops hanging around the station (a good thing, indeed) checking passes-- and, yes, I've seen them using the elevator as well... It's bad enough for (by the grace of God) ambulatory folks like me who have a choice, to ride the stinky elevators; what about the poor disabled and/or wheelchair bound souls who are forced to... And as was stated before, some of these routine activities by staff can at least forestall station issues, such as rust, which will cost RTA a bigger bill in way-too-short intervals.

Dude, if Williams has half LeBron's talent, I don't care how much of a tweener he is, we'll deal with it. I for one think that in today's NBA, designated positions 1s, 2s, 3s and 4s, esp, are increasingly irrellevant... The Heat didn't go down because LeBron was a tweener, they went down because he completely lost his nerve in the clutch, plus, his coach had a piss-poor game plan. Rick Carlisle ran rings around Spoelstra... I mean Dirk Nowitski is 5, who really plays the 4 but, really, almost plays the 3 in many ways -- he's usually way out on the wing spotting up for jumpers and, until this playoffs, very really took it to the rim... Jason Terry's a 2 who, in crunch time these finals, really was a surrogate point guard the way he played on the ball, ran the pick'n roll and set up his bigs... I'm in love with Derrick Williams skills. Be he a 4 or a stretch 3, we will open up the floor the way he can hit spot up jumpers from the wing. He can also handle the ball -- though he's no LeBron, obviously, at this point... Like I said, I'll take a an extreme talent like Williams and work him in somewhere. I really like the idea a front line with him and JJ... that is, if we somehow grab Williams and don't deal JJ...

^I think a lot of folks here are getting skittiish about Irving, present co. included... The kid played 11 total games, has a questionable wheel and piloted an alleged powerhouse to an early NCAA exit... Pundits and scouts, though, are uniformly high on this kid and they tend to be right more often than not -- 3 years ago was eerily similar to what the Cavs face next Thursday -- remember how some in Chicago were leaning toward Michael Beasley ago over Derrick Rose -- well, how did that turn out? -- Beasley's now, what? on his 3rd team in 3 years while Rose was MVP; yeah, I know the kid flamed out in the EC finals, but he did have LeBron hounding him all over the court (before, of course, LeBron did a similar move in the Finals). Plus, Rose got ZERO help in the EC finals, again, eerily like former No. 23 didn't in those deep playoff runs when he toiled for the Cavs... including, zippo from that overpaid fraud, Carlos Boozer --- oh yeah, another punk who stiffed the Cavs when he got a chance after Paxson/Gund's foolish free agency blunder. You never can tell... Cavs could land both Irving AND Williams.... WE KNOW how driven Gilbert is -- look at the casino and (cough, cough) how he got his way in taking down the Columbia building... It's kind of amazing that the Cavs are in as sweet a position as we are -- it's all about Chris Grant's aggressive, smart moves at Gilbert's behest -- anyone, for example, who doesn't think the Moon/Mo trade for Baron Davis (despite the bad contract) and the Clippers' 1st round pick (which turned out to be our No. 1 lotter ball), is anything short of brilliant, just doesn't know hoops... btw, last rumor I heard, the Cavs are shopping JJ to, perhaps, try and get yet another 1st round pick. Not sure of the details... ...I'm not sold on Kanter. He'll be good, but not for our no. 4 pick. I'd take Valanciunus before him, who has more upside, from what I'm reading, but is a bit more long term project.

You are correct. Amtrak closed their ticket ofice in North Philly, but trains still stop there.

I'm just glad to have them, period. For too long we've been looking at that tired front building @ Euclid/Mayfield, and the surface weed & asphalt parking lot btw Ford Rd. and E. 115.. And remember, the Hessler Rd. folks for over a decade, fought tall buildings in the Ford - E. 115 lot because of the shadows they'd supposedly cast on Hessler... Plus, as folks have noted a couple times, you can have districts with mixed-use buildings of 2-3 stories that creat tons of energy/excitement on the street, a la Coventry and L'll Italy.

Love the way these 2 buildings really crowd the sidewalk increasing the urban, excitement feel for the area.

Yep. I'd throw Chicago in there, too... many METRA lines crossing L routes with no connection -- extreme: METRA Kenosha (WI) line with a Ravenswood station 4-5 blocks away from a stop on the parallel Brown (L) line... Philly's absurd in North Philly where 6 commuter rail routes (at North Broad), a Subway/Orange Line stop (N. Phila) and 2 commuter rail + the NEC Amtrak @ N. Phila (I think Amtrak no longer stops there), all within about 3 blocks and zero physical connection!! Of course Philly's probably the most class-divided big city in America, where City Division riders (subway, bus, subway-surface, trolley) are treated like crap, and where many suburban rail commuters 'wouldn't be caught dead' on a subway train... And also where the commuter tunnel linking the 6 ex-Reading and 6 (now 7) Penn Central lines has been largely a failure to those who hoped SEPTA would convert its rather slow, clunky (though electrified), conductor-controlled, low-platform, low frequency commuter train system, into a frequent, high-capacity, high-platform proof of payment regional Metro a-la Japanese systems and the German S-Bahns. Train frequency nowadays is even LESS than it was pre-tunnel, which is a joke. 3 SEPTA commuter rail lines are RTA Rapid like (in terms of number of station stops, line length), and terminate w/in Philly's borders -- the 2 Chestnut Hill Lines and the Fox Chase Line -- but have an hourly base and, at best, are only half-hourly at rush hour. That's crazy... That a city with the gift of one of the most extensive rail networks on the continent has allowed this situation to happen, shows once again, we Americans just don't get it when it comes to transit.

Amen Jeff! RTA argues vociferously that they can't add a few more 1/2 hourly trains to, at the very least, 2-2:15a on Friday and Saturday nights. As popular as downtown is on weekends and as well as the Rapid serves it, you'd think it'd be a no brainer. I know the agency is struggling financially... maybe they could apply for a special FTA grant for this service (esp in keeping potentially drunk drivers off the road and onto trains)... it would certainly would be worth it.

Yesterday, we hopped over the river on the Red Line to Ohio City's bustling district for dining drinks @ GLBC, ABC and others... unfortunately, the W.25/Ohio City Rapid station was not a pleasant part of an otherwise great afternoon (btw, the Rapid ride, itself, was fine).... The Station, with no AC or circulation was about 100+ degrees (it was 90 outside). It felt like a car w/ the windows up on a hot day. If you can't have AC, why not some fans, at least? Philly and New York do this at their subway stations.... I'm sure others do as well... and to add insult to injury, my friend noticed an air conditioner cranking away on the top of the station... for what? Cooling the sealed-up fare collector's booth? it surely wasn't to cool off the station... For a transit system constantly strained for cash, this seems like a huge waste. ... then there's the elevator. The narrow stairs were so crowded (I'm happy for RTA for this, at least) that we decided to take the elevator... Big mistake! The thing reeked with urine odor. there even appeared to be standing urine in the corner of the car... we had to steay one heavy-set lady who appeared about to pass out from the stench. Fortunately the torturous ride up didn't take too long, and we all welcomed the hot air from the station... at least it didn't stink.... Ohio City is one of our jewel neighborhoods we want to attract city/suburban folks to; even tourists. We're fortunate that it's transit friendly and highly walkable... RTA, though, needs to do its part; and the W.25 station as it exists is currently a black-eye in the face of all that's positive about Ohio City.

The Rapid won't work for a lot of people, but will for many... I'm blessed to own property within walking distance of the Blue/Green lines. The Heights and Chagrin Valley folks, even across the Cuyahoga county line, often drive into the Green Rd. or Van Aken terminals and park at the free lots. Many from the West/Southwest drive in to one of the Red Line lots near freeway exits... I know; I have a buddy w/ Browns season tics who drives up I-71 from Columbus for home games; gets off, parks at Puritas/W.150 and Rapids into games... wouldn't have it any other way... and he's got lots of company, too... with the casino, people (hopefully) will, after gambling and checking out the on-site eateries and other activies, will venture around to E. 4th St, the Warehouse Dist; Playhouse Sq; etc... All are w/in easy walking distance; can't see folks yanking their cars from expensive lots to take them to other expensive lots around downtown, just for the "convenience" of having their 4-wheels.... at the moment, no other casino comes to mind that is similarly situated to what Horseshoe will be -- directly tied into a major transit rail-head. Trust me, you're going to see a signiicant bump up in RTA rail usage once the casino (temporary then permanent) are built.

^Isn't the name 'Isabela' Ms. Chesler's 1st name? Interesting that a succession of owners is keeping it... Website says jazz on weekends but, you're right, food is the new focus... Hope they make it; love jazz and the old place. The new building looks nice, but it seems kinda hidden wedged in on Random Rd (love that name) next to the Rapid/freight tracks -- hope those noisy freights to disrupt the music/eating... ^^anyway, I'm thrilled with Coltman and Circle 118 too. It does seem odd these places are being built around a Rapid station, E.120, that's supposed to be moved... of course the latest federal funding issues are pushing that relocation into the distant future.

One thing I'm a little confused about: does high-density (usu-some involving some form of mult-unit residential development) necessarily have to be spurred by a nearby transit station, or may it merely be built near such a station and be accessible to it? I would opt for the latter, but it seems here in Cleveland, it's the former -- as if, even though all the development aspects are similar to TOD in other cities, notably D.C., whose Metro is arguably the leading modern TOD generator, if nobody mentions rail transit as being, at least in part, the development's genesis,... it's not TOD. Example: Flats East Bank's development appears to have all the aspects of TOD, but nobody's calling it that. So does that mean it's NOT TOD? Just curious.

Phase 2's announcement will come soon, I'll bet. The Flats is too unique not to spark a building feeding frenzy. And as development pundits have long pointed out, interested developers often sit on the sidelines waiting for the other guy to test the waters (see: taking the risk) before making a move in dowtown Cleveland.

^For once, the PD is actually keeping the spotlight on a much-needed rail project... this is a welcome sight, indeed. ^^ I would add the 6-year old Sussex Court, on Chagrin Ave., in Shaker Heights as another rare recent example of Cleveland-area TOD. Their literature has always pitched SC's high-density townhouses' proximity to the RTA Blue Line's Farnsleigh station as a basis for its construction and appeal.

^agreed about the Guardian; they seem to lack an understanding about the Tea Party, Snyder or Michigan politics... Historically, Michigan has had either Democratic or moderate-type state leadership, esp at governor-- with centrist Repubus in the Ford-Romney (George), Miliken tradition. The only radical statewide Republican in recent times who would have been Tea Party (tea bagger)-esqe, had the TP existed, was John Engler, whose polarizing, mean-spirited admin begat center-left/pragmatic Dem. Gov Jenifer Grandholm, who went out on term limits in 2010... Rick Snyder campaigned as a 'hip, nerd businessman' who sought to be a unifier, not a divider. Which is why, some of his nods to Tea Party platforms caught people off guard, and disappointed many.... His acceptance of HSR funds from Obama is more in line with the Snyder Michiganders thought they elected.... ... Ohio is much less enlightened, politically, than Michigan which is why Kaisich is not such an anomaly in Ohio... this despite the similarities in the 2 states in terms of industrial base, agriculture and demographics.... and also why our 3-C, HSR money has gone to another state. Ohio's much more Tea Party friendly.

I only took it to mean the Tower City expansion, which is probably a realistic opinion, but awfully discouraging nonetheless.

The Beggars can't be choosy stance... it sometimes rears it's ugly head in cleve development.

I sure hope All Aboard Ohio is being active with Gilbert and other City officials about getting space reserved in the Tower City/casino development for a CVSR right-of-way and terminal and not simply hope that he/they do the right thing.