clvlndr

^one Q I did have was concerning access thru Stonebridge Commons to Superior Viaduct and the Ponte Vecchio restaurant via an elevator. Initially this was speculated. Is it still a part of planning? It sure would help for those of us trying to get to the restaurant via the Flats level (it's a mega hassle over the viaduct via car, esp competing for parking spaces with Stonebridge tenants.

Oh well, you can bet if Corna says it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen, somehow, somewhere -- and it'll be great. I have total trust in Corna and Price as doers. My opinion of Cimperman has significantly upgraded. I think he's matured from his grandstanding back during the Flats deaths of the late 90s which led to the decline of the Flats east bank. Joe has grown and is more of a behind the scenes mover for development...

JeTDog, if you only knew the half of my efforts on voicing these issues. I use channels which I feel is most effective for me. And yes, I've attended meetings in the past, not recently. Not everyone is going to choose the same approach but, believe me as a Shaker Sq resident and rider, I've voiced these concerns... Let's not forget, too, while we may not all be the public advocates some are on these boards, up to the level of, say, a KJP who has made a significant part of his career as a transit advocate, I can tell you that often times, just posting comments on this board gets noticed. There's a public official who I've spoken to who routinely has his staff monitor UO.com comments... Others (KJP, I'm sure) weigh comments here and move them along. Just because myself (I won't speak for MyTwoSense) aren't posting open letters and whatnot doesn't mean we are only bitching here...

They were supposed to be "georgian style" brick shelters, the only thing RTA did was renovate the "historic" stations like the coventry station. but they were supose to build smaller replicas of those stations opposite so that there would be balance on both sides of the track. There was no station at Attleboro or Eaton and I think the lee road green station for almost three years. IIRC, the "new" shaker platforms didn't have shelters for approximately two/2½ years after the rebuild as shaker fought those horrible glass stations, but customers want/needed something and those glass stations were supposedly "temporary".....yet they've been there for what 18 years? And our "neighbors" in beachwood screwed us out of extention East! agh! --MyTwoSense I didn't know that. Certainly brick shelters would be tons nicer than what we have. And isn't amazing that in Shaker, of all places, they went so cheesy; those glass boxes especially look out of place next to those 2 beautiful Van-built ones at Coventry and Lynnfield... ... As to your comment about Beachwood "screwing us out of the I-271 extension, you might want to recheck your facts... I thought surely Beachwood was all for it, esp since it would have lie entirely w/in their borders and could have led to highly concentrated development at I-271-Richmond & Shaker. There was also to be a so-called 'mode-mixer' parking lot to be exclusively fed by I-271 which would have put the Green line's convenience to far NE burbs all the way into Lake County. All that for a measly 1.5 mile extension, but no -- OIC (only in Cleveland) could we find a way to fight it and, I'm sure, Krumholz led the charge and the wimpy, new RTA quickly backed down and abandoned the project which (as w/ the old CTS scuttled subway) the populace was anxious for.

I doubt it. Shortly after the Waterfront line opened, in '96, Krumholz rode it and reported the story was reported on Channel 3. In the report, Norm complained the WFL was slower than the Loop bus to City Hall -- where I surmise he held some post in the White Admin. This, despite the fact Norm lived in Shaker Hts (that's amazing in itself -- I used to see him on the Rapid) and had a one-seat ride straight through to E. 9th. He also bitched that at the uphill walk up the E. 9th street bridge over the tracks and how hard it was on his legs. He said the $70M on the WFL (of which some $20M was actually discretionary expenses redesigning Old River Road and some of the streets around the WFL) could have been better spent. (natch!) A few years later, EcoCity Cleveland did an extensive study into possible commuter rail lines after the 1999 NEO Rail study was issue by RTA (under outgoing GM Ron Tober; certainly not the incoming JoeC). In the report, EcoCity extensively interviewed: guess who? And guess what he said? -- no surprise, Norm, once again, noted how wasteful spending on rail is in Greater Cleveland. That people loved their cars and money would be more practically spent on upgrading RTA's bus system. I never could understand why such a progressive organization as EcoCity went to a guy who most could have predicted such an anti-transit stance... ... so, no, all evidence up to this most recent report shows that old tiger Norm hasn't changed his anti-rail spots. Greater Cleveland has more anti-rail crusaders than you can shake a stick at... damn shame.

^ Year's ago, dude... the Boarding House was absolutely my fave weekend haunt, but the owners allowed it to become seedy and rundown, and a rougher element began hanging there. When the space was really clicking about a decade, decade & half ago, there was also a Boarding House deli next door that stayed open till the wee hours... Now, all gone. I'm all for the Triangle plans developing (esp the condos and the Barnes & Noble), but it's a shame that quality nabe-oriented performance entertainment venues are being snuffed. Sadly, their replacements are often yuppie-ized and sterile.

Agree with most of these points. I'm surprised Shaker Heights allowed RTA to stick those ugly brass 'n glass bus shelters at Blue/Green stops, esp at the stops near the beautiful homes.... Sadly, MTS, the Green Line extension to I-271 was shot down in the early 80s, a movement largely spearheaded by urban planner guru Norm Krumholz (ex (prof) from CSU and Kucinich's mayor admin). Krumholz "wisely" said the extension would only serve wealthy "fat-cats" at the expense of poor city residents. More recently, RTA's JoeC has followed this lead and bottled up any rail extension talk, including extending the Blue Line from Van Aken Warrensville thru Highland Hills along Harvard to I-271... And people wonder why people like me gripe so much why we have such 'anti-urban' elements that hold Cleveland back?... puuullleeeeze!! {yeah, I know this has little to do w/ a new fare system, but I had to get this rant off my chest}

As I've said, emphatically before, tearing down any skyscraper, especially in a struggling (business-wise) downtown as Cleveland's, is the height of stupidity-- esp to replace it with a more squat one. And, no, this building is not butt-ugly as so many of you are stating. It may not be THE most beautiful building, but I find art in it. It's a svelte, modern high rise. What the hell is wrong with it!!?? And, even MayDay (who doesn't like it) admits that if you PROPERLY cleaned the damn thing, it would look even better... Are any of you prepared to say Nat'l City's sugar cube on end sitting directly at our important 9th-Euclid corner is prettier? If you are, you're either totally disingenuous or I need to get you to Jone's Optical with the quickness.

OK, this new system has POP elements, which is good. Obviously there are kinks that need to be worked out of the planning. For example, on the Red Line, I can't see why there'd only be fare gates/turnstiles and TVMs at Tower City, when several stations have the kind of volume that would justify such (ie, Puritas, U.Circle and Superior). And, if I'm not mistaken, both the Airport and Windermere have station agents throughout the day and evening and not just during rush hour, like most stations. As for the Blue/Green lines, only West 3rd is mentioned for such services (besides TC, of course), when fare gates and TVGs should also be at North Coast/E.9th which has substantial headhouse off street facilities. I also can't see why TVMs can't be maintained at most, or all, the Blue and Green line surface stops, esp busy ones, like Shaker Square and the ends of the lines.

^I've made my voice loud & clear to RTA in favor of this project... and I'll leave it at that.

I love Isabella's. Hate the fact that the sterile U. hospital is, once again, going about snuffing out urban housing and entertainment venues.

Wrong #1 -- Miami has an academic tradition stretching back to the early 1800s when it attracted top students to study w/ prestigious faculty like William McGuffey of McGuffey Readers fame. It was called the "Yale of the West" and graduated famous alums, like Pres. Ben Harrison. Wrong #2 -- both Michigan State and Michigan Tech, both state supported, have competitive admissions -- not as competitive of U-M, of course, but as much or more competitive than OSU's.

Well said, gildone.

^I don't disagree about Signature room food, MTS. But the lively atmosphere -- packed w/ crowds; live jazz, split levels and, of course, the 96th floor Chicago views -- more than compensate. It's a great way to spend the evening after trolling Chicago on foot (and rail and bus) all day. I love it there.

^^ Oh, the Top of the Town... Loved it. Sadly, in most cities not named New York or Chicago, those Top of the _____ (most owned by Stouffer's) died out. I think it may have had to do w/ the fact that they were all on the tops of office buildings where, if you didn't have personal experience with the place, heard via word of mouth or worked in the building, these places had a tough time attracting passersby because they simply are not visible from the street. Of course, in NYC, we unfortunately know what happened to the great Windows on the World ... ... Chicago's version in the top of the John Hancock Building (the Signature Room), unlike its counterparts, sits away from the sterile office center (inside the Loop) but directly in the heart of Michigan Avenue's Magnificent Mile (and right next to the huge, ritzy Water Tower Place)... The Signature Room, unlike the other Top of the(s)____ is 2 levels and constantly packed. You can wait 2-3 hours just to have dinner even if you're on the list... Its a shame Cleveland's Top of the Town couldn't survive. I love the concept; those restaurants always had, quite naturally, the best seats in the house, from a city viewing perspective.

who could knock new condos. Still, I wish Sammy's or some other high-end restaurant occupied that space. It's among the better locations for a restaurant in the city. Someone's missing a good bet imho.

Agreed, I don't get it. Sammy's has one of the prime locations in the city overlooking the Cuyahoga river and, despite the 'decline', this part of the Flats East Bank is still vibrant with many high quality residences around it and the very beautiful Settlers Landing park, among other things. Interior-wise, Sammy's multilevels with exposed brickwork and pipes was among the most innovative and romantic in the city. It's a treasure that's been allowed to die--albeit, save the few catered banquets that rent out the joint... If anything, I wish they'd reopen Sammy's and widen the windows to make the view better... But for the life of me, I can't understand why that place has remained shuddered, now for nearly a decade.

^Landry's was here during the glory days of the Flats which I sincerely miss... I still say it's our bad for allowing such a great, nat'lly-recognized entertainment district fail... And now the future, sterile in comparison, is tied up, indefinitely, in court... ho-hum.

I still think Modell is at the top of the list! Porter might be a very close second. The chairman of AMOCO & rats fill out the rest of the top five. I don't like Modell a little bit... but although he took our Browns, we did get a new team and new stadium... Porter literally hampered our rail system -- the affects linger to this day -- and, more importantly, destroyed downtown; we're still in the throes of his madness... Playhouse Sq. and eastern downtown would have been served by a subway and thriving, had it not been for him. The voters voted in favor of the Subway but he pressured the County Commissioners to vote against selling bonds to finance the system... We're talking sports -- entertainment -- verses the lifeblood and survival of Cleveland... With all due respect, MTS, Art Modell isn't even same universe when it comes to destructiveness to the city of Cleveland. Porter is in a class by himself.

Porter's got to be, singularly, the worst person in Cleveland history -- no one is even close... JoeC's quickly becoming Porter-lite.

Oops, they slipped a tad. For years they were 4-star... Wonder if that helped nudge the owner into retirement.

Nice... classic old hood... Steelers aside (egad!), Pittsburgh has some of the most beautiful neighborhood architecture in the nation... a few of those old walkups looked like those in Cleveland.

Very, very nice... You've got an artist's eye.

^that said, I do like the current all-day pass, no transfer policy currently. It has slightly speed-ed up fare payment on the Red line, but let's face it, is still way too slow. If RTA is still worried about gate jumpers, they could implement automated, attendant-less Red Line stops where passengers could phone into RTA HQ if gate problems arise (a la Philly's PATCO hi-speed line)... I know this has been discussed before, but a mere extension of the current system, with it's slow, podunk-like pay the driver (of a stopped train) on board, -- to the tune of $20M+, is unacceptable.

I hate to hear Parker's closed in Ohio City. If I'm not mistaken, it was the region's only Mobil 4-star restaurant -- I think San Souci flittered with it for awhile and, maybe still holds 4-stars, but Parker's was always consistently thought of as Cleveland's best... I sure hope another restaurant goes in that space. It's a beautiful historic building right in the core of Bridge street's Victorian corridor... I do hope, though, any new owner would open it up a tad w/ some alfresco seating a la Heck's, the next block down, which seems much more open, lively. Parker's tended to have a closed, dungeon-like quality about it. If I'm not mistaken, Dave's supermarket's backside fronts Parker's... Don't know how that could/did affect Parker's biz..