mikel

It is actually textured but the ridges are really small and can't be some from far away. I agree it looks pretty dull. We will see when the front is done but it seems to be pretty boring so far.

I am pretty sure it is complete. I think it turned out really well, now all we need is people to use it.

I think Little Italy would be a great fit. You can take the healthline to school really easily and your girlfriend will be close to the heights. $800 can get you something pretty decent in LI including off street parking. The neighborhood is very walkable and basically in university circle so there is plenty to do. To get a nice apartment in Little Italy you will have to search a bit. Walk around the neighborhood and look for for rent signs. That is the way most of the landlords advertise. You might find something on craigslist too.

The East 120th station is not unsafe at all. That perception probably comes from it being on the edge of East Cleveland. There are new expensive townhomes surrounding it and I have never seen sketchy people there. It is disgusting however and smells like urine every time I use it. I try to hold my breath until I get to the top but usually I can't make it. If the station was nicer it would see more use but if it were moved to Mayfield it would see a lot more use because it would be closer to more people. Most of Little Italy is closer to that location along with the heart of UC, new uptown development, Moca, UH etc.

I would check out University Circle because there is a ton of redevelopment going on there. You can get to Shaker Heights on the RTA train which is a cool example of early 20th century transit oriented development that is still intact. Tremont is the place to go for gentrification. Talk to the Tremont West Community Development Corporation. They would probably be glad to give you a walking tour of the neighborhood. You might want to talk to the Cuyahoga County Land bank about vacant properties left over from the foreclosure crisis. Edgewater Park is the coolest park in the city (includes a Lake Erie Beach) and the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood is accessible by walking from here. This combo would make for a nice afternoon.

[\quote] The sad thing, John Hay is losing a chance at having any Athletic Fields on site. Something my cousin is opposed to. I am really happy with this project, it will be a nice addition to the circle. With regards to athletic fields it does say playfield surrounded by what looks like a track. This may just be an open practice field but it could also have the potential for a future stadium.

I think that is the actual final covering in the last picture. I walked by yesterday and saw those panels up. If someone with more building knowledge could take a look and see or get a better picture that would be cool. It looked like corrugated plastic to me.

Yes it will include the campus book store but I think it will also have a decent sized area that is like a normal Barnes and Noble. If they are naming it a Barnes and Noble I don't think they will only specialize in textbooks.

I heard from a reliable source that the developer wants to go as high as possible on phase 2 but financing for a taller building remains an issue. I would rather wait a year for it to be done the right way than to have it be done wrong right now. I would expect phase 2 to be announced when the apartments start renting.

Yes I actually attend CSU for grad school three days a week so I know exactly what the situation is like. I usually take public transportation but will occasionally drive when it is raining or I am lazy. When I drive and have trouble finding a spot it does not bother me in the least. CSU is great because of its proximity to downtown and along with that comes limited parking and I am ok with that.

I don't think the parking issue is a problem at all. If Cleveland wants to attract more young residents and become more attractive to people from other cities it needs to change its attitude about driving everywhere. Do people in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Portland etc. complain about parking? Not nearly as much as Clevelanders. Students (and professors) should learn to use the RTA especially with the ridiculously good deal that students get with the $25 per semester RTA pass. If using RTA is not convenient to you then move. Demanding that the city remain a giant parking lot for commuters so that they can live in farm country is not the right strategy for the city. I could literally care 0% about parking. Not having parking is a sign of progress.

I totally agree with this. I would agree that the people of Solon are really nice and probably some of the smartest and most diverse in the exurbs. This does not excuse how atrocious Solon's Mcmansions and car-centric infrastructure and shopping districts are. It is as mindless as it gets. For me it is not even so much the architecture that is the problem. These suburbs have become so generic and filled with many chain stores instead of independent stores like in Cleveland or inner-ring suburbs. They are cultural wastelands compared to Cleveland or inner-ring suburbs. There is no sense of place and as previous comments have mentioned this could be almost anywhere in America. Why somebody would want to live like this is beyond me. And yes I grew up in Chagrin Falls so I do have some perspective on this. The only place I would ever live out that way is the old town in Chagrin. Beyond that it is just mostly 60's,70's,80's,90's anywhere in America exurbia.

I think 46 is e. 16th place in between playhouse square/csu and carnegie.

47 is newton ave by university circle

The old ZBT house on Case's campus is being demolished in a week or two. It think it was just too beat up to fix. People knocked holes in the walls on a weekly basis and did a lot of amateur repair jobs. Its too bad Case couldn't fix it up like the new Alumni House. It is the first picture here: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Zbt_lambda_chapter.jpg/220px-Zbt_lambda_chapter.jpg&imgrefurl=http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeta_Beta_Tau&usg=__xhOja-6Y-i42tpZNFQ5BnYZXFT4=&h=293&w=220&sz=20&hl=en&start=52&sig2=geV1lTxkiZRY2-luA5wx-g&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=gdaA0zyX44vfGM:&tbnh=115&tbnw=86&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dzbt%2Bcase%2Bwestern%2Breserve%2Buniversity%26start%3D40%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Den%26ndsp%3D20%26tbm%3Disch&ei=5mgxTq-uO4yNsAK22_zoCg

Oh talking about fast food restaurants they are remodeling them right now. They painted a couple of them crazy colors (one is purple) and I think some non chain businesses are taking over. Not perfect but better than KFC and whatever else was there.

It looks pretty dull in the pics but driving by it has a good street presence and makes that area feel like less of a ghosttown. It is also located right next to Galluci's which has prepared foods and an outdoor patio. For a project on a serious budget it really isn't that bad. It also will provide nice modern office space for the tenants and attract more attention to midtown.

I totally agree with KJP. Feet on the streets. A city with a lot of pedestrian traffic gives a city a big city feel and this is why many smaller European cities feel a lot more cosmopolitan than some big American cities.

Yeleseyevsky is cool. My girlfriend is half-Russian so we stop in from time to time. Russian imports and prepared foods. And I believe that they have a decent Baltika selection. The only Skyline chili that I know of in Cleveland is in the same shopping plaza as Sam Ash so as a native Cincinnatian I have felt obligated to stop in a few times. There is also an indian grocery store that I forget the name of that has the cheapest spices around and is good for trying out some new foods. The owner loves to give cooking tips. He told us to call the store while we were cooking if we needed any help haha.

I canceled my OTR vote and voted for the Detroit Superior Bridge project. Sorry Cincy

East Cleveland would be a hassle for Cleveland to absorb but with Cleveland's extra muscle a lot of good could be done there. I don't really know how it could be done but if the state or county could put together some incentives or benefits for Cleveland to make absorbing EC worth it I think it would be good for that part of Cleveland (University circle, Glenville, Collinwood).in the future. It might be a hassle in the near term but in the long run I think it would be a good idea.

Nice! I didn't think they were able to get a grocery store to take space in the buildings currently being built. That is good news as it will make UC feel more like a residential neighborhood. We know Barnes and Noble is going in and I think that there was some talk of a pharmacy which along with the grocery store would provide some nice amenities for students and UC residents.

Florida and Tampa Bay are only a few spots better than us and I'm sure their weather has been much better. I can't really see the Indians moving up much than a few spots any time soon though.

It looks like the plan has them building a parking garage over the tracks where the Amtrak station is. Does this mean a new Amtrak station?

Lemon flavored beer will not be looked upon highly by many serious beer enthusiasts. I know some women that love the stuff but I think thats because it doesn't really taste like beer. So if you are looking for lemon-beer it will be good but if you want beer it won't be what you are looking for.