mu2010

Has anyone seen a video of Stark's presentation?

I posted this a few months ago about Cleveland and I got great feedback, but I just got a job offer in Columbus. I figured I would raise the discussion again about the capital city, as I will need to be moving down there Dec 1: I'm 22, just graduated from Miami this past may. Born and raised in Mayfield on the east side of Cleveland. Got a good job in Dublin, but I dont wan't to live in the burbs. I want that urban feel. Old houses/apartment buildings with creaky floors and character. Walk-ability - to the corner store and to nightlife. Where should I live in Columbus? I am fairly familiar with the areas in name only. Most of my time in C-Bus has been in the campus area... lots of OSU friends, spent a good many weekends there. I've been to downtown and the arena district, and I know from word of mouth, never experience, that the areas South to Southwest of campus are nice. Based on the following criteria, where do I want to live? 1) Old Houses or Apartment Buildings with creaky floors and character. High density. 2) Walking distance to nightlife - Good nightlife with a young crowd. To stereotype myself, I'm somewhere in between a polo shirt guy and an indie rock guy, not an ed hardy, guido guy though. 3) Close (Walkable?) to stores/restaurants. Ethnic stores/restaurants would be cool too... I'm Italian and I'd love to be able to get some good bread. As for restaurants, I like local joints more than chains. Maybe a not too far driving distance or COTA to some of these places if walking isn't in the cards. 4) A young crowd lives there - very important, probably the most important. Although I don't want to be surrounded solely by undergrads, grad students and recent grad professionals would be cool. I have some friends in the area but would like to meet people. Maybe other transplants. Thinking about finding people who need roomates on craigslist. 5) Not $1000/month. 400, 500, 600, maybe 700? What's reasonable? 6) Close to OSU... my brother lives on 17th near Indianola, it'd be cool to be relatively close. Not a dealbreaker. Obviously safety too - don't want to get stabbed, but I am fine with a little grittiness. Also, I like public transportation, although not when it takes twice as long as driving. How is COTA? Finally, when I choose the area, any advice on how/where to look?

I think its pretty much narrowed to Lakewood or Coventry. At this point I have to spend some time in both of them. Shaker Square could be a dark horse because I think its the best neighborhood in the city for the transit access but I'm not sure about the age of the crowd or the walkable nightlife. (Don't want to worry about driving or rides every time I go out)

Hmm forget the rapid... I've been spending too much time riding the New York city subway this summer fantasizing about it in Cleveland but RTA just ain't the same thing. Healthline 24/7 seems clutch for a night out downtown though. 20 minute walking distance between everywhere is great. I am already used to walking 25 minutes to class in college. I just didn't want 20 minutes to a train stop and then 20 more before i'm at work. Coventry is in the lead. As for missing this year, that's not a big deal... next summer would probably be a more realistic date for me anyways. Maybe, maybe, after the new year. I will have to check out some of the West Side neighborhoods (Lakewood, Tremont, and Ohio City) although Coventry seems to have younger people than all of them.

coventry/little italy is standing out i think... Little Italy seems better for transit, walk down to the HealthLine station near the Triangle, and a 20 minute walk to coventry isn't bad... But coventry seems maybe a little cooler to actually live in. anybody know the status on the new mayfield road and 120th rapid station? RTA's website says 2010 but it's dated 2007, and the Euclid 120th stop seems like its not in the best of places... or is that a misconception? Maybe I should just give up on the idea of transit here... it wouldn't be worth it to me if I couldn't get downtown for work in the time I could drive.

I posted this over on city-data and some people referred me here: I'm 22, just graduated from Miami this past May and have been out of town this summer working an internship on the East Coast, returning to Mom and Dad's house in Mayfield broke and unemployed in three weeks. Don't know if I'll stay in Cleveland, it depends a lot on where I find a job. I love it, but also I like Cincinnati and Columbus a lot and have a lot of friends there, and then a part of me wants to go to NY or Chicago for a few years... and the warm weather of the South attracts me as well. But wherever I live, I know I want that urban feel. Old houses/apartment buildings with creaky floors and character. Walk-ability - to the corner store and to nightlife. Maybe some public transit. I grew up in Mayfield and a lot of friends will probably get apartments in the high rise complexes around 91 and Mayfield Rd or on Cedar by Beachwood Place, but that just isn't for me. Where should I live in Cleveland? I am from here, so I am familiar with geography and locations, but not so much with the feel of those locations. Especially the West Side - like a true Clevelander, I haven't crossed the Cuyahoga much. Take Cedar-Fairmount, Coventry (current favorite), other CH neighborhoods, Tremont, Downtown, Lakewood, Edgewood, downtown Willoughby, Ohio City, Shaker Sq, West Park, University Circle, Little Italy/Murray Hill, University Circle, and wherever else you can think of and judge them on these five criteria - 1) Old Houses or Apartment Buildings with creaky floors and character 2) Quick Rapid Access - I'd still have a car but it would be cool for the commute - most jobs I will be going for will be downtown (public accounting). Not a dealbreaker as areas I really like (ie Coventry) don't have it, but it would be cool. The HealthLine is interesting too, I don't know much about it, but it says it provides 24 hour service on Wikipedia... makes Little Italy stand out. 3) Walking distance to nightlife - probably more important than walking distance to the store. 3a) Good nightlife with a young crowd. Being away for all of my 21+ years, I don't know where that really is in Northeast Ohio. Been to downtown Willoughby a few times and to Coventry and I liked Coventry a little better. But I don't really know. To stereotype, I'm somewhere in between a polo shirt guy and an indie rock guy (I went to Miami...), not an ed hardy, guido guy though, although a bunch of my friends from mayfield are. 4) Walking distance to the stores/restaurants. Ethnic stores/restaurants would be cool too... I'm Italian and I'd love an Alescis or something to be able to get some good bread. As for restaurants, I like local joints more than chains. But like I said, walking to nightlife beats this. Maybe a not too far driving distance to some of these places if walking isn't in the cards. 5) A young crowd lives there- very important, probably the most important. Obviously safety too - don't want to get stabbed, but I am fine with a little grittiness. This won't be for a few months, and I'll be able to go places myself and check them out, but I'm starting to think about it and wanted to know what you all thought.