blinker12

Hey, on the advice of several posters I just bought a Fuji Finepix S5100 and so far it looks great. I'm a photo novice and have a couple of questions about accessories: 1) What kind of filter to use? Someone recommended a Hoya 55m Multi-Coated, but I'm not sure exactly which of those to buy -- there are dozens of options. 2) What kind of rechargeable batteries? 3) What's a good camera bag for this model? Thanks!

While I'm at it, Ohio City also has some scattered rowhouses. Here's an example.

Summit, I found this photo on nhlink.net. It doesn't show the whole length of the street, but you get an idea. There are other architectural types present too. I'll try to take more photos when I'm back in town in the next few weeks!

Sometimes I think Cleveland's lack of rowhouses has been a real impediment to redevelopment in the city. The wood-frame housing stock in some city neighborhoods isn't much different than what you'll find in the suburbs -- just older and more decrepit. Granted, city houses tend to be more densely grouped, yet sometimes I think they don't offer a living experience different enough from that of the suburbs to attract a critical mass of newcomers. For many Greater Clevelanders, I think it boils down to: Why live in a shabby woodframe house in a crime-ridden, downtrodden neighborhood with few amenities when I can live in a new one in the green suburbs? (An exception to this way of thinking would be in a neighborhood like Ohio City, which offers cute Victorians and apartment buildings.) In cities with rowhouses, meanwhile, the houses themselves offer something novel and charming in their urban-ness. Still, I believe there's hope. All of Cleveland's neighborhoods have dense commercial corridors (e.g. Detroit, Lorain, Euclid, W 25th), something the suburbs can't offer. Perhaps revitalizing these will be the key to luring people back to the central city. Also, Cleveland has more apartment buildings than Columbus or Cincinnati (particularly in Edgewater), as well as old warehouses that could be (and are being) converted to live-work lofts (Midtown). As for the new townhouses, I like some of them, but most I find completely ugly. The biggest problem with many is that the architecture is simply tasteless. Montana Townhomes are an example; so are those pastel, vinyl-sided monstrosities in Detroit Shoreway that they built 5-7 years ago. I can't get into Beacon Place; it seems like a misguided attempt to create a suburban subdivision in one of the city's most urban locations. Why the set-back??? On the other hand, the pics above from Ohio City look very nice, and the Franklin Townhomes in Detroit-Shoreway (http://progressiveurban.com/franklin_th/fthIndex.html) could also be cool, though it's hard to tell from the rendering. Finally, while we're on the topic of Cleveland rowhouses, don't forget the legendary Hessler Street! Not traditional Eastern rowhouses by any means, but connected -- and very funky in a good way.

Someone mentioned it in passing, but I wanted to throw a proper garland at the feet of Halite, a newish restaurant in Ohio City. (Something else used to be in the same location; can't remember what.) I ate there with my family when I was in town in April and everybody's food was fantastic. Service was attentive and it was packed and lively on a Saturday night. I also adore Johnny Mango, pretty much the West Side equivalent of Tommy's but with slightly more adventurous food. LOTS of vegetarian options. Oh, and out in the burbs is a FANTASTIC Italian place called Francesco's, 8130 Broadview Rd. in Broadview Heights. It's in a strip mall and the inside is no-nonsense, but the food is just incredible. It feels very much like a family-owned place.

Is that supposed to redeem him? That if he hadn't jumped ship and moved to Florida he would have done something more responsible??? What a load of crap.