TPH2

Throw back Tuesday... Strumming at the Avenue: Hard Rock Cafe opens at Tower City tomorrow, a sign of Cleveland's renaissance even as its parent company is striving to stay in front of a crowded field Plain Dealer, The (Cleveland, OH) - July 1, 1998 BILL LUBINGER PLAIN DEALER REPORTER T.G.I. Friday's offers a broader menu. Local favorites, like the Gotcha Inn in Cleveland, may serve up better burgers. But few places land with the reverberation of a Hard Rock Cafe, the rock music-themed restaurant that officially opens tomorrow at Tower City Center. The light switch on a revolving, 65-foot-high electric guitar behind the downtown shopping mall will be flicked on tonight for the first time, but the chain's arrival has been anticipated for several years -seen by some as a stamp of approval on the city's refurbished image. "It's not just another restaurant," said Teri Matyus, spokeswoman for the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland. "Hard Rock brings with it that already established popularity on a national level. People know that name. It's associated with towns that have a lot going on." https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B16RJdSArUFaVmREUTVWYjlEUmc/view

^ Yeah, and it makes sense since they have a big operation already in Northfield...plus their downtown landlord is the owner of their top competitor casino in the region.

The Hard Rock Cafe will be closing after the RNC "The closing is part of an effort to focus marketing efforts on the Hard Rock Cafe and Hard Rock Rocksino at Northfield Park in Northfield, a news release said." http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/05/hard_rock_cafe_in_cleveland_to.html

Can you grab some pics next time your're there, plinth857[/member]?? :)

^ The problem there is that there are in fact two different ways to swipe a farecard.

^ I had heard that lawn talked about as a location for the new film school, so was surprised to hear it's being considered for dorms

^ The signage was approved by the Planning Commission on April 1st. I imagine it should be going in soon.

I would love to see this happen. The Wolstein Center is such a drain on the university and is way too big. Plus, it ruins that whole block on Prospect Avenue, so it would be great to see residential units be brought up to the sidewalk and actually create some pedestrian activity in the area. Cleveland State University may demolish Wolstein Center for smaller arena, housing By Karen Farkas, cleveland.com on May 23, 2016 at 3:49 PM, updated May 23, 2016 at 3:50 PM CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland State University would like to replace the Wolstein Center with a smaller arena and housing for up to 1,000 students. As it seeks to transition from a commuter to residential campus, CSU would replace the 25-year-old, 13,000-seat arena with an arena seating 5,000 to 7,000 seats, plus adjacent housing, said spokesman Will Dube. http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/05/cleveland_state_may_replace_wolstein_center_with_smaller_arena_and_housing.html

No, BW3 is going in across the street at 724 Prospect. This place is part of the Red Restaurant Group: http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2015/11/06/details-emerge-on-red-based-restaurant-to-open-on-prospect-avenue

I'm also surprised by how many times I see drivers in cars wearing headphones while driving...

Here are a couple of RTA's new video ads that are part of the new #iGORTA marketing campaign:

Here's the case report from Design Review. Doesn't give too much detail unfortunately. http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/dompdf/domPrint.php

The APTA That Transit Needs May 23, 2016 by TransitCenter APTA President and CEO Michael Melaniphy resigned late last month following news that New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority—which carries 35 percent of the country’s transit riders—was withdrawing from the industry association. In the letter announcing the agency’s decision first made public on The Connection, MTA President Tom Prendergast implied that transit agencies in other large cities shared these sentiments. Prendergast described the agency’s “collective dissatisfaction with various aspects of APTA,” including the organization’s governance structure, its excessive membership dues, and Melaniphy’s annual compensation of nearly $900,000. http://transitcenter.org/2016/05/23/apta-transit-needs/

I actually really like all the other changes and I think the red color theme on the flags and awnings looks sharp. I don't even mind the new JACK signs at the entrances. I just don't understand why this is needed. I thought the old Horseshoe logo at the top of the building on that corner looked classy and fit in with the building quite well. Why not do something similar?

The desecration of the Higbee Building continues... They are filling in windows with cinder blocks preparing for the installation of the new JACK signage:

Proof:

Crews have been working on cleaning up the Prospect side over the last week. They have been cleaning the facade, painting, and installing new windows.

^ Commuter rail also does not come up on the "transit" layer of Google Maps. Only heavy rail. Edit: Actually, it looks like it differs by city. Some seem to show commuter routes. And it shows San Diego's light rail network, so who knows?

http://www.vindy.com/news/2016/may/20/city-tries-to-woo-lucas-museum/

Historic Ohio Theatre lobby re-created 52 years after fire destroyed 1921 original By Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer on May 19, 2016 at 2:50 PM, updated May 19, 2016 at 3:31 PM CLEVELAND, Ohio – Playhouse Square is turning back the clock 95 years in the Ohio Theatre lobby Thursday by unveiling a spectacular re-creation of the long-lost neo-Renaissance interior designed by architect Thomas Lamb. The original largely burned to a crisp in 1964, leaving little trace of its ornate splendor. Now, however, it's 1921 all over again. http://www.cleveland.com/architecture/index.ssf/2016/05/ohio_theatre_lobby_reborn_52_y.html

Cleveland's bike sharing program to cruise into town this summer By Ginger Christ, The Plain Dealer on May 19, 2016 at 10:25 AM, updated May 19, 2016 at 10:27 AM CLEVELAND, Ohio – A new bike sharing program is coming to downtown Cleveland and University Circle in mid-July, just in time for the onslaught of visitors converging on the city for the Republican National Convention. The program will be the first installment in what will become a comprehensive countywide bike sharing system that will give two-wheeled transit to the masses. http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/05/clevelands_bike_sharing_progra.html

The flower stand was destroyed and leveled as of late afternoon yesterday. Actually thought a pop-up retail shop would look great permanently next to the Fifth Third Building. I'm hoping these movie props get people thinking about how we can take better advantage of our public space downtown, especially on Superior.

Awesome set, mrclifton88[/member]. Thank you. You're giving MayDay[/member] a run for his money for best Cleveland pictures on the forum

Euclid Avenue land deal could bring a hotel to Midtown, on Cleveland's Health-Tech Corridor By Michelle Jarboe, The Plain Dealer on May 18, 2016 at 2:17 PM CLEVELAND, Ohio – Another hotel proposal is popping up in Cleveland, this time in a somewhat unlikely place: Midtown, in the heart of the Health-Tech Corridor. An investor group wants to build an "upscale economy" hotel on the north side of Euclid Avenue, between East 69th and East 70th streets. Under legislation approved early this month by Cleveland City Council, the city could sell long-vacant land there to the investors for a $12 million hospitality project. http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2016/05/euclid_avenue_land_deal_could.html

Tonight from 5-7pm at Heinen's, DCA is hosting a "Meet Your Neighbors" event for downtown residents. New Ward 3 councilman Kerry McCormack will also be in attendance. You can sign up here: http://www.downtowncleveland.com/events/meet-the-neighbors.aspx