jamiec

I love a good fashion thread especially when I can critique random people on the street :) As a recent transplant to our nation's capital, I can clue you in on something important. The way men dress here is absolutely ghastly. Of course, there are always exceptions to any rule, but I'm pretty sure nearly every man in this city has a pair of thrice pleated olive pants and frumpy khakis with a blue shirt with faint white stripes. They look like automatons, cranked out of a government bureaucrat machine where everyone must look exactly the same. My apartment neighbor goes to work everyday wearing an ill-fitting white Oxford, pleated black pants with cuffs that terminate at his ankle with black penny loafers. And he has a cute girl friend. He's a hot mess. Poor guy is no older than 25. I guess it doesn't matter. I just need to dress funky once in awhile so I don't get bored.

The rent here is out of control. My little sister just told me she has girlfriends paying $2,700 for a 3BR in the Financial District in NYC--and it's a nice place with a workout room, rooftop deck. That seems awful cheap to me--recession? Paying through the nose is worth it here. I wouldn't be happy living in the suburbs and needing a car. The cost would be the same anyway with that added expense.

Do check out Columbia Heights. It's an edge neighborhood that is very urban...a TON of recent investment around the Metro and you're close to U Street, which has a lot of fun stuff for all sorts of people. You can take the Yellow line to Pentagon City in about 30 minutes. It's rough on the edges, so there are likely some affordable finds. Similar to Ohio City, I guess. I know you're looking to pay $1,000 but just be flexible. I have a buddy who moved here and got a 1BR basement apartment for that price on North Capitol off the New York stop on the Red Line and it wasn't exactly safe. He never got hassled but he didn't enjoy himself, either. Now he lives in Kalorama and pays $1,300 for a studio. I pay about the same closer to U Street--half mile away. You don't need a car. I haven't missed mine. Metro runs until 2 or 3 on weekends. I figure I'll live here two years. It's sort of boring.

I was working from our Chicago office when I saw this story come up. It was particularly frustrating with that juxtaposition.

I know, but I didn't know it was closing next month!

I didn't know the Giant Eagle was closing next month!!!!!! Not happy. http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/other/1218443506136590.xml&coll=2

The Arhaus Building is beautiful. I personally hope it does NOT become condos. How about some public areas?! I want to go in there. I think they should put a Dean & Deluca style restaurant market on the part of the ground floor with a Cleveland City History museum on the second and then you can put condos or offices on the top floor. I just think that a beautiful building like that should be experienced by everyone, especially since most of the others were knocked down.

Is that overhang original? It looks funky. It's not so bad. Well, the entrance is tacky city, but I also hate with a passion that hokey door on the theater next door. No me gusta!

The architect is going to need to be innovative. A lot of times, the best innovation comes from working within confined parameters. Working again challenges could pose an exciting challenge for the right team. Or it could be a big, expensive piece of crap.

I thought the Waterfront Line was created back in the 1990s?? What's that got to do with anything?

^ A Dean & Deluca would be cool, too. Get some nice goodies for lunch.

WTF. I got from my apartment to sitting my butt at my gate with an Egg McMuffin in 30 minutes last year. I timed it. I vote for a PR onslaught.

It's sort of ironic that my parent's house in Hudson got an 80 while I got a 60-something in Lakewood. Of course, I would mostly agree as they can walk to shopping, restaurants, the grocery store and library within 10 minutes. Their 'hood is much more walkable than mine. That crazy new urbanism!

I wonder if this were something less religiously polarizing like a Tibetan monastery/Mongolian bbq if there would be as much reticence. Personally, I say if they can get the money to pull it off, then have at it. I hate to phrase it like this, but downtown is for the people who want it. If Euclid sprouts country western restaurants and clubs with a lively Christian coffeeshop, then whoopdeedoo. If it goes out of business, then that's that. This is America and everyone has a right to give their ideas a whirl. It's not like these people are the Northeast Ohio chapter of the KKK. I'm not into the Evangelical thing, but it could be cool if this place created the Christian version of Phoenix coffee house in Lakewood, which is OVERRUN with teenagers all year long. They're just sitting around, hanging out playing guitar. Not bothering anyone as far as I can tell. Personally, my favorite neighborhoods are the ones that grow organically, built on the imagination and guts of all sorts of people. Sure, a place like SoHo is cool, but I would have much preferred it before some suit dissected the whole place in order to squeeze out as many pennies as possible per square foot. BOORRINGGG. All that said, I have no idea if this idea will work, but I can't think of any good reason to tell them they can't try.

I hope Zack Reed doesn't show up! That was funny raiyght thur...