jamiec

So, KJP, all the buses come up through the GC. I would probably jump on at that stop on the corner of Edgewater and Cove. In an ideal world where the signs are updated, should I be looking for the one that says Madison to get me to the Rapid fastest? I guess I could just ask the bus drivers, lol. Thanks for all your help. I wish the Rapid was more accommodating for bikes, but the cars aren't built well to take them on because of that school bus-style seating. I got on a Rapid this week and a kid was sitting in the middle of the car with his bike and because bikes are long, he made a row of seats in front of and behind him unavailable to anyone else. Of course, I got on at 8 p.m., so it was pretty empty, lol. I prefer the NYC style of seating because even though there are probably fewer seats, it's less intense to sit down next to someone you don't know. Even when the Rapid is full and you're standing, 33% of the seats are empy because people situate themselves so no one can sit next to them. Someone should teach them public transportation etiquette! The more people who get on, you gotta skoot over so people can sit down!

You read about bringing educated people and young professionals into town, and that's great, but not everybody wears a suit to work. I'm not an economics expert, so I thought I'd throw this out to you all for some feedback. Do you think the downtown construction projects current and upcoming will have long-term positive effects on the Cleveland-area economy or will they be temporary blips? The Euclid Corridor Project is pretty massive, and there are quite a few condos currently being fixed up downtown with hopefully more to come when the Flats, Avenue District and Pesht get rolling. Hopefully the county building will start before 2010, so that's a sizable building. Is this enough to make a dent? If not, is there anything the average person can do to help increase jobs locally? I wish I could create a software company or something, but that's not what I do. Cleveland's biggest problem is lack of jobs, and it frustrates me that I can't do much about it.

Another is First & Main in Hudson ... http://www.firstandmainhudson.com/ Unfortunately the website doesn't have too many pictures of the development. There is a map of the development which gives some indication as to its integration with the historic business district on along Route 91. Too bad the traffic in Hudson is awful -- a proposed commuter rail service would use the tracks that form the southern edge of First & Main where the old depot still stands. Oh well. Haha, funny you should mention that. My parents live in the village section of Hudson, so I have been to First and Main quite often. My parents really enjoy being able to walk everywhere. The grocery store, the post office, the library, retail and restaraunts are all less than five small blocks away. It's nice because there is a decent selection of stores (all aimed at the demographic, of course!:) but not a whole shopping mall innundating the small-town feel. It's well-balanced. And even though Hudson is an affluent town, the concept could work all over the place. You're right, the traffic can be pretty bad coming down 91 and it backs up pretty far on 303, too. The people in the city fought ODOT tooth and nail to keep those roads at two lanes total, though, and while it's a pain in the ass for a motorist, it really has kept the city pedestrian/bike friendly. Because the traffic is slowed by only having two lanes, people aren't afraid to cross over from the retail/restaraunts of Main Street to the town square and then over into the neighborhoods. KJP, that depot would be the PERFECT place for a commuter rail station! Hudson already gets a lot of rail traffic right through that same area all day and night, so that wouldn't be a problem. I don't think there'd be as much opposition to it down there as there has been in some of the Cleveland suburbs, either, although I could be wrong. The mayor of Hudson even was talking about getting involved in regionalism recently, if I remember correctly. I think they might welcome it because, even though Hudson is a pretty conservative city, they seem to getting really progressive about development issues, ie., putting bike lanes on 91 and 303 and putting very visible "stop for pedestrian" signs on Main Street. I think they are also coming around to the idea that future of Cleveland is important to Hudson, especially because a sizable number of citizens work there. Because Hudson is part of Akron's Metro bus service, the downtown Cleveland options are very scant, though. I've made the rush-hour commute from Hudson to downtown Cleveland via 480 to 77, and it's HORRRRRRRIBLE. In regards to Lexington, mrnyc, it's a little different from the Hudson development because Lexington is a very, very small/rural town. It's on Lake Huron about 1.5 hours by car from Detroit. It's more a summer home location for people from the city, so it's not as functional. They didn't install any parking decks and they didn't even add any new parking, just changed it to diagonal on-street parking, which I think is funny. But the buildings are very well built and beautiful. Unlike a lot of new developments, they look like they have been there forever. It's quite impressive because this part of SE Michigan is not exactly a wealthy area, lots of blue-collar folks, but it works well. They have motorcycle meetups with people from all over the Detroit area and cruise in and other family-friendly stuff. It's really cool. Besides Ann Arbor and Birmingham, my favorite place in Metro Detroit. edit: Oh yeah, I didn't mean Eton is an ideal others should strive for, but it's nicer looking than the strip malls across the street. I grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, home of 100% heinous strip malls, so if you jazz one up, I'm easily won over, lol. And for the record, I'm not really a fan of Crocker Park, although I will probably continue to shop there becaue it's closer than Beachwood -- until we get some better downtown options. But CP rubs me the wrong way. It could use some panhandlers or something. It feels like the Twilight Zone.

I actually like Eton Collection. I went to Crocker Park today. I don't like that it was built in the middle of nowhere. As I was there, I tried to imagine it in downtown Cleveland. I think if Pescht is going to mesh with the WD, Stark and his people are going to need to be ballsy about their designs but also accommodating to the historical buildings around. New buildings CAN be merged with the old, and the best example I have ever seen is in Lexington, Michigan. http://www.smackwaterdevelopment.com/ There a developer purchased a city block in the small town's miniscule downtown and basically created a new downtown. And it actually works, complementing the existing downtown and it really helped create a community. The same can be done in Cleveland as long as we don't go too cookie cutter, although I think it will have that characteristic to some degree just because it will be new. Either way, Crocker Park's parking decks don't bother me. It's a much better idea than surrounding the thing in blacktop lots. What I think would be nice is if in Pescht, parking was also free like in Westlake. But I suppose this won't likely happen. edit: Also, I'm skeptical of Wolstein because he wants to put a soccer stadium in Summit County right on the edge of my (and many others') treasured Cuyahoga Valley National Park. That area of NEO doesn't need more development, and it makes me distrust his motives. He just has $$ in his eyes.

Thanks for the help! I have inspected that route schedule, and it is the only RTA map I've seen so far that I don't understand! Well, I understand where the routes go basically but when it comes to real life, it seems like every Circulator bus has a different little label on their signs, so I can't ever tell who is going where. It looks like from the map that that the Madison 804 bus would go from our neighborhood back to the Rapid, rather than the other buses that start at the Rapid, come to my apartment building and then drive all over Lakewood. For some reason, I just enjoy taking the Rapid. My commute goes from 15 minutes by car to a full hour by foot and train, so that may be why people think I am crazy.

Wimwar, I see your point and I would say that you are right. I still think my argument has a little legitimacy, although it's probably the not among the most important factors. But in order for the city to start prospering again, it needs an influx of middle class folks, and a lot of middle class families in NEO probably don't want downtown lofts or a true urban living experience. What's wrong with creating a city that has something for everbody, even if it isn't in our tastes?

That is interesting. I was thinking this morning as I walked to my Rapid stop, on the whole, the rail system doesn't go the places it needs to go. I mean, it's too bad that the Rapid doesn't go to Beachwood, for example. I'd get on in Lakewood and take it there on occassion. Or even in the city of Cleveland -- I'm so thankful it hits UC and Little Italy -- but man, it'd be awesome if it also went to Cleveland State, too -- a commuter school like Kent State and Akron U. that could really attract rail traffic, and the campus is looking pretty good these days with all the restoration/construction. It's even more stupid, to me, that there isn't more TOD, as it's called. How are you supposed to increase ridership when the routes go to undesirable/vacant locations? Once you pass Tower City, the train picks up like 2 people at every stop, at most. What's the point of having a transit system if they don't tweak the options to increase usage? This just pisses me off because in the old Eastern cities, rail is so important, and it could be just as useful to the people who live here. Instead, we get a bunch of inefficient buses that take 10 years to get anywhere. I take use the Lakewood Circulator as a supplement to the Rapid, but on the whole I HATE buses. Too slow! Maybe the Euclid Corridor buses will be better, but I'd rather light rail ::sigh:: The problem I underestimated with about the public transportion around here is the general negative view of it by the average person. This week, I started taking RTA to work, and I've become a little bit of a novelty to people I know because I know some bus routes and I have the Red Line down. People don't want to be around poor people I guess is the main problem. No matter who I talked to, no matter what they did for a living, they couldn't comprehend taking a train or bus to work, or even taking the bus a mile down the road to a meeting. I tried to explain to everyone that I took public transit because I wanted to and I thought it was fun and worth it, but they always feel guilty and say they would have given me a ride somewhere, as if public transit is a punishment. I own a car! I don't need a ride. Public transit offers a lot of perks: In the morning, I can really experience the city by walking to the Rapid and then walking from Tower City to work, and although Euclid Avenue looks like ass, it still feels good in my gut. It's the CITY!!. Coming out of TC onto Public Square and you see enter that veranda and the Key Tower goes skyward in the giant windows, and it's AWE-INSPIRING! It's so beautiful! You come out on the street, hit the sidewalk and you can feel the beat, even if it is faint compared to NYC. Anyway, before I go off the deep end, can anyone tell me what Lakewood Circulator would get me to the W. 117 Rapid stop fastest in the morning. I live on the corner of Lake and Cove. I think one of them goes up 117 and dumps people at the corner of Madison and 117, which is close enough to the stop. I looked at the schedule, and it looks like most of them pass my apartment and 40 minutes later end up at the Rapid stop, which is a waste of time because I can walk there in half the time. I enjoy walking, but I imagine one of these days, the weather will be lousy and not good for walking. Thanks for the bus help =)

I find this discussion interesting. I myself don't often shop at Wal-Mart, although I won't lie and say I have never purchased anything there. But, to play devil's advocate, if people in Cleveland are driving to the suburbs to get their big-box fix, wouldn't it be better if they spent their money in Cleveland? Isn't it an uphill and ultimately unwinnable battle to pit a sagging city like Cleveland against an incredibly potent national trend? What I'm thinking is, the longer you fight the products and services and shopping styles people want now, the more they move out to the dumpy suburbs where these stores and centers are waiting. But I also think these are factors that a lot of people value when deciding where to live. I think Lakewood is a great, affordable community with a lot of great housing options. But the retail options suck, and I bet some people will mention that they are XX miles from a Wal-Mart or XX miles from some other store. I can't buy clothes or books in Lakewood, which for me accounts for probably 50% of my extra spendable income. In order to get the goods I want within my budget, I have to go to either Crocker Park or the Beachwood area, where they have a sweet TJ Maxx. I'd much rather hop on the Rapid and buy all my crap at Tower City or some imaginery shopping Mecca downtown, but it doesn't exist. You're never ever ever ever ever going to convince people to not want to shop at Wal-Mart or Target. It's impossible. So, do you want to best-case scenario spend their money in the suburbs or worst-case move to the suburbs to be closer to the stores. That's just my opinion.

I'll leave the exploration of those areas to those who are better human beings than I.

"I don't know if you all are aware, but it gets a bad rap for some reason." hahaha. I just saw this. No comment. It made me laugh out loud for real. If you do check this thread out, welcome to Cleveland! I didn't see where you're moving from. Just curious. I don't care what anyone says, Cleveland kicks ass.

This is how I prefer to experience the ghetto =)

Good posts and info, thanks! It sort of sounds like I'll be staying on the "Gold Coast," lol. I'll probably check those police reports out though. It's such an interesting neighborhood. I love OC. I'm thinking that if I'll appreciate it more if I don't live right in the midst of it. Right now I can take get on at the crappy Rapid station on W. 117 and land in OC's beautiful green station and be in another world. And then I can run to the West Side Market to buy a piece of cake, hahaha. I lived for three months in the West Village in 2004, so I'm not a stranger to urban environments. I never saw any crime that was out of the ordinary, though, ie., assaults, car thefts, robberies, etc. I did get harrassed by a crackhead on a subway going to the Cloisters and chased through Washington Square Park by a homeless person in a motorized wheelchair in the middle of the night. But, on the whole, I have never felt as safe as I did living in New York. I think it was because there were so many people around and most of the streets I stayed on were well lit at night, etc. I probably wouldn't walk through Wash. Sq. Park at midnight by myself again, though. Haha!

"Final costs for the tour haven’t been calculated, Geiger said, but will be close to $7,200. (Many sites provided goods and services at reduced or no cost to the bureau.)" Hah! From a PR angle, that's dirt cheap! I'm willing to bet that that price doesn't include the time they spent convincing people to come and organize the whole thing. But if they get a placement or a feature in Sky, that'd be huge. Once again, Columbus is on the ball. At this point, it's the only city I'd consider defecting to =)

Can anyone tell me about the amount and types of crime in Ohio City? I still have 10 months left on my lease in Lakewood, but I love the neighborhood. Tremont still is a little too sketchy to me, but OC seems to be right on the cusp.... What can I say, I grew up in the suburbs!

It's needs a waterfall and rollercoaster, for sure. No one goes to the ballgame for sports anymore!

I agree with this! I live in Lakewood and work downtown, and I'd LOVE to take the Rapid to work. But there are a few problems. First, the station on 117 is a mile away. That's a long walk for a station, especially when I have to be to work at 8 a.m. and I went to the bar the night before. I could drive and park my car at their lot, but that just seems stupid when it takes me 15 minutes to get into the parking deck via the Shoreway. Finally, a monthly transit pass costs more money than my parking deck costs, so on the whole, it really doesn't equal out. If the station was a few blocks away rather than a mile, there would be no question. And I wish one of those damn lines went to Coventry in Cleveland Heights near all the stuff over there. I want to take it somewhere, but I look at the train map, and there's nowhere I want to go on it. I might take it to Ohio City for kicks tomorrow. jaimec, ironically, there were plans to extend the Red Line up Cedar hill to Coventry shortly after it opened in 1955, but CTS opted to extend westward to the airport, instead. The Coventry extension, I believe, was deemed to expensive... a shame, in my book... As to your living too far from W.117 street. Have you tried using a bus to the station? I understand, also, Lakewood has an excellent Community Circulator bus -- the most used line of all the Circulators. Funny you should ask! I took my first trip via the Rapid from my new hood in Lakewood and I walked to the station when I left and I took the circulator to my apartment when I came home. The Red Line rocks! I took it to University Circle and Little Italy, and it was fast, cheap and it let me forget about finding a place to park. And I didn't have to deal with any traffic. I can't wait until the CMA opens again. I'll be on that train all the time! And then when Pescht opens! I won't have to drive my car to buy crap! So cool. I'm still trying to decide if the circulator is worth the effort, however. It took me 20 minutes to walk from my place to the rapid station, but I think the circulator still beat me on feet. Of course, I had to hear the drivers complain about how dirty the buses are and how often they get sick from them. So, then I was thinking I would walk, haha. I'm going to do a Red Line work commute this week to see how it goes. I'm thinking that in the winter with all the snow and crap, the trains will be a better way to go than driving, especially with how backed up things get downtown. The primary issue for me is I get up at the very last possible second, and I am afraid I am not ambitious enough to take a bus to a train and then walk eight blocks to work once I get downtown. So, yeah, I'm lazy. I know someone mentioned that the RTA should look at the train routes or where they are positioned. I really enjoyed my Red Line traveling, but the one thing I thought was weird was that the stations are way out of the way in those big ditches or whatever they are called. It seems to me that having a station near your house and workplace would make it more valuable, not less. And while I wish the Rapid was a little beefier, I think we are really lucky to have it at all. A lot of cities don't have any rail system. I felt very thankful today when I hopped off the train, walked a few blocks and was eating a slice of pizza on Mayfield Rd! =)

Exactly! I deleted my previous posts because this basically hits on what I was trying to say but did a lousy job saying. All I know about downtown retail is Tower City and the Galleria, and those places were cool in a "better than Beachwood" sort of way. But they obvioulsy weren't anything like the past. Euclid Avenue is such a great, historic location! I love how when I walk down it on my lunch break, I still look up at the tops of the buildings to see how high they are. Think of all the things you could do on that street. Bars, restaurants, stores, museums, art galleries -- school, which is my personal favorite. Already some parts look good. That little strip behind the Halle Building is nice, and Star Plaza is a great place to go on lunch during the work week. "You're so money and you don't even know it!" I do understand and feel the depression people have when they look at what that street has become. It pisses me off more than anything else. I guess it's like OTR in Cincy, which I have never visited but all the photos just knock me out it's so beautiful. I'm trying to figure out people, especially young people, who don't come downtown. One person recently told me he didn't even know Cleveland had a theater district or more than one theater -- he saw a show, and I asked him at which theater and he got confused. Another person only shops at Crocker Park, not even on the "east side" where all the best stores are anyway (TJ Maxx, etc.:). My friends invited me to go to a bar in Westlake after work, and I thought "Westlake!? LAME!" And it was lame! Nothing bums me out more than getting a drink at a place next to an Aldis in a strip mall. At the same time, people like this will say Cleveland sucks. OK! I figured out where I'm going to go on the Rapid. W. 117 to University Circle. Should be fun.

I agree with this! I live in Lakewood and work downtown, and I'd LOVE to take the Rapid to work. But there are a few problems. First, the station on 117 is a mile away. That's a long walk for a station, especially when I have to be to work at 8 a.m. and I went to the bar the night before. I could drive and park my car at their lot, but that just seems stupid when it takes me 15 minutes to get into the parking deck via the Shoreway. Finally, a monthly transit pass costs more money than my parking deck costs, so on the whole, it really doesn't equal out. If the station was a few blocks away rather than a mile, there would be no question. And I wish one of those damn lines went to Coventry in Cleveland Heights near all the stuff over there. I want to take it somewhere, but I look at the train map, and there's nowhere I want to go on it. I might take it to Ohio City for kicks tomorrow.

Oh, that'd be cool. I saw a football game at the Rubber Bowl growing up, and that sucked. The light posts blocked your view from the stands! EDIT: The journalislt writes: He sees a day when, to quote baseball player Yogi Berra, "It's so crowded, nobody goes there anymore.'' Hahaha, looks like someone was itching to use a new quote they just learned. LOL. That Yogi Berra quote doesn't fit at all!

I'm going to revise this when I get a chance to think about it more. I do think everyone who has posted in this thread has been dead-on with their views. As long as that one building without windows stands looking like hell, I will be unhappy. I think what a lot of Euclid Avenue looks like is shameful. Who owns those buildings? It sort of reminds me of when I lived in the Detroit area, and I went downtown for a story I was doing, and I saw the old buildings and the true enormity of a city that is now all beaten down. Later I saw picture of what Detroit looked like in the 1960s, and it really bummed me out, and I didn't even grow up there.

"^ the ones that were severely damaged at some point had another, smaller pipe run down the middle of them. sadly, this is how many of the drinking water pipes looked when they dug those up earlier." :-o :-o :-o :-o :-o :-o :-o

^^^ Can't they fence that in and hide that gigantic lot? It looks unsightly! Fence it in and paint it artsy like to fit in with that little mini-hood.

If I remember correctly, the new Alive is inspired by Cin Weekly in Cincy. I wish we had a positive weekly like these two pubs in Cleveland -- and I'm a journalist! Sometimes you just want a little fluff. I hate reading Scene and the Free Times, which are full of negative bitching.

Great idea. Good looking ad, too. I love how in big cities (but mostly New York), the construction barricade/plywood walls are covered with all kinds of crap. Local shows, advertising for what is being constructed. It gives the area a vibrant feeling while things are being pulled constructed in dirt.

What can I, a resident of Lakewood, do to encourage this idea? Should I send a letter to the mayor of Lakewood or is there a better way to reach the right people?