8ShadesofGray

As much as I loved the Medic that Marc's is replacing, I can assure you that it was far from classy, either. Still, one would think that with the tenant mix in the neighborhood, something a little cleaner and more modern would have gone in. But I'll take Marc's any day!

That blows. I will say, however, that it could have been a LOT worse ... we could have seen UH using the excuse of a "tight" eastside office market to gun for building their own ugly office park amidst the gluttony of the 271 smorgasbord. At least this will increase the viability of redeveloping the area around Warrensville Center & Van Aken. I know it sound totally defeatist, and I too would prefer to see them downtown, but I'd rather the tax revenue go to Shaker Heights than to some Lake County mega-village.

Certainly, we need to see more projects like this, particularly projects that provide amenities for different niches of artists. But let's not forget that Cleveland is already quietly building a large artist-led re-use movement. Cleveland's Live Work Overlay District, which allows individuals to live in buildings that have been zoned commercial, stretches from E. 18th to Addison (E. 65) along St. Clair, E. 17th to E. 55th along Superior, and E. 17th to E. 45th along Payne. While the District doesn't provide protection against eviction (the city's ordinance is trumped by state building codes and health codes), it has spurred a lot of artist-oriented units across the Near East side. In addition to Perkowski's outstanding work at Tower Press and Hyacinth, you'll find artists living or working at the Heller Building (Superior and 22nd), the Artcraft Building (Superior and 25th), the 1400 Building (St. Clair and 30th), Tyler Village (Superior in the upper 30s), Shovelworks (Payne and 40th) and Loftworks (Payne and 40th). Two churches in the neighborhood have also been converted to artist space - Old Red Church (Superior and 24th) and Josaphat Arts Hall (Superior and E. 33rd). And this is just a partial list; a fairly good overview can be found at http://www.cityartistsatwork.org/buildings.htm. I really think that this neighborhood is going to pop once people realize just how much in-migration is occurring right now.

I actually think the Cultural Gardens are a gem as they stand. I agree with most of the recommendations above, but if I could have just one change, I would like to see a better pedestrian/cyclist connection to the lakefront trail. I've never really thought the park itself was inhospitable to riders or walkers; it's actually a pretty nice strip by Cleveland standards. At the same time, it absolutely sucks to have to navigate across N. Marginal Rd., the incoming exit from the Shoreway and then across busy MLK. Can we get a signature (pedestrian) bridge over heyah ... along the lines of the ones going up on the Towpath? Perhaps something that really celebrates the diversity of cultures that visitors are about to see?

^^ From everything I've heard, the move is on schedule ... but it seems like it's taking forever! Meanwhile, the Visitor Center is supposed to be equipped with info kiosks so that tourists can put together a travel itinerary, buy discounted tickets to arts and culture events, etc.

^^ I am inclined to agree. While I love the Beck Center, sprawl is sprawl, and chasing the migratory patters of donors, I believe, is not a very good long-term sustainability strategy. Moreover, with both Detroit Shoreway and Westown considering the viability of theatre districts, I think the West Side will have some great performing arts synergies going, synergies that Beck should consider when talking about revenue and expense concerns (e.g. opportunities for combined marketing efforts, resource sharing, co-sponsoring events, etc.).

The arts levy now has a website up and running. It covers a LOT of information and addresses a lot of the questions raised in this thread. http://www.cuyahogaartsandculture.org/

^ Short conversation of this topic at the bottom of this thread: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=8027.0.

Beck's suitor choice may come down to money Thomas Ott (Cleveland) Plain Dealer Friday, September 08, 2006 The Beck Center for the Arts is the central character in a love triangle. The arts center has two suitors. One is familiar, the other fresh. The former has bohemian flavor; the latter dangles riches ... More at http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1157704242124680.xml&coll=2

Cyclists attacked on West Side Donna Miller (Cleveland) Plain Dealer September 8, 2009 Police are looking for several boys who assaulted two men riding their bicycles on the West Side. A 39-year-old man was cycling near Bridge Avenue and West 50th Street About 7:15 p.m. Monday when a teen stepped into his path and punched him in the mouth ... ... More at http://www.cleveland.com/newslogs/plaindealer/index.ssf?/mtlogs/cleve_plaindealer/archives/2006_09.html#180951

If I'm thinking of the right place, Aurora is a real beauty; are they the ones that do the big, old-fashioned Christmas celebration. That's pretty breathtaking. There are also some beautifully maintained historic villages on the western border of Indiana, over in Covered Bridge country. And I suppose it's more central than southern, but Centerville has a lot of beautiful building stock along its main street; the town has attempted to establish itself as the premier antique locale in the region.

Again, I think this a personal choice, but I would favor Ohio City. While both neighborhoods have great vibes, it is a much less desirable location when it comes to public transportation, and while neither neighborhood is directly accessible to the lake, Ohio City does have better access via the Shoreway.

Yeah, Edgewater is the official neighborhood name, but there's been an unsuccessful branding campaign as "The Edge" ... I think I'm the only person in the world who actually calls it that. Edgewater, The Edge, The Gayborhood ... it's a very nice neighborhood, regardless. I would also check out the Living in Cleveland Center (http://livingincleveland.nhlink.net). They offer brochures and online "neighborhood tours", as well as information on renting, new housing opportunities and buying a house. Also, as always, I recommend that you schedule a couple of days for touring several neighborhoods before making a decision. Every Cleveland neighborhood has a different vibe; if you put a little time into exploring, you're sure to find the perfect fit for your particular situation and preferences.

Urban Ohio forumers should all file amicus curiae briefs on behalf of Wolstein ... as interested citizens and what not :-D

^^ Haven't you read? She's an interested taxpayer. Actually, it looks like Ms. Roether has kept a pretty low profile ... the only search engine info I could get was from this case. She apparently resides over in the Kamm's Corner area (per the auditor's record of her property ownership (http://auditor.cuyahogacounty.us/repi/transfer.asp?txtParcel=02411042), and her only local interaction with civil law in the last several years involved a motor vehicle tort back in the late 90s (per a name search here: http://cpdocket.cp.cuyahogacounty.us/). But most importantly, of course ... she's an interested citizen!

P.S. For whatever reason, I don't pick up PBS at Chinatown Chateaux, and I also can't afford the luxury of cable. Can someone with a satellite, perhaps out in the exurbs, tape tonight's sprawl discussion for me?

I'm a big fan of public art, but those things are creepy. Always weirded me out when I would sit on those benches.

That one goes out to all of you who say superfluous highway spending is a bad thing. If SR 232 was good enough for the Archaic, then by damn, it's good enough for me!

^ Good. Chugging espresso is the only way to go. When I decided to move to Chinatown a couple of months back, I had to field comments from an extended friend that lives in Eastlake, comments like "People make money so they can move out of neighborhoods like that? Why are you moving there?" If that wasn't bad enough, I then had to listen to what was basically a two-hour promo for exurban living. How great it is to be able to travel easily to a variety of big box retail. How big the lots are. How you know your neighbors. And heck, if you want to check out the city, you can hop on the Shoreway and be downtown in 15 minutes. I think he was actually trying to recruit me to Lake County. God, I hate sprawl.

^ And that's not new ... I've been trying to access the land bank for eff'in months!

How incredibly strange! One of my best friends is from Madison (a friend I subsequently talked into moving to Cleveland, but that's a story for another day). It is a beautiful city and has a pretty killer regatta, if you're into that kind of thing. The economy there is partially agrarian, although I think a substantial portion of people work in industry and increasingly in service jobs. A lot of individuals in this area commute to Louisville, and I think to a lesser extent, Cincy. Outside the city are a lot of old, intact farmhouses and large (4 acres + lots); Madison has also seen an explosion of McMansions, particularly overlooking the river. Thanks for the pictures ... my groggy eyes were definitely not expecting that this morning.

I actually used to work for the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, so yes :wink: And I should have mentioned the natural beauty of the Shaker Square area ... it is pretty stunning. I was only speaking about access to our friend Lake Erie. Shaker Lake and Horseshoe Lake are both beautiful and lie under one the most important migratory bird patterns in North America; more than 200 species of birds migrate on an annual basis. And Shaker Lake is also home to a rare breed of goldfish that is only found one other place in the world (I believe a similar lake in China). But I digress ...

Welcome to Cleveland! Everyone's provided some great advice, but I would definitely check out Shaker Square. Tremont is an absolutely great neighborhood, but among the neighborhoods you cited, it has by far the worst public transportation options, in my opinion. Meanwhile, Shaker Square is well-positioned for employment downtown, in University Circle or the eastern suburbs. Everything in the neighborhood is incredibly walkable, and while there's not a ton of nightlife options, there are a slew of restaurants. You'll also have no problem finding housing within 5 minutes of the train - on E. 128th, E. 130th or the quaint antique strip on Larchmere. The one downside is that is not a lot of public lake access on the near east side. For lake-adjacent housing in Cleveland, your best bets are probably The Edge, North Colllinwood and Detroit Shoreway ... The Edge is probably the most well-established and has the best public transportation of those three neighborhoods. Again, welcome back to Cleveland, and hope your move goes well!

^ I agree. I don't think that either city is poised to face the same problems that San Fran or Boston do. I guess my beef (and I can only speak toward Cleveland) is that, IMHO, we increasingly focus on drawing in people of means, rather than coming up with creative solutions for developing means among our existing residents. There's no danger that Cleveland is going to gentrify current residents out of the region, or even the city. I don't think that we should avoid attraction strategies; I just wish that we could harness the energy that leaders have targeted toward the National Republican Convention, the OfficeMax move, the DFAS fiasco, casino levies, convention center levies (all of which, mind you, I DO think are important considerations) and invest that energy into stitching together nationally innovative models for educating and empowering the poor. We can do both.

Zara now! That would certainly be my #2 choice, after Topman ... which apparently is (finally) hitting NYC.