MuRrAy HiLL

Interesting news this morning In foreclosure, Arcade Hyatt likely headed for auction As hotel struggles, county, city of Cleveland at risk of loan losses By STAN BULLARD 4:30 am, December 7, 2009 Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade, the multimillion-dollar restoration and adaptive reuse of downtown's landmark Arcade as a hotel with a two-floor cadre of shops, may go up for auction at a Cuyahoga County sheriff sale. The 1890-vintage landmark is in the final throes of a foreclosure proceeding in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. MORE AT http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20091207/SUB1/312079988/1004&Profile=1004

Baldwin-Wallace practices what it teaches in new major with wind turbine By Joanne Berger DuMound, Sun News December 06, 2009, 12:29PM BEREA — The soft swooshing melody of circulating blades on a windy day at Baldwin-Wallace College is music to the ears of “green” enthusiasts on campus. The college’s new 60-foot wind turbine along Eastland Road just outside its baseball field was assembled last week just in time for the windy season. MORE AT http://blog.cleveland.com/newssun/2009/12/baldwin-wallace_practices_what.html

Although Glenville lost a heartbreaker 15-16, they did get another shout out from the NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/05/sports/05ginn.html

Honestly...HOTWIRE is your best bet You'll save half the price and most likely get the arcade.

From Terry Pluto: http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2009/12/northeast_ohio_coaches_pulling.html

I always use Hotwire when I come to town, and the 3.5 hotel is usually the Hyatt....one time I got the Crowne Plaza. I highly recommend Hotwire ditto

Not really retail, but check out these cool shirts! http://www.cleclothingco.com/category/guys

From Parade magazine: A City For Entrepeneurs http://www.parade.com/news/2009/11/08-cleveland-city-for-entrepreneurs.html Cleveland’s success has made it “a hotbed for entrepreneurs,” Phil Davis says. Adds David Levine, 42, whose company, Wireless Environment, has patented energy-efficient lightbulbs: “I can call a business leader or a fellow inventor, and they will return my call. That’s why my wife and I have stayed.” JumpStart has even begun its own online portal, Idea Crossing, to connect would-be entrepreneurs with investors. Still, Ray Leach, JumpStart’s CEO, is realistic about what the nonprofit organization can do to stem job losses. Phil Davis’ microwave, for example, has not brought new factory jobs to Cleveland—instead, it’s being manufactured in China. Each day, Leach and his team spend hours persuading young companies to locate their first factories and offices in Cleveland.

Thanks KJP! Kamm's Corners streetscape work spur business in Cleveland's West Park By Ken Prendergast November 29, 2009, 1:33PM CLEVELAND The Kamm’s Corners neighborhood in West Park may soon refer to its business climate with two classifications — “before streetscape” and “after streetscape.” The “before streetscape” business climate at Kamm’s Corners was one of vacancies, aging storefronts and memories. The “after streetscape” climate was one of new businesses, storefront renovations and optimism. http://www.cleveland.com/sunpostherald/index.ssf/2009/11/kamms_corners_streetscape_work.html

And another VERY GOOD article: Cleveland's Euclid corridor project has paved the way to economic development By Michelle Jarboe, The Plain Dealer November 29, 2009, 5:00AM RTA's Euclid Avenue HealthLine is faring well in ridership, innovation: Steve Litt In October 2008, construction finally ended along one of Cleveland's most essential avenues. The crumbling Euclid Avenue corridor had become a sparkling link between downtown and University Circle. The sleek buses, the slick stations and the smooth road offered a potential path to urban renewal. Meanwhile, the nation's financial system was crumbling. Lehman Brothers had filed the largest bankruptcy case in the nation's history. The government had seized mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The housing market was in tatters, banks were floundering, and the country was headed into a severe recession. Despite the challenging financial climate, the $197 million renovation of Euclid Avenue has become an economic development engine for the city. More than $3.3 billion worth of projects are in the works or recently finished along five miles of the vital artery. MORE AT http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2009/11/clevelands_euclid_corridor_pro.html

Great article from Litt: RTA's Euclid Avenue HealthLine is faring well in ridership, innovation By Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer November 29, 2009, 5:00AM Steven Litt talks about Euclid Corridor Cleveland's Euclid corridor project has paved the way to economic development A year is hardly enough time to judge the success or failure of a major public infrastructure project. Nevertheless, a fair-minded observer would have to conclude that the Euclid Avenue HealthLine is measuring up well after its first anniversary, which fell a few weeks ago. Ridership is up sharply. The appearance of Euclid Avenue is dramatically improved. And more than $3.3 billion in economic development along the Euclid Corridor -- though stalled by the recession -- is chugging along, if slowly. The $197 million HealthLine, designed and built by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, is a nationally significant experiment intended to see if bus rapid transit could provide the benefits of a light rail line at a fraction of the cost. MORE AT http://blog.cleveland.com/architecture/2009/11/rtas_euclid_avenue_healthline.html

Glenville will play for the State Championship in football: http://highschoolsports.cleveland.com/news/article/448101161662289109/tarblooders-make-history-on-way-to-state-final/

StateFarm has some nice little promo videos on Lebron from their website: http://www.statefarm.com/lebron/#home

Thanks KJP..EDIT! I like this identity of Cleveland; however, there are numerous signs of continued progress in these pictures. Nice...

FYI..for retail reasons: METERED PARKING FREE TODAY DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND: http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/news_article.aspx?storyid=126136&catid=3

Not sure if this one is up yet though...if someone wants to search...

If anyone missed it, here's the Lucky's Cafe bit on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives: YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Thanks to my girlfriend for finding the link before I did!

I would love to see the old Corbo's storefront (corner of mayfield and murray hill) turned into a decked-out Italian Deli. In my opinion that's the one thing the neighborhood is missing...besides a real grocery store. Spuzzilo's helps with things a little bit.

Just a little minor improvement...but I'm guessing it will be a nice little improvement to the lakefront overall with the whole project: Cleveland planners approve NASA sign at Great Lakes Science Center http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2009/11/post_21.html

I barely talk about it, but thanks for being impressed! If you want to know some details, definitely PM me. welcome to the forum

Terry Tarantino has been looking into the old mayfield theater. Not sure how pending it really is on his agenda though: From: http://www.cleveland.com/arts/index.ssf/2009/05/cleveland_restaurateur_terry_t_2.html Tarantino's wanderlust is leading him back home -- to Little Italy -- for his latest adventure. He plans to renovate the old Mayfield movie theater and turn it into a bar-restaurant. "I'm thinking of something with a Venetian theme that serves light meals and hosts string quartets and piano players," says Tarantino. "I'm still working on the details." Also I think there is a blip on www.littleitalycleveland.com/

Game Day today. Another article from Case as well: http://www.case.edu/athletics/varsity/news.htm#s1_page2

Askmen.com has Cleveland's Little Italy as the #3 on their top ten list. At least men seem to like it! http://www.askmen.com/top_10/travel/top-10-little-italies_3.html

From Litt: Before medical mart proceeds on Mall C, answers are needed to some key questions By Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer November 17, 2009, 4:00AM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The new proposal by MMPI Inc. of Chicago to build a medical mart on Mall C in downtown Cleveland is a bold and audacious idea that could produce outcomes ranging from terrific to awful. It could give the city an iconic piece of architecture on a spectacular site, along with a fresh global identity as a center of medical innovation. Or it could leave Cleveland with a rushed, poorly conceived structure that gobbles $425 million in hard costs, not to mention another half-billion dollars in interest on county construction bonds. What's critical now is to ask the right questions and to get clear, convincing answers. MORE AT CLEVELAND.COM: http://blog.cleveland.com/architecture/2009/11/before_medical_mart_proceeds_o.html

Renovation of Union Gospel Press building in Tremont continues: Whatever Happened to ...? The historic building, where Sunday school literature once was published, is about halfway rented out, even though its redevelopment is continuing. The $21 million project should be done by the end of the year, developer Myrl Roberts said. About three-quarters of the 102 units will be apartments, with the remaining quarter designated as "extended stay" rooms, which are similar to hotel rooms. The 175,000-square-foot complex, which is actually 15 buildings connected to each other, had become somewhat of an eyesore at Jefferson Avenue and West Seventh Street in the trendy neighborhood. MORE AT http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/11/renovation_of_union_gospel_pre.html