Cleburger

This is interesting Clvlndr--I'm going to have to do some reading up on the Shaker Rapid Station when I have some time to do some Googling. I've always wondered why a transfer connection corridor couldn't be somehow engineered in to allow for passengers to switch from Red to Blue/Green lines. It is a pain, especially when riding with my kids.

Country music stations are at the top in almost all radio markets. Of course, there is also usually only one country music station in most markets as opposed to umpteen rock, pop or hip-hop/r&b stations. Realize that X, but WGAR consistently ranks as the top of that heap nationally.

Like it or not, Cleveland is a HUGE country market. WGAR consistently ranks in the top radio stations in the format. I won't go there, but hope this is a success to start the east bank on it's road to recovery. Now if we could just get Gary Bauer to reopen the Basement.... :drunk:

I really hope the stupid name "Festival Pier" doesn't really get implemented. Makes us sounds like a small town of simpletons. It should be called what it is: E. 9 St. Pier! I'd give them a pass on festival pier if the city or private entities actually promotes festivals on it. Like the good ole days of Riverfest and Coffee Break Concerts!

100,000 riders on RAIL alone. Now of course, all of them didn't pay. So let's say 75,000 paid an average of $4 to ride between day passes and single trip tickets. That's $300,000 GROSS from rail alone. Add in the buses and it's quite easily $500k. I don't know their labor rates, but I do work with lots of union labor. I can comfortably say there is no way they spent anywhere near this amount on overtime for one day and basically two shifts. Without knowing RTA's funding rules it could be extrapolated that paying the labor shouldn't have been a problem. Getting some of the drivers to blow off their weekend and deal with 100,000 drunks is another story.... :)

Going back to KJP's point upthread, this was RTA's chance to shine. No union or staffing issues should have taken control of this chance to win over riders. Especially since those thousands of day passes would more than pay the overtime. And in the end, sometimes you gotta spend money to make money. The thousands of PO'd not-so-frequent transit users will someday become Cleveland.com posters. And we don't need more of those in this town!

They must have stopped it for some reason, because when I try to buy the website said they no longer sell same-day tickets.

Amen! Question--even though the cars couldn't be serviced at some of the stations, wouldn't it be possible to force downtown passengers to the rear through the center doors since the wouldn't be disembarking until Tower City anyway? Probably a logistical nightmare, safety concerns, etc....but just a thought. The poor transit riders trying to get to the next stop for their job or every day life would just have to plead their case that they are not going to Tower City.

Sorry I really didn't mean to malign them--was just thinking of the people with kids who drive 45 minutes one way to wait in line 2 hours. That was the furthest out "suburb" that came to mind, and yes was nodding to their contributions to those numbers. Once again it is a lose-lose proposition if the aquarium doesn't do anything to improve their ticketing and patron traffic flow situations.

I can think of quite a few. Pittsburgh, New Orleans, St Louis, Detroit all come to mind. All have options for public transit to varying degrees. I'm sure a small small minority choose to use them. Most arrive by car or tour bus and park in the huge parking ramps and lots surrounding them. I hope I'm wrong, but I somehow doubt it.

I would think they would get more complaints from Mr. & Mrs Medina for driving 40 minutes down there then waiting in line forever then just selling out in advance and posting that on their website. But then again, maybe Mr. & Mrs Medina wouldn't bother to check the website before firing up the mini van. So Mr. & Mrs Medina, with their Motorola Star-Tac Razrs, our line-jumped by the smart phone user. It's lose-lose for Mr & Mrs Medina. I guess you can't please everyone. :-D

When I tried same-day they said they do not sell same-day tickets online.

I was surprised to see they don't sell tickets online for a same day visit? You would think they'd want to sell as many as possible online so they could communicate with all patrons whether or not to come down that day. I looked to take my kids last weekend and decided after reading the reviews and not knowing what to expect in terms of ticket lines to just pass until things calm down there.

And in turn, this city needs to work in some logical fashion on both retail and housing that builds CONNECTIONs between neighborhoods. If I compare Cleveland to other cities in similar straights, the ones I see with the most success are those that have successfully connected pockets of developments and neighborhoods. I think of Buffalo, where Allentown, Elmwood Village and Delaware Park are all viable neighborhoods connected to each other. Columbus has the Short North, Victorian Village and Arena District all rubbing elbows. The people investing in these neighborhoods don't want to feel like they live on an island. They want to feel free to roam. I have friends that live in the fringes of Detroit Shoreway that drive 8 blocks to Happy Dog for beers. Huh? One exception to this may be Tremont, who's natural barriers have always been an island and somewhat insulate it from less-desirable locations around it. To 327's point once more, UC /Little Italy/Coventry have always had a connection, and this will continue to help the area grow where people feel comfortable from one neighborhood to the next. Detroit Shoreway and Ohio City come close, but I know many residents with concerns of large pockets of questionable areas in between them. If I were to offer advice to our cities planners and policy makers, I would recommend they focus on these no-mans lands rather than looking for the cheapest parcel or tax advantage. Build it between them and they will come from both directions! ;)

What makes you so sure about that? Why wouldn't gamblers want to use the Rapid IF schedules were convenient (ie, trains don't stop at around midnight every night as they do now). This is esp. true given Cleveland's harsh winters and that the Rapid provides an indoor connection. I've been to at least half the non-Vegas casinos nationally. I can tell by looking at the crowd they are not public transit users. If it were true, Dan Gilbert would be focused on improving that connection and rail service. Instead the focus is on parking. And I think this is just the beginning. There will be others looking to get in on the parking action. I've already seen action in threads about converting the May Co building to a parking ramp and just think, our once busy riverfront "amphitheatre" is now a parking lot for Indians employees, etc. Why? Because all their parking is going to be sucked up by casino goers. What will be interesting is the part of the crowd who insists on free parking. The kind of people who would drive to Erie PA before downtown Cleveland just for the free parking. My grandfather was one of those types....

They'd probably be better suited tailoring the train schedules to employee shift changes. I'm sure 95% of customers will arrive by car. In absence of a covered overhead walkway, they would love a shuttle service from the garage across the street to minimize their walk. ;)

They need to be able to wheel and deal with promoters, both local and national. Hopefully going private would allow them much more flexibility. MMA and Lingerie Football will not drastically improve the bottom line.

This is the home of Rock N Roll. Why not lobby the state to pump some money into a world-class arena & venue management program for CSU, including giving them money to help produce their own events? The Wolstein is a perfect sized venue for Cleveland concerts. It is underutilized because the management has their hands tied by regulations which gives the Q an unfair advantage. The irony is that the Q was paid for by you, me and the rest of the taxpayers also. We need to even the playing field (pun intended).

I've said it many times on more than one of these forums. Football Football Football! Division I for CSU would be a game changer. I hate to say it, but in today's media driven times, a world-class athletics program would do more for CSU than all the billboards I see on the 90 in Pennsylvania (which, as a side note, CSU is doing an excellent job of marketing itself in nearby cities like Erie and Buffalo, where they are offering in-state tuition to come to Cleveland). I would love to see 10 more games a year in Browns stadium with a football program, an infusion of talent and money to the mens basketball program to put it back in the national spotlight again, and a bonafide effort to develop the women's program into a national contender along with it (Save the Wolstein!!! :-D) 30,000 suburban kids living downtown spending mom and dad's money would change Cleveland forever! :clap:

Could be an interesting concept for a hotel tied to said sports health facility. On site rooms for short-term recovery from procedures, including rehab gyms etc. If strategically positioned the hotel could also serve other clientele of course too (like Med Mart visitors).

I thought this was funny also--just goes to show you the power of incumbency! I wonder if Dennis' staff were working the wrong district too? Old habits are hard to break!

No worry--the casino should attract plenty of private shuttle/coach operators. You can easily find one to hop at your local Bingo spot and ride down to the Welcome Center. From there it's a short walk to Progressive Field. :laugh:

Good riddance. Will be glad to have a senior member of the appropriations committee representing part of Greater Cleveland. I'm sure Dennis is filling out his paperwork on K street this morning.

I was on the Red Line to the airport today. 3 car train that was labeled "Mentor." Is this wishful thinking for a Red Line extension east? ;)

I'm done with Dennis. No matter how much he spins his anti-war efforts are his way of fighting for Cleveland, at some point he has to pay attention to the district. Even so-called Democrat hallmarks, like bringing home the stimulus bacon, he lagged far behind even Steven Latourette. Kaptur almost doubled his take on Stimulus funding (according to Recovery.gov). Meanwhile Dennis was off in Seattle considering leaving us all. No thanks...it's time for a change.