shuli

My mistake, thanks for catching that. I stand corrected.

Your quick and dirty generalization of the people that populate Michigan Avenue is ridiculously inaccurate. Its no surprise you got tired of it after only a couple of weekends since your knowledge of the area seems to be based on limited experience. How can tell by looking at people where they from? What does "decked out in North Face gear from head to toe" mean, exactly? Do people strolling NYC's Fifth Avenue not wear North Face and only fur coats and tuxedos? How can you tell a European from a Nebraskan? Finally, you completely lost me on your description of Chicago as a "hyper-manicured" city. Is this because its clean? How is that negative? What does "a level of exuberance" mean and why would that make you want to limit your stay? If by "perfect" you mean home to the nation's best architecture, remarkably clean streets and vibrant street life, you'd be correct. I am not sure how someone comparing--accurately so--Chicagoan's use of public transportation to Clevelander's reliance on cars initiated a wholly unrelated, illogical and poorly worded rant on the demographics of Michigan Avenue shoppers and the "level of perfection" of Chicago causing 80% of native Chicagoans to want to leave. Seems to me someone is hyper-sensitive and defensive. Master is absolutely correct, comparing Chicago to Cleveland is apples to oranges. Chicago is the nation's 3rd largest city and the 4th biggest economy in the world. There are nearly 3 million living downtown alone, more than Cleveland and the surrounding suburbs. To state the foregoing is not a slight against Cleveland, but a fact. We're talking about two different beasts here. For you not to see that is either willful ignorance or a genuine misunderstanding of reality.

Lighted streets around Stonebridge!? It's about damn time. I mean, Stonebridge is only the largest, new multi-unit residential apt/condo complex built in downtown since Reserve Sq. (a.k.a. the old Park Centre) opened around 36 years ago... and the 1st Stonebridge building went on line, what, 7-8 years ago?...can you say: Duh! As for pitch black streets around Public Sq and areas adjacent .. can you see how our pockets-of-activity downtown leaves a bad taste in visitors mouths?... er, but back to Stonebridge... Let's hope the City continues to make the area a tad more people friendly. If the so-called goal is getting people to live, dine and entertain downtown, well, … As for 2020 Martini, you guys are killing the place. Any new joint is bound to make some miscues. Give it a friggin' chance for cryin' out loud. I'd say they're doing a pretty good job of killing the place without our assistance.

Wow. That is without a doubt the worst website I've ever visited. It looks as if it was penned by a 5 year old. How do you misspell the word entrepreneur when its what you do for a living? The music, the images, the "awards," the grammar...they're better off without a site until they can get something presentable figured out.

^ I have not. Thats why i said it "seems" as if thats what we'll be getting. Additionally, how likely is it that the final design will vary much from the latest iteration that we've seen? The attraction of Stark's plan is that it builds on top of already existing buildings that currently have a street presence. Its not new construction. We know this much. With Stark's plan, the roots are all already in place. The layout is there. Just add a few major office tenants, some entertainment/retail options, and its all good. Plus, as much as we may argue about whether its sprawl, Wolstein's project is indeed cut off from not only the CBD but Public Square as well. Its hidden beneath a steep incline and a wall of buildings on W. 9th. There is now flow. Its too far from the lake. What kind of city views will there be? Whether its close to the city center or not is immaterial, there is a physical barrier there that interrupts any sort of continuity. If retail/entertainment in fact crops up around the businesses there, I feel this will only serve to emphasize the disconnect, as workers will be even less inclined to make the climb up the hill and into the WHD, CBD, Gateway, etc.

Bingo! There is absolutely no question as to what is better as between Stark's dense, mixed use layout mere blocks from from Public Square, or the sprawled Crocker Park-esque suburban-style business/resdential park Wolstein design. Stark's plan emulates that of a typical vibrant downtown urban center: business and residential stacked on top of one another and bustling street life. FEB seems as if it will be a Crocker Park dropped into the space beneath the hill...disconnected both visually and from a street grid perspective from Public Square and points east.

Stark reassessing Warehouse District plan Posted by Michelle Jarboe January 24, 2008 23:27PM Categories: Breaking News, Real estate Developer Bob Stark is reassessing his Warehouse District plans after learning that major downtown office tenants might move into a growing project in the Flats. "At this point, all I can say is we're going to assess the situation," Alan Melamed, a spokesman for Stark, said Thursday. "Assess the viability of the project, what the options are in terms of other tenants, and determine what direction we should go." http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/01/stark_reassessing_warehouse_di.html

How is that a chauvinistic comment? Saying that the Hustler Club is an ode to naked ladies is a statement of fact.

Lifestyle centers are somewhat different from malls in general and Severance in particular. Severance is composed mainly of big-box retailers (Wal-Mart, Office Max, Marshalls). Severance does not offer dining options or restaurants. There is no park/green space at Severance. The office and residential components of Severance are not located directly on top of the retail. Lifestyle centers include more leisure amenities than malls and cater to an upscale market. There is no sense of community or village atmosphere fostered by Severance. Severance is essentially a strip mall surrounded by large, bland apartment towers. The towers are certainly located within walking distance of the retail, but are not setup in a way to encourage one to wander down a couple flights of stairs and stroll around. I do not believe that people will flee Solon, Mentor, Westlake for the next best new suburb as you assert. How many are presently leaving Solon for this reason? It would seem not many are. Further, I was under the impression that people flee their current suburbs more out of necessity (better schools when those in their neighborhoods are deteriorating or to escape rampant crime) than out of mere preference for more shopping options.

This is worse than merely bland and unimaginative. I have seen more attractive parking garages.

^Please don't joke about that. A couple of county commissioners we all know may be reading this thread.

^Don't forget at least one starting pitcher to replace Sabathia, whom I bet will not resign with the Tribe.

Where was the first LV franchise located?

Yeah, he's got a place at Quay

^In a similar vein, I wonder how much of a financial investment Stark has already made in the project and how he'll recover if the plan never comes to fruition.