shs96

Solon, Athens, Dallas, Addison (TX), Plano (TX), Solon, Cleveland. And since my driver's license says I live in Put-in-Bay, I'll throw that on there too - every summer 1989-2000, weekends and/or holidays now.

That's an interesting thought. I don't know that it's a guaranteed right for a kid to have an education. Obviously that's very desirable, but I don't know if it's a guaranteed right. It is the law that every child be provided with a public education.

That was a good report. I would like to have seen the city list read: Denver, Charlotte, Cleveland... A hurdle here in Cleveland is the foreclosure crisis is more predominent in the city than it is in the suburbs. Suburban housing in Cleveland is generally more expensive than it is in the city so people aren't moving to the suburbs for cheaper housing then driving to work 30 miles like they might in LA. They move to the suburbs b/c that might be where their job is or they'd rather be in a specific school district.

I like Chagrin Falls; its beautiful and beautiful. I am now leaning towards Solon because of Asian Indian residents and good schools. I'm assuming this means you have kids, that when you said "downtown" you meant "downtown Solon", and you actually have no interest in an urban lifestyle; the suburbs suit you fine. You should probably go talk to a realtor. Don't be an ass.. a realtor in Solon isn't going to help you find an apartment. Are schools a top concern for you Seenu? I didn't intend to be I was suggesting you should buy a house - hence talk to a realtor - not rent anything if you: 1. Have kids 2. Work in Solon 3. School is important 4. Intend to be in the area for at least 5 years I didn't elaborate b/c there isn't much information given to elaborate on. But renting in Solon is not something I would do - what is available isn't that great and, as others have mentioned, its overpriced relative to comparable rental properties in other cities. So if you're moving to Solon for the school system, you might as well buy a house especially if you are going to be working in Solon. My mom taught in Solon for quite some time - school system ranking was often discussed in my house. From what I recall it was always swapping with Chagrin Falls for 1 or 2 in Cuyahoga County. I don't remember Orange or Kenston being ranked higher. But jam40jeff is right; if you're a responsible parent, any of those schools will be fine.

I like Chagrin Falls; its beautiful and beautiful. I am now leaning towards Solon because of Asian Indian residents and good schools. I'm assuming this means you have kids, that when you said "downtown" you meant "downtown Solon", and you actually have no interest in an urban lifestyle; the suburbs suit you fine. You should probably go talk to a realtor.

I did a study abroad in college - I lived in Holland. Certainly I miss the public transportation system. I was able to get to most every major city in Western Europe and was even able to make it as far East as Budapest almost without even having to check schedules b/c the availability was so frequent. Still, I saw just as many bums and homeless people around the continent as I would in any other large city here in the states. Even in the smaller city I lived in (Utrecht) the central station could be like running through a gauntlet of panhandlers depending on what time of day you were going through there. When I was looking to buy a bike to use pretty much everyone I talked to suggested going and buying one from a bum at the train station - it would be cheaper b/c it was stolen (which I did - it was 10 guilders). I saw incidents of road rage, people carelessly riding their bikes in the middle of the street holding up traffic (even though there are designated bike lanes). I also saw lots of acts of kindness and courtesy - certainly as a foreigner who didn't speak most of the native languages in Europe, I got a lot of help from many nice people finding my way around or figuring things out. But I certainly didn't see anything drastically out of proportion from what I see here in the US. All in all, the Dutch were very friendly but their society was not without their bad apples either. So it's not all rainbows and butterflies over there because they have better public transportation and universal health care.

I might yell at someone before long for doing this. Especially the people in my building who are going to the gym 1 floor below them and still take the elevator. Anyway, the other problem is not only do people live in the suburbs, a lot of jobs are in the suburbs too. I live downtown and its possible to take the RTA to work, but adds about 20 minutes to get to my suburban office location. If the blue line would just extend another 2 miles...

Yes, they extend along the river. they were the first buildings built.

I live in the Stonebridge Plaza building which has some renters (there is a rent to own program) while others own their unit. I will attest that renters are more likely to be "college dorm-ish" than people who own their units. Considering the Stonebridge Apartments are all renters, that could be an issue. However, I haven't had any noise problems while inside my unit (which I love) and since I monitored it regularly during construction, I know all walls and ceilings have that machine blasted insulation in them, at least in my building, so the noise isn't a problem. The area you are referring to (Lakeview Apartments) is sketchy, plain and simple. I went to vote there and even during the day with poll workers and voters everywhere, it was still sketchy. On nights I have school, I exit Rt 2 on W 28th coming home (usually 10 pm) and invariably there are shady people lingering in the middle of the street out in front of the apartment buildings. However getting to the Warehouse District and Ohio City doesn't involve walking by that area so its not really a concern. There is that dead zone on W 25th between Detroit and the hospital that's a bit run down, but nothing unsafe. Walking under the Detroit-Superior Bridge to WHD is fine, well lit. And a cab is only $5 if you're DTM at the end of the night (drunk tired and miserable).

I have Time Warner in downtown Cleveland (I believe they have escaped all forms of anti-trust laws b/c I believe that is your only option for cable in downtown Cleveland and since I am not allowed to have a satellite dish, it is my only option if I want TV period). I have never had any service problems and pay my bill online. I also have a cable modem that has worked well, so thumbs up there. I previously had a gripe with their HD selection but they recently realigned their channels and upgraded so that was good (although there is still room for improvement...no CNN HD? Weak). And someone needs to sac up and end this Big 10 Network fiasco soon too...and the NFL network...

I'm glad someone posted this. I've certainly gone to places before where I could tell I was not welcomed both from a "eh...they can tell we're not locals, better leave now" way and a "we would prefer if you didn't patronize this place" way (I won't get specific - you can probably figure it out - but there is a place in the building where I live that can be like that at times. It's kind of funny to walk in there on a Friday night. I'm actually surprised no one came up to me and said "do you mind if we dance with your date?"). Anyway... While I understand it's not really right, ultimately I'd rather have it that way than have everyone be indifferent. Thanks - that's were I started though.

I've never stayed at the Ritz in Cleveland. However I have known people who have stayed there and have returned specifically because they liked the service. The majority of visiting NBA teams stay there (as do most of the national sports media when in town) on a regular basis so I have to think its not that bad - there are alternatives if it wasn't up to par. I've "used" the Ritz before coming back from the airport on the RTA when I didn't feel like walking from TC home (raining, what not) and wanted to grab a taxi and was treated well (I mean, I realize that's a smaller thing, but in hotels like these the diffentiation is often in the details). I guess this is the first I've heard of any complaints about the hotel. I agree the interior needs to be updated, but if that is the complaint, well, that doesn't really affect their core competency so I'm a bit more tolerant of that.

Here's a link to a site where you can look at all of the guitars and see who designed them: http://www.cleveland.com/guitarmania/ I also met a guy (Billy) in NYC when I was there in April who designed a guitar at some point (I had been at McSorely's for a awhile so specifics...eh...) Anyway, he grew up in Mentor and apparently has done well for himself. I hadn't heard of him until I met him, but he gave me a card and here's a link to his website: http://www.billyartnyc.com/ He seemed cool; really nice (although I think everyone is nice inside McSorelys).

Has anyone contacted the city regarding an issue (something relatively simple, in my case, street signs) and been successful in getting it resolved? There's an intersection where I live in dire need of some signage that I've been trying to have rectified for months, but no luck - calls, voice mails, feedback form online...still no signs but still plenty of people making illegal turns and just as many getting ticketed for it (sometimes I wonder if they want the problem to continue to exist as it's an easy target...shocking how that intersection is heavily patrolled at the end of the month). Anyone have any suggestions?

Stop insinuating personal experience as fact. To think the drunk dial didn't exist until cell phones is insane, as is half of the other anecdotal experiences you refer to. Dating in Cleveland, or any other city, is just like your job hunt, or anyting else - its what you make of it. There are plenty of jobs in Cleveland, just like there are plenty of single people. Its just a matter of whether or not you find what you are looking for or if you are "applying" for the right position, or going about your job hunt (or significant other search) in the most productive fashion.

If I were to be concerned about gas prices and wanted to shorten the length of my commute, I would move to the suburbs. Not everyone works downtown. I would like to see numbers on this - I bet most don't work downtown. Actually, in trying to think of someone I know on a personal/social basis that works downtown, it took me a bit to even think of 1 person...and even now, I can only think of a handful of people. My brother even bought a house in Cleveland a few years back to be closer to work...only to be transfered to the suburbs 9 months later.

Speaking of Shooters, this is why I feel the FEB project can be so successful. I mean, what is Shooters, really? The place isn't that great, the food is OK, drinks can be found cheaper elsewhere. But its still packed every weekend. Why? It sits on the river and has a sweet patio (and you can pull your boat up there). Create a neighborhood where people will always be around, keep it safe, and people will come almost regardless of what's there just to be on the water.

You can also take the 19 bus from downtown down Broadway into Slavic Village. You could get out an walk around there for awhile. You can also keep going on the 19 down Miles Rd to Randall Park Mall...that section of Miles heading towards the Mall is pretty beat. From Randall Mall, you can take the 34 north to the Green Line Rapid station.

Well, living in Solon and anywhere around Solon is not for the young, single, working professional who wants to hang out downtown in their spare time. And "Solon" and "public transportation" are not compatible either. If you want to live a more urban lifestyle when you aren't working, I would, as others have mentioned, look into apartments near Beachwood Mall or in Eastern University Heights. Without knowing how old you are, what you're looking for, and what you like to do, its hard to reccomend anything beyond that.

Because this wasn't a government imposed restriction. It is a set of laws voted on by the people.

I agree with this completely. But - and I think this was the primary point of a previous poster (I forget their name - the one with the Canadain flag) - the state cannot base any laws on any sort of religious belief. I feel the ban on gay marriage is a law strictly based on religious beliefs, which is wrong.

Well, there are a lot of jobs related to the performing arts besides actually performing. I agree with MayDay - that's a tough field to break into. For example, my dream job as a high school kid was to be a play by play commentator for some pro sports team. Obvisouly, there are only so many of those positions available. I could have worked the long and hard road of a journalist in minor markets, but once I got to college, I steared towards something with a little more opportunity. On the other hand, I moved away from Ohio after college b/c work opportunities (or the lack thereof). After 4 years in Texas I was ready to move back home but it took me 1.5 years of searching before I was able to move back.

Yeah, I didn't consider that. Then make straight people apply for the same "legal benefits of being a couple" and have the benefits previsouly associated with "marriage" go away. If people want to make "marriage" a religious issue, then fine. Don't provide any legal benefits for being married. Create a seperate legal status, equal for any two people, that provide these benefits.

My girlfriends's cousin and his girlfriend got married while dating soley so she could go on his health insurance - she had cancer. She was still student, without health insurance, and he was employed full time. She could only be covered by his health insurance if they were legally married, despite the fact that they had live together for more than 6 months which in the state of NY makes property equal under common law. So that would be one reason. If they were a gay couple, the one with cancer would have no health insurance and who knows what would have happened. The problem is the argument against gay "marriage" is a spiritual one whereas "marriage" from a legal standpoint provides benefits beyond that of being a spiritual union. I think if people would just cut out the word "marriage" and provide a system where gay couples could apply for legal benefits given to married people, the religious groups against gay marriage (and no, not all religious people are against gay marriage, but I don't know any non-religious people against gay marriage) would have nothing to stand on.

That's quite an accomplishment; clearly she should be proud. While I am glad to see Cleveland Public School System having successfull stories in regards to their students and cirriculum, the key in all of this is right here: That's what we need more of in the Cleveland School District - responsible parents.