January 22, 20169 yr Visit the intuitive domain name www.columbus.gov. Then visit the arcane www.city.cleveland.oh.us. WTF is up with that? Seriously Cleveland, hire a web designer and get a new domain name. Get a city wordmark like COLUMBUS has done with the "US." www.cincinnati-oh.gov is also a pretty good site, not sure why they needed the "-oh" in the domain, don't think anyone would confuse it with Cincinnati, Iowa population 357, but still an 8/10. By having a website like that, Cleveland plays right into the stereotype of a city that is behind the times. It's not hard to get a modern looking website together. We all know Frank Jackson is all substance, no style and that's fine. He isn't a flashy guy or a marketer. So then HIRE ONE! In their defense, there seems to be alot of info on the site. But it's not organized and it could look a lot better, and the domain is terrible.
January 22, 20169 yr Visit the intuitive domain name www.columbus.gov. Then visit the arcane www.city.cleveland.oh.us. WTF is up with that? Seriously Cleveland, hire a web designer and get a new domain name. Get a city wordmark like COLUMBUS has done with the "US." www.cincinnati-oh.gov is also a pretty good site, not sure why they needed the "-oh" in the domain, don't think anyone would confuse it with Cincinnati, Iowa population 357, but still an 8/10. By having a website like that, Cleveland plays right into the stereotype of a city that is behind the times. It's not hard to get a modern looking website together. We all know Frank Jackson is all substance, no style and that's fine. He isn't a flashy guy or a marketer. So then HIRE ONE! In their defense, there seems to be alot of info on the site. But it's not organized and it could look a lot better, and the domain is terrible. YES. I've been saying this for years. Even Detroit has a new spiffy website: http://www.detroitmi.gov/
January 22, 20169 yr Yeah, the city website is so bad that the Dept of Economic Development went and just made their own website: http://rethinkcleveland.org/
January 23, 20169 yr Introducing 'Essential CLE,' a new visitors guide to the 'Best of Cleveland' restaurants, bars and things to do http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/01/introducing_essential_cle_a_ne.html#incart_big-photo
January 28, 20169 yr Cleveland seems like an obvious choice for a Great Lakes cruise stop... :drunk: One lakeshore city hopes to be port-of-call for two cruise lines this year http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2016/01/one_lakeshore_city_hopes_to_be.html
February 16, 20169 yr we're getting this new visitphilly big ben franklin commercial lately. its pretty cute: http://www.visitphilly.com/articles/philadelphia/visit-philadelphias-new-philazillas-commercial/ surprizingly, we dont get visit philly or boston, etc. commercials it would be fun to see a giant lebron poking around downtown cleveland - ha.
June 7, 20169 yr 'Comeback’ Cleveland readies for a rare moment in the sun By Mary Jordan National June 6 at 6:49 PM https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/comeback-cleveland-readies-for-a-rare-moment-in-the-sun/2016/06/06/aaecee6e-298b-11e6-b989-4e5479715b54_story.html
June 7, 20169 yr 'Comeback’ Cleveland readies for a rare moment in the sun By Mary Jordan National June 6 at 6:49 PM https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/comeback-cleveland-readies-for-a-rare-moment-in-the-sun/2016/06/06/aaecee6e-298b-11e6-b989-4e5479715b54_story.html The writer of this article is from the west side.
June 7, 20169 yr Don't ya mean The Best Side? ;) "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 8, 20169 yr Don't ya mean The Best Side? ;) Used to be the best side; now it's the new east side.
June 8, 20169 yr Don't ya mean The Best Side? ;) Used to be the best side; now it's the new east side. Wow.
June 12, 20169 yr fun and enlightening article... Philadelphia and Cleveland: A tale of 2 convention cities http://www.wfmz.com/news/2016-road-to-the-white-house/Philadelphia-and-Cleveland-A-tale-of-2-convention-cities/39995732
June 17, 20168 yr fun and enlightening article... Philadelphia and Cleveland: A tale of 2 convention cities http://www.wfmz.com/news/2016-road-to-the-white-house/Philadelphia-and-Cleveland-A-tale-of-2-convention-cities/39995732 Interesting and pleasantly surprising to see how much Cleveland stacks up with a bigger market like Philly. Whether it's eateries, national rankings, attractions or even history it's cool to see Cleveland hold its own. Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
July 4, 20168 yr Superman collection arrives, will become heart of a Superman exhibit http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/06/superman_collection_arrives_wi.html I think this goes perfectly with the coming statue...
July 12, 20168 yr Do you suppose City Hall has some press releases they're holding back? Splashy stuff they can release during the week of the RNC. I would if I were the mayor. Remember: It's the Year of the Snake
July 13, 20168 yr Someone visited our city and posted this detailed and positive account on Trip Advisor. Very nice. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g50207-i345-k9688590-Cleveland_in_36_hours-Cleveland_Ohio.html#76579924
July 13, 20168 yr This didn't help... Washington Post Food Critic Visits Cleveland; Slams Service Staff and Cabbie http://m.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2016/07/12/washington-post-food-critic-visits-cleveland-slams-service-staff-and-cabbie "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 13, 20168 yr People in/familiar with the industry know we have a service problem here. It's not just in restaurants, it's in hotels as well. I'm not sure why it is.
July 13, 20168 yr I met some former Cleveland residents who were in town visiting from ATL at Porco (their idea) and it literally took us a half hour to get the first round of drinks. I mean, that's just insane. I'm all about craft cocktails but that's really terrible. Then when we got a second round, everyone said yes to another round and the server brought everyone a drink but me. Those took like 20 minutes to get so then I had to wait another 15 for mine and everyone was halfway through theirs by that point.
July 13, 20168 yr I doubt Cleveland's issues with this are significant different than any other comparable city.
July 13, 20168 yr This didn't help... Washington Post Food Critic Visits Cleveland; Slams Service Staff and Cabbie http://m.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2016/07/12/washington-post-food-critic-visits-cleveland-slams-service-staff-and-cabbie Today's WaPo food section was entirely devoted to Philadelphia and Cleveland restaurants. Aside from Sietsma's service comment, which was a small part of a much bigger article, the coverage was very positive for both cities. Remember: It's the Year of the Snake
July 14, 20168 yr This didn't help... Washington Post Food Critic Visits Cleveland; Slams Service Staff and Cabbie http://m.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2016/07/12/washington-post-food-critic-visits-cleveland-slams-service-staff-and-cabbie Today's WaPo food section was entirely devoted to Philadelphia and Cleveland restaurants. Aside from Sietsma's service comment, which was a small part of a much bigger article, the coverage was very positive for both cities. Not quite sure how you think the Clevelamd coverage was positive. If you read the Philly article he gushes that Philly is the sixth best food city in the US. In the Cleveland article he quotes Jonathan Sawyer as saying Cleveland's food scene is comparable to Charleston, SC or Nashville, but he (the Wash Post critic) says we aren't even there yet. So, no, the Cleveland article wasn't positive especially compared to the Philly article.
July 14, 20168 yr ^I always get a kick out of these comparisons. He referenced Portland Maine. Portland is a great food town, but there is absolutely no depth. It's such a tiny place, Get off the harbor and you won't be eating a good meal anywhere. There is probably more depth in tremont and Ohio city than all of Portland Maine combined. Michael symon probably has the most credible opinion on such topic....he says Cleveland is building its depth but in terms of quality (opposed to quantity) and definitely needs more growth but is right up there with anyone and actually superior to places like Nashville and Pittsburgh. I was just in charleston last month, great place!! But what is is like off of the peninsula? the quantity there probably feels more deep because it's such a dense little place. When you combined the legimately dining options in Lakewood, Cleveland and the heights, not so sure there is more depth there. However, they will always get A+ ratings on their service. I travel so much for work and pleasure I don't think Cleveland realizes how great it's food scene is. In the last couple months alone, Ive gone to to places like Newport, Rhode Island, ANYWHERE in Florida, even places I've used to love Boston and Chicago in the past year and literally felt "this is disappointing compared what I normally eat". Only a few places truly blow me away (Seattle, Portland OR). The DC guy is going to write what he writes. I did take Some positive notes from his article. I'm not a fan of DC, fwiw I, for one, am not one of these people obsessed with service. I think it's pompous and ridiculous. I'm not a king, I just want to eat a meal. Don't screw it up and it's all good. Excessive criticism of service is silly in my opinion, especially if u are working really hard to find things to complain about.
July 14, 20168 yr I, for one, am not one of these people obsessed with service. I think it's pompous and ridiculous. I'm not a king, I just want to eat a meal. Don't screw it up and it's all good. Excessive criticism of service is silly in my opinion, especially if u are working really hard to find things to complain about. Ditteaux to this, in fact I think most of us in this area are this way, and that's a big part of why we ostensibly lag nationwide. "Presentation" is also overrated IMO. I'm going to eat it.
July 14, 20168 yr Because I worked in the industry for a long time, I am particular about service. With a million restaurants to choose from (and yes, we have a great food scene), service is really important. There are places I simply won't go back to because the service is terrible, the owner is rude, it takes an hour to get your check or whatever.
July 14, 20168 yr When I dine with my sister, a former waitress at cheap and expensive restaurants, I get a new appreciation for the attention to detail that good service offers. My sister also great compassion AND harsh criticism for restaurant servers, depending on what she sees. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 14, 20168 yr ^Yep. Service is really what can distinguish a place and actually bring you back even if the food isn't the best you've ever had. I know I tend to gravitate more to places where they know me and give me personal service more so than the places I know have the best food in town.
July 14, 20168 yr Ill say this, I certainly NOTICE and APPRECIATE when the service is impeccable, ala Symons places, and Spice in Gordon Square, etc. But if its not at that level, im certainly not critical. I will be critical if my time is wasted, im treated like crap, or they botch the whole process of ordering a meal...but even then, my response is like "OK, they have some work to do, ill give them another shot in a year",
July 21, 20168 yr Short but great article in Fortune: http://fortune.com/2016/07/21/the-one-thing-republicans-can-agree-on-in-cleveland/
July 23, 20168 yr Why the RNC Won’t Do a Thing for Cleveland The city has poured civic energy and hundreds of millions of dollars into the event. It’s unlikely to get much back. By Alex Baca Two upcoming megaprojects include a new downtown courthouse and jail, and the Opportunity Corridor: a 3.5-mile, $331 million boulevard that will essentially make it much easier for Cleveland Clinic staffers to bypass some of the city’s poorest, blackest neighborhoods. This is to say nothing of the region’s transportation woes. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority has cut routes, raised fares, and will likely lose $18 million annually beginning in 2017. Though public transit was a key factor in attracting the RNC, the state doesn’t even want to fund it. (The Fiscal Times estimates the RNC will cost $114 million, half of which will be covered by taxpayers—that number alone could’ve vanquished the GCRTA’s budget gap.) http://www.slate.com/articles/business/metropolis/2016/07/the_republican_national_convention_was_supposed_to_boost_cleveland_it_probably.html
July 23, 20168 yr ^ Civic leaders have sold the RNC as a magic wand to correct the city’s ills—or at least bring a significant influx of cash. There are good reasons to doubt them on both counts. No civic leader promised any magic wand or influx of cash. Strawman journalism.
July 23, 20168 yr ^Yeah, that was pretty weak. They said the RNC would be a boost in economy and image -- but by no means, a magic bullet.
July 23, 20168 yr ^Yeah, that was pretty weak. They said the RNC would be a boost in economy and image -- but by no means, a magic bullet. Right! And I think this is virtually the only bad publicity I've seen. p.s. It was nice to read people from Pittsburgh sticking up for Cleveland in the comments section.
July 23, 20168 yr ^^But the OC and transit stuff is legit, in addition to the fact that in many cases local businesses, like bars and restaurants, lost money rather than made it during the RNC.
July 23, 20168 yr A lot of places did lose money, but that's the city's fault. They broadcasted fear for everyone to stay away and they did. What ended up happening was downtown was a ghost town everywhere except E4th street.
July 23, 20168 yr ^Where/when specifically did the city broadcast fear? I think the staying away has more to do with the current sociopolitical climate of the country then anything the city did.
July 23, 20168 yr News organizations and downtown employers were consistently telling people to stay away. Not once did the city try and refute that. Consequently the only people who were downtown were the 50,000 visitors. A lot, but less than a normal, non-event day.
July 23, 20168 yr ^So what you meant was the absence of large crowds were because of downtown employers and news organizations saying to stay away? There were plenty of news articles throughout the lead up to the RNC saying the city was ready.
July 23, 20168 yr News organizations and downtown employers were consistently telling people to stay away. Not once did the city try and refute that. Consequently the only people who were downtown were the 50,000 visitors. A lot, but less than a normal, non-event day. My office building downtown was dead. E&Y tower. Parking lot was empty. All the big employers told employees to work remotely or use Akron office etc
July 23, 20168 yr A lot of places did lose money, but that's the city's fault. They broadcasted fear for everyone to stay away and they did. What ended up happening was downtown was a ghost town everywhere except E4th street. I don't disagree... can you believe it, even the strip joints were hurting!! ... and Republicans love the, er, gentlemen's clubs.
July 24, 20168 yr A lot of places did lose money, but that's the city's fault. They broadcasted fear for everyone to stay away and they did. What ended up happening was downtown was a ghost town everywhere except E4th street. I don't disagree... can you believe it, even the strip joints were hurting!! ... and Republicans love the, er, gentlemen's clubs. Right!? I only made $201 this week. So am I right that the RNC probably wasn't worth having here? Would there happen to be any estimates on how much money it generated for the city AFTER expenses? That would be interesting to know. In all fairness, those who avoided the downtown area probably still went out in other parts of the city, so it's safe to say that the city probably did make money from this. It seems to me that hotel tax would be the biggest direct source of income but I'm not sure how that works. Maybe the state or county benefited more than Cleveland. That would be crazy if that were the case yet the county and state weren't required to invest in the RNC. I'm not going to pretend that I'm an expert and know off hand all of the extra expenses (and God knows hidden costs) but I was just thinking that when you have to pay so many officers time and a half, including those officers they recruited from other cities, that alone could seriously rack up a tab. It's also a very inconvenient time to pool your police force into one small area. The week before the RNC was the most violent/crime-ridden week this year in Cleveland (and probably most other cities since its cyclical.)
July 24, 20168 yr I can tell you firsthand that every out of towner I met during the RNC was thoroughly impressed with Cleveland! All said they look forward to coming back to explore our region more. That is incredible for Cleveland and well worth hosting this convention. I was part of the design team that designed the set for the convention and all the delegates said that Cleveland was the best convention city they have been a part of. The food, the venues, Downtown walkability, the hotels, the museums, the lakefront , and mostly the people was impressive. I couldn't agree more with the assessment. I was born and raised in Cleveland and moved to Los Angeles 25 years ago. I have been singing Cleveland's greatness for years and was honored to show the world what we all have known. This event will pay off for years to come.
July 24, 20168 yr I can tell you firsthand that every out of towner I met during the RNC was thoroughly impressed with Cleveland! All said they look forward to coming back to explore our region more. That is incredible for Cleveland and well worth hosting this convention. I was part of the design team that designed the set for the convention and all the delegates said that Cleveland was the best convention city they have been a part of. The food, the venues, Downtown walkability, the hotels, the museums, the lakefront , and mostly the people was impressive. I couldn't agree more with the assessment. I was born and raised in Cleveland and moved to Los Angeles 25 years ago. I have been singing Cleveland's greatness for years and was honored to show the world what we all have known. This event will pay off for years to come. Exactly. What you mentioned are the returns we'll be getting. People saw we are not the mistake by the lake, that we have a lot to offeread, so that next time Cleveland comes up on a short list to host a big event there won't be as much skepticism. Most of the time when people come here they are impressed and this event exposed our city to thousands more tourists, media and event planners. Cleveland left a food impression on them and that will be on their minds when they think of us again.
July 24, 20168 yr I can tell you firsthand that every out of towner I met during the RNC was thoroughly impressed with Cleveland! All said they look forward to coming back to explore our region more. That is incredible for Cleveland and well worth hosting this convention. I was part of the design team that designed the set for the convention and all the delegates said that Cleveland was the best convention city they have been a part of. The food, the venues, Downtown walkability, the hotels, the museums, the lakefront , and mostly the people was impressive. I couldn't agree more with the assessment. I was born and raised in Cleveland and moved to Los Angeles 25 years ago. I have been singing Cleveland's greatness for years and was honored to show the world what we all have known. This event will pay off for years to come. Exactly. What you mentioned are the returns we'll be getting. People saw we are not the mistake by the lake, that we have a lot to offeread, so that next time Cleveland comes up on a short list to host a big event there won't be as much skepticism. Most of the time when people come here they are impressed and this event exposed our city to thousands more tourists, media and event planners. Cleveland left a food impression on them and that will be on their minds when they think of us again. Oh I totally agree with you. Dave Gilbert has even said hosting this event was never about the direct spending, it's about exposure (which Cleveland scored a gold for). I guess my point was only that locals stayed far away for reasons that never materialized. And that was unnecessary. The event was definitely still a success.
August 1, 20168 yr http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2016/07/30/cleveland-tourism-attractions-dining/87662838/ This article was on the USA Today homepage. It's a really well-written article, and the writer seems to really have done their homework. Even the captions to each of the pictures have full paragraphs completely explaining the picture. These are the type of articles our city needs more of.
August 1, 20168 yr Overall good, but they misnamed/mislabled the city's most famous building, calling it the "Tower City Center Building"
August 1, 20168 yr Also this: "Private companies have invested heavily in the downtown, including Hilton’s gleaming new 32-story downtown hotel overlooking the FirstEnergy Stadium where the Cleveland Browns play."
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