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."

 

 

Pretty lazy...

Originally Published: August 11, 2017 12:25 PM  Modified: August 11, 2017 1:07 PM

EDITOR'S CHOICE -- SCOTT SUTTELL

Cleveland experiments with the power of positive thinking

By Scott Suttell

 

"Cleveland, like many Rust Belt cities, has both an image and a self-image problem."

That's how Aaron Renn, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research who blogs at Urbanophile.com, starts a strong post about the city and its residents, headlined, "Changing the narrative in Cleveland," which ultimately has an upbeat take on the city's prospects.

From the post:

Cleveland, like many Rust Belt cities, has both an image and a self-image problem. Its residents have simultaneously had passion and loyalty for the city, while also being filled with shame about it and relentlessly negative and fatalistic about its future. Again, this is something that is the case for any number of places.

This is a problem because the economy runs on expectations. Why do you start a business doing X? Because you expect to make a profit at it. Why move to city Y? Because you expect the job you have there will be a good fit or you otherwise expect that you are going to find personal satisfaction there. ...

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20170811/BLOGS03/170819955/cleveland-experiments-with-the-power-of-positive-thinking#utm_medium=email&utm_source=ccl-morningroundup&utm_campaign=ccl-morningroundup-20170812&email_realestate

What's up with the Independent?

 

"Imagine living in a city whose unfortunate nickname is “The mistake on the lake”. That is what the people of Cleveland, Ohio must endure....A century ago, Cleveland was the fifth-largest US city, with a population racing towards one milllion; today, with fewer than 400,000 inhabitants, it doesn’t even make the top 50. And that helps to explain why Cleveland has no direct connections with Europe...From May, though, Cleveland is set to get two competing links with the same overseas city.

 

Paris? Amsterdam? Frankfurt? No: Reykjavik.

 

Cleveland-Reykjavik makes an instant appearance on the list of weird flights you never thought you would see...

Now, if you have spent much time in Cleveland, you will understand the appeal of almost anywhere else on the planet...."

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/reykjavik-to-cleveland-cheap-flights-icelandair-wow-air-iceland-usa-routes-a7912981.html

 

 

Speaking of what's up with xxx, the Plain Dealer is currently running a series entitled "A Greater Clevelnd" and used a terrible, depressing graphic as its theme. I complained that it looked like an ad for a toxic waste dump and somebody must have agreed with me. They stopped using it. 

 

I also complained that the stock image they regularly use for the City Hall looks like some place in Sarajevo after the bombing, but they ignored me on that one. The City Hall does NOT look as bad as they portray.  I swear that newspaper has a death wish.

What's up with the Independent?

 

"Imagine living in a city whose unfortunate nickname is “The mistake on the lake”. That is what the people of Cleveland, Ohio must endure....A century ago, Cleveland was the fifth-largest US city, with a population racing towards one milllion; today, with fewer than 400,000 inhabitants, it doesn’t even make the top 50. And that helps to explain why Cleveland has no direct connections with Europe...From May, though, Cleveland is set to get two competing links with the same overseas city.

 

Paris? Amsterdam? Frankfurt? No: Reykjavik.

 

Cleveland-Reykjavik makes an instant appearance on the list of weird flights you never thought you would see...

Now, if you have spent much time in Cleveland, you will understand the appeal of almost anywhere else on the planet...."

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/reykjavik-to-cleveland-cheap-flights-icelandair-wow-air-iceland-usa-routes-a7912981.html

 

 

 

 

i clicked on that and saw one of the brits stepped up and slammed the author lol -- and others are ignoring it completely in comments.

 

i mean yeah, although cool for cleveland it is weird airline routing, no question, but that is no reason to knock the city like that. fine if its your blog, but thats certainly not professional newspaper writing. i don't think i've ever seen anything like the before, what a punk.

Doesn't Iceland partially subsidize flights?

there is speculation about that, for example that part of arranging the cheaper fares are to get people to stay over in iceland a few days:

 

https://insideflyer.com/forums/threads/why-is-icelandair-so-cheap.115483/

 

 

however, wow claims they are not subsidized...

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/wow-air-ceo-made-iceland-irresistible-2016-10

 

 

...but plenty of other world airlines are:

 

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/emirates-confirms-billions-in-government-subsidy-for-airport-terminal-300134208.html

 

 

 

i also found this -- apparently both pittsburgh and their state pay wow iceland airline to fly there -- which cleveland did not have to do at all:

 

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/transportation/2016/11/07/Discount-airline-bringing-wow-prices-to-European-destinations/stories/201611070053

 

 

 

i think the pd summed it up best with this blurb about the situation:

 

 

Importantly, the number of passengers who start or end their trip in Cleveland - so-called origin and destination traffic - now surpasses the number from the United hub days. In large part, that increase is due to stimulated demand from several new low-cost domestic carriers at Hopkins, including Spirit, Frontier, Allegiant and JetBlue.

 

International airlines, apparently, have taken notice.

 

 

 

^ Cle has put up "shared promotional expenses" for both Icelandair and WOW up to $500K a year for two years.  According to the PD, other civic organizations (GCP, DestCLE, etc) have made additional unspecified contributions.

 

Unfortunately, it has become business as usual for cities Cleveland's size to have to "buy" international air routes. Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Nashville, St. Louis, Cincinnati, etc all put up cash in one form or another for recent awards. It's like sports arenas.

oh i didnt see that. i saw hopkins had previously made pitches to these airlines in the recent past, but then the airlines were the ones who came back to hopkins due to their cutthroat competition with each other. anyway that sounds like what pitts did.

Unfortunately, it's not just the airlines that government has to bribe to come to town, it's also pro sports, Hollywood movies (tax credits are offered by many states including us), and many other industries. While competition among private businesses is good for the public, competition among governments basically causes everyone to get screwed.

Calling all UOers!  And for those looking to clock some needed volunteer hours...  ;D

 

REGISTRATION: https://destinationclevols.my-trs.com/

 

Destination Cleveland launches We Are Cleveland volunteer program to welcome visitors

Updated 3:52 AM; Posted 3:00 AM

By Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer, [email protected]

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Wear your Cleveland pride on your sleeve? If so, Destination Cleveland wants you.

 

The region's visitors bureau is launching a We Are Cleveland volunteer program, which aims to use locals to help sell the city to leisure and business travelers.

 

When meetings or conventions are in town, volunteers can:

 

* Welcome attendees at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, providing information on transportation and the city.

 

* Greet attendees at hotels and offer recommendations for things to do during their stay.

 

* Serve as wayfinders for convention attendees, offering directions and answering questions.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/travel/index.ssf/2017/12/destination_cleveland_launches.html

 

 

 

^Just curious, do other cities use local residents in this way or this innovative to Cleveland?  Also, is anyone here considering signing up?