Hi everyone!

 

Some of the veteran posters here may recall that I ran the Emerging Cleveland tours for ex-pats returning to Cleveland at the holidays.

I'm excited to say I've turned the idea of those tours into a book, called 'New to Cleveland: A Guide to (re)Discovering the City.' I wrote it as an introduction to urban living in Cleveland, with an eye to newcomers but also in the hope that it would be useful/interesting to folks who've lived in the area for a long time. The book includes neighborhood guides, overviews, walking tours and maps.

 

Most excitingly, though, it features 50+ illustrations by local artist Julia Kuo (100 Days in Cleveland). I'm so excited to have Julia's work featured -- it's fresh & creative. The book is 240 pages, full-color throughout, and designed by local designer Lee Zelenak -- so I think the book is as beautiful as it is functional.

 

Julia and I collaborated to self-publish the book and used a local printer, so it's a 100% local product.

 

You can find out more here!

http://www.newtoclevelandbook.com

 

Also, I'd like to invite everyone from UO to our launch party for the book, which is Wednesday, Dec. 14 from 7-9 p.m. at the Happy Dog. Stop by and say hello!

 

Take care everyone, and thanks to this board for giving me a place to learn about the latest developments in the City and an outlet to gush about my passion for the City over the years!

Congratulations and welcome to the "Cleveland book club"! :-)

Hi everyone!

 

Some of the veteran posters here may recall that I ran the Emerging Cleveland tours for ex-pats returning to Cleveland at the holidays.

I'm excited to say I've turned the idea of those tours into a book, called 'New to Cleveland: A Guide to (re)Discovering the City.' I wrote it as an introduction to urban living in Cleveland, with an eye to newcomers but also in the hope that it would be useful/interesting to folks who've lived in the area for a long time. The book includes neighborhood guides, overviews, walking tours and maps.

 

Most excitingly, though, it features 50+ illustrations by local artist Julia Kuo (100 Days in Cleveland). I'm so excited to have Julia's work featured -- it's fresh & creative. The book is 240 pages, full-color throughout, and designed by local designer Lee Zelenak -- so I think the book is as beautiful as it is functional.

 

Julia and I collaborated to self-publish the book and used a local printer, so it's a 100% local product.

 

You can find out more here!

http://www.newtoclevelandbook.com

 

Also, I'd like to invite everyone from UO to our launch party for the book, which is Wednesday, Dec. 14 from 7-9 p.m. at the Happy Dog. Stop by and say hello!

 

Take care everyone, and thanks to this board for giving me a place to learn about the latest developments in the City and an outlet to gush about my passion for the City over the years!

 

Congrats Blinky!!!  Wishing you nothing but success!

I already bought a copy online and am also looking forward to the book launch at The Happy Dog on the 14th of December.

That's awesome and an amazing accomplishment! Congratulations!

Nice work!  Hopefully it makes its way into welcome materials from the Clinic, UH and other groups that attract a lot of newcomers.

^ hopefully it makes it's way to w'burg, bushwick n redhook too where its also needed - lol!

 

congrats blink n i especially applaud you passing over big publishing and keeping it local...and real.

 

 

Looks awesome!

 

Btw, could possibly free up your mailbox so I could send you a PM. Thanks!

Thanks everyone. Yeah, I'm pretty excited about it!

 

Cleveland,Ohio - message box now clear. Looking forward to hearing from you.

 

Hope to see you all tomorrow night at the Happy Dog!

Congrats, Blinker!  Can't wait to order this for my move back to Cleveland. 

Congrats, Blinker!  Can't wait to order this for my girlfriend who is moving with me to Cleveland in October. 

 

Not for 10+ months?

I just ordered this book for my sister.  She's moving here in Jan.  Awesome job Blinker!!

I just ordered this book for my sister.  She's moving here in Jan.  Awesome job Blinker!!

 

Keep 'em coming, people! We got to get the city back up to 500,000 and the metro over 3 million, then go from there! ;)

Great crowd @ the Happy Dog yesterday!!

The place was packed to the teeth.

I'm sure you've already thought of this but it would be a great idea to try to have the Cle Clothing Co sell this at their stores along with Room Service and any other local stores that sell "Cleveland" items.

I'm sure you've already thought of this but it would be a great idea to try to have the Cle Clothing Co sell this at their stores along with Room Service and any other local stores that sell "Cleveland" items.

 

Lol I actually mentioned it to Cle Clothing Co and they said they would be selling it.

 

EDIT: I think many of my Christmas gifts with year with be Harvey Pekar's "History of Cleveland" and this book.

 

 

Not for 10+ months?

 

Haha!  We're still in school. 

 

Haha!  We're still in school. 

 

I suspected it was something like that -- either that or she was planning to retire in 10 months! ;)

Very nice, Blinker.  A copy will soon be mine.

Good review from the PD:

 

The guide 'new to Cleveland' is smart, elegant and self-published

Published: Sunday, January 08, 2012, 6:37 PM   

Karen R. Long, The Plain Dealer

 

 

Out of harsh experience, I approach self-published books like an extra in "The Hurt Locker."

 

It took writer Justin Glanville, artist Julia Kuo and designer Lee Zelenak to school me on how this route can lead to a happy ending. Their collaboration, "new to Cleveland: a Guide to (Re)Discovering the City" is a marvel -- elegant, casual, informative, smart.

 

Released last month, the book is a refreshing step away from civic Babbitry. It squares up to the vacant lots, foreclosures and poverty here, but also makes a compelling, neighborhood-by-neighborhood case that Cleveland is an increasingly hip, engaging bargain for those with eyes to see.

 

"To live in Cleveland is in some ways an endorsement of a different set of values: a kind of DIY, community-oriented ethos that's not too concerned with what the coasts think," writes Glanville. "Living in Cleveland is a bit nonconformist. (Fun, right?)"

 

http://www.cleveland.com/books/index.ssf/2012/01/the_guide_new_to_cleveland_is.html

I bought a copy when I saw the article in the PD. Great book. Delivered fast. Great artwork.

I bought a copy when I saw the article in the PD. Great book. Delivered fast. Great artwork.

 

Ditto.  Felt silly when I found out my sister knows the author and I paid $5 for it to be shipped 15 blocks!

 

 

So I was interviewed today at my downtown office by a young man from Indiana University doing a research project. The student's full-time home is just outside New York City. We had a little bit of time afterwards, so I take him for a walk around downtown. He's also interested in rail and transit so I take him to Tower City Center to give him a tour of the building and show him what is and was where, etc.

 

As we walk in from Public Square, there's a guy puking on the side of the building right by the entrance. Fortunately the young man recovered quickly from seeing that, noting "I guess you see all kinds of things in the city don't you?" I replied that you sure see a lot more extremes, both good and bad.

 

Still, not exactly the most scenic thing to offer on a downtown tour.....

Hahaha that was some bad luck! Hopefully th inside blew him away enough to forget that lol

He liked the interiors. Definitely.

Hahaha that was some bad luck! Hopefully th inside blew him away enough to forget that lol

if he lives outside of NYC, I'm sure he's seen much worse and most likely the coomment translated to "it could happen anywhere".  and it can.

 

Personally, I dont give a ---- what others think about our city, we need to make the city a place where Clevelanders (NE Ohioan's) are proud of, love, fully embrace and have reasonable and high expectations about how the city is managed and developed going forward.

^Well, bums puking on the sidewalk don't help with Clevelanders' perceptions of Cleveland any more than they help tourists perceptions.  In fact, I think the two are less likely to clash than most people like to think.

^Well, bums puking on the sidewalk don't help with Clevelanders' perceptions of Cleveland any more than they help tourists perceptions.  In fact, I think the two are less likely to clash than most people like to think.

 

Bum?  Who said it was a bum? Did KJP say it was a bum or are you assuming? :?  It could  have been a sick person, a drunk kid, a number of reason.  Nowhere did KJP say "bum" or "homeless" person.  Now if he comes back and says it was vagrant, then i'll accept that.

 

I myself have barfed on Prospect, St. Clair, Frankfort, avenue and I'm not bum.  Why is the person tossing their cookies immediate identified as a bum?  That "thinking" is part of our regions problem.  It's not attractive, it shouldn't happen, but we don't know the situation that led to him puking.  Do we X??

It was a bum. X lives downtown. He knows! ;)

 

I think X also told me once about some tall, fashionable-looking Latino bum he saw puking on Prospect, St. Clair and Frankfort.... 

It was a bum. X lives downtown. He knows! ;)

 

Now we're clear.  However, I've worked downtown as well and have seem many dressed professionals and other throw up on the street also.

 

It was the late 80's/early 90s.  He was too young to know me!  Besides, back then me tossing my cookies was less interesting than the activities going on around in downtown Cleveland after midnight!

 

Granted I did throw up on partially on the rapid and on 55th St last spring.  Yet I owned up too it and asked the next driver to alert them that I did it and to have someone clean it up ASAP.

Granted I did throw up on partially on the rapid and on 55th St last spring.  Yet I owned up too it and asked the next driver to alert them that I did it and to have someone clean it up ASAP.

 

Now I remember you!

 

Dude, WTF? I'm changing your name to RALPH!

I assumed, because this sounded like a daylight vomiting incident.  If they're vomiting during daylight hours, and it's not St Patty's day, they are probably a bum.  Better than 9 times out of 10.