Thanksgiving allowed me to venture up from Cincinnati to the Great White North to visit with the family over the long weekend. I hadn't been downtown in nearly a year, so I managed to drag a few friends along to get caught up in the holiday festivities at and around Public Square.

 

 

This was the first time I had seen the completed Convention Center, and I have to admit, I rather like it. Very unobtrusive, and the Mall looks great now.

 

That's some nonstandard English right there...

 

 

 

Your money is safe with them.

 

 

Cleveland has some magnificent interior spaces.

 

 

I'm still not used to it being FirstEnergy Stadium.

 

 

Superior basking in the warm glow of a slowly setting sun.

 

The line for the free carriage rides was insane. Wrapped down Superior and around the corner at E. 3rd.

 

 

The perks of being an oil monopolist.

 

I really wish I had a better camera than my point-and-shoot. Everything looks grainy at full size and less than perfect lighting.

 

 

 

 

I think my one of my favorite things about E. 4th/ Euclid is the great signage. Such a lost art these days, and it really makes the corridor feel "urban" and alive.

 

 

LOVE the new 5th Street Arcade sign.

 

 

It was good to see so many people wandering the arcades on Small Business Saturday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I miss the big airships that used to hang over the atrium.

 

 

Hey there, beautiful.

 

I love the architecture along West Prospect, but it really isn't terribly pedestrian-friendly. Very monolithic and beige.

 

The new Horseshoe skywalk.

 

I want to go into this building some time. Hell, I want to go into a lot of Downtown's buildings some time.

 

 

This could have been a nice shot down Prospect, but someone decided to build a skywalk over the intersection.

 

 

At least Horseshoe put some window displays up. They were rather nice.

 

 

 

First time in Old Stone Church. Lovely space.

 

 

 

 

It's been a long time since I've seen Tower City this busy. Makes me miss the Warner Bros. store and the Train Store.

 

 

The Terminal Tower is a leg lamp this year.

 

 

 

 

Happy Fourth of... er... Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

 

I really wish this one would have turned out, but it's dangerous to spend too much time in a crosswalk.

 

 

Goodnight Cleveland! Off to B Spot for dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Niiice.

Awesome set!  I was there too...you captured it all.

How was dinner? :)

I went to Winterfest with my youngest niece and had a fun time. The arcades in particular were charming and heavilly occupied. Oh, and the Allen theater looks great - my first time there since construction.

 

The libraries also had events and a train depot at Stokes basement - but the highlight of the trip was going to the third or 4th floor of Stokes, and looking at 100s of photos of Cleveland. Best part of the day - one can spend many many hours looking at the city's history (organized in hundreds of subcategories via index).

 

And they give you gloves too!

Tower City seems to get worse every year during winterfest. Less and less decorations. They should keep the observation deck open later too during the event to see the lights on.

Great set, thanks! Although, that skywalk is worse than I imagined. Is it just the perspective or is it 2x as tall as it needs to be?

^ In person the skywalk is actually not that bad. Its low making it not really ruin any views. Going west on Prospect its hard to even notice.

Good stuff. Always thought downtown CLE did the Holidays well.

^^Bah. Skywalk apologist!

How was dinner? :)

It was delicious, as always! I'm a big fan of B Spot. One of the area's best burgers.

 

^ In person the skywalk is actually not that bad. Its low making it not really ruin any views. Going west on Prospect its hard to even notice.

 

Honestly, the Prospect/Ontario intersection wasn't terribly architecturally interesting to begin with, so it isn't a huge aesthetic loss in my opinion. I completely understand why people are opposed to it though - we'll see if it has a negative impact on the streetscape. Let's hope not.

It was barely noticeable

Big muchado about nothing

 

Great set!  You really captured the feeling of the event.  You also caught local development celebrity Ari Maron on camera!

Wondrous. 

Love all the people downtown! Looks like a great place to celebrate the holidays, but is there an ice rink somewhere? That's a huge draw to Fountain Square (Cincinnati) in the winter.  Also, those horses above the casino entrance are...interesting.

Love all the people downtown! Looks like a great place to celebrate the holidays, but is there an ice rink somewhere? That's a huge draw to Fountain Square (Cincinnati) in the winter.  Also, those horses above the casino entrance are...interesting.

There is one in University Circle, I feel as if one was proposed in the Public Square renovation.

There used to be a rink in Public Square.  I think Jane ousted it.

Is the University Circle rink still made out of that plastic "fake ice"? We went there back in 2011 and it was the worst rink I ever tried to skate on. We waddled around on it for a few minutes and just called it quits and went to Mama Santa's instead.

Yes, it is "synthetic ice".  I believe the one that used to be on Public Square was real ice.

^ you sure?  Last year it was real ice.  With how successful it was, I presume it is again this year.  Video link from last year: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/entertainment/around_town/19th-annual-Holiday-CircleFest-in-Cleveland-offers-reindeer-carriage-rides-ice-skating

Thanks for posting these - I've been under the weather and couldn't make it out for the festivities. Looks like a lot of people were able to enjoy it - thanks for the pics!

The first time I went into Old Stone Church (on Christmas Eve to hear music, etc) I was a bit underwhelmed. I expected some of the extravagance you see at many old Catholic churches in the city. It looked like the inside of an old New England town hall when I realized that's pretty much what it is being a Presbyterian church founded by members of the Connecticut Western Reserve. That helped me appreciate it that much more.

 

As someone with elderly parents who can't get around much anymore, there is something wonderfully nice about this picture. It tells me these folks are taking in life's joys when and how you can get them....