The following are a hodge-podge of photos from lunch breaks, to Gay Games events, etc.

 

 

For those of you who complain about waiting for an elevator at your office, imagine having to hike it up here (or down from!) in bad weather:

 

These guys have a great view of the construction:

 

Taking a break.

 

 

 

 

The best things in life are...? Don't panic, the Free Stamp is undergoing a complete restoration - it's all good:

 

A brief errand took us to Willoughby one weekend - I had my camera even though the forecasts weren't ideal. Sometimes that's okay.

 

 

 

 

Fortunately, our summer hasn't been a washout - here are the crew prepping one of the installations for the AHA! lighting event coinciding with the Gay Games:

 

I remember people wondering if the roof of the convention center would really attract people - looks like it did the day I snapped this pic (and then some during the AHA! event):

 

Actually I've noticed a substantial uptick in pedestrian traffic throughout downtown this summer:

 

 

Maybe, just maybe - things are finally looking up?  :wink:

 

 

One big draw this season is Walnut Wednesdays at Perk Park - even if the weather's bad, there's still a decent crowd. If the forecast is good, get there by 11:30 if you don't want to wait in a long line.

 

 

 

 

 

Not that the east side of downtown has the monopoly on happening things - Phase II of the Flats East Bank:

 

 

 

 

I wasn't able to attend any of the competitions at the Gay Games (just related events), but I definitely noticed quite a few businesses showing support and the pedestrian traffic had a slightly more 'FABulous' touch ;-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of rebuilding, workers at the Residences at 1717 (fka East Ohio Gas Building):

 

Cornice rebuilding at the Swetland Building, part of the Geis development at East 9th and Euclid:

 

 

 

 

Not to say that all of downtown is on the upswing - the Galleria; slated to be the new home of the downtown YMCA but until that gets underway  :|

 

 

But let's get over to the setup for the Gay Games Festival Village before the Friday night event gets started. I heard someone suggest that the corporate community wasn't supportive. For those who suggested that, I'd say a photo is worth a thousand words:

 

I got nothing:

 

Not a shabby backdrop if you ask me:

 

Speaking of backdrops, let's backtrack a little - I got some skyline shots before the opening ceremony but didn't get a chance to post these, taken before the Terminal Tower was lit in the colors of the LGBT Pride flag:

 

 

 

 

Let's track back to daytime - a quick stop at Tower City Center:

 

Walking up Euclid:

 

At Playhouse Square - not related to the Gay Games, just a game of cornhole.  :-D

 

Obligatory architecture shots:

 

 

 

Finally, let's get over to the Festival Village again for the Friday night event - the headliner was Ana Matronic, lead singer of The Scissor Sisters, followed by Rob Sherwood, who has been a staple on the Cleveland club circuit - both did a fantastic job.

 

 

 

 

 

Cleveland festivals tend to be a bit eclectic - here are some aerosol art pieces (well, one of them *might* be a Photoshop job ;-) ).

 

 

 

 

This was a popular photo spot:

 

 

 

 

 

Sun starts to set, the crowd begins to grow:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was kicking myself for not bringing a tripod - this shot could have been so much better but you get the idea:

 

Ana Matronic - played a great but too short set:

 

 

The rest of the night, we danced our tushes off to some great house music from DJ Rob Sherwood:

 

 

Hope you enjoyed!

 

 

Outstanding.  Downtown looks awesome in those shots.  The Sweatland Builidng looks amazing now with a cornice.

Lots of great shots! Great to see the construction progress that has happened since I visited in June.

I'm going to have nightmares thanks to Key Bank.

 

Awesome set. My faves:

 

http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/cle0814/cle0814_30.jpg

 

http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/cle0814/cle0814_63.jpg

 

ColDayMan[/member] That KeyBank character often appears at Cavs and Indians games. It is by far the scariest, smiling thing I've ever seen.

Great pics. It's stunning how the great design of Perk Park has enlivened that part of the city.  That right there should be our response to people who don't think the city should be spending money on revamping Public Square or creating greenways to connect different parts of downtown. To semi-quote Field of Dreams, "If you build it, and build it right, they will come."

True story, I was working in KeyBank's marketing department when 'KeyToon' was created. They also had a giveaway of a KeyToon plush toy to promote the character - let's just say the first version wasn't quite clearly shaped as a key and got plenty of complaints from the more prudish customers.

MayDay I happened to find myself at the very beginning of the photo thread and looked through some of your pictures from about 10 years ago in 2004/5... the transformation in the city is remarkable to see.  These pics are awesome, so much life on the streets now!