Quote from: Pugu on Today at 08:13:12 AM

I refuse to drive to Columbus to see something that should rightfully be in Cleveland.

 

This quote from Pugu got me thinking that over the years I've gone 2 hours down 71 south for quite a few reasons.

 

-CMH having much cheaper flights than CLE

-Columbus Crew games

-Blue Jackets games

-Columbus Day parade

-Comfest

-concerts at Newport

-Short North Gallery Hop

-Work (commuted for two years)

 

Columbus and Cleveland are very complimentary cities. On the other hand, I almost never go to Pittsburgh or Detroit.

 

 

 

I go to Columbus for Buckeyes games, that's about it

 

But I would probably go down to Cbus more if there were a direct rail connection from Cleveland that could take me right downtown :wink:

There's definitely a threshold that exists, for casual driving to other cities and I think for most people it's about two hours. I would drive from Columbus to Cincinnati for big local events like those you listed, but I don't think I'd drive from Cleveland to Columbus for them. The drive is literally about 20 minutes too long for it to be worth it to me. At least from where I live in Shaker Square.

 

Comfest isn't that great anymore. Word got out and now it's just a place where people know they can get away with getting f--ed up in public and see boobs. There's so many great local events in Cleveland to keep me occupied; I don't think I'll ever see another Gallery Hop or Comfest unless I had other things on my itinerary as well. I just don't see them as "regional" events. People mostly come into town for Blue Jackets and Crew games, conventions (The Arnold,) big concerts like "Rock on the Range," and some other big name concerts. I would argue that most of the people who come in from out of town are there for the conventions and concerts. I've never known anyone to come from that far away just to go to Comfest. I think it's still much more local than people realize and CLE seems to have equivalents of all of those things listed, including cheap flights. Spirit/Frontier don't stop in Columbus but they do stop in CLE. I can catch a $23 flight to major cities all over the U.S. from CLE right now, through those airlines.

 

Not that Columbus isn't a great destination, I love Columbus and those are all great events. I just don't think a lot of people would think that it's worth it to drive two hours for some of those reasons listed.

 

Things that brought me from Columbus to Cleveland while I lived in Columbus: My girlfriend is from here. We met because she was down there going to OSU. We went to Cleveland to visit her family and also for them to show me cool areas like the Flats East Bank, Coventry, Theater District, Rock Hall and University Circle Institutions.

 

Things that caused us to travel to Columbus after moving to Cleveland, include: Friends and coworkers we left behind in Columbus and Gastropubs that we missed lol!

 

It's only been like 4 months though, since we moved. Only time will tell.

Go down to visit friends from school who still live in the area. Used to go every two weeks now about once a quarter.

My dad lives in West Jefferson and that's the only reason.

Ice cream (and it's not Jenny's).

My dad lives in West Jefferson and that's the only reason.

 

c'mon, not even for the Ohio State Fair? :-(

The Ohio State Fair is such a money pit. You can easily spend $50 per person there, without even doing much.  For $50 a person I'm going to go to Cedar Point or Kings Island to get a thrill. However, the Columbus Zoo is definitely a regional or even national destination and well-worth the money. The Columbus Zoo, with all its publicity (Jack Hannah always seems to be live via satellite on all the news stations anytime a wild animal gets loose or is killed inhumanely) still doesn't get the credit and recognition it deserves.

The Ohio State Fair is such a money pit. You can easily spend $50 per person there, without even doing much.  For $50 a person I'm going to go to Cedar Point or Kings Island to get a thrill. However, the Columbus Zoo is definitely a regional or even national destination and well-worth the money. The Columbus Zoo, with all its publicity (Jack Hannah always seems to be live via satellite on all the news stations anytime a wild animal gets loose or is killed inhumanely) still doesn't get the credit and recognition it deserves.

 

Yeah one time when we went to see Dad we went to the C-bus zoo and that was pretty impressive.  Not 120 miles more than Cleveland's, but pretty impressive.

I go to Cleveland to use the rail transit we lack down here. I don't get to travel much these days but Cleveland is close enough for me to enjoy what a "real" city feels like. Columbus could turn into a real city with the addition of rail transit, but most of the people who really care enough to help make it happen bolt for cities that already have it. Which is all major cities except us.

Despite living in Cleveland for 5 years, I only went to Columbus for the first time last year. A band I’m a big fan of, one who usually swings through the Grog Shop, chose instead to play a club on Short North.

 

I stayed downtown at the Marriott on Gay Street. It’s an old bank conversion – pretty cool. I heard a lot about Gay Street and the neighboring area and was expecting something like E4th, but it was nowhere near as good and there weren’t that many people around despite it being Saturday on a really nice summer day and evening. I moseyed around quite a bit and found downtown to feel surprisingly small and as dead as a doornail.

 

The club was at the very north end of Short North and I walked to the gig and back. Short North is great and I enjoyed how lively and walkable it was and with a seemingly good mix of restaurants, retail and residential. Ate at a decent place and had a few drinks in some pretty good bars. The following day I pretty much headed back to Cleveland after getting breakfast at a place over the road.

 

Clearly, I didn’t get out into any of the neighborhoods to see what was going on, but before I went I asked friends and colleagues about what there was to see in the city and no-one could come up with anything that wasn’t on Short North, or wasn’t the zoo. So that’s my impression of the place right now; it has one great street and not much else. Probably unfair I know!

 

A few weeks later a work colleague who is from Columbus asked me what I thought of the place. I told her that it was pretty much what I expected; a mini-Cleveland. Apparently that was the wrong answer…

 

I was tempted to go down to see some the Crew late season and playoff games, but it’s just a bit too far a trip for a 90min soccer game. If Cleveland had a team, I’d be a season-ticket holder.

 

 

 

 

 

Clearly, I didn’t get out into any of the neighborhoods to see what was going on, but before I went I asked friends and colleagues about what there was to see in the city and no-one could come up with anything that wasn’t on Short North, or wasn’t the zoo. So that’s my impression of the place right now; it has one great street and not much else.

 

I'm surprised no one mentioned German Village. It's been decades since I lived in Columbus but GV has to still be the most walkable and historic of all neighborhoods with many fine (and not so fine, but fun) restaurants. I know I'm probably behind the times. In the 70's it was still somewhat youngish and vaguely bohemian, but becoming sort of yuppieish even back then. Someone update me! lol

^About the only time we go to Columbus is to visit our friends, who live in German Village, and they usually set the itinerary. Things like Comfest aren't our cup of tea, but if there's something cool (i.e. Urban Scrawl) we'll check it out. German Village is definitely yuppy-leaning compared to how it was in the 70s.

^I'm glad Juergens is still there! I loved that place. And Rosemarie still the proprietor. Don't know if her husband, who was the baker in the basement, is still around. She had two school age daughters back then who must be in their 40's by now :|. http://www.juergensbakery.com/

 

Clearly, I didnt get out into any of the neighborhoods to see what was going on, but before I went I asked friends and colleagues about what there was to see in the city and no-one could come up with anything that wasnt on Short North, or wasnt the zoo. So thats my impression of the place right now; it has one great street and not much else. Probably unfair I know!

 

To me that's a pretty fair assessment, and also the reason Cbus is not a mini-Cleveland.  While it has the best showpiece urban street in Ohio, that's it-- the rest of the city is barely a city at all.  It is designed around the principles of car-dependence through single-use development. 

 

I still travel to Cbus a few times a year socially and for OSU football.  I'm originally from that area and I'll never be totally disconnected from it, regardless of what I think of its planning philosophies.

To me that's a pretty fair assessment, and also the reason Cbus is not a mini-Cleveland.  While it has the best showpiece urban street in Ohio, that's it-- the rest of the city is barely a city at all.  It is designed around the principles of car-dependence through single-use development.

 

You've got to be kidding me.  Columbus, arguably, has the second most walkable, complete continuous zone of intact neighborhoods in the state, behind Cincinnati (from Old North Columbus through the Ukrainian Village). Even secondary peripheral neighborhoods like Linden or Hilltop having traditional urban bones.  Columbus isn't just Sawmill, Northern Lights/Morse, or Eastmoor.

 

As for this conversation, Columbus and Cleveland both have noteworthy things for visitors from each city to do that are, as one said earlier, complimentary. 

 

Clearly, I didn’t get out into any of the neighborhoods to see what was going on, but before I went I asked friends and colleagues about what there was to see in the city and no-one could come up with anything that wasn’t on Short North, or wasn’t the zoo. So that’s my impression of the place right now; it has one great street and not much else. Probably unfair I know!

 

Next time, please don't be afraid to ask here on places to check out in Columbus.  Visit the German Village, or Grandview, or the resurgence of Olde Towne East and East Franklinton, or even walk around Harrison West.  You'll find plenty of things to do. :)

^ I hate to say it, but ColDayMan is right. The inner, core neighborhoods of Columbus are better than anything in Cleveland, imo. They are all in close proximity to each other and are much more intact than most of Cleveland's neighborhoods. Not to mention, the residential architecture in places like German Village and Victorian Village can't be matched in Cleveland. It took me a while to admit that to myself.

I'm not a Cleveland historian but from what I understand (as with most boom cities; re: Houston in today's time), there really wasn't "time" to organically build a city as the influx of immigrants needed housing and, presumably, the duck-bill housing in Cleveland along with the similar copy/paste sporadic apartment buildings throughout the city were built in a relatively quick fashion in the early 20th century, thus not really having the needed, ornate detailing you'd fine in cities with more "layers" such as a Cincinnati, Boston, Baltimore, New Orleans, Philly, or DC.  Detroit, Buffalo, and Milwaukee are quite similar in that regard to the early 20th century boomtowns due to heavy industry/ports.  Columbus OTOH was more layered in its growth (see German Village versus Driving Park next door, for example) until the 60's/70's when the annexed areas were the "boom" parts so instead of the duck-bill A-frame house Cleveland built, it was the ranch house out in the old township areas, leaving the old, organic city behind.

 

Again, I'm not a Cleveland historian but my observation seems pretty clear.

^ I hate to say it, but ColDayMan is right. The inner, core neighborhoods of Columbus are better than anything in Cleveland, imo. They are all in close proximity to each other and are much more intact than most of Cleveland's neighborhoods. Not to mention, the residential architecture in places like German Village and Victorian Village can't be matched in Cleveland. It took me a while to admit that to myself.

 

I agree. German village, north to downtown, thru Victorian Village, the Short North, OSU, then Clintonville is more contiguous than what we have. I would say the west side of Cleveland with Ohio City and Treemont, but the Cuyahoga River does a great job of breaking the connectivity up even with the bridges and rail line. There is no equivalent street in Cleveland to High Street in Cbus. Euclid was that street once and I would say is better than High Street between Public Square and CSU, then again in University Circle.

^ and ^^ I definitely agree about the neighborhoods off of High Street being in great shape and true gems to walk around. German Village is unique in Ohio just for its scale, and Victorian and Italian Villages and even the areas right off of High around OSU are interesting and highly walkable. And they're all in pretty great shape, which makes them all the more impressive Cbus has a great collection of urban neighborhoods (although downtown is comparatively weaker), but I think the clout of those 'hoods gets unfairly overshadowed by the sprawl that makes up much of the city proper.

 

I've been living in Cincinnati for school and very rarely went to Cbus when I lived up in CLE, but really the only reason I headed up that way was to visit friends at OSU. I'd like to go back to actually spend more time going around the city other than my handful of jaunts through German Village, but all my past trips were for... "college-y" reasons  :drunk: so we didn't get around the city too much.

 

The Powell Zoo is pretty great though. I went to Zoofari a while back and it was a good time. The exhibits at that place make it almost feel like an amusement park more than a zoo.

Next time, please don't be afraid to ask here on places to check out in Columbus.  Visit the German Village, or Grandview, or the resurgence of Olde Towne East and East Franklinton, or even walk around Harrison West.  You'll find plenty of things to do. :)

 

Definitely will! My trip there I think just about preceded my discovering this great forum. Looking back, asking my work colleagues about such things probably wasn't the best idea either, given that 95% of them live the Cleveland East suburban life. You'd struggle to find someone who doesn't live in Mentor, Solon, Mayfield, Hudson etc... 

I think the clout of those 'hoods gets unfairly overshadowed by the sprawl that makes up much of the city proper.

 

Without question, yes.  You can be coming in from Cleveland on I-71 and read "Columbus: Corporate Limit" and be passing the Polaris Mall and think "God, Columbus is sprawly and new!" when in fact it's just a portion of the city.  Basically, 1/3 of the city limits of Columbus is "old, walkable, traditional" (basically the old city + Clintonville) and the rest are old townships annexed by the city and is 70's-90's goodness (j/k)!

I'm not a Cleveland historian but from what I understand (as with most boom cities; re: Houston in today's time), there really wasn't "time" to organically build a city as the influx of immigrants needed housing and, presumably, the duck-bill housing in Cleveland along with the similar copy/paste sporadic apartment buildings throughout the city were built in a relatively quick fashion in the early 20th century, thus not really having the needed, ornate detailing you'd fine in cities with more "layers" such as a Cincinnati, Boston, Baltimore, New Orleans, Philly, or DC.  Detroit, Buffalo, and Milwaukee are quite similar in that regard to the early 20th century boomtowns due to heavy industry/ports.  Columbus OTOH was more layered in its growth (see German Village versus Driving Park next door, for example) until the 60's/70's when the annexed areas were the "boom" parts so instead of the duck-bill A-frame house Cleveland built, it was the ranch house out in the old township areas, leaving the old, organic city behind.

 

Again, I'm not a Cleveland historian but my observation seems pretty clear.

 

I'd say that's accurate. You'll find the more ornate residential architecture in neighborhoods like Ohio City,  here and there in Tremont, a small amount in Brooklyn Centre, and a few others. Unfortunately, our best residential areas on the east side of Cleveland, especially on Euclid and Prospect, that would have rivaled parts of Columbus and Cincinnati in beauty were completely wiped out.

 

Edit: To take this further off topic, but gives me an idea: has anyone ever written a comprehensive piece on the history of residential architecture in Cleveland? It would be interesting to see why certain housing exists in certain areas and what the ages of houses are in different neighborhoods. If not, it seems like it would be a fun thing for some of us to take on. 

It makes sense Ohio City and Tremont having more ornate housing as Cleveland and Columbus were similar in size for a while in the 1800's until Cleveland 1890 boom (which Columbus did not have).  So instead of the 1800's straight to the 1960's housing stock you'd find in Columbus, you'll essentially find "small town, organic Cleveland" in those inner-neighborhoods and then BOOM, duck-bill/A-frame homes along with human-scaled apartment buildings stretching for miles.  Detroit is like that with Corktown and Buffalo with Allentown.

^ I hate to say it, but ColDayMan is right. The inner, core neighborhoods of Columbus are better than anything in Cleveland, imo. They are all in close proximity to each other and are much more intact than most of Cleveland's neighborhoods. Not to mention, the residential architecture in places like German Village and Victorian Village can't be matched in Cleveland. It took me a while to admit that to myself.

 

Just to be clear, I'm on board with that too.  And my reference to High Street was meant to include South High as well as the neighborhoods along High in both directions.  But I wouldn't say that Broad Street (including the neighborhoods along it) is similarly competitive in the destination sense.  COSI and the conservatory are standout features though, and it's great to see mixed use development in Grandview and neighborhoods along Broad getting fixed up. 

 

Housing stock, while important and an area in which inner-city Columbus excels, isn't all that pertinent to visitors.  Commercial/entertainment districts are.  In Columbus those are concentrated along one street, which clearly offers advantages.  In Cleveland those districts are more numerous and scattered throughout the city.  Most of them are wrecked but they're all over the place, which also offers advantages. 

Honestly...it's to go to the Japanese grocery and bakery. There's really little to none Japanese population here in Cleveland. I think the Japanese and Korean food is better in Columbus too.

 

One of my best friends lives there, so that's another good reason!

The Ohio State Fair is such a money pit. You can easily spend $50 per person there, without even doing much.  For $50 a person I'm going to go to Cedar Point or Kings Island to get a thrill. However, the Columbus Zoo is definitely a regional or even national destination and well-worth the money. The Columbus Zoo, with all its publicity (Jack Hannah always seems to be live via satellite on all the news stations anytime a wild animal gets loose or is killed inhumanely) still doesn't get the credit and recognition it deserves.

 

My Clevelander parents happened to drive down one Saturday to visit this past summer and I ended up taking them to the fair. It was my third time at the fair, and the first two times I agreed with you - I thought it was a money pit and wasn't much fun. But, this year I figured it out and we had a great time. The key is to avoid all the carnival stuff. There's lots of art, exhibits, and animals that easily make for a day's worth of fun without spending anything other than admission and a bit of food. My parents are not country people so they were skeptical about all the farm stuff, but they ended up loving the animals as well as the prize-winning cucumbers and tomatoes. We barely walked into the carnival area.

I have a ton of friends from college that moved to Columbus or stayed there after graduating from OSU.  I'm the lone Clevelander.  I go down there to visit for OSU football games in the fall and otherwise visit friends but everyone has kids and lives in the burbs now so we don't spend much time downtown.  They come up here and I take them on a bar crawl around Ohio City or Gordon Square and the love it.  Everyone comments how different/gritty Cleveland is with the industrial vibe, railroads, old factories still lurking...  none of that in Columbus

And now for the main question of the thread. I'm a native of the CLE eastside suburbs and I've been living in the Short North area (Harrison West) for five years. The two cities are definitely complimentary. I'm going to go to grad school for planning next year either at CSU or OSU, and I'm torn on which one I want to attend. Some random thoughts:

 

-As echoed above, Columbus' continuity of desirable urban neighborhoods, primarily along High Street, is a great asset both for walkability as well as bikeability and busability. It's great to cruise High Street on a weekend night in the summer. Miles of activity. In CLE, the resurging neighborhoods are all separated by giant valleys and bridges and in some cases, swaths of urban prairie.

 

I do wish we had more commercial streets in Columbus as opposed to just one. But for the area between 315 and 71, you usually aren't too far of a walk from High Street and what it has to offer.

 

-Also mentioned above, Columbus has a superior housing stock... mainly the near North and East sides, though GV has some nice ones as well. Can't beat a jog down Neil Ave in the summer. Bliss.

 

-Cleveland has a vastly superior downtown proper. Columbus' 1950s-1960s utilitarian skyscrapers just don't compare to the gilded age grandeur of downtown CLE. Combine that with a rail system, a shoreline, more storied history, and national recognition, and the end result is that Cleveland makes me "feel" more like I'm in a major metropolis than Columbus does.

 

-Continuing that line of thought, Cleveland has abandoned downtown buildings to convert into apartments, grocery stores, and hotel complexes. There is just nothing in downtown Columbus like the 9.

 

-Cleveland has the ethic influence. Columbus can feel generic at times. Though, if you learn where to look, the city does have pockets of some of the same ethnic groups found in Cleveland, albeit on a smaller scale.

 

I travel between the two often, mostly for family and friends. When I make it up to Cleveland I get my fix of ethnic foods, big-city "feel," the Rapid, and national recognition.

I have only gone out of my way to go to COLS for business, to see specific people who live in the area, or, mostly growing up, to go to the Greek Festival there.

And now for the main question of the thread. I'm a native of the CLE eastside suburbs and I've been living in the Short North area (Harrison West) for five years. The two cities are definitely complimentary. I'm going to go to grad school for planning next year either at CSU or OSU, and I'm torn on which one I want to attend. Some random thoughts:

 

-As echoed above, Columbus' continuity of desirable urban neighborhoods, primarily along High Street, is a great asset both for walkability as well as bikeability and busability. It's great to cruise High Street on a weekend night in the summer. Miles of activity. In CLE, the resurging neighborhoods are all separated by giant valleys and bridges and in some cases, swaths of urban prairie.

 

I do wish we had more commercial streets in Columbus as opposed to just one. But for the area between 315 and 71, you usually aren't too far of a walk from High Street and what it has to offer.

 

-Also mentioned above, Columbus has a superior housing stock... mainly the near North and East sides, though GV has some nice ones as well. Can't beat a jog down Neil Ave in the summer. Bliss.

 

-Cleveland has a vastly superior downtown proper. Columbus' 1950s-1960s utilitarian skyscrapers just don't compare to the gilded age grandeur of downtown CLE. Combine that with a rail system, a shoreline, more storied history, and national recognition, and the end result is that Cleveland makes me "feel" more like I'm in a major metropolis than Columbus does.

 

-Continuing that line of thought, Cleveland has abandoned downtown buildings to convert into apartments, grocery stores, and hotel complexes. There is just nothing in downtown Columbus like the 9.

 

-Cleveland has the ethic influence. Columbus can feel generic at times. Though, if you learn where to look, the city does have pockets of some of the same ethnic groups found in Cleveland, albeit on a smaller scale.

 

I travel between the two often, mostly for family and friends. When I make it up to Cleveland I get my fix of ethnic foods, big-city "feel," the Rapid, and national recognition.

 

I definitely agree with these thoughts. I grew up in the rural outskirts of Columbus, moved into the city proper to attend OSU, and have lived in Cleveland for the past two years. I always heard growing up that there was "nothing to do" in Columbus, but really grew to appreciate the city while at OSU. I now mostly travel to Columbus to visit family and friends, and catch the occasional concert that skips Cleveland.

 

I started visiting Cleveland about five years ago (my girlfriend is from Lyndhurst). I remember her describing W 25th St as "Cleveland's Short North," and finally driving down the street thinking "is this it?" (I also remember her describing Coventry as the Short North). I recall being shocked at the stark inequalities of the metro area and the sociology lesson that is the Green Line.

 

Cleveland has absolutely grown on me since those visits, and I have come to appreciate how it differs from Columbus. I agree that Cleveland has a more diverse cultural history to work from, which produces some wonderful events, institutions, and food (I didn't know what a pierogi was before coming here). In my opinion Cleveland's suburbs are more interesting and varied than Columbus', but I know this can be partially attributed to different development timelines and annexations. While Columbus has the well connected core neighborhoods, Cleveland has that "big city" downtown.

 

I have heard people in Columbus describe Cleveland as an urban wasteland and have heard people in Cleveland describe Columbus as what basically sums up to Morse Rd. Neither are true, and we are lucky to have these different cities in such close proximity. 

One thing to keep in mind is that Columbus is a massive hobbies-and-interests city. From racecars to golf to horses to R/C to motorcycles -- all that stuff is way huger here than in the other Cs. If those meets draw 75 participants in other towns they will draw 200 here.

Clearly, I didn’t get out into any of the neighborhoods to see what was going on, but before I went I asked friends and colleagues about what there was to see in the city and no-one could come up with anything that wasn’t on Short North, or wasn’t the zoo. So that’s my impression of the place right now; it has one great street and not much else. Probably unfair I know!

 

To me that's a pretty fair assessment, and also the reason Cbus is not a mini-Cleveland.  While it has the best showpiece urban street in Ohio, that's it-- the rest of the city is barely a city at all.  It is designed around the principles of car-dependence through single-use development. 

 

I still travel to Cbus a few times a year socially and for OSU football.  I'm originally from that area and I'll never be totally disconnected from it, regardless of what I think of its planning philosophies.

Agree

One thing to keep in mind is that Columbus is a massive hobbies-and-interests city. From racecars to golf to horses to R/C to motorcycles -- all that stuff is way huger here than in the other Cs. If those meets draw 75 participants in other towns they will draw 200 here.

Is that a result of 'net usage being historically more commonplace?  One impact online communication has had is it has facilitated the pursuit of narrow interests.

It's always been like that as long as I can remember, so before the internet boom for sure. With no NFL, MLB or NBA here people have to make their own entertainment. And before Polaris Amphitheater and later the new areas and soccer stadium opened up a lot of bands skipped Columbus.

 

 

-Columbus can feel generic at times. Though, if you learn where to look, the city does have pockets of some of the same ethnic groups found in Cleveland, albeit on a smaller scale.

 

 

 

where?? When I was there in the 70's I didn't notice any discernible ethnic neighborhoods. Obviously going back over a century there were probably large swaths of German areas but they're now just historic memories. I suppose Italian Village at one time must have been an Italian enclave (right?).

UrbanOhio forum meets, duh!

 

But seriously, I go to Columbus pretty much just to visit friends (my cousin used to live there, too).  Back in the day when I was in a career that included regular conferences I went there for conferences as well.  I always enjoy my stay there.  The fact that High Street organizes Columbus' more happening neighborhoods makes it much easier to package to visitors than Cleveland.  Ever try giving tourists directions to Tremont, Coventry, or Waterloo?

Ever try giving tourists directions to Tremont, Coventry, or Waterloo?

 

Don't forget University Circle haha. What a nightmare.

Ever try giving tourists directions to Tremont, Coventry, or Waterloo?

 

Don't forget University Circle haha. What a nightmare.

 

That's one of the easier ones I'd say. Just head straight down Euclid from downtown and you're there. Now, as for getting around the neighborhood, yeah, not as easy.

It's always been like that as long as I can remember, so before the internet boom for sure. With no NFL, MLB or NBA here people have to make their own entertainment. And before Polaris Amphitheater and later the new areas and soccer stadium opened up a lot of bands skipped Columbus.

 

That's true. Why does Columbus have so many Gearheads? Why do you see so many car shows in places like TeeJays Parking lot? Or bike rallies in Church's Chicken's parking lot? Columbusites love cars and motorcycles and its always been like that. Fixing them, restoring them, racing them, showing them off. Daytona Beach is their Shangri-La. There's just tons of car clubs and motorcycle clubs.

 

Good point with Golf and Equestrianism, too. I don't think the internet has anything to do with it. I'm sure it helps organize them but I've seen all of those elements you mentioned, as a big part of Columbus culture growing up, pre-Windows95.

Ever try giving tourists directions to Tremont, Coventry, or Waterloo?

 

Don't forget University Circle haha. What a nightmare.

 

That's one of the easier ones I'd say. Just head straight down Euclid from downtown and you're there. Now, as for getting around the neighborhood, yeah, not as easy.

 

Good point. Yet once you're there, not so easy. Even something as simple as saying "turn onto MLK" inevitably gets people lost.

Connectivity is something Cleveland needs to work on, big time.  There is too much emphasis on individual nodes and not enough on how they interact.  Some of this will abate as the areas between nodes are redeveloped-- Duck Island for example. 

 

That's the reason I often harp on the "health tech" plans for Euclid Avenue.  Euclid should be patterned after High Street, rather than Kinnear Road.