IMO the bridge was not needed and was a waste of money.

 

Edited June 1, 20223 yr by LibertyBlvd

On 6/1/2022 at 11:28 AM, LibertyBlvd said:

IMO the bridge was not needed and was a waste of money.

 

I kind of agree. I mean, its not like it's a crazy long walk to walk around the Rock Hall to get to the other side. Would have rather seen them spend the money on a ferris wheel honestly, or something else interactive/touristy that would drive people to want to visit that area who aren't attending football games or the museums.

I’m in for the Ferris Wheel. Good look and timeless and who can resist ? 

1 hour ago, CleveFan said:

I’m in for the Ferris Wheel. Good look and timeless and who can resist ? 

I would agree but I think the issue with something like this is the height issue of the flight path in and out of Burke

2 hours ago, dave2017 said:

I would agree but I think the issue with something like this is the height issue of the flight path in and out of Burke

Maybe, but I doubt it. The Rock Hall is 160' or so and was lowered to that because of the height/flight path issue. I say maybe because perhaps North coast harbor is moreso in the flight paths. 

 

I think the real reason is noone has ever really pushed for one and these lakefront development plans from the past that included things like ferris wheels, were never built.

 

5 hours ago, dave2017 said:

I would agree but I think the issue with something like this is the height issue of the flight path in and out of Burke

Ah that good old airport on the lakefront…

A shame we have to keep making concessions on developments for that good old airport.

16 hours ago, LibertyBlvd said:

A shame we have to keep making concessions on developments for that good old airport.

There’s a separate thread for complaining about Burke. It’s in the Transportation section. 

Recent comments in this thread are about the airport's impact on North Coast Harbor and lakefront development in general, not specifically about Burke.

 

Edited June 5, 20223 yr by LibertyBlvd

If you want to discuss Burke, keep it to the Burke thread.  We don't want the endless, unproductive fight over Burke taking over other threads.  Thank you.

Should never have built the stadium on the lakefront. And I’m a diehard Browns fan. And it should’ve been retractable dome to be more used than eight times a year. Ferris wheel.? No thank you , those are for amusement parks.

3 minutes ago, Watertiger1962 said:

Should never have built the stadium on the lakefront. And I’m a diehard Browns fan. And it should’ve been retractable dome to be more used than eight times a year. Ferris wheel.? No thank you , those are for amusement parks.

Have you ever been on the high roller in Vegas or the London Eye in London? Pretty sure that’s what people are suggesting.

3 minutes ago, Watertiger1962 said:

Should never have built the stadium on the lakefront. And I’m a diehard Browns fan. And it should’ve been retractable dome to be more used than eight times a year. Ferris wheel.? No thank you , those are for amusement parks.

London? Chicago? Here's a list of cities that have something like what is being suggested.

 

 https://www.redbookmag.com/life/g25706641/famous-ferris-wheels-around-the-world/

 

JB beat me to it. But I'll still post for the link. 

Just now, JB said:

Have you ever been on the high roller in Vegas or the London Eye in London? Pretty sure that’s what people are suggesting.

The national harbor in Washington DC has a Ferris wheel. Why put something there that people won’t use year round.?

The north coast harbor should be transformed into a neighborhood with great views of the city.

3 minutes ago, Ethan said:

London? Chicago? Here's a list of cities that have something like what is being suggested.

 

 https://www.redbookmag.com/life/g25706641/famous-ferris-wheels-around-the-world/

 

JB beat me to it. But I'll still post for the link. 

Yeah let’s just copy what everybody else has. They have a Ferris wheel at cedar point. London and Chicago? Those mega metropolis have pretty much have everything. Nobody is going to say let’s go to Cleveland to ride the Ferris wheel.

4 minutes ago, Watertiger1962 said:

Yeah let’s just copy what everybody else has. They have a Ferris wheel at cedar point. London and Chicago? Those mega metropolis have pretty much have everything. Nobody is going to say let’s go to Cleveland to ride the Ferris wheel.

Agreed, but people do go to cities to do touristy thingS, things plural. A Ferris wheel isn't enough by itself, but if it's one of ten similar small things it might be enough to convince people on the fence about coming to Cleveland. It is also a clear signal that we are trying to draw tourists, which isn't a bad thing! Plus this would be within walking distance of our biggest tourist draw, so the effect is compounded. I'm not 100% sold on the Ferris wheel idea, but there's certainly a solid argument for it. 

11 minutes ago, Watertiger1962 said:

Yeah let’s just copy what everybody else has. They have a Ferris wheel at cedar point. London and Chicago? Those mega metropolis have pretty much have everything. Nobody is going to say let’s go to Cleveland to ride the Ferris wheel.

Since they have everything and we shouldn't just copy what everyone else has we should have nothing? 

 

I don't think anyone here is saying a ferris wheel would be a huge tourist draw and completely turn the city around, but it would be a nice attraction for residents and visitors alike offering good views of the city and of the lake. 

 

It would also take minimal land use and be relatively cheap, so I don't see the issue. But maybe there's something I'm not thinking of... 

Edited June 5, 20223 yr by Luke_S

18 minutes ago, Luke_S said:

Since they have everything and we shouldn't just copy what everyone else has we should have nothing? 

 

I don't think anyone here is saying a ferris wheel would be a huge tourist draw and completely turn the city around, but it would be a nice attraction for residents and visitors alike offering good views of the city and of the lake. 

 

It would also take minimal land use and be relatively cheap, so I don't see the issue. But maybe there's something I'm not thinking of... 

Right, that's all I'm saying. I feel like a ferris wheel or similar attraction, or group of attractions would get people down there more than a bridge that wasn't really needed. 

 

Someone mentioned views, well think about the views of the city and lake from 150 feet up!

 

Would've rathered attractions like mentioned above, or save the money to help put in the stash to bring the whole Mall/browns/shoreway crossing to fruition.

Montreal has a Ferris wheel and a zipline on its riverfront.  The zipline appeared to me to be more popular than the wheel.  Cleveland's topography with a big drop ffrom Lakeside Ave. to waterlevel was made for a zipline.

2 hours ago, Dougal said:

Montreal has a Ferris wheel and a zipline on its riverfront.  The zipline appeared to me to be more popular than the wheel.  Cleveland's topography with a big drop ffrom Lakeside Ave. to waterlevel was made for a zipline.

The zip line at the zoo is great! You can see downtown from the top

The zipline at the MLB All Star game (2018?) was a lot of fun!

I can picture seeing a Ferris Wheel with bar pods, might make a good tailgating experience for browns games and other events in that area. Make it more touristy with some water features, and I do like the idea of ziplining, maybe they can incorporate something in the browns stadium or zipline over the harbor. Every other stadium has a gimick but I believe the Browns stadium lacks in other additional activities. A Ferris wheel would definitely work if they weren't incorporating it into the stadium. Also long shot here, It would be kind of funny and cool if before browns games there were wooden structures of other teams mascots or logos like burning man that we could burn down so people could keep warm before games.

Edited June 6, 20223 yr by tastybunns

I think we should copy 'The Bean' except for us it can be a plum. 

 

Also in agreement with the stadium and glad that Buffalo didn't go down that route (granted keeping it in the suburbs wasn't great, but whatever..wrong thread). 

 

Back to North Coast though - I do like how it's set up now w/volleyball and I was in a kickball league a few years ago, kind of cool being able to be in the heart of it doing those things. Not sure how balance amazing/quiet public space with 'live, work, play' (🤮) amenities. 

1 hour ago, GISguy said:

I think we should copy 'The Bean' except for us it can be a plum. 

 

Instead of that I think it would be cool to do a large Superman statue, seeing how he was created in CLE(which most people don't know because we've done a poor job advertising it). I think it could be a huge tourist attraction like the Chicago Bean is, especially amongst comic fans, but everyone knows Superman. It would be cool to build a nice park on the NCH with a playground and other cool things for families and tourist alike(maybe the zipline & ferris wheel ideas), then put the Superman statue in a spot where you can take pictures with the skyline in the background. Also; I vote we make the statue out of stainless steel just like Cloud Gate, I love the material, it looks cool... and come on now... he's the man of steel 😉

 

P.S. Maybe we can have Cleveland Cliffs make it, I heard somewhere that they work with steel 😆

12 minutes ago, NR said:

It would be cool to build a nice park on the NCH with a playground and other cool things for families and tourist alike(maybe the zipline & ferris wheel ideas)

Voinovich Park is already there and a playground near the science center was recently opened. 

42 minutes ago, NR said:

 

Instead of that I think it would be cool to do a large Superman statue, seeing how he was created in CLE(which most people don't know because we've done a poor job advertising it). I think it could be a huge tourist attraction like the Chicago Bean is, especially amongst comic fans, but everyone knows Superman. It would be cool to build a nice park on the NCH with a playground and other cool things for families and tourist alike(maybe the zipline & ferris wheel ideas), then put the Superman statue in a spot where you can take pictures with the skyline in the background. Also; I vote we make the statue out of stainless steel just like Cloud Gate, I love the material, it looks cool... and come on now... he's the man of steel 😉

 

P.S. Maybe we can have Cleveland Cliffs make it, I heard somewhere that they work with steel 😆

A Superman Plaza was proposed but it was abandoned 

https://planning.clevelandohio.gov/superman.php

1 hour ago, LibertyBlvd said:

Voinovich Park is already there and a playground near the science center was recently opened. 

Voinovich Park is essentially a parking lot. More needs to be done for pedestrian space.

30 minutes ago, AsDustinFoxWouldSay said:

Voinovich Park is essentially a parking lot. More needs to be done for pedestrian space.

I know.  A few years ago, I went down there on a beautiful Saturday afternoon during the summer and it was basically deserted.   

 

Edited June 6, 20223 yr by LibertyBlvd

7 minutes ago, LibertyBlvd said:

I know.  A few years ago, I went down there on a beautiful Saturday afternoon during the summer and it was basically deserted.   

 

It is just too disconnected from the rest of downtown and even other attractions on the Harbor. 

So it's a chicken or egg thing. In other words there's no one using it because there's not much to do or there's not much to do because no one's using it.

1 hour ago, LibertyBlvd said:

I know.  A few years ago, I went down there on a beautiful Saturday afternoon during the summer and it was basically deserted.   

 

I wouldn't say it's deserted. The grassy area and volleyball courts are typically busy. Just hard to enjoy yourself near the water or walk around the pier without the obnoxiously loud cars and motorcycles that park all the way at the waters edge.

2 hours ago, freefourur said:

It is just too disconnected from the rest of downtown and even other attractions on the Harbor. 

I'd love to walk there more frequently, it's just hard to get to from PS, you either have to walk all the way to ninth street, or go down W3 either way you have to cross some not particularly interesting or enjoyable areas from a pedestrian point of view.

 

(I almost walked there the other day, but the bridge a lot of people here think is useless was raised so I skipped it rather than having to go over there and backtrack)

 

One of the big reasons I'm so in favor of a land bridge from the malls is that it would connect this really interesting and promising area of downtown to the city core in a pedestrian friendly way. I'd love a simple and enjoyable walk to the lake, and I'd take lots of strolls to Voinovich park if only it was easier and more enjoyable to get to. I don't think there is anything wrong with the design of the park itself, it just needs to be connected to the rest of the city. (Beyond the land bridge we should also consider a green, pedestrian trail to FEB). 

On 6/6/2022 at 3:16 PM, cadmen said:

So it's a chicken or egg thing. In other words there's no one using it because there's not much to do or there's not much to do because no one's using it.

Perhaps they need to add more events and attractions.  I know the tall ships appear almost every year.  Maybe they can get some others to appear during the summer, either navy or historical vessels.  And how about moving the USS Cod to the harbor.  It might attract more visitors there.

Today CP approved the installation of a new monument at voinovich park.

Personally this is the one area I would have liked to see a green space stay a green space, would have preferred something like this to eat into the parking lot over there but oh well

^ I really like the idea that there are only 18 of these in the world. 

 

https://www.navymemorial.org/the-lone-sailor

17 hours ago, surfohio said:

^ I really like the idea that there are only 18 of these in the world. 

 

https://www.navymemorial.org/the-lone-sailor

I would have preferred the Superman Statue proposed years back at the end of the pedestrian bridge across the train tracks near the science center. Something that is uniquely linked to Cleveland on a historical/ cultural level that displays its heritage to out of town visitors would be the way to go. 

I think the monument and plaza would work better if it was turned around so that the backdrop for the "lone sailor" was the infinite horizon of Lake Erie.

On 6/1/2022 at 11:28 AM, LibertyBlvd said:

IMO the bridge was not needed and was a waste of money.

 

Totally agree with that.  Walked across it for the first and probably last time recently and was wondering what the point was. 

That Mexican restaurant whose name escapes me is very fortunate to have no competition in the vicinity. Packed with people whenever I go there. Flats East Bank , on the other hand, has too much competition with high turnover.

6 minutes ago, shack said:

Totally agree with that.  Walked across it for the first and probably last time recently and was wondering what the point was. 

 

I think if or when there are more events going on, and the Rock Hall and Science Center improve their outdoor programing the Park will be more of a destination. Then the pedestrian flow will show the value of the bridge. 

 

Right now the anchor attractions are not very integrated and in general there's just not enough "there" there....yet. 

The Mexican restaurant is Nuevo. It would be nice to see a few more eateries, coffee shops, ice cream stands, etc.  pop up along the harbor. 

On 6/3/2022 at 5:09 PM, CleveFan said:

I’m in for the Ferris Wheel. Good look and timeless and who can resist ? 

Too many cities trying to copy London imo. 

3 minutes ago, LibertyBlvd said:

The Mexican restaurant is Nuevo. It would be nice to see a few more eateries, coffee shops, ice cream stands, etc.  pop up along the harbor. 

I think the Veranda apartments would look good surrounding the entire harbor. Perfect for residents who enjoy boating with a marina at your doorstep.  

19 hours ago, BoomerangCleRes said:

Personally this is the one area I would have liked to see a green space stay a green space, would have preferred something like this to eat into the parking lot over there but oh well

 

Me too. My wife and I like going down there with our son to throw a football, shoot rocket copters, or just chase each other around with the lake and downtown as a beautiful backdrop at sunset. I'm going to be sad to lose this to another cold, stone monument you can't play with your family. Downtown definitely isn't for families and certainly not for children. 

On 6/19/2022 at 3:41 PM, LibertyBlvd said:

Perhaps they need to add more events and attractions.  I know the tall ships appear almost every year.  Maybe they can get some others to appear during the summer, either navy or historical vessels.  And how about moving the USS Cod to the harbor.  It might attract more visitors there.

I like you Cod idea. It would compliment the Cliff  container ship museum really well.  The Cod doesn't get many visitors. Last time I went I had the entire submarine to my self and was transported back into time. It was an awesome experience!

Exactly KJP and along the same lines of how I see it used every time I’m there. The commission approved it without thought or context of how the space is used. Unfortunate really, also the double sidewalk is a bit over kill.

Cool monument but there’s also a parking lot that could have been used or a corner of the walkway or not to mention the two malls that have far more green real estate that could have offered similar view.

I think the land bridge is the key to harbor life. Right now there are some significant attractions and yet the harbor is also mostly lacking in the things that make it a place you want to hang out in. You can walk around for a bit but there's not much to interact with. If you've been to other harbor areas around the country there is usually a palpable sense of life. People shopping, eating, drinking and little things to grab your attention and of course, just places to sit and people watch. North Coast Harbor doesn't really have much of that. Maybe it really is a chicken or egg thing as in what comes first; people to use attractions or attractions to bring in people? I'm not sure of the answer to that question. I just know that somehow something is missing down there and it's too good of an asset to waste. 

 

I think a land bridge is the best way to get more people to the harbor. If you make it easy to access (plus the walk there should be visually appealing) more people will use it and then more activities should open up. Hey, I've just answered my own question. 

I was looking at Baltimore's Inner Harbor on Google maps. They sure have a lot of stuff there - museums, restaurants, shops, hotels and such. And no land bridge. 😉  It is unfortunate that North Coast Harbor is right next to an airport runway which restricts potential development.

 

Edited July 2, 20222 yr by LibertyBlvd

1 hour ago, KJP said:

 

Me too. My wife and I like going down there with our son to throw a football, shoot rocket copters, or just chase each other around with the lake and downtown as a beautiful backdrop at sunset. I'm going to be sad to lose this to another cold, stone monument you can't play with your family. Downtown definitely isn't for families and certainly not for children. 

 

In other coastal places that place would be "the boardwalk" or something that is similarly attractive with amenities catering to all ages.

 

Cleveland...needs a boardwalk.