I am moving to Cleveland next week and am looking for a place to stay as in an apt. My work location is in Brecksville

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=9911+Brecksville+Road+cleveland+ohio&sll=41.420075,-81.651249&sspn=0.057154,0.11673&ie=UTF8&ll=41.41861,-81.64155&spn=0.914491,1.867676&z=9&om=1

What is most important to me is that I be able to get to work via public transport as I dont have a car. What areas should I be looking to relocate to. Also if I were to live in downtown, is there public transport from there to the Brecksville area.  Thanks

welcome to Cleveland and UrbanOhio   :wave:

 

If you could answer the following, we can better help you determine what locations to further research:

 

– Married or Single?

– Male or Female?

– Do you have children or are you thinking about having some in the future?

– Do you prefer: downtown living, urban city neighborhoods, older suburbs or cul-de-sac sprawling burbs?

– What's your age range?  20s, 30s or 40s

– how much would you like to spend housing? Rental? Purchase a condo? Purchase a townhome? Purchase a detached house?

– what kind of extra curricular activities do you enjoy in your downtime/afterhours/weekends?

– What city and neighborhood are you currently living in?

Welcome to Cleveland - it looks like you'll want to check the 77/Brecksville bus line http://www.gcrta.org/pdf/77.pdf. If I'm reading the map and schedule correctly, the 77 looks like it goes right down Brecksville Road. Keep in mind the suburbs tend to have less frequent service (if you work 9 to 5, it might not be a problem), but it does look like you can pick up the 77 at several different locations in downtown. If it ends up that the 77 works for you, you'll want to consider living near Tower City Center, or near the Prospect/East 14th area since that seems to be the route the 77 will take.

 

 

I believe the 77F is probably the best bet for public transportation from Brecksville to downtown, but Brecksville is not an area I frequent, so some other people on the forum might have some better info. http://www.gcrta.org/pdf/77.pdf.

Welcome!

 

The work location that you gave is in Cleveland, but on Brecksville Rd. Are you working in Brecksville or Cleveland?

The location looks to be in Brecksville, just north of Snowville Road. It looks like the 77F is going to be your best bet.

If you could answer the following, we can better help you determine what locations to further research:

 

– Married or Single? Single

– Male or Female? Male

– Do you have children or are you thinking about having some in the future? No Children

– Do you prefer: downtown living, urban city neighborhoods, older suburbs or cul-de-sac sprawling burbs? I prefer happening and lively areas so I would say downtown or urban

– What's your age range?  20s, 30s or 40s 20s

– how much would you like to spend housing? Rental? Purchase a condo? Purchase a townhome? Purchase a detached house? I am looking for rental anything from 500 to 800 is fine

– what kind of extra curricular activities do you enjoy in your downtime/afterhours/weekends? Soccer, Cricket (ever heard of it) watch tv  museums parks hang out with friends

– What city and neighborhood are you currently living in? I am currently in south nj in a sprawling suburban family oriented area with not much going on

 

My biggest priority is access to public transport as I dont have a car and cant afford one. Also I am not sure if this is in Brecksville or Cleveland but that is the address of the place. Does any one know about Lubrizol? They are a major company based in Cleveland, I will be joining them

The location looks to be in Brecksville, just north of Snowville Road. It looks like the 77F is going to be your best bet.

 

When I clicked on the link, it look me to a place that is just north of 480. Did it take you somewhere else?

That sounds just about fine. It takes me to Cuyahoga Heights above 480 and besides 77

If you could answer the following, we can better help you determine what locations to further research:

 

– Married or Single? Single

– Male or Female? Male

– Do you have children or are you thinking about having some in the future? No Children

– Do you prefer: downtown living, urban city neighborhoods, older suburbs or cul-de-sac sprawling burbs? I prefer happening and lively areas so I would say downtown or urban

– What's your age range?  20s, 30s or 40s 20s

– how much would you like to spend housing? Rental? Purchase a condo? Purchase a townhome? Purchase a detached house? I am looking for rental anything from 500 to 800 is fine

– what kind of extra curricular activities do you enjoy in your downtime/afterhours/weekends? Soccer, Cricket (ever heard of it) watch tv  museums parks hang out with friends

– What city and neighborhood are you currently living in? I am currently in south nj in a sprawling suburban family oriented area with not much going on

 

My biggest priority is access to public transport as I dont have a car and cant afford one. Also I am not sure if this is in Brecksville or Cleveland but that is the address of the place. Does any one know about Lubrizol? They are a major company based in Cleveland, I will be joining them

 

Cool now folks can give you some solid suggestions and YES i've heard of cricket.

 

So you're going to be working on the former Noveon site which is on the westside so I'll let the westside experts take it from here!

 

Good luck!

The location looks to be in Brecksville, just north of Snowville Road. It looks like the 77F is going to be your best bet.

 

When I clicked on the link, it look me to a place that is just north of 480. Did it take you somewhere else?

The link took me to that location as well.  Since fullymooned said that he's working at Lubrizol though, I searched for a Lubrizol location around there.  I didn't find Lubrizol anywhere near there, but I did find a Noveon (recent Lubrizol acquisition) at 9911 Brecksville Rd., Brecksville, OH.  EDIT:  MTS beat me to the punch in figuring out it was an old Noveon site.

 

Lubrizol is a good company from what I know of them fullymooned.  Good luck!

 

Check out http://www.east4thstreet.com for some apartments near where you'd pick up the bus.

 

 

fullymooned, I'm pretty sure that the 77 busline will take you close to Lubrizol and as FrqntFlyr said, the East 4th Street area is a pretty happening area. It's also very close to Tower City Center which is the main transit hub of downtown. Do note that 9911 Brecksville Road is basically sprawly office parks and not much else. One thing you might want to look into when you start is to check if any carpooling options would be available. It's not common, but some people in Cleveland do a reverse commute from downtown/inner city to suburban workplaces. In the meantime, the 77 line should be adequate.

 

Also, if you're in Cleveland for a while and find yourself needing a car for occasional trips (errands, etc.), consider looking into City Wheels. It's a car-sharing service much like ZipCar where you can have access to a car when you need it without the financial headaches. http://www.mycitywheels.com

 

I found this site on Google - no idea if Cleveland's cricket club is what you're looking for but here it is: http://www.clevelandcricket.com/ I believe that soccer leagues are available through clevelandplays.com but don't quote me on that.

 

By all means, let us know if you need more info :-)

 

For the record, Brecksville is basically south of Cleveland - MyTwoSense is a tad provincial but we like him anyway ;-)

 

 

Yeah they acquired Noveon. I dont know much about either of these companies except that they manufacture lubricants and they are big in size. MayDay, thank you so much for the info on cricket in cleveland. I will surely look into joining a team as soon as I settle down. I was worried I would have to quit playing for a while cos Cleveland might not have a cricketing scene but from the looks of it, there is a lot of action going on there. The east 4th street area looks very nice on their website. How long would the commute be to work from there? Also what neighborhood is this or is it downtown?

fullymooned that is downtown.

 

Please use these two downtowm maps as a reference.

 

http://www.downtown-digs.com/ME2/Sites/Default.asp?SiteID=F5DD86EE6BB54C5094687CE5A58526DA

http://www.theavenuedistrict.com/newlayout/map/walkingMap.asp

 

Also check out the downtown Cleveland alliance

http://www.downtownclevelandalliance.com

 

 

Camden!  Oh lawd.  You poor thing.  Bring soup please!   :-P

 

Downtown Cleveland is coming around there is lots of planning and development in the pipeline and in the next few years it was be really nice.

 

other than this thread, might I suggest you check around urbanohio for updates and contribute.

"How long would the commute be to work from there? Also what neighborhood is this or is it downtown?"

 

The reason I suggested looking into carpooling is that with the buslines that go into the suburbs, it usually takes a little longer than traveling by car because they have to make stops along the way. However, according to RTA's schedule it looks like maybe a 35-40-minute trip? Not terrible, but if you carpooled directly from downtown to Brecksville, it would be a 15-20-minute trip. Again, taking the 77 line is probably going to be fine - but just so you're aware, and can pack an iPod or a book to read. 

 

For reference sake, the Lubrizol/Noveon looks like it's very close to the VA (Veterans Administration) Hospital at the corner of Brecksville and Miller Roads. On RTA's schedule for the #77 line, that would be stop "B". Again, as that area is sprawly office parks, you may want to politely ask the driver if they can drop you off close to the Lubrizol/Noveon entrance. Otherwise, you may have to walk through a few parking lots to get from the VA Hospital to your destination:

 

I have been looking at the East 4th street apts and they look really nice to me. Plus like you said MayDay the commute is not so bad if its less than an hr. At my present job I used to drive 55 miles away to work  :cry: and with gas at $3.20 thats a load of money to blow into the atmosphere. Any sources to find a roommate specially for the east 4th street area. I tried to look on craigslist but didnt really find anyone. I would prefer living with someone initially at least, since I am new to the city. All by myself would be such a bore. Also how do I look into carpooling? Ask people at work or perhaps a website you know ? Thanks a lot for your help folks MyTwoSense MayDay FrqntFlyr. I am gonna spend the rest of the weekend researching Cleveland. Looking forward to moving to your city.

I have been looking at the East 4th street apts and they look really nice to me. Plus like you said MayDay the commute is not so bad if its less than an hr. At my present job I used to drive 55 miles away to work  :cry: and with gas at $3.20 thats a load of money to blow into the atmosphere. Any sources to find a roommate specially for the east 4th street area. I tried to look on craigslist but didnt really find anyone. I would prefer living with someone initially at least, since I am new to the city. All by myself would be such a bore. Also how do I look into carpooling? Ask people at work or perhaps a website you know ? Thanks a lot for your help folks MyTwoSense MayDay FrqntFlyr. I am gonna spend the rest of the weekend researching Cleveland. Looking forward to moving to your city.

 

Correction....OUR City! :wink:

 

Oh don't thank the three of us.  I'm sure later in the day many more folks will chime in with recommendations. UO is full of quality resources and references!

55 miles? Ouch! Bus tickets in Cleveland are $1.50 each way (or you can get monthly passes, etc.). I'm really not sure of a good roommate source - maybe others on the forum will? If nothing else, I'm sure a few of us from the forum could meet you for a drink after work. :drunk:

 

As far as carpooling, I would just get to know people at work and ask around with people you feel comfortable with. If there's some sort of "message board" posted in the cafeteria/common area, maybe print up a flyer? For other networking (and meeting people), I've heard good things about Cleveland's 20/30 Club - it's for professionals who are in their 20s and 30s - maybe check into that as well http://www.cleveland2030.com

 

Another building to consider is the Perry-Payne building in the Warehouse District. It's very close to Tower City Center (one block west, whereas East 4th is one block east), and I've heard good things about it. http://www.landmarkmgt.com/perry-payne/

Just so you are clear about downtown Cleveland, there are several areas that provide apartments or condos.  Others may want to add to this list, but I would recommend looking in the Warehouse District (That is where my wife and I live so I am definitely partial to this area.), East 4th, Gateway, and Playhouse Square including Reserve Square.  I would recommend renting before buying so you can find the area you most enjoy.  Welcome to Cleveland.  You are going to love it!!  :wave:

Welcome TMH!

I'm late to this thread, but can help out as I'm familiar with Brecksville. My father has lived there for several years, but lives farther north in the town center (Brecksville actually has a fairly nice center for a distant suburb).

 

First, let me give you a link to a timetable/map to RTA's 77F route:

http://www.riderta.com/pdf/77.pdf  The one-way fare is actually $1.75, but you can buy a variety of multi-ride (weekly, monthly, etc) passes by mail from RTA, at RTA's customer service center at the Tower City Center train station on Public Square, and at grocery, convenience and drug stores everywhere.

 

The 77F is a pretty fast route, as it takes I-77 south from downtown to State Route 21, bypassing slow travel through city neighborhoods. And, since you will be reverse commuting, you'll be traveling opposite of the major traffic jams on I-77 into downtown Cleveland. All RTA buses have bike racks, by the way. And check out Ohio City Bike Co-op (western fringe of downtown in an industrial valley) for cheap, rebuilt, used bikes. They also have social bike rides and evenings where you can get together with others to fix-up bikes or to learn new repair tips www.ohiocitycycles.org.

 

As for downtown living, given the 77F's route, you can realistically live anywhere from the Warehouse District eastward along Prospect/Euclid to the vicinity of East 14th Street. Thus, the entire Gateway Neighborhood (includes the East 4th area) is game... www.historicgateway.org (feel free to call them for updates on housing options as there is more coming on-line all the time).

 

The Historic Warehouse District, while housed at the same offices as the Gateway District, has its own website: http://www.warehousedistrict.org/

Another option is the Playhouse Square area, but their website www.playhousesquare.com deals mainly with its bread-and-butter (lots of great old theaters).

 

And, if I might, here's some examples of apartments that are currently available:

 

http://www.apartments.com/summary.aspx?property=138738.1&srank=2&subarea3=y&area3=y&state=oh&rgn1=36&rent_minimum=0&rent_maximum=800&page=summary&prvpg=7&srt1=0.51&srt2=0.02&srt3=0.86

 

http://www.apartments.com/summary.aspx?property=115940.1&srank=3&subarea3=y&area3=y&state=oh&rgn1=36&rent_minimum=0&rent_maximum=800&page=summary&prvpg=7&srt1=0.51&srt2=0.02&srt3=0.86

 

http://www.apartments.com/summary.aspx?property=115940.3&srank=4&subarea3=y&area3=y&state=oh&rgn1=36&rent_minimum=0&rent_maximum=800&page=summary&prvpg=7&srt1=0.51&srt2=0.02&srt3=0.86

 

http://www.apartments.com/summary.aspx?property=139392.1&srank=7&subarea3=y&area3=y&state=oh&rgn1=36&rent_minimum=0&rent_maximum=800&page=summary&prvpg=7&srt1=0.51&srt2=0.02&srt3=0.86

 

http://www.apartments.com/summary.aspx?property=124013.13&srank=1&subarea3=y&area3=y&state=oh&rgn1=36&rent_minimum=0&rent_maximum=800&page=summary&prvpg=7&srt1=0.51&srt2=0.02&srt3=0.86

 

As you can see, the least-expensive downtown apartments are at the top end of what you're willing to pay. You may want to consider near-downtown neighborhoods like Ohio City and Tremont which are a short bus, train or bike ride from downtown. Transit service is most extensive from Ohio City to downtown, and has more neighborhood services (Dave's grocery store, the huge West Side Market, cafes, Great Lakes Brewing Co., banks, bookstores and more) than Tremont or even downtown. See www.ohiocity.com.

 

But don't disregard Tremont, which is another pre-civil war neighborhood with lots of cafes, lots of art galleries and funky shops, plus transit access to Steelyard Commons retail complex. See http://restoretremont.com/ -- of course there's always Google for apartment info.

 

Chinatown on the east side of downtown is also worth checking out (see http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=10896.0 and http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=6530.0 and http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=3128.0) for photos and discussion.

 

Other cool neighborhoods that are a fast train or express bus ride (15 minutes or less) to Public Square are Edgewater (west side), Shaker Square (east), Little Italy (east) and University Circle (east).

My start date has been moved to 30th of this month. It was originally this coming Mon. So that gives me enough time to look for an apt now. I was wondering if there were any cheap motels or hostels that I could stay in so that would give me an opportunity to actually visit the apts prior to moving in. Any ideas? And by cheap I mean less than 50 bucks.

You won't find much for that price, and certainly not downtown. I'm not aware of any hostels, except in Peninsula (sorta close to Brecksville but only accessible by car or bicycles - there is a bike rental at the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad station).

 

So here's the cheapest one I could find. It's a Travel Lodge in Lakewood near the Cleveland border, in an area called the Gold Coast. Saw a few rooms in the $50 range....

 

http://reservations.hotel-guides.us/hotel/10006044-10213950R.html

 

There is another hotel, the Day's Inn, across the street that's slightly nicer but a bit more expensive, with rooms costing nearly $80 with tax....

 

http://www.daysinn.com/DaysInn/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=07873&brandInfo=DI

 

 

There is frequent transit service from this neighborhood to...

 

Downtown Cleveland on the #55X/F bus line:

http://www.riderta.com/pdf/55X.pdf

 

The West 117th-Madison train station (with trains to the airport) and the rest of Lakewood on the #804 Circulator:

http://www.riderta.com/pdf/804.pdf

 

And there are other transit routes nearby to other destinations.

 

Don't hesitate to ask if you need anything more.

If you're not relying on public transport, there are several motels right on Brecksville Road at the Turnpike/I-77 interchange in Richfield - I would bet you could get one of them for around $50 - there's a Howard Johnson's (don't know how nice), Holiday Inn Express, Hampton, and more.  Ask for a Lubrizol or Noveon discount rate.  There are several hotels at Rockside and I-77 nearby also.  If you're willing to fudge the truth, some hotels offer a Cleveland Clinic rate for out-of-towners seeking medical treatment here - then you can claim "health information privacy act" when asked for proof of an appointment - I've had friends use this approach successfully for hotels near the airport or downtown.

 

Some people on the board have used priceline and gotten rooms at the Hyatt downtown for $50 a night (off-season), so it may be worth a shot also.

There is the Stanford Hostel in the Valley in a town north of Peninsula called Boston. http://www.stanfordhostel.com/    It is a 7 minute drive to Miller Rd in Brecksville(by the VA).  It would be bikeable with a road bike.  There is a long hill to climb on Snowville to get up there though.  I did it with a mountain bike a month ago and it wasn't fun.  Might be worth it for $11/night...

 

In Peninsula there is Century Cycles http://centurycycles.com/index.cfm

 

Peninsula is a small cute canal town that feels like it plopped itself in from Vermont.  I personally feel its the epicenter and primary geographic reference point of the Cuyahoga Valley.  http://www.explorepeninsula.com/

 

As a side note, there are a couple of ski areas between Peninsula and Brecksville to give you an idea of other close attractions in the Cuyahoga Valley. www.bmbw.com

Does anyone know much about the Statler Arms Apts. I am looking to perhaps move in there. Do they have any kind of furniture in the rooms or we have to get it all including beds ?

From my experience, most furnished apartments are usually reserved by downtown corporations for corporate clients or new employees. Unless Lubrizol has a contract with a downtown apartment building, it may be very difficult to find a furnished apartment.

 

But if you need some furniture, I'm sure there is plenty of used stuff out there. For example, I have several spare bed frames, card tables, and even an old Futon that I don't use anymore. And there is always cherry-picking the garbage in the suburbs. I know it's illegal, but it's unbelievable the stuff people are willing to throw away. I know someone who is financially well off and who, just a couple of weeks ago in Brecksville, cherry-picked two expensive high-backed chairs that were in terrific condition. Amazing...

 

Another option ... Check out a Goodwill store. They have furniture, too. And there is a store worth checking out called the Malachi Mart at the west (Ohio City) end of the Detroit-Superior High Level Bridge. They have all kinds of stuff there (though probably less furniture, it varies from day-to-day)....

 

http://www.stmalachicenter.org/mart.html

 

Here's a link to an article about it:

 

http://www.cleveland.com/weblogs/print.ssf?/mtlogs/cleve_communitynews/archives/print248366.html

 

You can also try local thrift stores and, yes, even some pawn shops. There are some good finds at some of these places. Here's an old list of these stores (I see a few have closed or moved):

 

http://www.thecityofcleveland.com/pawn-shop/index.html

And there is always cherry-picking the garbage in the suburbs. I know it's illegal, but it's unbelievable the stuff people are willing to throw away. I know someone who is financially well off and who, just a couple of weeks ago in Brecksville, cherry-picked two expensive high-backed chairs that were in terrific condition. Amazing...

 

JAX lives in Statler Arms and I hope he can give some advice! I think the statler arms apartment building is amazing .

 

Now.......I love sharing with the board, but stay off my turf!  Dumpster diving in the (north) eastside burbs is my territory!  I'll do a Cheney on ya, if I see you on my territory. :lol:

You can keep the east-side turf. I'll take the west side. You can keep your old-money, jappy stuff and I'll stick with (or to) the bowling alley furniture retreads!

what if i bring my car to cleveland. Is there parking in the downtown area? Is it safe to park on the street. I have yet to find a place to stay so I am thinking of moving into a hotel for the first week or so. Any cheap hotels in downtown? I was looking at Intercontinental for $130 and Hamptons for $120.

what if i bring my car to cleveland. Is there parking in the downtown area? Is it safe to park on the street. I have yet to find a place to stay so I am thinking of moving into a hotel for the first week or so. Any cheap hotels in downtown? I was looking at Intercontinental for $130 and Hamptons for $120.

 

The intercontinental is NOT in downtown. Avoid the Hampton inn in downtown.

First, check with your company's HR and Travel departments and ask if they have a corporate rates at hotels in the city.

 

If no, then I would try the Holiday Inn express on Euclid, the Hilton Garden Inn on Carnegie, the Raddison on Huron or the Residence Inn on Prospect and see what rates they are offering.  If those are not in your budget, then go with an travel consolidator like hotwire or priceline.

 

The Residence inn is an "extended stay" property.  I would also look at the Embassy suites, as it would offer you a bit more space over a week.

 

Can anyone give advice on overnight parking downtown?

 

Have you tried priceline or another service? I got a priceline newsletter last week advertising a 4-star hotel for $75 per night.

Re Priceline: Go to biddingfortravel.com and read up on what people are getting and the Priceline bidding strategy.  It'll take 10-15 minutes to figure out what's going on, but can be worth it.  I've bid Priceline 5 times (when moving here and looking around) and got the Holiday Inn Select 4 times and the Hyatt (Arcade) once (both "3-star" properties on Priceline).  I seem to remember paying $35 and $38 (plus tax and priceline fees, so more like $50), but this was 18 months ago and all were for weekend stays (one was a Browns home game weekend, though).  Take a look at what people have been getting at biddingfortravel.  Good luck.

Welcome aboard, midwestside! Don't be a stranger!

Hi Folks

 

Well my situation has completely changed now. I will be driving into Cleveland and will have a car to get to work. So I no longer need to find a place thats close to public transport. Infact I am thinking perhaps downtown may not be such a good idea cos of the high parking rates. Where do the young 21 - 25 yr old professionals live in Cleveland? I need to look for a neighborhood that has low crime, is not too far from Brecksville and is hip and happening. Any ideas?

fullymooned, have you looked at any of the recent "moving to cleveland" threads?

You'll still want to be close to I-77 no matter what. The young, "hip" neighborhoods with easy access to I-77 are downtown, Ohio City, and Tremont.  I would recommend that you use  http://www.pluggedincleveland.com and/or Craig's list to search for some apts. in Ohio City and Tremont.  If you have any questions about whether they're in a decent location, post them here, and you'll get the right feedback. 

Well now that you have a car, there's always Akron.  You're only 20 minutes from the hip/happening areas there.

Hi Folks

 

So I will be moving into the Wyndham Cleveland Hotel Playhouse Square on Sun. I have until Wed to find an apt. This is a nice area isnt it? Does anyone know of cheap parking close by. They are gonna charge me $22 per night for valet parking.

You might be able to park relatively inexpensively in the Halle garage on Huron Avenue (the Wyndham is at the corner of Euclid, East 13th and Huron - right across Euclid from the Statler Apartments). By the way, please pardon Cleveland's dust as Euclid is all torn up for construction of a $200 million bus rapid transit line. Many of the buildings along Euclid west of East 13th have been vacated for renovations or due to real estate changing hands as a result of the transit project. So don't be dismayed by the deserted look of Euclid Avenue. You'll be seeing it at its absolute worst right now!

Reserve Square charges $10 per night and is only a 2 minute walk. 

 

EDIT:

 

The entrance is between E.12 and E.13 on Chester Ave.

Hi

 

I drove into Cleveland on 29th July and stayed at the Wyndham for 3 days. As told, Euclid street was all torn apart and all stores closed down. The drive to Lubrizol in Brecksville is not bad at all. Highway 77 is pretty clear in the mornings since its in the opposite direction of traffic. I got pulled over in the Brecksville township for driving at 30mph in a 25mph the very first morning to work. I wanted to tell the cop 'Dude, you gotta be kidding me'!! Instead I kept my mouth shut and told him I was new to town and thought the speed limit was 35 mph (which it was a 50 meters away from where I got pulled over). So he let me go without a ticket. Wheww!!! . Then I looked at a couple places to stay, one in cleveland heights, the other at Statler farms apt in downtown but nothing worked out. I couldnt find an apt in the first 3 days and my hotel reservation was to expire. So I moved to Hyatt Place in Independence for the next four days. My company provides me with only a week of paid hotel accomodation and after that I have to look after myself. So I needed to find a place soon. And this been my first job I couldnt afford to be spending money on even a motel. I kept making calls for roomates, sublets, apt housing companies but either people did not pick up their phones, or didnt have the time to show the place or wanted someone joining in a month from now. But during my housing search, I met some  interesting characters. Like this one place where 4 other men in their 40s & 50s lived together and all of them bums.  So I couldnt find any place in the next four days either and was looking into the possibility of staying in the Standford hostel near sleepy hollow golf course for $17/day. But at the very last minute I found this lady that was willing to let me stay for 2 weeks at her house next to Alladins eatery in cleveland heights. So I stayed there one night, and the very next I found an apt in downtown between Prospect & 9st and thats where I have been staying. Its a great place, clean, I always find parking near the apt and in the middle of everything. So far I have been enjoying Cleveland. I love eating at Alladins bakery, their cheese pies and pitzas are so goood. Already been to Winking lizard tavern and shooters. Still looking for some grocery stores and clothing shops like B Rep and Gap, Havent seen them around. So thats the story of my move into Cleveland. Any thoughts on downtown living? Unsafe areas? Places to eat? shop? Thanks guys for all your help.

 

there are quite a few forumers like X, Peabody and Jax who live downtown and I'm sure they would be able to provide an accurate protrayal of downtown living.

The closest shopping hub to you is at the Tower City mall at the corner of Superior Avenue and Euclid Avenue

 

http://www.towercitycenter.com/go/dirlisting.cfm?fl=all

 

It doesn't have everything, but its a start. Unfortunately for now most other retail is in the burbs in places like Beachwood Place mall and Crocker Park.

Hey, glad to hear that you found a place Downtown!  Welcome, and I hope you enjoy living here.  There are a number of options for groceries in and near downtown.  There is Constantino's on W. 9th just north of St. Clair, which is an upscale market with lots of prepared foods, wines, cheeses, and deli products.  There is the Reserve Square Market in Reserve Square, at Chester and East 12th.  It is the most traditional grocery store, but smaller than a suburban store.  It is expanding and will be fairly large for a Downtown grocery when done.  There are two Dave's Supermarkets about a mile either way from Downtown.  There are a number of ethnic grocery store- mostly Asian to the east, mostly European to the west, near the Westside Market.  The Market is the granddaddy of all grocery shopping experiences, and I highly recommend it for any raw (unprocessed) foods that you are looking for- meats, dairy products, produce, fruits, spices, and also baked goods and snacks can be had here at better prices or better quality, sometimes both, than anywhere else in the city.  I or whoever else can give more details on whatever peaks your interest.

 

Clothes and home furnishing shopping is scarce Downtown.  That sort of retail is probably the biggest achilles heal to Downtown right now.  I'll let some of the more fashion conscious point out some good places to go.

 

Downtown Cleveland is full of places to eat, though alot of the inexpensive places close down after lunch, so dinner places tend towards pricey.  Let us know more specifically what kinds of places you are looking for, and we can give you some good suggestions.

 

Once again- Welcome to Cleveland, and to the neighborhood!

Indian & Thai places

Indian & Thai places

 

Restaurants?  Or venues to purchase that type of food?

 

Check this link if it hasn't already been suggested:

http://www.downtownclevelandalliance.com/

http://www.downtown-digs.com/ME2/Sites/Default.asp?SiteID=F5DD86EE6BB54C5094687CE5A58526DA

 

The two Dave's Supermarkets are in Chinatown and Ohio City. The Chinatown location is on Payne Avenue at East 33rd (3301 Payne, between Superior and Chester Avenue). There are also a number of Asian markets on Payne, plus numerous restaurants in the area. The Ohio City (across the Cuyahoga River) location for Dave's is a block west of West 25th Street and two blocks north of Lorain Avenue (2700 Carroll Ave).

 

The West Side Market (West 25th and Lorain) is open only on Mondays & Wednesdays from 7am - 4pm and Fridays & Saturdays from 7am - 6pm.

 

There also is a middle eastern bakery on Carnegie Avenue (which is Lorain Ave east of the Cuyahoga River) but I forget the name. It's just east of East 9th. You might like it if you like Alladdin's.

 

Not sure about clothing stores, but Steelyard Commons isn't far away -- if you like Target, Marshall's and other big box places. It's just south of Tremont. Follow I-71 and the signs for Jennings Road and Steelyard Drive.

fullymooned, here are some Thai places:

 

Ty Fun, in the Tremont neighborhood:

http://www.pluggedincleveland.com/restaurants/2378+ty+fun+thai+bistro.html

 

Siam Cafe in the Asiatown neighborhood:

http://www.pluggedincleveland.com/restaurants/1743+siam+cafe.html

 

Mint in the Coventry area of Cleveland Heights:

http://www.pluggedincleveland.com/restaurants/2383+mint+cafe.html

 

Although they focus on Cambodian dishes, Phnom Penh in Ohio City has some great food as well:

http://www.pluggedincleveland.com/restaurants/2355+phnom+penh.html

 

Good Indian restaurants aren't easy to come by, but there are a few:

 

Udupi in Parma Heights (vegetarian; South India style):

http://www.pluggedincleveland.com/restaurants/2020+go.html

 

India Garden in Lakewood:

http://www.pluggedincleveland.com/restaurants/2391+go.html

 

And they're only a kiosk open for lunch during the week, but Indies in the Colonial Marketplace is good:

http://www.pluggedincleveland.com/restaurants/2384+indies.html

 

There are the Cafe Tandoor restaurants in Westlake and Cleveland Heights - they're decent but not outstanding.

 

Clothing wise, your best bets will be to go to Crocker Park in Westlake (Banana Republic, H&M, etc.) http://www.crockerpark.com or to Beachwood Place in Beachwood (Nordstrom, Saks, etc.) http://www.beachwoodplace.com - as X said, there are some development projects which should bring better retail to downtown, but it's not quite there yet. If you need basics from Old Navy, there's one at Steelyard Commons. Tower City has Brooks Brothers, Johnston & Murphy but not much else in the way of menswear. For some unique/trendy stuff - check out the shops on West 9th Street (Studio360, Style Lounge, Brigade) - definitely not run-of-the-mill stuff!

 

Hope that helps!

 

In Brecksville, Sakura has pretty damn good Thai.  10 miles south in the Cuyahoga valley is Saffron Patch for some good Indian.