So begins Part Two..........

 

PART ONE -- THE RED LINE

PART TWO -- THE BLUE/GREEN (SHAKER) LINES

PART THREE -- THE WATERFRONT LINE

 

We start this part of the journey on the Shaker lines at the East 55th station. The station is also the site of RTA's Central Rail Facility where trains layover during their runs and where RTA has its maintenance facility for routine and heavy work on the trains:

 

The East 55th station is not in very good condition. But fortunately it is also due to be replaced with a new station on the other side of East 55th Street:

 

 

The ticket booth at this station, and many others on the east side, is unused due to a drop in daily ridership from 60,000 in 1960 to 20,000 today. All fares are collected on the trains at stations where there are no ticket agents:

 

All RTA rail lines pass through this station (except, technically, the Waterfront Line though Blue/Green line trains travel through to/from the Waterfront Line):

 

 

An eastbound heavy-rail Red Line train (built by Tokyu in 1984) on the same tracks that are also used by the light-rail Blue/Green Line trains:

 

A light-rail train heading west toward downtown. Our eastbound light-rail train is due any minute:

 

Light-Rail Vehicles (LRVs) awaiting their assignments at the Central Rail Facility. The silver LRVs are recently rebuilt versions of the 1980-built Breda LRVs. The rebuilds are very nice and look/smell/ride/sound new:

 

Arrival at Shaker Square -- the hub of the universe. Just ask MyTwoSense! Seriously though, Shaker Square is one of my favorite neighborhoods in the nation (Georgian architecture, New England-style greens in the center of the square, mixed use and of course rail transit through the middle of it all):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fellow forumer BuckeyeB and I take a stroll a couple blocks north to Larchmere Road and its namesake mixed-used district. There's lots of art galleries and cafes there, too, with a special weekend event going on when we visited:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walked back down to Shaker Square, weren't sure if we'd board a Blue Line train or a Green Line train eastward. So we grabbed the first train that showed up. Cost didn't matter -- we'd already paid for our $4 Day Passes which allow for unlimited rides:

 

 

A Green Line showed up first, so that's where we went:

 

Arrival at the Green Road station, site of a huge park-n-ride:

 

Heading back west to downtown. We noticed earlier that downtown-bound trains had a lot of people on them. We figured they were all heading to the Indians game. We figured wrong.

 

Anyway, here's some scenes on the scenic Green Line, which runs down the middle of Shaker Boulevard:

 

 

 

 

 

Moreland Courts, one of the most beautiful apartment-style condo buildings in Greater Cleveland, located just east of Shaker Square at the Shaker Heights/Cleveland line:

 

Our train keeps filling up:

 

 

Passing the Central Rail Facility at East 55th:

 

 

Arrival at Tower City Center in downtown reveals a mass of humanity waiting to get on our train, which is about to head onto the Waterfront Line. Turns out the huge crowds are heading to a concert at Cleveland Browns Stadium:

 

Next and final segment..... Taking the train and walking around downtown in the late afternoon sun.

Okay KJP, this isn’t helping…  :cry:

Yes, the hub of the Universe!  :laugh: 

 

Thanks for snapping a pic of my building.  My building or the attached buildings have been in quite a few UO photo threads!

:clap:

^ HAAAAAAAAAAA

Seriously.  And the picture of the two houses (one has a red door) is close to the Eaton Road station.  A few blocks from where I grew up.

Very impressive tour so far.

Seriously.  And the picture of the two houses (one has a red door) is close to the Eaton Road station.  A few blocks from where I grew up.

 

I'm stalking you.  :evil:

blah blah blah --- quite a few OU photo threads!

:clap:

 

Ugh.

 

Nice shots!

PART 2 of 3  >  PART 1 of 3

^ Because the different lines/these photos taken, are in different parts of the city.  I'd find it hard to say that Shaker Square is any better than University Circle/Little Italy.. just different.. (well maybe not by MTS accounts..)

Seriously.  And the picture of the two houses (one has a red door) is close to the Eaton Road station.   A few blocks from where I grew up.

 

I'm stalking you.  :evil:

 

thanks for the warning.  Remember, I come from a big family.......

blah blah blah --- quite a few OU photo threads!

:clap:

 

Ugh.

 

Nice shots!

 

HATER!

Sorry, but I'm not the one f#cking up the name of my website!

Excellent photo threads; great idea.  Of course, esp like Shaker Sq... This thread puts the lie to the idea you have to have a car to survive in Clevealnd; and you guys didn't even go to Ohio City, the many shopping areas like Van Aken or south of 117 or natural areas like Edgewater Park or Shaker Lakes...

Or Hopkins International Airport.... Or all the bus routes that have frequent service on them. People who say you need a car to live in Cleveland usually live in the suburbs or have lots of friends in the suburbs and can't grasp how many services and amenities exist in the city. Yep, sometimes you have to go off-transit, but you can do that pretty well with a bicycle, or rental car or a taxi.

 

Speaking of which, I've noticed a lot more taxis lately in Cleveland. What's up?? Post responses at the Cleveland taxi thread (yes, there is one) so as to keep this thread on subject (ie: touring Cleveland by rail/transit).

You were right, these are well-timed and very nice. Looking forward to it!

Cool thread!