Can they please put some wheels on the caddy?  That might help reduce some of the trailer-park vibe it gives off.  As it is now, we have a car up on blocks in our front yard.

 

I'm ambivalent on cadillac ranch-- it's not ideal for public square, it's borderline inappropriate, but it is really nice to see that space utilized.  That much has been said here before.

 

As far as tying in to gateway, isn't E4 part of gateway already?  In location if not in theme?  I think putting venues in the May Co. bldg is more helpful in linking E4 with W6.  Anything that reduces the no-mans-land between them is a plus.  I hate to say that about public square but that is how it functions at midnight on saturday.  You can get a hangover walking from one stretch of nightlife to the other. 

 

Stark's project on Frankfort would help, and so would Jacobs tower, assuming there would be something open at night in the bottom of it.  Most of what's on the square--skyscrapers, malls/atriums, courthouse-- is irrelevant to E4/W6.  I actually wish we'd gotten a bar or restaurant in the Park bldg instead of Dollar Bank, because the bank is just one more thing that goes dark at 5.  After sunset our downtown has too many nodes and not enough continuity.  If only you could teleport from one mechanical bull to the other.   

Welcome to the forum, 327.  Good first post, though I think what they meant about being a middle ground between Gateway and East 4th is not geographic, but in terms of market.  That is, if they really meant anything serious by it at all.  Sometimes it seems when people are promoting a new business they just drop names as a way of building a mental connection.

sorry you disagree MTS...another example is navy pier, built in 1916 turned into a cluster of malls, restaurants, etc.  There is a McDonalds, a putt-putt and a ferris...sounds tacky...imagine may company being fast food (talk about tacky). May COmpany building i believe erected in 1914 and is being converted into a restaurant that I think could move things in the right direction.

 

I look at the Navy Pier from my office or hotel when in Chicago and the majority of the navy pier is used for convention/meeting services.

 

Comparing the chicago/Navy Pier to the May Co. building is like comparing C-dawg to a person with common sense!

 

 

Not necessarily comparing them straight up as I am the idea of turning a very old infrastructure into something tacky that can attract people.  There is a putt putt course, a ferris wheel and a large golden arches on one of Chicagos main areas and most historic areas of attraction.  May company building is very old but it now will attract people.  My point is that tacky can work.

Yeah...Yeah...Yeah.

 

Lots not compare and just discuss the project at hand, because if this continues it will go off topic.

:police:

Was on an intercity bus over the weekend and heard a delighted 20-something couple talking about Cadillac Ranch.  They were very excited for it and for a new use in the May Co. Building. 

 

I walked by yesterday morning and must admit that while the entryway and Caddy are certainly tacky as all hell, the patio and windows and overall impact of activity on this corner that joins lower Euclid and Public Square are very welcome.  Yes, the patio is extra-large, but it isn't as bad in reality as I had assumed from some of the pictures I saw.  And they used a nice fence/rail and not that cheap plastic garbage!

I was out at lunch today and saw a bunch of people standing outside cadillac ranch passing out flyers.  They had something to do with the ranches numerous health violations in other cities.  I don't have a scanner, but i'll type it out:

 

-------------------------------

 

HEALTH VIOLATIONS

          at

CADILLAC RANCH

 

A TRACK RECORD??

 

62 Major Violations have been recorded between

CADILLAC RANCH locations in Nashville, TN and

Tempe, AZ.

 

      WILL CLEVELAND BE DIFFERENT??

 

...spoiled pull pork and pasta with bio slime; turkey, beef, chicken, dairy... Tempe, AZ

 

...(Doors should be closed to prevent any vermin from entering)......Nashville, TN

 

 

 

SOURCE:  Inspection records from Nashvilel and Tempe boards of Health

 

 

 

-------------------------

Very interesting stuff above.  Hope its different here.

^^ "pasta with bio slime"

 

Don't even want to know what that is.

I'm not sure how a restaurant in tempe can really be compared to a restaurant in Cleveland who will have different employees and managers.  I assume you got those from the union protestors, who are obviously quite displeased with the non union work being done on that site.

well, to be fair, "doors should be closed to prevent any vermin from entering" is very different from actual vermin observed or rat droppings found.

 

otoh, bio-slime? ugh.

 

I'm not sure how a restaurant in tempe can really be compared to a restaurant in Cleveland who will have different employees and managers.  I assume you got those from the union protestors, who are obviously quite displeased with the non union work being done on that site.

 

I agree the restaurant health codes might be administered differently in Cleveland/Cuyahoga County/Ohio State county than in Tempe/Maricopa County/Arizona.

 

Also, if I understand things correctly, this CR is a vastly different than the Cinci, NashVegas or Tempe venues.

 

Still, make a mental note.  Try the place once complete before making a judgement.

I'm not sure how a restaurant in tempe can really be compared to a restaurant in Cleveland who will have different employees and managers. I assume you got those from the union protestors, who are obviously quite displeased with the non union work being done on that site.

 

I don't think the managers will be different.  Typically, chains of this size move managers from one location to the other.  Let's jsut hope that the managers the were in charge at that time are no longer with the company. 

I'm not sure how a restaurant in tempe can really be compared to a restaurant in Cleveland who will have different employees and managers.  I assume you got those from the union protestors, who are obviously quite displeased with the non union work being done on that site.

 

I don't think the managers will be different.  Typically, chains of this size move managers from one location to the other.  Let's jsut hope that the managers the were in charge at that time are no longer with the company. 

 

I not sure about that.  It's not like a Macy's, a large national company or a hotel chain.  They will have four locations.  I would think the management would be local.  I would think staff from the Cinci location would come up for training and to get the ball rolling, but to relocate someone in "management" from one city to another would not be cost effective.

My suspicion is this has something to do with the folks picketing them for using non-union workers. I wouldn't get to worked up about it. I'm not particularly excited for it, but this certainly wouldn't give me pause to enter. I think the same could be said for any dining establishment basically.

I think the same could be said for any dining establishment basically.

 

There is this Mexican restaurant (Carlos y Pepe's) down in Fort Lauderdale that was actually shut down for a while because of serious health infractions (rats and their droppings found in the restaurant).

 

That does not take away from the fact that their food has almost always tasted very well.  If their service and prices weren't abysmal, I would eat there more often.  Rats be damned!

 

Anyway, you are right, some of these health violations, while unfortunate, happen.  I'm just glad that there is someone out there looking out for our health even when I would ignore their recommendations.

2 days until the big opening!  dust off your chaps and 10 gallon hat!

Yee Haw!

 

For real though, it'll be nice to see some life there.

2 days until the big opening!  dust off your chaps and 10 gallon hat!

 

I almost choked!  Many images flashed before me....none good!

2 days until the big opening! dust off your chaps and 10 gallon hat!

 

I almost choked! Many images flashed before me....none good!

 

A$$less chaps, perhaps? ;)

2 days until the big opening!  dust off your chaps and 10 gallon hat!

 

I almost choked!  Many images flashed before me....none good!

 

A$$less chaps, perhaps? ;)

2 days until the big opening! dust off your chaps and 10 gallon hat!

 

I almost choked! Many images flashed before me....none good!

 

Opening...in two days? Geez time flies.

 

When I get back home, I want to check this out in person. The mechanical bull and everything...well, maybe not the pasta with bio slime. Maybe it won't be such a bad, tacky place...

I'm getting some folks together to check it out tomorrow.

Haha I don't know what it is, but that Yikes picture makes me laugh every time I see it.

Drama at the Cadillac Ranch!!!

Protestors greet Cadillac Ranch opening

By JOEL HAMMOND/Crains

 

6:46 pm, October 9, 2008

 

Downtown Cleveland’s latest hotspot, country-western bar Cadillac Ranch located in the former May Co. building on Public Square, got off to something of a rocky start Thursday night.

 

Hundreds of construction workers and other trade industry contractors protested the eatery’s grand opening by marching and gathering along Euclid Avenue, booing those who entered the restaurant’s “VIP” opening.

 

The trade workers were protesting Cadillac Ranch’s decision to use nonlocal contractors on the project, according to Dennis Meaney, a business representative with the local electricians’ union.

 

They also handed out fliers detailing health violations at the company’s locations in Nashville and Tempe, Ariz., citing those cities’ boards of health. The Public Square site is Cadillac Ranch’s fourth location, according to its web site; Cincinnati is home to the other.

 

“This is a tough economy,” said Cleveland Cadillac Ranch owner Eric Shilder. “We opened the project to all bidders, and went with the best price.”

 

Not true, said Mr. Meaney and electrician Mike Cala of Local 38, two of the few protesters willing to talk on the record.

 

“They did not open it up to us,” Mr. Meaney said. “We had an electrician lined up, and told them, ‘We’d like to work with you.’ We never got an opportunity.

 

“Yes, this is a tough economy," Mr. Meaney said. "But this is happening with too many jobs around here, and we’ve had it.”

 

Mr. Cala said using nonlocal contractors affects the union locals down the road.

 

“The best price is not the best labor, and that brings our standard of work down,” Mr. Cala said. “They exploit the best price labor.

 

“We’re not going away.”

 

 

Looked like about 100 protestors, half of them with "Do Not Patronize / Unfair to Labor" signs.  I'd seen them out there before, but only 2-3 at a time.  Did not expect anything this big.

 

In the background, the bar's speakers were playing "Oh what a night"

And by 8pm the protestors were gone, and from friends who went, the place was completely packed to the gills and from personal observation the patio was much the same. I think if anything, the protestors gave the place even more publicity.

 

If the union has a legitimate gripe, then I support that, but "the few protesters willing to talk on the record" is somewhat telling.

 

That's true. The protest may have backfired. 

don't mean to sound critical, but "few protestors willing to speak on the record" is not all that telling.

 

just as a company would not want random employees speaking on the record re: an issue of interest to it and would prefer that a designated spokesperson speak on its behalf, so to a labor union would prefer to have its spokesperson engage with the media.

 

the reporter just made an issue out of what is really standard practice for every organization

Did they bring the inflatable rat?

^ we didn't see it.

 

I wrote about my impressions of Cadillac Ranch over in the UO Happy Hour thread.

A couple shots of the now open Cadillac Ranch in the May Co. Building...

The entrance doesn't look nearly as bad as some predicted it would.  :roll:

 

However, I would have liked to see it on the Original awning, but it is what it is and where it is and the final product, based on these pictures, in know way looks as bad as some thought it would.

I hope all that crap they've tacked onto the fencing doesn't become a habit.  It looks like it's just there for a live ESPN radio broadcast, but still...

 

What's up with the car to the right of the first picture?

I hope all that crap they've tacked onto the fencing doesn't become a habit.  It looks like it's just there for a live ESPN radio broadcast, but still...

That should be taken up with the downtown development folks and shared with the management.  Nothing like customer feedback.

 

What's up with the car to the right of the first picture?

Probably a promotional/advertising tie-in.

I hope all that crap they've tacked onto the fencing doesn't become a habit. It looks like it's just there for a live ESPN radio broadcast, but still...

 

I see a lot of places that do it on days espn broadcasts from their bar.  I can't imagine it being a constant thing.

 

What's up with the car to the right of the first picture?

 

I don't think it was a promotion MTS... I think somebody had just driven their Jeep Liberty up onto the sidewalk and parked it there while they were taking care of their business.  No doubt someone who thinks rules don't apply to them.

I hope all that crap they've tacked onto the fencing doesn't become a habit.  It looks like it's just there for a live ESPN radio broadcast, but still...

 

I see a lot of places that do it on days espn broadcasts from their bar.  I can't imagine it being a constant thing.

 

What's up with the car to the right of the first picture?

 

I don't think it was a promotion MTS... I think somebody had just driven their Jeep Liberty up onto the sidewalk and parked it there while they were taking care of their business.  No doubt someone who thinks rules don't apply to them.

 

Oh from the position of the car, it looks like promotions we've sponsored.

 

Well this person deserves a ticket.  I hope you point a cop (no jokes please) in his direction.

I would have taken a picture of the vehicle with respect to its location, and its license plate number clearly visible, then handed it to a police officer.

 

It seems the driver is probably used to country bars where there is parking right by the door. He/she probably had no idea what to do upon discovering no parking right nearby.

I would have taken a picture of the vehicle with respect to its location, and its license plate number clearly visible, then handed it to a police officer.

 

It seems the driver is probably used to country bars where there is parking right by the door. He/she probably had no idea what to do upon discovering no parking right nearby.

 

Those damn surbubanites! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(i'm kidding...no i'm not)

Went to CaddyCrap Ranch last night....  It wasn't that bad, granted I was a bit drunk from drinking martinis at the Renaissance Hotel Bar after the tree lighting  :drunk:  The food tasted decently good for a chain (I had the pulled pork sliders).  Maybe I'll have to try it again when I'm not intoxicated for a second opinion  :-D

^I had the pulled pork sliders the last time I was there... I thought they were good! 

So whats the crowd like.  is this place packed at all hours for those who have been more than once?

It does very well during peak bar hours.  Slightly older crowd.  Have not seen much lunch action there.

The place has been packed at lunch the three times that I have been there.

I had called in for a reservation on Saturday, and they barely got us in.  Something about a party of 50 and three parties of 20 all at the same time.....  I don't know if that was just because of the tree lighting or if they host large parties a lot....

 

By the way, I forgot to mention - kudos to them for keeping the patio in use during the winter with a huge fire pit :)

So it sounds like this place is a success.  I might have to take the kids.

I still haven't checked it out.  Was thinking about going on Saturday but had such a good time at Liquid Fusion that I decided against it

 

 

So it sounds like this place is a success. I might have to take the kids.

 

Yeah, I mean, it's pretty much like a themed Applebees or something.  The prices and food quality are about the same.  It is funny to watch people get thrown off the mechanical bull though :)

So it sounds like this place is a success.  I might have to take the kids.

 

Yeah, I mean, it's pretty much like a themed Applebees or something.  The prices and food quality are about the same.  It is funny to watch people get thrown off the mechanical bull though :)

 

Then maybe I should take my skank-in-law!  If only they used a real bull!

So it sounds like this place is a success. I might have to take the kids.

 

Yeah, I mean, it's pretty much like a themed Applebees or something. The prices and food quality are about the same. It is funny to watch people get thrown off the mechanical bull though :)

 

That's about how I describe it, a cross between Applebees and a medieval dungeon.

So it sounds like this place is a success.  I might have to take the kids.

 

Yeah, I mean, it's pretty much like a themed Applebees or something.  The prices and food quality are about the same.  It is funny to watch people get thrown off the mechanical bull though :)

 

That's about how I describe it, a cross between Applebees and a medieval dungeon.

 

That's sounds hot!