Posted August 7, 200816 yr I figured I would make this photo thread in memoriam of our once great city...Cleveland, Ohio...(1796-2008)...We miss you... We used to have a baseball team People used to go watch that team too There was talk of converting a building into a hotel...but the city died so it never happened Concerts used to be held here...and I think there used to be people living in the now abandoned apartments Roof top decks used to exist on top of refurbished warehouses We built a glass building once...too bad nobody ever wanted to live there Another empty street with no reinvestment Where have all the buildings gone? Nobody feels safe enough to walk around anymore Public Square is now only used by the homeless and evangelicals More unused greenspace Art is dead Where are all the people in this city? I had to hide because I felt like I was leaving the "greenzone" More homeless All of the jobs have left I feel so alone Seriously...what a ghost town They were running away to avoid a raping Good thing the abandoned buildings hide the sun because it allows all of the vampires who live downtown to walk around during the day No wonder no new restaurants are ever opened in this city More vampires This city completely lacks any "grand-ness" I wish they would build more parking lots so more people would come downtown These people were actually all panhandlers...I actually watched them steal a business man's suit and divide it up 13 ways NSFW? More emptiness I hope everyone enjoyed my expose into the rotting cesspool that used to be a real city. I feared for my life, but I came out of it OK. Good thing I was able to hop back into my car and get out of there before all of the metal was stripped. /Sarcasm off/
August 7, 200816 yr Great thread...I like the first picture a lot, and of course the commentary was priceless.
August 7, 200816 yr Crappy pictures of a crappy city....thanks for nothing peter griffin! If this city ever wants to turnaround it will require a major development project- perhaps building the worlds largest glitziest ferris wheel ....;)
August 7, 200816 yr lol :laugh:... brilliant! Great pics, your a brave guy... glad to see you made it out ok.
August 7, 200816 yr Do us all a favor and dont ever post crap like this ever again! Nobody wants to see pictures from a city on life support, gasping for its last breaths! I applaud everyone who left the city when they could, to everyone else, get out now!! F'in quality pictures PeterGriffin! Dying city my arse
August 7, 200816 yr Thank you everyone for the nice responses! I took those pictures today (minus the baseball game obviously) because I was just so fed up with the portrayal of Cleveland by people who have never been to the city. Moving downtown was the best thing I could have done and I just wanted to vent some frustration by proving a point. We're alive and well.
August 7, 200816 yr Nice buildings, but where are all the people? Were these shot on a Sunday morning?
August 7, 200816 yr Great pictures! I especially love the E.6th photo! I think that street is one of Cleveland's best kept secrets-unfortunately. There's something about the pixelation and play with scale on the Soldier/Sailors' Monunment/Euclid Ave. pic that is really cool!
August 8, 200816 yr Great pics and commentary. Yep, nothing fun happening here. You all can just stay outside downtown and go back home to the quiet, peaceful suburbs. That noise? Oh, it's nothing..... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 8, 200816 yr "That noise" is probably just the sound of mayhem and destruction caused by the uncontrollable amount of crime that has caused the city to rot away. Love this thread, awesome job.
August 9, 200816 yr I wish Cleveland could create a TV advertising budget designed to change the horrible perception that many people have of Cleveland. Cleveland is a great city but many people who have never been to Cleveland have a terrible perception of this wonderful town. It would be a great investment to spend a considerable amount of money on changing that perception.
August 9, 200816 yr Living in a dead city myself (in what used to be called Dayton), this thread just made my day! Nice work. I was going to head down to Riverscape this afternoon, but thank goodness I've been informed it too is dead. And to think all of those people in the Oregon District last night were zombies.
August 9, 200816 yr Great thread! As another person living in a dead city, I'd like to add that the 40,000 people who attended the Italian Fest last weekend in downtown Youngstown didn't seem to mind being in a dead city either. For those interested, there are pics and a few videos at this link: http://shoutyoungstown.blogspot.com/2008/08/mama-mia-40000-downtown-during-fest.html#links
August 10, 200816 yr wow man that was GREAT! you made my day. i loved the "avoid a raping" one thank you.
August 10, 200816 yr I've lived in some of the world's so called "great" cities (Washington DC, London, heck, even Beijing) and the cultural and entertainment offerings of Cleveland on a weekly basis do not leave me longing. If you think otherwise, I suggest you pick up the Friday Magazine or the Scene, or navigate to Cool Cleveland or the awesome new Spangle websites. Peter...awesome shots and commentary!
August 11, 200816 yr What frustrates me is that I just wanted to show a downtown that had life, vitality, activity, and investment. This was never meant to be a pissing match between the other C's in Ohio as compared to Cleveland. Columbus and Cincinnati weren't on the list of dying cities last time I checked. It's very difficult for me not to make comments in the same vain as WalkerEvans or David when comparing the 2 cities. But that isn't what this thread was about. We all know that Cleveland has problems, and that we've lost a lot of people. We weren't able to annex them back in or force them to put our city's name on the mailing address regardless of the zip code. I was just trying to point out a fact that Cleveland is doing the opposite of dying, and the people who live here know better than people who don't. I'm not going to say that Cleveland has more foot traffic or a better urban environment than another city I either a.) haven't been to since I was a lot younger, or b.) only went to for a gig and then immediately left. Please, this thread is about CLEVELAND, and it would be nice if it stayed that way. Sorry for creating something that was supposed to be light-hearted but took a strange left turn along the way.
August 11, 200816 yr Oooh...I like the new axe! And the photos and commentary were great! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
August 12, 200816 yr Peter this was an awesome spread. Great photos. … A wittier, more sardonic narrative UO will never find.
December 31, 201014 yr Haha I loved this thread. Great photos too. I know what it's like to have constant negativity spread about your city. I thoroughly enjoyed the photos and the commentary.
January 9, 201114 yr Indeed, one of my favorite threads. Reduced population does not equal dead. Reminded me of this video
January 17, 201114 yr ^Actually, according to Forbes magazine, it's already dead. Thanks for dragging this thread up again, though. It really is one of my "hall of fame" favorites that anyone's ever put together on this site.
February 6, 201114 yr Don't get me started on Forbes! As a transplant to Cleveland (by choice, I'll add) I have had a blast the past few months. I love the weather, even the winter. Out of everywhere I've lived, this "miserable" city has been my favorite. Cheers to Cleveland!
February 6, 201114 yr Don't get me started on Forbes! As a transplant to Cleveland (by choice, I'll add) I have had a blast the past few months. I love the weather, even the winter. Out of everywhere I've lived, this "miserable" city has been my favorite. Cheers to Cleveland! Welcome to Cleveland! What are some of the places you've lived, if you don't mind me asking? Most of the people who are miserable in Cleveland don't seem to venture out of their little corners to explore. I'd be miserable too if I stayed in just one small part of the metro area all the time (especially if it was out in sprawlburbia!). Others are intolerant of different kinds of people. But some have a legitimate discomfort with the cold or not having enough sunny days. Those things never bothered me, though. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 6, 201114 yr Most recently Florida...Jacksonville/St. Augustine area. I've lived in Columbus, Cinci, and Louisville as well. Nearly moved to Manhattan, but chose Cleveland instead. For such a "terrible" economy, I found a job within two weeks with a great company. Went for a walk around University Circle today in the awesome snowstorm as others were ice skating and walking around as well. Thank you for the welcome! I look forward to contributing pics and ideas:)
February 6, 201114 yr Thanks! And please do contribute pics and ideas. It's always great to get a perspective through the eyes of someone new to the city. Don't be shy about posting! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
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