February 9, 201411 yr Six months out and only 1,000 people have registered for events. Here's hoping for the best, but I'm starting to get worried. Is there any reason you don't think registration will pick up as we get closer to the event?
February 9, 201411 yr Six months out and only 1,000 people have registered for events. Here's hoping for the best, but I'm starting to get worried. Is there any reason you don't think registration will pick up as we get closer to the event?
February 9, 201411 yr Six months out and only 1,000 people have registered for events. Here's hoping for the best, but I'm starting to get worried. I thought I heard a story on WKYC the other day that said there were ~10,000 athletes registered? 10,000 registrants is the estimate the Gay Games people keep throwing out there. That's just a goal though. In reality, only about 1,000 have actually registered thus far. Also, I love that they had an ad run during the Olympic opening ceremonies. But why run the ad only in Ohio and in small markets like Dayton and Toledo? Why not run the ad in Pittsburgh, Chicago, Indianapolis and other nearby Midwest cities to try to expand awareness of the event in places from which you might actually draw some participants. It's almost like the people running this thing have no clue. I was completely shocked too to hear it's was only televised in Ohio...of course all I had to do was read the link I posted. What a lost opportunity...
February 9, 201411 yr Here's a link to the GG9 board and staff. I would say take a look and judge for yourself. There are some names on there that I would not associate with "clueless" so here's hoping for the best! http://www.gg9cle.com/gay-games/gg9-board-and-staff/ Any idea where the Senior Games numbers were 6 months out? That could be a valuable comparison.
February 9, 201411 yr In full disclosure, my affiliation with the Gay Games is donating some photos for promotional materials - I'm not a volunteer or on any committee but I am friends with some of the staff. With that... "Well, my sources tell me that the folks running this thing are clueless and have no experience promoting or running a major event like this." Well, my experience tells me that until your sources are mature enough to 1. identify themselves and speak on their own behalf and 2. provide details beyond the sadly typical bitchy gossip - you're just posting libelous hearsay which has no place on this forum. If you/they can provide objective and specific details that the whole thing is just a clusterf#ck in the making, that's one thing - but for you to just throw out these comments without any backup or verification? This isn't cleveland.com - and you're the one making these claims, it's on you to either back them up or admit it's just something you heard and didn't bother to question. clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
February 9, 201411 yr Not when their post contains libelous hearsay and unsubstantiated "facts", and especially not when you or your fellow Admins are the ones dealing with any potential litigation. clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
February 9, 201411 yr 1. I don't think you understand what libel is under Ohio law. 2. I know two people serving on committees, who have told me things are not running that smoothly. 3. I'm not identifying my sources. 4. If you find my post inappropriate, feel free to delete it.
February 9, 201411 yr 1. I fully admit, not all the nuances, but that's the problem - most people don't, and when they sense someone's post is libelous and act on it, it's the Admins (usually me) who have to deal with their complaint/grief instead of the forumer in question. I have better ways to spend my time than trying to diffuse situations like that. 2. Fair enough, but if you're not at liberty to go into details, leave it at what you've heard and admit it's hearsay. Start throwing out numbers like you did without citing a source ...again, this isn't cleveland.com, you're *going* to be asked to cite/identify your source for something like that. In the event you *can* provide a source, well that's why this isn't cleveland.com - we think our forumers are capable of a mature discussion and those in question are openly welcome to participate (I'll refer you to our RTA threads as an example). 3. Fair enough, but they're more than welcome to present their case here as well as representatives of the Gay Games - all we ask is they adhere to the forum's expectations. 4. Your post isn't appropriate, but please refer to #2 for guidance. Thanks. clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
February 9, 201411 yr I think they had a booth at North Halsted Market Days and a float in the Chicago Pride Parade this summer IIRC.
February 9, 201411 yr As for not running TV spots in other markets during the Olympics, it could have been due to limited or no inventory, or more likely, a budgetary concern. I have worked on some of these campaigns from a marketing standpoint, Senior Games for one, and I know we are typically dealing with limited budgets. More often what we attempt to do on their behalf is orchestrate some sort of barter or trade agreement, such as x amount of tickets/event signage for y amount of media exposure, etc. Either way they more than likely don't have the money to do a full blown ad blitz.
February 10, 201411 yr They were signing people up here in Fort Lauderdale and handing out brochures at a local gay sports bar.
February 15, 201411 yr They have advertised in National and international gay magazines and used Social Media and apps.
June 9, 201411 yr Today's meaningless buzz word is "Sustainability." http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2014/06/the_gay_games_cometh_and_strai.html
July 16, 201410 yr Cleveland Orchestra announces Community Arts Partnership with 2014 Gay Games http://www.examiner.com/article/cleveland-orchestra-announces-community-arts-partnership-with-2014-gay-games
July 17, 201410 yr I think this is a valid question. We'll have people coming from all over the world and this event is just as important as the RNC convention. It will tell if Cleveland is viewed as open and progressive when it come to LGBT community. Is Cleveland a city where an LGBT person can easily be accepted Is Cleveland a place where LGBT companies/businesses prosper? Are gays, lesbians and transgendered people seen in visible positions in Cleveland? What do other cities do or have that could be a learning/teachable item here in Cleveland? We don't have a traditional "gayborhood" like LA -W. Hollywood, Silver Lake, Long Beach NYC - Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, Park Slope (regentrification started by the Lesbian Community) Boston - S. Boston, Jamaica Plains (huge lesbian population in Boston) San Fran - The Castro Chicago - Boystown, DC - Dupont and Logan Circles Miami - Miami Beach Ft. Lauderdale - Ft. Lauderdale beach (lots of gay hotels) & Wilson Manners Seattle - Capitol Hill San Diego - Hillcrest Houston - Montrose Dallas - Oak Lawn We have pockets of gays in Downtown, Ohio City, Edgewater, Tremont, Shaker Square, and The Heights http://www.cleveland.com/travel/index.ssf/2014/07/is_cleveland_gay-friendly_enou.html#incart_most-comments
July 17, 201410 yr Ummmm..... Lakewood? Not really. Highly tolerant, but not anywhere close to a "Gay-Borhood". I lived in German Village and Victorian Village in Columbus 10 years ago before moving up here. I always found it laughable when people say how "Gay" Lakewood is.
July 17, 201410 yr MTS - In your opinion, why doesn't Cleveland have a "gayborhood?" Redevelopment mostly. When I was in my early 20s, the warehouse district was full of Gay Clubs. Now it's housing. Some of the first pioneers of the warehouse district were gays. There were also a gay bars in the Gateway area (Dominos) East Ninth (Keys and Chaps), there was also another bar, at the exit of the of AmeriTrust Parking structure on Bolivar. We had bars on St. Clair in the 20's (eagle, Thunderbolt U Porky's). There was Patraka in Univ. Circle and Vels had a "alternative" night, AKA Gay Soul Train. There were more clubs than Bounce in the West 28 area. There were a few bars in the 90s. Back in the 80s you could party at a gay club in Cleveland every night of the week. It was great! Our businesses were nice, but never concentrated where there were gay owned operated businesses in one area of concentration, especially residential. Back then TC and the Galleria were big gay malls! If you tossed a stick into a crowd, you be sure to hit 3 or 4 gays. Then Jeffrey Damher terrorized NE Ohio gay establishments, AIDS hit and all while this was taking place the gay community is very racially divided.
July 17, 201410 yr With all the attention on landing the RNC (and Lebron), I'm noticing comparatively little hype for GG9. I truly hope Cleveland is ready to host this international event. No offense to those involved (especially posters on here), as I really don't know anything about the inner workings. My thoughts are mostly on mind-share for the Cleveland community itself. Do you think Cleveland, as a whole, is ready for its gay spotlight and showcase?
July 17, 201410 yr With all the attention on landing the RNC (and Lebron), I'm noticing comparatively little hype for GG9. I truly hope Cleveland is ready to host this international event. No offense to those involved (especially posters on here), as I really don't know anything about the inner workings. My thoughts are mostly on mind-share for the Cleveland community itself. Do you think Cleveland, as a whole, is ready for its gay spotlight and showcase? You ask a fair question. I too notice very very little media coverage of the games.
July 17, 201410 yr I'll third that concern. I've seen more local advertising and coverage on the new MetroPark lakefront park events than the GGIX. So is Cleveland post-Gay-borhood? I don't think this is a situation unique to Cleveland. I know I have seen several articles about the loss of culture in Gay strongholds such as Castro in SF.
July 18, 201410 yr Ummmm..... Lakewood? I dont' think Lakewood is as gay as it was in the 70s & 80s. I don't think Lakewood was ever all that gay. If anything, the Clifton/Baltic neighborhood had many gay residents (both gay and lesbian), and some anchor gay bars.
July 18, 201410 yr I'll third that concern. I've seen more local advertising and coverage on the new MetroPark lakefront park events than the GGIX. So is Cleveland post-Gay-borhood? I don't think this is a situation unique to Cleveland. I know I have seen several articles about the loss of culture in Gay strongholds such as Castro in SF. I've seen plenty of advertising but I'm in the target demographic and frankly, I'm not worried about it. I know plenty of people involved in the Games, some are behind the scenes and some are participating. Mind-share? I know what you're saying but like any other group, the LGBT community in Cleveland isn't a monolith, and for that (and with apologies to Positively Cleveland) - you're welcome ;-) As far as gayborhoods, I'd say Cleveland has moved on (for better or worse); fyi, it used to be from the Gold Coast in Lakewood to Clifton/Baltic and Edgewater Park). <--- *That* is where the misnomer about *all* of Lakewood being a gayborhood came from. Sure, in the 80s - if you were LGBT and wanted to be around others, you pretty much *had* to be close to the gayborhood or you had to go out to the clubs. Then this little thing called the internet came along and then social media - suddenly, we could live anywhere and still find others like us without having to live here and go clubbing there. Just a Cleveland thing? Nope. clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
July 18, 201410 yr The groups I run in don't go to the gay bars or need a gayborhood. We do dinner parties and go to regular bars....quite honestly they're better. I think part of the problem with the Cleveland scene is most of the gay bars are dumps or tragic (Bounce). Twist is the closest to being designed correctly, but the clientele is what most complained about. Cleveland is said to be the 13th gayest city in the country (that may be old now).
July 18, 201410 yr I am currently in San Diego for work and I was in a sandwich shop and the GGIX were on the front page of their free San Diego LGBT magazine. I didn't have a chance to read it but it was good to see some acknowledgement on the west coast of the games being in Cleveland.
July 22, 201410 yr MTS - In your opinion, why doesn't Cleveland have a "gayborhood?" Redevelopment and we've traditionally had a large numbers of diverse 'burbs. In the 70s/80s downtown was gay central in Cleveland. The WHD has so many gay bars, clubs and other businesses. Water Street Dans was right next door to the biker bars. Then the flats happened and the first bars to go were the gay bars, yet MTV-esq bars that were very gay friendly.
July 22, 201410 yr The groups I run in don't go to the gay bars or need a gayborhood. We do dinner parties and go to regular bars....quite honestly they're better. I think part of the problem with the Cleveland scene is most of the gay bars are dumps or tragic (Bounce). Twist is the closest to being designed correctly, but the clientele is what most complained about. Cleveland is said to be the 13th gayest city in the country (that may be old now). How old are you? I think thats a fair question. Most people my age (48 - Hush KJP/CDM), regardless of city, are more into house/dinner parties and couples things. I live in NYC 60% of the time, I can't tell you the last time I've been to a gay bar that wasn't work related. I think gay ghettos gayborhoods are becoming a thing of the past. In the early days of gay rights we needed the quantity of numbers and those with similar target audience to band together. In several cities their gayborhoods are being over run with "SwS" now that we've come in and rebuilt the area. Atlanta - Midtown is being built out Manhattan - West Village, Chelsea & Harlem Chicago, Dallas, Miami Beach & Philly - Gayborhoods boundaries are shrinking and crime is up. West Hollywood - Recently removed the gay flag, due to it offending straight residents. Silver Lake - Straight moving in by the gangbusters. DC - Dupont Circle was the heart of the gayborhood, it's moved to Logan Circle San Diego's gayborhood is not downtown, but now being encroached. Ft. Lauderdale and Wilton Manners buck the trend.
July 22, 201410 yr The groups I run in don't go to the gay bars or need a gayborhood. We do dinner parties and go to regular bars....quite honestly they're better. I think part of the problem with the Cleveland scene is most of the gay bars are dumps or tragic (Bounce). Twist is the closest to being designed correctly, but the clientele is what most complained about. Cleveland is said to be the 13th gayest city in the country (that may be old now). How old are you? I think thats a fair question. Most people my age (48 - Hush KJP/CDM), regardless of city, are more into house/dinner parties and couples things. I live in NYC 60% of the time, I can't tell you the last time I've been to a gay bar that wasn't work related. I think gay ghettos gayborhoods are becoming a thing of the past. In the early days of gay rights we needed the quantity of numbers and those with similar target audience to band together. In several cities their gayborhoods are being over run with "SwS" now that we've come in and rebuilt the area. Atlanta - Midtown is being built out Manhattan - West Village, Chelsea & Harlem Chicago, Dallas, Miami Beach & Philly - Gayborhoods boundaries are shrinking and crime is up. West Hollywood - Recently removed the gay flag, due to it offending straight residents. Silver Lake - Straight moving in by the gangbusters. DC - Dupont Circle was the heart of the gayborhood, it's moved to Logan Circle San Diego's gayborhood is not downtown, but now being encroached. Ft. Lauderdale and Wilton Manners buck the trend. I'm 29 and ya, Wilton Manors is definitely the gayborhood and not going away. The funny thing is, the bars are more neighborhood bars and there is only one club open on weekends, but people are still out nearly every night. Miami and Miami Beach are the opposite. Only the mainstays, Palace etc, stick around.
July 22, 201410 yr The groups I run in don't go to the gay bars or need a gayborhood. We do dinner parties and go to regular bars....quite honestly they're better. I think part of the problem with the Cleveland scene is most of the gay bars are dumps or tragic (Bounce). Twist is the closest to being designed correctly, but the clientele is what most complained about. Cleveland is said to be the 13th gayest city in the country (that may be old now). How old are you? I think thats a fair question. Most people my age (48 - Hush KJP/CDM), regardless of city, are more into house/dinner parties and couples things. I live in NYC 60% of the time, I can't tell you the last time I've been to a gay bar that wasn't work related. I think gay ghettos gayborhoods are becoming a thing of the past. In the early days of gay rights we needed the quantity of numbers and those with similar target audience to band together. In several cities their gayborhoods are being over run with "SwS" now that we've come in and rebuilt the area. Atlanta - Midtown is being built out Manhattan - West Village, Chelsea & Harlem Chicago, Dallas, Miami Beach & Philly - Gayborhoods boundaries are shrinking and crime is up. West Hollywood - Recently removed the gay flag, due to it offending straight residents. Silver Lake - Straight moving in by the gangbusters. DC - Dupont Circle was the heart of the gayborhood, it's moved to Logan Circle San Diego's gayborhood is not downtown, but now being encroached. Ft. Lauderdale and Wilton Manners buck the trend. I'm 29 and ya, Wilton Manors is definitely the gayborhood and not going away. The funny thing is, the bars are more neighborhood bars and there is only one club open on weekends, but people are still out nearly every night. Miami and Miami Beach are the opposite. Only the mainstays, Palace etc, stick around. Wilton Manors, is surrounded by non gay areas, and many of the businesses are mixed, like Rosies. I wouldn't say Wilton Manor is "not going away", look at Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Miami Beach, Long Beach, Oak Lawn/Uptown, Midtown ATL, Palm Springs, Dupont Circle, Fire Island, Park Slope, The Castro, Plesant Ridge (Detroit), Lake Merrit (oakland), Jaimaca (Boston), Edgewater/Clifton, WHD, Sterling-Payne, would say different. In Miami, you can still go to twist if you're on the Beach. There are some other clubs in the 70 but they cater mostly to Black or Latino gay men. My perspective on Bars is different considering our age difference, I live in the time of Clevelands bar & club glory. You could go out every night in Cleveland and party...and I mean PARTY!. I can remember leaving Tuesdays at Traxx at 3:45am and waiting for the first Shaker train, (4:10am) sneaking into my parents home, taking a shower and returning to the train for the ride back downtown for work! Partying on the Mall/Hanna Fountains. Edgewater/Eastern Lakewood has always been our largest concentration of gay pockets, but we have Coventry and the area just north of Severance; Shaker Square; University Hts, near JC; The condo/townhouse area south of Beachwood Place, the area on Detroit in the 80s, are all gay pockets. I'm sure there are places on the Westside that are also gay friendly. In 2014 is there a need to cluster in one area as we did in 1984?
July 22, 201410 yr The groups I run in don't go to the gay bars or need a gayborhood. We do dinner parties and go to regular bars....quite honestly they're better. I think part of the problem with the Cleveland scene is most of the gay bars are dumps or tragic (Bounce). Twist is the closest to being designed correctly, but the clientele is what most complained about. Cleveland is said to be the 13th gayest city in the country (that may be old now). How old are you? I think thats a fair question. Most people my age (48 - Hush KJP/CDM), regardless of city, are more into house/dinner parties and couples things. I live in NYC 60% of the time, I can't tell you the last time I've been to a gay bar that wasn't work related. I think gay ghettos gayborhoods are becoming a thing of the past. In the early days of gay rights we needed the quantity of numbers and those with similar target audience to band together. In several cities their gayborhoods are being over run with "SwS" now that we've come in and rebuilt the area. Atlanta - Midtown is being built out Manhattan - West Village, Chelsea & Harlem Chicago, Dallas, Miami Beach & Philly - Gayborhoods boundaries are shrinking and crime is up. West Hollywood - Recently removed the gay flag, due to it offending straight residents. Silver Lake - Straight moving in by the gangbusters. DC - Dupont Circle was the heart of the gayborhood, it's moved to Logan Circle San Diego's gayborhood is not downtown, but now being encroached. Ft. Lauderdale and Wilton Manners buck the trend. I'm 29 and ya, Wilton Manors is definitely the gayborhood and not going away. The funny thing is, the bars are more neighborhood bars and there is only one club open on weekends, but people are still out nearly every night. Miami and Miami Beach are the opposite. Only the mainstays, Palace etc, stick around. Wilton Manors, is surrounded by non gay areas, and many of the businesses are mixed, like Rosies. I wouldn't say Wilton Manor is "not going away", look at Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Miami Beach, Long Beach, Oak Lawn/Uptown, Midtown ATL, Palm Springs, Dupont Circle, Fire Island, Park Slope, The Castro, Plesant Ridge (Detroit), Lake Merrit (oakland), Jaimaca (Boston), Edgewater/Clifton, WHD, Sterling-Payne, would say different. In Miami, you can still go to twist if you're on the Beach. There are some other clubs in the 70 but they cater mostly to Black or Latino gay men. My perspective on Bars is different considering our age difference, I live in the time of Clevelands bar & club glory. You could go out every night in Cleveland and party...and I mean PARTY!. I can remember leaving Tuesdays at Traxx at 3:45am and waiting for the first Shaker train, (4:10am) sneaking into my parents home, taking a shower and returning to the train for the ride back downtown for work! Partying on the Mall/Hanna Fountains. Edgewater/Eastern Lakewood has always been our largest concentration of gay pockets, but we have Coventry and the area just north of Severance; Shaker Square; University Hts, near JC; The condo/townhouse area south of Beachwood Place, the area on Detroit in the 80s, are all gay pockets. I'm sure there are places on the Westside that are also gay friendly. In 2014 is there a need to cluster in one area as we did in 1984? Ya, I moved to Cleveland in the time of Bounce, Twist, that tiny place on Lorain and the place on W117 that closed. I think it would be nice if there was one good dance club or classy gay bar, but I agree that we don't really need gayborhoods anymore. I am very interested to see how the city does with the Gay Games (will there be protests by the religious right, bashings or will it go over without any major issues). With regard to Wilton, I don't mean it couldn't go away, it's just unlikey anytime soon. Based on census data, 14% of the city identified as a same sex married couple. On top of that, 90% of the population is over 18 (so very few children) and 63.1% of the population is male. Prices would have to escalate to South Beach levels (which is highly unlikely) for a mass exodus to occur. Oakland Park to the north is cheaper and very gay friendly, but doesn't have the walkability that Wilton has.
July 22, 201410 yr The groups I run in don't go to the gay bars or need a gayborhood. We do dinner parties and go to regular bars....quite honestly they're better. I think part of the problem with the Cleveland scene is most of the gay bars are dumps or tragic (Bounce). Twist is the closest to being designed correctly, but the clientele is what most complained about. Cleveland is said to be the 13th gayest city in the country (that may be old now). How old are you? I think thats a fair question. Most people my age (48 - Hush KJP/CDM), regardless of city, are more into house/dinner parties and couples things. I live in NYC 60% of the time, I can't tell you the last time I've been to a gay bar that wasn't work related. I think gay ghettos gayborhoods are becoming a thing of the past. In the early days of gay rights we needed the quantity of numbers and those with similar target audience to band together. In several cities their gayborhoods are being over run with "SwS" now that we've come in and rebuilt the area. Atlanta - Midtown is being built out Manhattan - West Village, Chelsea & Harlem Chicago, Dallas, Miami Beach & Philly - Gayborhoods boundaries are shrinking and crime is up. West Hollywood - Recently removed the gay flag, due to it offending straight residents. Silver Lake - Straight moving in by the gangbusters. DC - Dupont Circle was the heart of the gayborhood, it's moved to Logan Circle San Diego's gayborhood is not downtown, but now being encroached. Ft. Lauderdale and Wilton Manners buck the trend. I'm 29 and ya, Wilton Manors is definitely the gayborhood and not going away. The funny thing is, the bars are more neighborhood bars and there is only one club open on weekends, but people are still out nearly every night. Miami and Miami Beach are the opposite. Only the mainstays, Palace etc, stick around. Wilton Manors, is surrounded by non gay areas, and many of the businesses are mixed, like Rosies. I wouldn't say Wilton Manor is "not going away", look at Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Miami Beach, Long Beach, Oak Lawn/Uptown, Midtown ATL, Palm Springs, Dupont Circle, Fire Island, Park Slope, The Castro, Plesant Ridge (Detroit), Lake Merrit (oakland), Jaimaca (Boston), Edgewater/Clifton, WHD, Sterling-Payne, would say different. In Miami, you can still go to twist if you're on the Beach. There are some other clubs in the 70 but they cater mostly to Black or Latino gay men. My perspective on Bars is different considering our age difference, I live in the time of Clevelands bar & club glory. You could go out every night in Cleveland and party...and I mean PARTY!. I can remember leaving Tuesdays at Traxx at 3:45am and waiting for the first Shaker train, (4:10am) sneaking into my parents home, taking a shower and returning to the train for the ride back downtown for work! Partying on the Mall/Hanna Fountains. Edgewater/Eastern Lakewood has always been our largest concentration of gay pockets, but we have Coventry and the area just north of Severance; Shaker Square; University Hts, near JC; The condo/townhouse area south of Beachwood Place, the area on Detroit in the 80s, are all gay pockets. I'm sure there are places on the Westside that are also gay friendly. In 2014 is there a need to cluster in one area as we did in 1984? Ya, I moved to Cleveland in the time of Bounce, Twist, that tiny place on Lorain and the place on W117 that closed. I think it would be nice if there was one good dance club or classy gay bar, but I agree that we don't really need gayborhoods anymore. I am very interested to see how the city does with the Gay Games (will there be protests by the religious right, bashings or will it go over without any major issues). With regard to Wilton, I don't mean it couldn't go away, it's just unlikey anytime soon. Based on census data, 14% of the city identified as a same sex married couple. On top of that, 90% of the population is over 18 (so very few children) and 63.1% of the population is male. Prices would have to escalate to South Beach levels (which is highly unlikely) for a mass exodus to occur. Oakland Park to the north is cheaper and very gay friendly, but doesn't have the walkability that Wilton has. What I'm saying is just a decade ago, places like The West Village and Chelsea had similar demographics to WM. Now those places straight.
July 28, 201410 yr Come out to these 2014 Gay Games events in Cleveland By Amanda Harnocz, Northeast Ohio Media Group on July 28, 2014 at 4:49 PM CLEVELAND, Ohio — Are bowling, basketball, tennis, sailing and sports in general not really your thing? There are still several Gay Games events planned from Aug. 6-16 that don't have anything to do with physical abilities — well unless you count dancing at Boy George's white party. http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/07/come_out_to_these_2014_gay_gam.html
July 29, 201410 yr And one more: Gay Games IX :: So Many Reasons to Go by Thom Senzee Rage Monthly Sunday Jul 27, 2014 Just why did Cleveland, Ohio, beat out cities like Boston and Washington, D.C. for Gay Games 2014? "One reason is the community and the region went all out and showed how much they wanted the games," says Tom Nobbe, executive director of Gay Games 9. "This region's LGBT community is one hundred percent behind the effort, and so is the rest of the region's community." Noting that northeast Ohio is home to about 2.5 million people, Nobbe adds, "The region is one of the best-kept secrets with a very well accepted, highly integrated and very large LGBT community. We hope to change that lack of awareness nationally and internationally this summer." http://www.edgeonthenet.com/entertainment/culture/163011/gay_games_ix_::_so_many_reasons_to_go
July 30, 201410 yr I have a friend who is looking for more volunteers for the Opening Ceremony props and costumes committee. They have day and evening shifts to fill from August 7th - 9th. PM me if you're interested, and I'll hook you up!
August 6, 201410 yr Cleveland set to light the night http://www.wkyc.com/story/news/local/cuyahoga-county/2014/08/05/cleveland-set-to-light-the-night/13644817/
August 6, 201410 yr I have a photo shoot in UC tonight so you better believe I'll be out there tonight taking plenty of pics :) :)
August 9, 201410 yr A few more: http://www.usnews.com/news/sports/articles/2014/08/08/gay-games-9-to-begin-saturday-in-ohio http://m.19actionnews.com/19actionnews/pm_127471/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=0owcOiqJ
August 10, 201410 yr I attended the opening ceremony and it was amazing - I took over 1,000 photos, obviously not all came out but I've got some post-processing work to do. Hope to have threads posted early this week :-) clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
August 12, 201410 yr My notes from the opening weekend. I have about 100 friends in town, many this is their first time to Cleveland. They are from the following metro areas: Boston Philadelphia N Jersey Philly DC Charlotte Atlanta Miami Ft. Lauderdale Tampa NoLa Dallas Toronto Montreal Quebec San Fran Cinci Detroit LA Houston San Juan Ponce Most of them arrived around the same time I did. We get to the Cleveland rapid, and "Why must we press so many buttons, this is worse than Chicago?" However, it was followed with, "This is cheap, compared to X City". In San Fran it's around $7 USD to travel from Downtown to SFO via BART. Thank goodness we had no delays. We get downtown, I give directions to hotels, most were at the Westin or Renaissance. A few were at the Marriott, R-C and Hyatt. As we come up the stairs, most commented how beautiful Tower City is and former Cleveland reminisced about the shopping Glory days. They guy I'm dating has been in the States very long and only to been to DC's Virginia 'burbs and N. Jersey. So he had no idea what to expect. After sending the first timers off, New Thing 1, his partner and the guy I'm dating got on the Shaker train to my crib. They thought the ride to SS was "cute" except for the short section between 55 and the bridge after 79. Things 1 partner thought SS was "adorb" when we emerged at SS. He's from Queens originally and his first thought was it puts him in the mind of Forest Hills. When he saw MC, he was impressed, which is hard to do for this particular jaded native NYer. I had to let him know that Forest Hills does not have a monopoly on Tudor fabulousness! I was kind of surprised the uppity B, said he liked my apartment more than the Brownstone. I hope that bitch doesn't steal anything out of my apartment while I'm not there or I'll have to fire new Thing 1! I gave them a tour of my crib, get them settled. We head out for the night, dinner on the Square, then downtown. I haven't seen that many people downtown in DECADES! We did a bar crawl. We had a drink in the Lobby of the Renaissance, a cocktail in the Foundation Room, the Choc. Bar, and of course they thought the Arcade was beautiful! We then went to Urban Farmer for a cocktail and nibbles (they have GG discounts so ask), then went over to the Aloft bar and we finally end up at the Casino. Buy the time we got to the Casino there was at least 40 of us. Next thing I know, it's 4am. I was pissed that we have no 24 hour diner downtown! Luckily, the first Blue Line train rolls out. All in all, the kids had a good start to the weekend. Friday morning, they all pile on the train to have breakfast at my parents house. My mom wanted to cook for Thing 1, since he is always doing favors for her when she comes to NYC and my next door neighbors from LA are in town. So they ride the Shaker train and I told them where to get off, but they rode to Warrensville because they liked the pretty houses. Thank goodness they didn't go any further east. So walking back my best friend and I showed them where we went to school at Malvern and Byron Jr. High (I refuse to call it SHMS). So to my surprise my grand parents came to breakfast and of course my grand father was a hoot. Although, I felt kind of bad, my boyfriend put something into perspective for me. I was giving a few people a tour of the house and he told me that his whole family lived in a house smaller than my bedroom. That was a real kick in the gut. So after breakfast we walked to the Shaker Lakes then back to my apartment. COCKTAILS at 11:30am. Thank goodness nobody fell off the roof! After that I took them to UC, Did the oval, museum, Botanical Garden. Pit stop at the Coffee House, no cocktails (booooo), then walked to the international gardens. By this time its around 6, so we stop by my grand parents and cousins houses so people could have bathroom break. I put them on the 3 downtown and I went home to recharge. A few hours later we meet again at my favorite restaurant for a fabulous meal. Then we walk across "the allee" which is beautiful and creepy at night to a house party in Hough. Saturday morning, I'm completely hung over and get up at 6am. Rally the troops for a trip to the WSM and Ohio City! Surprised?! Ummm. I wanted to show them the poor side of town as well! HA I kid...I kid. The market was packed and we were "shopping" but people did pick out things to nibble. The Philly bitches were blown away, as they think Reading Terminal Market is "all that". I just threw shade. I wanted to go to SOHO kitchen, but the bitch wasn't open. Major league pissed about that! WTF?! Luckily between heck's Johnny Mango and Market Garden we had food. Then after that, we end up at Great Lakes. Some folks went to Tremont, Christmas Story house. The others went do Wendy Park. They all met up at the RRHF. Saturday night, I had a cocktail party before the opening ceremonies. I was glad I was able to share that experience with my grand parents, parents, brother and niece & nephew and close friends. I wish it was outdoor, like Chicago, but I have to say, this felt very alive compared to Chicago opening and closing ceremonies. Wrigley field felt empty and cavernous. The energy inside the Q, felt bigger than it did for the CAVS NBA finals. It was A-MAZ-ING! Sunday, more brunch, more drinking, and watching games. This morning I know some people went to the Asiatown. Tomorrow they are going to Little Italy. I've done my part and contributed HEAVILY to our local economy and damn proud of it! Everyone I know is having a party or going out to eat and drink. I really hope this is a financial success for the city and region and that people enjoy our city. I know I appreciate Cleveland more playing tour guide and showing people the good, great and ugly. One comment I heard was, "why are there so many restaurants, people, apartment downtown yet no stores downtown?" I knew the Queens would be negative about that. ....more to come.
August 12, 201410 yr Well done ambassador MTS! The CLE impresses many first timers and you hit many great areas. https://www.instagram.com/cle_and_beyond/https://www.instagram.com/jbkaufer/
August 12, 201410 yr Have had a great Gay Games experience so far. We welcomed friends from Louisville and Boston, and I think they had a really good experience ... The highlight for the Bostonian weirdly seemed to be how cheap cookies at Presti's were. Our agenda has been Hal Sparks at Hilarities, AHA Pecha Kucha, Bounce, Cleveland Museum of Art pre-party, opening ceremony, Twist, Leather Stallion, Beachland brunch and the Waterloo strip, Edgewater, festival village on the Mall, the Renaissance after-party, Coventry and Little Italy. At some point, I'll hopefully see a sporting event :D I can't wait to see the autopsy on this thing, because people are spending money left and right!! Overall, the energy has been amazing, with the exception of a few out-of-towners I've overheard with the "Why Cleveland?" thing and more than a few grumblings about a certain gay bar charging covers that seem (at least per Facebook posts) to be a little financially exclusionary opposite many open and free evening events. Those complaints have been more than offset by a lot of positive comments and just a general sense of community and acceptance from Cleveland. The opening ceremony had some pretty powerful moments (at least IMHO) including an obviously moved Connie Schultz, a surprise video cameo by Obama and, most of all, a standing ovation for the HUGE Russian delegation. It's been really amazing to see the breadth of international visitors, even from one-person delegations from places like Nepal and Peru. I echo the downtown pedestrian vibe comments above and would encourage people to join in and come out to some sporting events or the festival village if you haven't yet ... It really does feel special for the Cleveland. Just drink less than me (and a lot of others) ... This is the first day in 5 days when I haven't been hungover :D
August 12, 201410 yr How is the food availability at the Festival Village? I'm considering walking over there for dinner tonight. Baby broc will be in tow - I'm assuming it's not a 21 and over thing?
August 12, 201410 yr Food is available, but not gonna lie, it's not great food, at least not within the Festival Village itself ... It's typical "fair food". There's a decent lo mein stand; outside of that, I personally don't think there's anything of particular note down there. I think this was a real missed opportunity to expose visitors to our culinary scene with more plentiful food truck operations. But you should still walk down :D
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