After much abated breath, I give you the other half of Linden. While the business district on Cleveland Ave traverses the entire neighborhood, only a smaller southern portion is urban, but it is more dense than anything in South Linden. I have to say I dig the north side. Clearly, it can use more work, but it's got a few destinations worth making the trip up here and some of the residential streets are pretty nice. While residents may feel ignored by the rest of the city, COTA certainly hasn't and it's one of the only times I've been impressed by them.

 

MAP

 

Cleveland Ave starting from the south. This is a cool little building.

 

 

 

Lebanese run?

 

 

He's a mechanic.

 

 

 

 

 

North Linden has its own Family Dollar too, but this one looks more dingy.

 

 

 

 

Who knew Linden was so much like Paris?

 

 

 

 

 

 

At least the building is being used for something.

 

 

I don't think she's going to make it...

 

 

 

 

 

Thought I'd sample a little Caribbean food in this well-known Linden restaurant.

 

 

After I placed my order I saw these and they're only a $1.75 each.

 

 

I got the special soup of the day, red pea soup and a side of coco bread. Ran me $5 and was more filling than I expected. Now I've got two spots in Linden to get my Caribbean fix.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Formerly the restaurant Royal Rasta Redemption which served ital Rastafarian food is now a night spot which may or may not serve food. Anyone been?

 

 

Yay! 1st bike rack in Linden: that was me.

 

 

New Harvest Cafe is moving the dining area from around the corner to this spot, while the original spot will be more for lounging.

 

 

 

 

 

The owner, Kojo, is very active in improving the community and is very easy to chat with. The interior isn't what you'd expect.

 

 

Time to browse the menu to sample something here. Luckily I had a paltry breakfast.

 

 

I got the meatloaf, greens (they have their own garden), and had  to get me a bowl of damn soup. It's still pretty cold out, you know. After talking about the history of the neighborhood and why he chose to live here (it reminds him of Chicago and he couldn't stand living in the burbs east of 270) he encouraged me to check out the garden in the back down the alley.

 

 

Before heading down the alley here are a couple of homes next door.

 

 

This looks like a typical dumpster, but its solar powered.

 

 

No, the garden doesn't have tires in it.

 

 

It's over here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poor girl got splashed by a wide vehicle driving in the right lane right after I took this. The sidewalks here are narrow and right up against the street.

 

 

 

Another black woman wearing niqab (hijab covers the hair, niqab covers the entire head except the eyes) was curious about why I was taking a picture of this building, so I told her it was for my neighborhood guide. She said it's no longer a carpet place, but a place of worship. I'm guessing a mosque?

 

 

 

Another view. They have gyros at The City Market. Camel meat anyone? Don't worry; it's halal. I have to say I'm intrigued, but after seeing a camel's head hanging at a stand with various parts of the insides basking in the sun at a stand in Old Fez, I'm bit off-put.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Past the fork in the road you enter sprawl territory.

 

 

So now time for a few residential streets. I headed over to traffic circle-lined Dresden and came back down on Bremen.

 

 

 

Someone has a serious case of the blues.

 

 

 

Dresden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bremen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Families with kids live here. How about that?

 

 

 

 

Someone should tell this guy that he's really a Michigan fan and he's just trying to hide it by overcompensating.

 

 

Aww. they're so cute together.

 

Well done.

The neighborhood certainly has a lot of potential.  The residential areas are in a lot better shape than the commercial

I love this area. It's so scrappy.

mmm Jamaican Beef Pastries, I ate those everyday from the street vendors when I was there....yummy..

 

Glad you included Kwodwo Ababio at New Harvest Cafe. By the way: The tires are part of the garden:

 

 

 

 

 

He's got a vision based on local food -- grown and processed in the community, creating jobs and a future for the community.

 

 

Thanks for the tour.

I like seeing all aspects of a city.

The residential looks ok, and I really appreciate Columbus' diversity, but outside of High St., German Village, and a few other random areas, Columbus just looks really uninspiring to me.

Thanks for sharing and thanks for the map.  That puts it in perspective for us out of towners.

looks better than it used to around there -- keep up the great cols neighborhood work!

The residential looks ok, and I really appreciate Columbus' diversity, but outside of High St., German Village, and a few other random areas, Columbus just looks really uninspiring to me.

 

To be fair, Columbus had a large number of working-class neighborhoods such as this one and it doesn't help that many buildings have gone a long time with little maintenance and/or been torn down. The building stock isn't something that would have wowed people even when first built. However, if you look at buildings housing successful destinations like New Harvest Cafe and Ena's Caribbean Kitchen, you can see that they're pleasant once they've been fixed up and if you use your imagination you can see how the rest of the business district could look if it receives more support.

Interesting; thanks for the photos.

The residential looks ok, and I really appreciate Columbus' diversity, but outside of High St., German Village, and a few other random areas, Columbus just looks really uninspiring to me.

 

To be fair, Columbus had a large number of working-class neighborhoods such as this one and it doesn't help that many buildings have gone a long time with little maintenance and/or been torn down. The building stock isn't something that would have wowed people even when first built. However, if you look at buildings housing successful destinations like New Harvest Cafe and Ena's Caribbean Kitchen, you can see that they're pleasant once they've been fixed up and if you use your imagination you can see how the rest of the business district could look if it receives more support.

 

Yeah, I love the restoration efforts that seems to be happening on a much more widespread basis than in Cincinnati, where rehabs are mostly limited to a few neighborhoods, like OTR and Northside.  Even in more working class areas, Cincinnati just seems to have larger, more intricate buildings, which is why I think I have sort of a "blah" reaction to parts of Columbus.  Then again, would you rather have pretty abandoned buildings, or occupied boring buildings.  Each presents a less than ideal situation.

Yes, Cincinnati seems to have more intact, certainly more architecturally interesting buildings in more of its neighborhoods.  I think when you have a neighborhood that doesn't have impressive architecture that you really need to focus on making the storefronts attractive, since that is what's right at the pedestrian's eye level. There are buildings in the Short North that come to mind, particularly those toward the northern end where they were blah before entrepreneurs occupied them and dolled up the storefronts. I have to say that between pretty abandoned buildings or occupied boring buildings I'll take the latter every time. A great coffee shop, restaurant or kick-ass bar/live music venue offers a whole lot more to me than a great structure which I wished had one of the above. Less than ideal for me are ho-hum buildings sitting abandoned and crumbling, especially along E Main over here.

The residential looks ok, and I really appreciate Columbus' diversity, but outside of High St., German Village, and a few other random areas, Columbus just looks really uninspiring to me.

 

To be fair, Columbus had a large number of working-class neighborhoods such as this one and it doesn't help that many buildings have gone a long time with little maintenance and/or been torn down. The building stock isn't something that would have wowed people even when first built. However, if you look at buildings housing successful destinations like New Harvest Cafe and Ena's Caribbean Kitchen, you can see that they're pleasant once they've been fixed up and if you use your imagination you can see how the rest of the business district could look if it receives more support.

 

Yeah, I love the restoration efforts that seems to be happening on a much more widespread basis than in Cincinnati, where rehabs are mostly limited to a few neighborhoods, like OTR and Northside. Even in more working class areas, Cincinnati just seems to have larger, more intricate buildings, which is why I think I have sort of a "blah" reaction to parts of Columbus. Then again, would you rather have pretty abandoned buildings, or occupied boring buildings. Each presents a less than ideal situation.

 

Well, occupied boring > pretty abandoned, unless you are Sherman.

 

The residential looks ok, and I really appreciate Columbus' diversity, but outside of High St., German Village, and a few other random areas, Columbus just looks really uninspiring to me.

 

Well, the old city is 50ish square miles so it'd make sense that areas around High Street, the German Village, and "a few random areas" (ala Olde Town East, Victorian Village, Italian Village, Dennison Place, Northwood Park) would look more inspiring.  Hell, half of Cincinnati is "uninspired" such as Westwood, most of Price Hill, most of the housing in Mount Lookout, Mt. Washington, Roselawn, Bond Hill, Carthage, Hartwell, etc.  So what should I say? "Aside from the central basin and hill neighborhoods, Cincinnati is uninspired!"  I mean, it's a sort of common sense that the older areas of a city are quite interesting compared to the post-WWII stuff (which Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland have much of).

^I guess you're right, but I still think that there is just a prettier housing/building stock in Cincinnati than Columbus.  Comparing Mt. Lookout and even Roselawn (which has some really beautiful little homes) to what is pictured here isn't an accurate comparison.  Price Hill and Westwood have seen better days, but you still see beautiful old structures (houses, apartment buildings, churches, mini business districts) sprinkled in.  Maybe this has to do with topography, since the hills kind of made people more reliant on services in their own neighborhood, they had to build up more? Hartwell and Carthage, I get the comparison, but I really see those as atypical neighborhoods for Cincy.

 

There are tons of things that Columbus is doing that any Cincinnatian would/should be envious of.  The youthful energy, strong lgbt community, increasing diversity, hell even High Street alone.  If Vine in OTR could look like High in the Short North, Cincy would be a way different place.  But I will maintain that I think Cincinnati has better looking buildings/neighborhoods.

There are tons of things that Columbus is doing that any Cincinnatian would/should be envious of. The youthful energy, strong lgbt community, increasing diversity, hell even High Street alone. If Vine in OTR could look like High in the Short North, Cincy would be a way different place. But I will maintain that I think Cincinnati has better looking buildings/neighborhoods.

Pretty much right on!

^I guess you're right, but I still think that there is just a prettier housing/building stock in Cincinnati than Columbus. Comparing Mt. Lookout and even Roselawn (which has some really beautiful little homes) to what is pictured here isn't an accurate comparison. Price Hill and Westwood have seen better days, but you still see beautiful old structures (houses, apartment buildings, churches, mini business districts) sprinkled in. Maybe this has to do with topography, since the hills kind of made people more reliant on services in their own neighborhood, they had to build up more? Hartwell and Carthage, I get the comparison, but I really see those as atypical neighborhoods for Cincy.

 

There are tons of things that Columbus is doing that any Cincinnatian would/should be envious of. The youthful energy, strong lgbt community, increasing diversity, hell even High Street alone. If Vine in OTR could look like High in the Short North, Cincy would be a way different place. But I will maintain that I think Cincinnati has better looking buildings/neighborhoods.

 

I'm not saying Cincinnati doesn't have better looking buildings/neighborhoods.  It'd better have, being the 6th largest city in the country in the 19th century.  My point is that both Columbus and Cincinnati have select areas of impressive architecture for numerous reasons but mainly due to age/build.  And FYI, Linden is also "atypical" for Old City Columbus neighborhoods (for a more typical one, look for Northwood Park...solid brick).  It'd be like me posting photos of Bond Hill or Winton Place and folks saying "gosh, Cincinnati is so suburban and bland!  Blah!  Go Cleveland!"  North Linden is an impoverished, blue-collar neighborhood and it shows.

 

Comparing Mt. Lookout and even Roselawn (which has some really beautiful little homes) to what is pictured here isn't an accurate comparison.

 

Linden also has some beautiful homes, like Mt. Lookout and Roselawn.  They just aren't pictured here (Linden is a rather large neighborhood).  I just logically don't see the need to see "gosh, this is ugly compared to Cincinnati's ghettos!" as they are quite different.  It seems quite insecure, to be honest.

Well I guess there's no logical need to debate and discuss any of the stuff we talk about on UrbanOhio. It's not insecure as I'm not saying Cincinnati is better or worse, just saying that I think large parts of Columbus are ugly in comparison to Cincinnati for any number of reasons.  That's just like saying I think Cincinnati is ghetto compared to San Francisco.  And having someone reply Oh but there's Hyde Park and Mt. Adams and Mt. Lookout, and they're so nice.  And there's the Tenderloin in SF, and it's so ghetto, so you don't have a point.

The point is why even have the debate to compare two totally different cities.  It'd be like debating Cincinnati and San Francisco (two totally different cities) or Paris vs. Baltimore.  I mean, you can debate it but it's worthless.  I mean, Baltimore is ugly compared to Paris but is it really?  But really, comparisons in general (specifically from hometowns) is usually a sign of insecurity.  Competition, however, is not.

 

And the Tenderloin is far from ghetto.  It just has junkies...and lots of them!

And let's flip it some more.

 

Say somebody comes into a Cincinnati thread from Cleveland and says "it looks so small.  Where are the big buildings?  You see, in Cleveland, we have tall buildings!  Your city looks like Akron compared to Cleveland."  I mean, sure, there is truth to that but at the same time, what's the point of that?  Is it valid criticism for the Cincinnati skyline in comparison to the Cleveland skyline?  Or is it just simple insecurity?

The residential looks ok, and I really appreciate Columbus' diversity, but outside of High St., German Village, and a few other random areas, Columbus just looks really uninspiring to me.

 

It's unfair to discount Columbus as just having a couple nice neighborhoods.  Do you realize how big of a chunk of the city German Village, Grandview Heights, Victorian Village, Marble Cliff, Bexley, Harrison West, Italian Village, Short North, Old Town East, etc occupy?  For a city its size, I've never seen a city with as many intact, safe, historic neighborhoods. 

I should note I've been on a more of a distressed neighborhood kick as of late. I've already covered much of the several nice, stately neighborhoods and still have yet to document more.

No no no, I love your series of distressed neighborhoods!  Keep them coming!  *hint hint* south of Merion Village *hint hint*

I should note I've been on a more of a distressed neighborhood kick as of late. I've already covered much of the several nice, stately neighborhoods and still have yet to document more.

Thank you for covering the distressed side of city life.

I like this thread. Despite the areas of blight, the bright spots of commerce are neat; the two restaurants look like the kind of places I'd like to frequent, and the residential areas look like well-kept working-class housing, the places where the ordinary people live and take care of their homes. It's anything but a boutique neighborhood, and it's what most Americans experience, day to day.

 

^

Well said.

I love all these shots. I graduated from Columbus Alternative HS last year, right by McGuffey and Weber. These shots really show the good side of this improving neighborhood

No no no, I love your series of distressed neighborhoods!  Keep them coming!  *hint hint* south of Merion Village *hint hint*

 

Oh, I've got more up my sleeve. Not there, though...I already covered it. Oh yeah, on my way up toward Cleveland Ave I saw a rainbow flag in Milo-Grogan.  :o

 

Robert, what you said sums up why I like it.

So glad to see this Wonderful thread showing the diversity of North Linden. There's so much that you didnt cover but it's a nice touch on our area! Most of the residences shown are in a neighborhood called Kenmore Park. It's a little known "pocket" in the North Linden area. You can google it and find out lots of interesting info! However; in North Linden, there are alot of abandoned and blighted properties as well but the city alongside the residents are working to address that issue. North Linden, the center of everything Columbus!!

 

Rayna Morgan, Realtor

Secretary, North Linden Area Commission