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Cleveland ain't half bad

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Started 4 years ago by columbusguy20
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columbusguy20
5XNW
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I went up to Cleveland for the day yesterday and found it to be very eye-opening.
I took a drive through downtown and then out to Beachwood Place Mall, which was very nice. Their H&M has mens clothes (I found a pair of flip flops for about $5.90!)and their Saks has valet parking(!); But then again, we are going to be getting a Puma store!!! I then drove down the RTA Green Line Green Road park and ride and took the train into downtown again, which was also very nice. The line ran along Shaker Boulevard which has some beautiful homes, very much like Upper Arlington and Bexley. It would be nice if Columbus had something like this. To my surprise, I saw people who drive Volvo's, BMW's, Audi's and so on, taking the train into downtown. Cleveland also has an interstate, I-271, that has a series of express and local lanes, which I thought was nice as well, to separate local traffic going to city streets from traffic heading to I-90.
As with visiting any city, I do have a few gripes. One stems from all the traffic circles and angles streets around University Circle. At one point I had no idea whether I was traveling east, west, north, or south. Also, a lot of their street signs only have the street name and no suffix i.e. road, street, avenue, boulevard, way, place, and so on. I-90 through downtown was especially rough; if people here think I-70/I-71 is bad, try driving along I-90 at 60mph and then being told to slow down to 35/30mph to make "Dead Man's Curve!" Also, I found their street numbering system to be a little odd; I mean just outside of downtown, in University Circle, you are already in the 8000-10000 block. I even saw homes that were numbered from 20000-30000 and beyond! If that was Columbus, you would be in northern Franklin County and/or southern Delaware County.
Anyone care to comment on their experience with Cleveland?

Posted 4 years ago #
Coremodels
Really close to Explorer's Club.
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Hate Cleveland, been beat up 3 times just because I got off the wrong exit there.
Not joking.

Posted 4 years ago #
dKilla
Dublin
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LOL....University circle is NOT FOR ROOKIES!! Even locals have issues with that area. It took me 2 years of driving thru there almost everyday to semi-master it. The next 2 years went a lot more smoothly. Dead man's curve is a PIA, however if you look at the surroundings you'll see that it was done that way because there was no choice other than the government exercising their emminent domain powers when buliding the interstate.
Cleveland has been cleaned up quite a bit over the past 10-15 years. It's a great city and a well kept secret. I actually miss it sometimes....in the summer. 8)
columbusguy20 wrote I went up to Cleveland for the day yesterday and found it to be very eye-opening.
I took a drive through downtown and then out to Beachwood Place Mall, which was very nice. Their H&M has mens clothes (I found a pair of flip flops for about $5.90!)and their Saks has valet parking(!); But then again, we are going to be getting a Puma store!!! I then drove down the RTA Green Line Green Road park and ride and took the train into downtown again, which was also very nice. The line ran along Shaker Boulevard which has some beautiful homes, very much like Upper Arlington and Bexley. It would be nice if Columbus had something like this. To my surprise, I saw people who drive Volvo's, BMW's, Audi's and so on, taking the train into downtown. Cleveland also has an interstate, I-271, that has a series of express and local lanes, which I thought was nice as well, to separate local traffic going to city streets from traffic heading to I-90.
As with visiting any city, I do have a few gripes. One stems from all the traffic circles and angles streets around University Circle. At one point I had no idea whether I was traveling east, west, north, or south. Also, a lot of their street signs only have the street name and no suffix i.e. road, street, avenue, boulevard, way, place, and so on. I-90 through downtown was especially rough; if people here think I-70/I-71 is bad, try driving along I-90 at 60mph and then being told to slow down to 35/30mph to make "Dead Man's Curve!" Also, I found their street numbering system to be a little odd; I mean just outside of downtown, in University Circle, you are already in the 8000-10000 block. I even saw homes that were numbered from 20000-30000 and beyond! If that was Columbus, you would be in northern Franklin County and/or southern Delaware County.
Anyone care to comment on their experience with Cleveland?

Posted 4 years ago #
dKilla
Dublin
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Coremodels wrote Hate Cleveland, been beat up 3 times just because I got off the wrong exit there.
Not joking.
Quit getting off at the wrong exit!!! Based on 2 post you've made today I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that you may be slightly directionally challenged. Am I far off the mark here? :lol:
After the 2nd time you maybe should have considered buying a map or at least modifying your approach in asking for directions. :wink:

Posted 4 years ago #
Coremodels
Really close to Explorer's Club.
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LOL...yeah, I'm horrible at directions and all that.
Got off 2 times at just the very wrong spot, and literally got in fight at gas stations after going to Dead shows at Richfield and heading to a hotel. I know it was a numbered street, like 22nd? at least one of the times, and a guy just literally ran up and started punching the guy pumping gas...was crazy!
Other time, I went inside and asked directions to the hotel, guy started pummeling me because I was staying at a nice hotel before I even made it outside.
Final time was really more my fault, because after the first two experiences I punched a guy who came up to ask me something and then his friends beat me up a lot while my buddies sat in the car.

Posted 4 years ago #
dKilla
Dublin
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Hilarious!!
Well....look on the bright side. The arena in Richfield (The Collesium) has been closed for over 10 years now. In fact I'm almost certain that it's been demolished. Now you can walk from Gund Arena (or whaever they call it this week) to your plush, downtown hotel. Problem solved....sort of.
Coremodels wrote LOL...yeah, I'm horrible at directions and all that.
Got off 2 times at just the very wrong spot, and literally got in fight at gas stations after going to Dead shows at Richfield and heading to a hotel. I know it was a numbered street, like 22nd? at least one of the times, and a guy just literally ran up and started punching the guy pumping gas...was crazy!
Other time, I went inside and asked directions to the hotel, guy started pummeling me because I was staying at a nice hotel before I even made it outside.
Final time was really more my fault, because after the first two experiences I punched a guy who came up to ask me something and then his friends beat me up a lot while my buddies sat in the car.

Posted 4 years ago #
FaireM
Columbus
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I grew up in the Cleveland suburbs and still dont fully understand the highway system. Especially that part by Jacobs field where 77 and 71 split. I always screw that up.
If you really enjoyed cleveland you should check out Monday night's episode of Anthony Bourdain. He goes to Cleveland and considers it one of his all-time favorite destinations.

Posted 4 years ago #
Motorist
The Trots
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Flee to the Cleve
http://www.nbc.com/30_Rock/video/#mea=93251

Posted 4 years ago #
bjboose
Weinland Park
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it ain't half bad...it's all bad!

Posted 4 years ago #
naps
Houston,TX
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Coremodels wrote
after going to Dead shows at Richfield and heading to a hotel
Richfield is my home town!! I used to love when the Dead would come to town. There were parties in all the parks and all over town, great growing up memories!! I'm one hell of a hacky sacker from it :wink:
I LOVE Cleveland!!!! It's an older city and roads are all over the place, it was laid out before cars were all too common. It's not the grid system that Columbus or Houston have for roads that's for sure! :wink:
Cleveland has some great history and is much more than "The Mistake by the Lake". :oops: Check it out sometime!! 8) 8) 8)

Posted 4 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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I consider myself to be a pretty good driver and usually pretty good at handling directions in an unfamiliar place, but I think I've gotten lost every single time I've gone to Cleveland, even when I go to places that I've been to before.
My experiences there have all been pretty good otherwise. I've seen some good DJs up there, and some good comedians (actually saw Mitch Hedberg a few months before he died) as well.
My one gripe with Cleveland is that I can't find good food up there for the life of me. I asked a few local friends to recommend some good places to eat dinner and they were always stumped to give me any good recommendations. And these were people who had lived there for 30 years!
I know I can rattle off at least two dozen good restaurants in Columbus that would be worth a visit for folks new to Columbus. Where do you eat in Cleveland?
:?:

Posted 4 years ago #
artbomb112
The Heights
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I miss Cleveland like I miss running the mile in gym class.... every once in a while I say... "Man... it would be good for me to do that again" and then I remember how much it sucks.
My mom works at the Cleveland Clinic off of University Circle... when I go to visit her I say..... "What the hell is this city's problem".... seriously.. since I was in high school I have been driving down there to go to the museum and it is always confusing... and always a bad neighborhood.
Cleveland is really good at making band aids for problems... the flats were huge and now they are awful.... The Avenue was huge when I was in high school... now it is a total dump. I hope for the city's sake that the museums down on the lakefront don't turn into a dump as well.
Though I wish Cleveland well... I find it much easier to commit myself to this city that I have lived in for nine years now.
I think people forget how amazing Columbus is.

Posted 4 years ago #
naps
Houston,TX
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^^^ Cleveland really needs to reinvent itself. It's an old steel city that has been used up and spat out. It was home to many important people and investors when steel was huge for railroad and auto industry.
Today it really doesn't have much...but back bone!! I love Cleveland for the blue collar way of life. Hard working people, good people, it's as simple as that! East Cleveland used to be the arts mecca for the city, now it's surrounded by the ghetto. I remember taking my grandmother on a drive to see her old home in East Cleveland and she cried at how bad the neighborhood is now a days. It really is sad how bad things have become there and that's the area that surrounds University Circle. I'll never forget the images she painted about that area, it must have been a site to see in it's hay day!!
Look at Euclid Ave. it has a GREAT history in America!! I really hope the renovations take hold.
Personally I think Cleveland needs a new industry. Cleveland Clinic is a great start, but we need so much more for Cleveland. It's such a wonderful city and has SO much potential, it just needs jobs and a stable new industry other than steel. It COULD be a great city once again, it's my home town city and I'LL ALWAYS be a Clevelander no matter where I live!!
PS.
Yes Walker, Columbus does have better places to eat IMO... :wink:

Posted 4 years ago #
joshua
Columbus
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I lived in Cleveland for almost 2 years. Murray Hill, the Italian section, they have some pretty good restaurants there. Malorca is my favorite in warehouse district. Cleveland was definitely my least favorite place I have ever lived, it is one small notch up from Detroit, where I won't live.

Posted 4 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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naps wrote Cleveland really needs to reinvent itself. It's an old steel city that has been used up and spat out.
Not just Cleveland... all of NE Ohio suffers from the same rotted industrial core. Canton, Akron, Youngstown and most of the area in between the three is a depressing sight to see. I've spent the most time in Canton of all of those cities and it always makes me glad that Columbus didn't have as much of an industrial past because it's really hurt the landscape to see all the abandoned factories and warehouses left behind. Hell, even the ones that aren't totally abandoned are usually dirty eyesores.
joshua wrote I lived in Cleveland for almost 2 years. Murray Hill, the Italian section, they have some pretty good restaurants there.
Cool. I'll have to ask you for some suggestions next time I head up that way. ;)

Posted 4 years ago #
Tigertree
771 N. High St.
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I had not been to Cleveland for a few years until my trip up there last month. At that point I was just touring so it was more drive-venue-drive so I had never really experienced the city. I have to say, at least from a shopping standpoint, I was impressed. I tried for a couple of weeks before to get recommendations on stores we could sell our line to and just got a lot of "Cleveland's a pile of shit" sort of comments. So when I saw the caliber of shops that pile supported well, I already said I was impressed so I guess that would be redundant.

Posted 4 years ago #
Brewmaster
Portland, OR
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Cleveland definitely has a more metropolitan, east coast feel to it than we do here. Downtown has a nice pocket of density in the Warehouse District with a nice mix of shops, bars, restaurants, and even an awesome grocery store.
Their ethnic population that helped build the city has left a great legacy of Italian, Hungarian, German, and Asian food places, and the West Side Market is pretty much unparalleled anywhere in the US.
Sure it's gritty, dirty, and industrial, but to me, that's part of the charm.
And to Core, who apparently can't keep from being beat up in Richfield (which is closer to Akron than Cleveland)...If I'd have known you back then, I would've pulled a few of those punches. Sorry man.
And FaireM...thanks for the heads up about Bourdain's show. I knew it was filmed there recently, but didn't know when it was going to air. DVR set!

Posted 4 years ago #
mellotron
Arena District
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columbusguy20 wrote Also, I found their street numbering system to be a little odd; I mean just outside of downtown, in University Circle, you are already in the 8000-10000 block.
Actually, this is how an address system is supposed to work. :) Cleveland Clinic is around E. 80th and University Circle is in the E. 100s. That way when you see an address that is, say 8550 Euclid Ave., you know it'll be in between 85th and 86th street.
Sure it's gritty, dirty, and industrial, but to me, that's part of the charm.
Absolutely! There's a great view from the top floors of MetroHealth Hospital that gives you an expansive view of downtown, as well as all the industrialization along the Cuyahoga River - a neat juxtaposition of Cleveland at it's most metropolitan, with the industry that brought that wealth in plan view. To me that's beauty :wink:

Posted 4 years ago #
FaireM
Columbus
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The thing I love and miss about Cleveland is the eastern european food. I grew up near Parma, where Drew Carey's from, so to me Cleveland food is this odd mix of Polish and Italian food. Man I miss fresh pierogis. I also miss going to the neighborhood butcher. Where I'm from its close to sacrilege to buy meat from the grocery store. You dont see much of that down here.
Cleveland tries hard to clean itself up, they just always seem to go about it the wrong way. Any major project that they do always ends up creating WW3 along the way.

Posted 4 years ago #
FaireM
Columbus
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Brewmaster wrote
And FaireM...thanks for the heads up about Bourdain's show. I knew it was filmed there recently, but didn't know when it was going to air. DVR set!
No Problem! In fact, here's the link to the show description: http://travel.discovery.com/tv/bourdain/comic-book/cleveland-no-reservations.html

Posted 4 years ago #