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Although I love the Flats, which has been largely reborn with more residents than before, it is an apples-to-oranges comparison to areas like St. Louis' Central West End (CWE) OR Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine (OTR), the latter 2 being residential neighborhoods while being, also, trendy, while the Flats is a created-from-nothing (industrial area) trendy bar/restaurant area, that recently, has morphed into an apt district (largely crafted from converted warehouses with some newer large buildings thrown in here and there).
A better Cleveland comparison to CWE and OTR is Ohio City, University Circle/Little Italy or even Edgewater.
True, the Flats is really more of a downtown district than a "neighborhood" per se, and still a decent amount of the Flats is pretty empty. Ohio City is fantastic, but it's mostly focused on only a few blocks of W 25. The residential streets are lovely though. Lorain and Detroit are picking up, hopefully some more vibrancy will be apparent in the next few years. Little Italy/University Circle is probably the most unique Cleveland neighborhood (though they don't "feel" very connected imo). It lacks the nightlife of other areas, but one could easily spend all day there and not get bored.
I can see that. Either way I think Minneapolis is the most functionally urban city in the Midwest outside of Chicago. I would probably place Milwaukee 3rd.
Cincinnati and St Louis have better old urban architecture, Detriot has more of the big city urban architecture. But Minneapolis has managed to avoid the disinvestment and population losses that the other industrial Midwestern cities have experienced.
Reguardless, all of these cities are seeing revitalization. Even the cities that continue to lose population generally have urban neighborhoods that are thriving and growing.
Yeah TBH I voted OTR and I like it the most, but this might be one of the more challenging polls. If OTR was not included, since I've made it known for quite a while that I love the neighborhood, I'd have a very difficult time choosing the second best for me. I think all of these neighborhoods are some of the best in the country and I could see myself enjoying at minimum an awesome weekend in any of them, and some I'd even live in I think. If there was only a way to combine every single one of them, that would be the coolest city for sure haha
Ohio City is fantastic, but it's mostly focused on only a few blocks of W 25. The residential streets are lovely though. Lorain and Detroit are picking up, hopefully some more vibrancy will be apparent in the next few years.
I disagree. Ohio City's vibrancy has really spread in all directions over the last few years, and the development is bleeding into the west bank of the Flats, Clark-Fulton, Detroit-Shoreway, and even Cudell. Viable businesses are on many of the side streets in addition to the main drags of W. 25th and Lorain Ave.
IMO Ohio City is quickly becoming the best urban neighborhood in the midwest outside of Chicago.
I disagree. Ohio City's vibrancy has really spread in all directions over the last few years, and the development is bleeding into the west bank of the Flats, Clark-Fulton, Detroit-Shoreway, and even Cudell. Viable businesses are on many of the side streets in addition to the main drags of W. 25th and Lorain Ave.
IMO Ohio City is quickly becoming the best urban neighborhood in the midwest outside of Chicago.
No part of Ohio City rivals the area between Lorain and Bridge on 25th though.
True, the Flats is really more of a downtown district than a "neighborhood" per se, and still a decent amount of the Flats is pretty empty. Ohio City is fantastic, but it's mostly focused on only a few blocks of W 25.
Sure, the 3 or 4 blocks of W. 25th (now generally referred to as Market Square) are the most intense commercial/mixed use area, but Ohio City consists much more than this. Quite frankly most visitors (and me) are equally or more impressed with the residential areas off the strip, notably along Bridge Ave, with the Victorian Houses, scattered apts (like the West Virginia) and corner restaurants dotting the area: ie Black Pig, Heck's Cafe and the Bridge-Fulton corner with Le Petit Triangle, Johnny Mango's World Cafe and Momocho's Mexican restaurant... Scene Magazine also notes that the commercial strip along Lorain Ave is slowly coming together, around the W. 40s, around Platform Brewery and the several new townhouses as well as new ones going in. Also the northern flank of Ohio City, esp in/near Hingetown, esp with all the new apt complexes built and going in, and the commercial/restaurant areas around W. 25/Detroit and W. 29th & Detroit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bjimmy24
The residential streets are lovely though. Lorain and Detroit are picking up, hopefully some more vibrancy will be apparent in the next few years.
Bingo!
Quote:
Originally Posted by bjimmy24
Little Italy/University Circle is probably the most unique Cleveland neighborhood (though they don't "feel" very connected imo). It lacks the nightlife of other areas, but one could easily spend all day there and not get bored.
I have to take issue with you, here. First, Little Italy, though compact, is probably the most densely populated neighborhood in Cleveland per capita, and the retail strip along Mayfield is New York City-like in terms of its tightness, density and retail/commercial intensity. Because of its narrow streets and homes-business that address the curbside more than most Cleveland neighborhoods, its perhaps the best walking district in the metro area (enhanced all the more with the HRT Rapid station right at its front door). I'm not sure what you mean by nightlife (just bars?). I see significant foot traffic along Mayfield at all times during the day which gets very heavy in evening hours, esp on weekends. And like Ohio City, there's also quite a bit of retail, and even bars, off the main strip, notably along Murray Hill Ave all the way to Adelbert Ave.
As for a lack of connectivity with University Circle: sure, you could have said that 10-15 years ago, but things have changed a lot over the recent decade. Nowadays I see a steady stream of foot traffic along Mayfield road going to/from between the 2 neighborhoods. For one thing, the dead/dreary corner of Euclid-Mayfield-Ford Rd. was significantly upgraded in 2012 with the opening of the attractive mixed-use Uptown complex on both sides of Euclid which created the handsome pedestrian plaza/food court behind it adjacent to the upgraded Triangle mid-rise apts. Uptown, along with all the spin-off apts, dorms and other buildings rising around it, instantly created a vibrant, ped-oriented neighborhood where, previously, there were a few scattered buildings surrounded by a sea of surface parking ... in other words, a dead, ugly street corner....
Also RTA's aforementioned, relocated/new Red Line Little Italy/University Circle station has not only provided a bridge and focal point for both areas, the TOD built and growing between the 2 neighborhoods, esp the huge Centric mixed-use apt complex, has created steady foot traffic along Mayfield between the 2 neighborhoods. Honestly, if you weren't from Cleveland you might not notice the difference between the 2 areas aside from the obvious elevated RR tracks between the 2.
Sure, the 3 or 4 blocks of W. 25th (now generally referred to as Market Square) are the most intense commercial/mixed use area, but Ohio City consists much more than this. Quite frankly most visitors (and me) are equally or more impressed with the residential areas off the strip, notably along Bridge Ave, with the Victorian Houses, scattered apts (like the West Virginia) and corner restaurants dotting the area: ie Black Pig, Heck's Cafe and the Bridge-Fulton corner with Le Petit Triangle, Johnny Mango's World Cafe and Momocho's Mexican restaurant... Scene Magazine also notes that the commercial strip along Lorain Ave is slowly coming together, around the W. 40s, around Platform Brewery and the several new townhouses as well as new ones going in. Also the northern flank of Ohio City, esp in/near Hingetown, esp with all the new apt complexes built and going in, and the commercial/restaurant areas around W. 25/Detroit and W. 29th & Detroit.
Bingo!
I have to take issue with you, here. First, Little Italy, though compact, is probably the most densely populated neighborhood in Cleveland per capita, and the retail strip along Mayfield is New York City-like in terms of its tightness, density and retail/commercial intensity. Because of its narrow streets and homes-business that address the curbside more than most Cleveland neighborhoods, its perhaps the best walking district in the metro area (enhanced all the more with the HRT Rapid station right at its front door). I'm not sure what you mean by nightlife (just bars?). I see significant foot traffic along Mayfield at all times during the day which gets very heavy in evening hours, esp on weekends. And like Ohio City, there's also quite a bit of retail, and even bars, off the main strip, notably along Murray Hill Ave all the way to Adelbert Ave.
As for a lack of connectivity with University Circle: sure, you could have said that 10-15 years ago, but things have changed a lot over the recent decade. Nowadays I see a steady stream of foot traffic along Mayfield road going to/from between the 2 neighborhoods. For one thing, the dead/dreary corner of Euclid-Mayfield-Ford Rd. was significantly upgraded in 2012 with the opening of the attractive mixed-use Uptown complex on both sides of Euclid which created the handsome pedestrian plaza/food court behind it adjacent to the upgraded Triangle mid-rise apts. Uptown, along with all the spin-off apts, dorms and other buildings rising around it, instantly created a vibrant, ped-oriented neighborhood where, previously, there were a few scattered buildings surrounded by a sea of surface parking ... in other words, a dead, ugly street corner....
Also RTA's aforementioned, relocated/new Red Line Little Italy/University Circle station has not only provided a bridge and focal point for both areas, the TOD built and growing between the 2 neighborhoods, esp the huge Centric mixed-use apt complex, has created steady foot traffic along Mayfield between the 2 neighborhoods. Honestly, if you weren't from Cleveland you might not notice the difference between the 2 areas aside from the obvious elevated RR tracks between the 2.
Sorry for lack of clarity - I wasn't really referring to connectivity between the two neighborhoods, but more that the feel of Little Italy is not so similar to University Circle, even though they are close by. Thus, they "feel" like different places, from my perspective at least (as you said, Little Italy is compact and even kind New Yorky, and then a 10 minute walk later you are in the wide open spaces of Wade Lagoon ). This isn't really a good or bad thing, just observing. What I mean by night life I guess is a relative sense. The largest nightlife centers in Cleveland are not really in the Little Italy/University Circle area. That doesn't mean there isn't any though. But personally, you're more likely to find me at Cedar-Lee than Little Italy at 1 am on a Friday night.
Sorry for lack of clarity - I wasn't really referring to connectivity between the two neighborhoods, but more that the feel of Little Italy is not so similar to University Circle, even though they are close by. Thus, they "feel" like different places, from my perspective at least (as you said, Little Italy is compact and even kind New Yorky, and then a 10 minute walk later you are in the wide open spaces of Wade Lagoon ). This isn't really a good or bad thing, just observing. What I mean by night life I guess is a relative sense. The largest nightlife centers in Cleveland are not really in the Little Italy/University Circle area. That doesn't mean there isn't any though. But personally, you're more likely to find me at Cedar-Lee than Little Italy at 1 am on a Friday night.
Oh sure, the area changes by the time you reach the Wade Lagoon, but then, NYC areas similarly transition, too: ie, Manhattan to Central Park, or more-similarly, Park Slope to Prospect Park, etc. No question, LI and UC are different, they have different origins and identities. But I do feel the linkages between the 2 have increased, as I noted, in recent years... LI was a self-contained island for many years (and some old timers are still fighting to keep this, despite the greater diversity of LI in recent years).
As for nightlife, we're talking about 2 different things. Yeah, we all have or preferences as to where we hang out and what we like to do... I'm just judging L.I. and U.C. by the street level vibrancy and foot traffic of the area, more than anything, as opposed to the specific types of entertainment provided.
Hmm. For some reason I thought I'd posted here. OK. Dundee in Omaha is kind of cool.
It is.. And there are several others in the city which are very comparable to the ones being glorified in this thread.. But because Omaha is absolutely one of the most overlooked, underrated and disregarded cities on this forum, no one gives a hoot..
BTW- at this point, although Uptown in Minneapolis is growing, I think North Loop or St. Anthony (Northeast), or the Mill District/East Town Minneapolis have become on par or surpassed Uptown. North Loop has been gaining popularity and growing at a very fast clip. It's completely different from what it was just 10 years ago.
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