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I would recommend Lakewood. The nearest stops are Triskett and W.117. There isn't much parking at W.117 but you can take a bus or have someone drop you off. Triskett has a big parking lot.
I would recommend Lakewood. The nearest stops are Triskett and W.117. There isn't much parking at W.117 but you can take a bus or have someone drop you off. Triskett has a big parking lot.
Friend of mine is relocating to NE OH with a downtown job at Fifth Third. He asked me if there was decent public transit into Cleveland as he hates traffic/parking. Living downtown is not an option he wishes to explore.
Living there a few years ago, from what I can remember, most of the neighborhoods within a reasonable walking distance to Rapid stations were questionable, at best.
What are some of the safer/nicer areas within walking distance of downtown public transit, if any? Apartments or condos would be preferred.
If he also lives in Dallas, he is not going to experience any traffic in Cleveland unless something collapses or blows up.
Rumble, I think there are a number of good areas -- hip, trendy, lively, etc... served by the Rapid. I think people here may be just a tad negative -- as Cleveland folks are wont to be about their city sometimes.
2 of the best outside of downtown are Shaker Square and Ohio City... I would discount the comments about how, somehow, both these neighborhoods are on the edge of these big, spooky really bad, dangerous ghettos, as some are saying. That's a crock. Cleveland's trendy areas are little different than those in other big metros... just remember: it's a CITY. Some people are just a little too suburbanized to really give an accurate opinion. If you want to be in a homogenized, lily white "safe" cul de sac-y type place, (and I know you don't), try Medina, or Solon or Strongsville. I was in Fort Green/Bed Stuy Brooklyn a few weeks ago, where white, Ivy League-ish kids rub shoulders with Blacks, Latinos, Arabs and others coming off the subway to neighborhoods that feature tenements, fancy brownstones, loft/factory converted apartments, projects and everything in between... In the course of a block (in this case from the G-Train's Classon stop), you can pass by poodle walkers, drug dealers, wealthy old Jewish ladies and street hustlers in a couple blocks... There a jewelry and antique stores, coffee cafes and check cashing joints and trendy sports bars, etc... From the sound of some of the posters on this board, they would simply cringe at this... again, the word is CITY. The ups and downs and edginess that goes along with it is what turns on a lot of young urban adventurers (not sure that's you, though, Rumble).
.. Both Shaker Square and Ohio City have very diverse people, but are cakewalks compared to Fort Greene. Also realize that Cleveland is a lot slower (though vital and becoming more so), the hot hoods are sometimes pockets or islands, and that the overwhelming housing stock of Cleveland is wood frame, single family buildings... There are only a few honest to goodness apartment districts in the entire metro area, and Shaker Square happens to be one of the biggest. Lakewood's Gold Coast is THE biggest, with Coventry, Cedar Fairmount (both in Cleveland Heights) along with Shaker Square... But Cleveland housing is incredibly diverse.
Ohio City isn't an apartment district, per se, as it's main housing stock is Victorian rehabs, again, mostly wood, but with a number of brick places, too. OC has some small walkups, mixed-use apts over storefronts (on W. 25th), which is a block from the Red Line Rapid (and the site of a ton of buses to-from downtown, a few of which are 2-hour routes). There are even a few row houses thrown in, here and there. Cleveland often has small 4, 6 or 8 unit old walkup brownstone buildings mid-block amidst a lot of houses. Many folks rent in houses... One older unit type you'll see here is the single-entrance duplex, which Chicago would call 2-flats. They're ubiquitous in Cleveland, and many young people/families rent upstairs units.
Remember, of course, the most apartment units are downtown -- which is where you don't want to be...
Keep an open mind. Shaker Square is amazingly diverse... in addition to the upscale areas (like the uber exclusive Moreland Courts gothic Tudor building which stretches an entire city block along the Rapid next to Shaker Square, there are a ton of apartments of all sizes and types, but mostly pre-World War II places with LOTS of character.
Edgewater, on the western edge of Cleveland adjacent to Lakewood's Gold Coast apartments. The fairly lively strip along Detroit Rd is served by the West Blvd/Cudell Red Line rapid stop... This area has lots of old apts, and some funky shops plus restaurants (like 24-hour My Friends diner) and clubs (like Brother's Lounge, among others)... But also, like Shaker Square, Edgewater is within walking distance of incredibly diverse areas, like the Cleveland Mansions north of Lake Ave, or the beaches of Edgewater Park, and a whole lot else.
The rapidly emerging University Circle Uptown area along with next door Little Italy are convenient to the Red Line stations, while antique-y hip Larchmere is nearby Shaker Square, and the Blue and Green lines at the very unique Shaker Square shops/6-screen movie theatre/restaurants/grocery store square, itself...
Just come with an open mind... and don't let the semi-naysayers deter you.
Location: Cleveland, OH USA / formerly Chicago for 20 years
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheProf
Rumble, I think there are a number of good areas -- hip, trendy, lively, etc... served by the Rapid. I think people here may be just a tad negative -- as Cleveland folks are wont to be about their city sometimes.
2 of the best outside of downtown are Shaker Square and Ohio City... I would discount the comments about how, somehow, both these neighborhoods are on the edge of these big, spooky really bad, dangerous ghettos, as some are saying. That's a crock. Cleveland's trendy areas are little different than those in other big metros... just remember: it's a CITY. Some people are just a little too suburbanized to really give an accurate opinion. If you want to be in a homogenized, lily white "safe" cul de sac-y type place, (and I know you don't), try Medina, or Solon or Strongsville. I was in Fort Green/Bed Stuy Brooklyn a few weeks ago, where white, Ivy League-ish kids rub shoulders with Blacks, Latinos, Arabs and others coming off the subway to neighborhoods that feature tenements, fancy brownstones, loft/factory converted apartments, projects and everything in between... In the course of a block (in this case from the G-Train's Classon stop), you can pass by poodle walkers, drug dealers, wealthy old Jewish ladies and street hustlers in a couple blocks... There a jewelry and antique stores, coffee cafes and check cashing joints and trendy sports bars, etc... From the sound of some of the posters on this board, they would simply cringe at this... again, the word is CITY. The ups and downs and edginess that goes along with it is what turns on a lot of young urban adventurers (not sure that's you, though, Rumble).
.. Both Shaker Square and Ohio City have very diverse people, but are cakewalks compared to Fort Greene. Also realize that Cleveland is a lot slower (though vital and becoming more so), the hot hoods are sometimes pockets or islands, and that the overwhelming housing stock of Cleveland is wood frame, single family buildings... There are only a few honest to goodness apartment districts in the entire metro area, and Shaker Square happens to be one of the biggest. Lakewood's Gold Coast is THE biggest, with Coventry, Cedar Fairmount (both in Cleveland Heights) along with Shaker Square... But Cleveland housing is incredibly diverse.
Ohio City isn't an apartment district, per se, as it's main housing stock is Victorian rehabs, again, mostly wood, but with a number of brick places, too. OC has some small walkups, mixed-use apts over storefronts (on W. 25th), which is a block from the Red Line Rapid (and the site of a ton of buses to-from downtown, a few of which are 2-hour routes). There are even a few row houses thrown in, here and there. Cleveland often has small 4, 6 or 8 unit old walkup brownstone buildings mid-block amidst a lot of houses. Many folks rent in houses... One older unit type you'll see here is the single-entrance duplex, which Chicago would call 2-flats. They're ubiquitous in Cleveland, and many young people/families rent upstairs units.
Remember, of course, the most apartment units are downtown -- which is where you don't want to be...
Keep an open mind. Shaker Square is amazingly diverse... in addition to the upscale areas (like the uber exclusive Moreland Courts gothic Tudor building which stretches an entire city block along the Rapid next to Shaker Square, there are a ton of apartments of all sizes and types, but mostly pre-World War II places with LOTS of character.
Edgewater, on the western edge of Cleveland adjacent to Lakewood's Gold Coast apartments. The fairly lively strip along Detroit Rd is served by the West Blvd/Cudell Red Line rapid stop... This area has lots of old apts, and some funky shops plus restaurants (like 24-hour My Friends diner) and clubs (like Brother's Lounge, among others)... But also, like Shaker Square, Edgewater is within walking distance of incredibly diverse areas, like the Cleveland Mansions north of Lake Ave, or the beaches of Edgewater Park, and a whole lot else.
The rapidly emerging University Circle Uptown area along with next door Little Italy are convenient to the Red Line stations, while antique-y hip Larchmere is nearby Shaker Square, and the Blue and Green lines at the very unique Shaker Square shops/6-screen movie theatre/restaurants/grocery store square, itself...
Just come with an open mind... and don't let the semi-naysayers deter you.
Oh geez, no one's telling the OP not to move to Shaker Square. We're simply saying be careful of boundaries, because the area lies cheek-by-jowl against some very rough ghetto areas -- and you don't want to wind up wandering into those areas by mistake.
I get what you're saying about NYC, and how you can have wide variations within a couple blocks, and vastly different sorts of people are just jumbled up together, and people just deal with it and go about their business... because I live in Chicago and the same applies here in many areas. But truthfully, having lived in both Chicago and Cleveland, I myself find it easier to deal with that level of diversity here in Chicago. Cleveland's not quite like that. In Cleveland it seems more difficult, because when good areas lie right next to bad areas, they're still more segregated from one another and the different populations don't mingle so much and it appears more important to stay within your boundaries if you don't want to court trouble. There is a vast difference between rubbing elbows with different races and drug dealers in NYC and a white, middle-class Shaker Square resident wandering into, say, Kinsman. Cleveland is much more territorial and if you're in a good area next to a bad one, you stick to your own turf or ignore this rule at your own risk. For better or worse, Clevelanders really do tend to adhere to a more suburban mentality regarding such matters. It's just simply a different environment than, say, Chicago or NYC.
As for Edgewater, most of the apartment areas worth living in are a pretty good hike from the Detroit/98th Rapid stop, some of them a mile or more from it. I don't think that matches most people's definition of "walkable" in an urban context. Now, if the OP is content to forgo the Rapid in favor of taking, say, the Clifton bus, that's another matter.
Oh geez, no one's telling the OP not to move to Shaker Square. We're simply saying be careful of boundaries, because the area lies cheek-by-jowl against some very rough ghetto areas -- and you don't want to wind up wandering into those areas by mistake.
I get what you're saying about NYC, and how you can have wide variations within a couple blocks, and vastly different sorts of people are just jumbled up together, and people just deal with it and go about their business... because I live in Chicago and the same applies here in many areas. But truthfully, having lived in both Chicago and Cleveland, I myself find it easier to deal with that level of diversity here in Chicago. Cleveland's not quite like that. In Cleveland it seems more difficult, because when good areas lie right next to bad areas, they're still more segregated from one another and the different populations don't mingle so much and it appears more important to stay within your boundaries if you don't want to court trouble. There is a vast difference between rubbing elbows with different races and drug dealers in NYC and a white, middle-class Shaker Square resident wandering into, say, Kinsman. Cleveland is much more territorial and if you're in a good area next to a bad one, you stick to your own turf or ignore this rule at your own risk. For better or worse, Clevelanders really do tend to adhere to a more suburban mentality regarding such matters. It's just simply a different environment than, say, Chicago or NYC.
As for Edgewater, most of the apartment areas worth living in are a pretty good hike from the Detroit/98th Rapid stop, some of them a mile or more from it. I don't think that matches most people's definition of "walkable" in an urban context. Now, if the OP is content to forgo the Rapid in favor of taking, say, the Clifton bus, that's another matter.
I hear you Andrew.
A couple things:
Cleveland, because of its relative diverse neighborhoods and the Rapid, has the illusion of, and is often compared with, much bigger, busier cities, like Chicago and Boston. Problem is, Cleveland doesn't have the street-level presence at all hours like these other cities; that is, often times our areas, though attractive, can seem dead. We're getting better... Ohio City's getting stronger by the week. And of course, Cleveland's neighborhoods have their moments... If you go to Ohio City on a warm Saturday morning/earlhy afternoon, coming up from the Rapid walking thru the packed West side Market (an urban gem for any city), thru the shops and outdoor restaurants in the highly diverse Market Square area, it literally seems like you're in Brooklyn.
I don't think the West Blvd Rapid is all that far from the Edgewater entertainment area plus the apts on Detroit (not the Lakewood Gold coast apts): it's only 2/3s mile from the Rapid station to W. 117, the end of the Cleveland-side neighborhood. I've walked to places within this area from the Rapid several times, easily. What's more, RTA's 26 bus, one of RTA's main, 24-hour trunk lines, runs from the station along Detroit (and thru the width of Lakewood to Rocky River) every 10 mins or so during the day; even more during rush hour. (and you're not too far from the clubs at W. 117 and Clifton, eihter, but that's a little bit farther, but not undoable).
I think this highlights how we're kind of hard on Cleveland's rail system. Consider:
Hip/trendy residential areas in Cleveland:
Directly accessible to the Rapid:
Shaker Square
Larchmere
Ohio City
Little Italy
University Circle
Flats (it's coming back starting with the new East Bank development)
Somewhat close with a a good walk and/or bus ride:
Edgewater
Tremont
Kamms Corner
Detroit Shoreway (Gordon Square)
Cedar/Fairmount
Not directly accessible:
Coventry
Downtown Lakewood
(though both are accessible by buses leaving Rapid stations.)
NOW CONSIDER Washington, DC, which has the oustanding Metro Rail, the 2nd most extensive, 2nd busiest rapid transit in the US.
Directly Served:
Dupont Circle
Southwest/Nationals stadium area
Southwest Waterfront
U Street
Old Downtown/&th Ave/Chinatown
Columbia Hts.
Skirted/indirectly served:
Capitol Hill (only along the southern flank along he PA Ave corridor; the central area along East Capitol is not well served)
Old Town Alexandria (the main part is a mile away from the Duke street Yellow/Blue Line station)
Adams Morgan (long walk from eihter the Red Line's Woodley/Zoo stop or Green Line Capital Heights stop)
NOT SERVED AT ALL:
Georgetown -- DC's trendiest neighborhood
Embassy Row/American U.
(note: in NO WAY I'm saying the Rapid favorably compares with the Metro. I'm just saying, most of our hottest areas are near the Rapid or directly served, which is similar to a great transit city like D.C.)
I think this highlights how we're kind of hard on Cleveland's rail system. Consider:
Hip/trendy residential areas in Cleveland:
Directly accessible to the Rapid:
Shaker Square
Larchmere
Ohio City
Little Italy
University Circle
Flats (it's coming back starting with the new East Bank development)
Somewhat close with a a good walk and/or bus ride:
Edgewater
Tremont
Kamms Corner
Detroit Shoreway (Gordon Square)
Cedar/Fairmount
Not directly accessible:
Coventry
Downtown Lakewood
(though both are accessible by buses leaving Rapid stations.)
NOW CONSIDER Washington, DC, which has the oustanding Metro Rail, the 2nd most extensive, 2nd busiest rapid transit in the US.
Directly Served:
Dupont Circle
Southwest/Nationals stadium area
Southwest Waterfront
U Street
Old Downtown/&th Ave/Chinatown
Columbia Hts.
Skirted/indirectly served:
Capitol Hill (only along the southern flank along he PA Ave corridor; the central area along East Capitol is not well served)
Old Town Alexandria (the main part is a mile away from the Duke street Yellow/Blue Line station)
Adams Morgan (long walk from eihter the Red Line's Woodley/Zoo stop or Green Line Capital Heights stop)
NOT SERVED AT ALL:
Georgetown -- DC's trendiest neighborhood
Embassy Row/American U.
(note: in NO WAY I'm saying the Rapid favorably compares with the Metro. I'm just saying, most of our hottest areas are near the Rapid or directly served, which is similar to a great transit city like D.C.)
Prof - thanks for the perspective. Much needed in this forum. You would think reading this sometimes that our world is flat, is centered in Chicago, and drops off somewhere just past Pittsburgh. You should post here more often.
BTW- the Cleveland style duplex is a Cleveland Double. I think the closest I've seen to the Cleveland style is in Buffalo, but it's still slightly different.
Speaking of architecture...specifically the four apartment (or more) brick with Spanish/Italian tile roof and bent wrought iron balconies I think are pretty unique to Cleveland. I'm thinking Euclid Heights Blvd. or Superior Ave. along the Cleveland Heights-East Cleveland border (or many others, first floor business, second floor apartments on Lorain, Kinsman, and many others) that are similar. I haven't seen exactly the same type of building anywhere else. Has anyone else?
Consider looking into apartments/condos around Van Aken-Warrensville-Chagrin.
30 min. to Downtown on the Blue Line Rapid
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