"Cleveland ... poised to be the new Chicago," says a Chicagoan... True? (Lakewood: condo, neighborhood)

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by TheProf

I'm glad you enjoyed the City cause you've been one of C-Town's biggest critics (so I applaud your intellectually honest change of heart on some levels). Funny, I was just telling someone that Cleveland hit rock bottom in the early 2000s, shortly after Dillard's, the last downtown department store closed, the Flat's, esp the East Bank, became a ghost town, and the Health Line BRT turned Euclid into a dusty/muddy -- and mostly quiet -- mess. Streets were empty during most of the day... So sure, if 8.5 years ago was your last impression of town, I can understand how you might not think much of the place...

But it has changed and continues to change. As I've said, the City has a loooooooong way to go, but it has really come quite a ways. But with a City changing and urbanizing (or should I say re-urbanizing) the way Cleveland has been doing in the last few years, you can't really rely on visits to form an accurate view of the City, even if it was as recent as 5 years ago.

I guess now's as good a time as any to make the announcement: I'm not just visiting this time. I have officially moved back as of September 1.

I wasn't really mentally and psychologically ready to leave Chicago and return to my hometown, but there were personal reasons that pushed the issue, and rather suddenly. So here I am.

I'm temporarily "homeless", so to speak... staying at The Cleveland Hostel for the time being... after which I'll be moving in with a friend for a while. I've decided to go with the flow and retain the attitude that it's all an adventure.

The increased aggressiveness of Clevelanders in their movements is one change I'm not very happy about. That's one thing I told myself I would not miss about Chicago, and here it is again. People move around more recklessly than they used to, and don't watch where they're going. That's not the Cleveland I remember.

I asked my friend at lunch the other day if it was really so or if it was just me, and he confirmed that there really has been a change. He surmises that it's because there are now a lot of younger people that have moved here from out of town, or who have gone to school somewhere else and then came back, and brought their more urbanized ways with them.

West 25th Street just north of Lorain is very interesting, BTW. It appears to have morphed into a beer garden/microbrewery district. This is not the West 25th of my youth, which was lined with shoe stores and discount stores.

[bjimmy24]

I don't know, just visited from Boston where everyone "walks aggressively." I cannot say that I know what you're talking about at all in that regard.

West 25 though I agree with you. It even looks and feels different than 2 years ago. I spent a lot of time there last week. Tons of activity. Go to university circle if you want to have your mind blown. East 4 too, or Gordon square. You probably wouldn't recognize a lot of tremont either.

[TheProf]

Originally Posted by andrew61

I guess now's as good a time as any to make the announcement: I'm not just visiting this time. I have officially moved back as of September 1.

I wasn't really mentally and psychologically ready to leave Chicago and return to my hometown, but there were personal reasons that pushed the issue, and rather suddenly. So here I am.

I'm temporarily "homeless", so to speak... staying at The Cleveland Hostel for the time being... after which I'll be moving in with a friend for a while. I've decided to go with the flow and retain the attitude that it's all an adventure.

The increased aggressiveness of Clevelanders in their movements is one change I'm not very happy about. That's one thing I told myself I would not miss about Chicago, and here it is again. People move around more recklessly than they used to, and don't watch where they're going. That's not the Cleveland I remember.

I asked my friend at lunch the other day if it was really so or if it was just me, and he confirmed that there really has been a change. He surmises that it's because there are now a lot of younger people that have moved here from out of town, or who have gone to school somewhere else and then came back, and brought their more urbanized ways with them.

West 25th Street just north of Lorain is very interesting, BTW. It appears to have morphed into a beer garden/microbrewery district. This is not the West 25th of my youth, which was lined with shoe stores and discount stores.

Good for you. I hope your personal reasons for moving back are positive and, if not, not overly burdensome, psychologically (I had to temporarily move back to Cleveland a few years ago for the latter, but made the best of it and enjoyed the City when I could). Don't know whether you've had a chance to hop the Red Line east over to the new station at little Italy-University Circle... It's very L-like -- Little Italy is still pretty much the tight, lively district it's always been, but Uptown, at Euclid-Mayfield-Ford Rd, will blow your mind, especially considering how ugly and dead it was just 5 years ago. Can't really say that new area is Chicago-like ... or like anywhere I've visited.

[theurbanfiles]

Yeah, it's definitely not exactly like Buffalo or anywhere else, it is it's own thing. But, I do think it is more like Buffalo than Chicago or any other city.

As far as changes...

Check these out.

Uptown

Uptown Cleveland: See how the district has transformed since 2007 (photo slides) | cleveland.com

PlayhouseSquare

Cleveland Theater District transformation: 2007 to now (photo slides) | cleveland.com

Attached is an image of East 4th Street and Euclid Downtown about 9-10 years ago. Here it is now, below.

https://www.google.com/search?q=east...1cFwfI&dpr=0.9

[TheProf]

^Wow, pretty cool... OK, maybe "ugly" is a little too strong for the east side of Euclid at Uptown. The Triangle apts were just bland and somewhat lifeless, but the did offer density. The new Uptown buildings shield and enhance the area... That empty, mostly gravel parking lot to the west, however, was indeed hideous, and Uptown's buildings sitting on top of it is a night-to-day transformation.

2 sides of the 4 corners, however, were already intact. I always loved the old architecture of the Commodore Hotel (now apartments) and the curving University East plaza apartments-over-retail building. They are both very New York-ish to me... Overall, those plus Uptown plus MOCA make for a dense, stunning whole that, now, is extremely walkable and transit accessible.. like, er, New York or Chicago... but with a uniquely Cleveland feel.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by andrew61

I guess now's as good a time as any to make the announcement: I'm not just visiting this time. I have officially moved back as of September 1.

I wasn't really mentally and psychologically ready to leave Chicago and return to my hometown, but there were personal reasons that pushed the issue, and rather suddenly. So here I am.

I'm temporarily "homeless", so to speak... staying at The Cleveland Hostel for the time being... after which I'll be moving in with a friend for a while. I've decided to go with the flow and retain the attitude that it's all an adventure.

The increased aggressiveness of Clevelanders in their movements is one change I'm not very happy about. That's one thing I told myself I would not miss about Chicago, and here it is again. People move around more recklessly than they used to, and don't watch where they're going. That's not the Cleveland I remember.

I asked my friend at lunch the other day if it was really so or if it was just me, and he confirmed that there really has been a change. He surmises that it's because there are now a lot of younger people that have moved here from out of town, or who have gone to school somewhere else and then came back, and brought their more urbanized ways with them.

West 25th Street just north of Lorain is very interesting, BTW. It appears to have morphed into a beer garden/microbrewery district. This is not the West 25th of my youth, which was lined with shoe stores and discount stores.

The aggressiveness aspect interests me. I moved from Portland OR a year ago and that is something I definitely saw an increase in that city after living there for nearly 40 years. I wonder if that is an indication of younger people now living in a ridiculously more fast paced world because youth has taken over Portland by storm. I felt like an alien in a neighborhood in which I had lived for nearly 30 years beginning long before it became one of the most trendy in Portland.

I am in Cleveland Heights now and find people to be pretty laid back. That's one reason I like it here. Besides the much better COL.

Welcome home, I hope you are happy here. BTW, I was born and raised in Chicago and lived there the first thirty years of my life. I was just back there for a long weekend visit. It's still quite a city but I couldn't live there anymore.

[UKWildcat1981]

Cleveland does not feel anything like Chicago at all, I do not understand the point he was making. Cleveland does not feel like any other city in the Midwest, its has its own vibe. Poised to be the next Chicago what does that even mean?

[andrew61]

Was in Lakewood yesterday and I noticed that on the stretch of Arthur Avenue between Detroit and Hilliard, they had completely removed all those ugly utility poles with wires in the air everywhere and replaced the street lighting with short "vintage"-looking light poles where all wiring is underground. I was stunned! If Lakewood does this with all its streets, it could look just like Evanston!

[Kamms]

Originally Posted by UKWildcat1981

Cleveland does not feel anything like Chicago at all, I do not understand the point he was making. Cleveland does not feel like any other city in the Midwest, its has its own vibe. Poised to be the next Chicago what does that even mean?

Parts of old industrial Cleveland look pretty much like parts of old industrial Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Philly (except the rowhomes). Otherwise, Cleveland does have its own vibe including the people.

[maxmodder]

Originally Posted by Kamms

Parts of old industrial Cleveland look pretty much like parts of old industrial Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Philly (except the rowhomes). Otherwise, Cleveland does have its own vibe including the people.

"Own vibe" is an understatement. We can start with the simple fact that folks in Chicago know what it's like to win in sports. You are talking about a group of people that were able to ride on the coattails of Michael Jeffery Jordan, not to mention the greatest team in football history, the 85 Bears.... You can stand on the top of terminal tower and still not be able to touch the tip of a Chiagonians raised nose when it comes to accomplishments in sports and the positive vibe that comes with that.

So ya, they definitely have their own vibe....

Clevelanders haven't won anything in sports in over 50+ years. There is a TON of pressure right now on Lebron James and Dan Gilbert to bring that chip to Cleveland. It's going to be an exciting year in Cleveland for sure but all the work of the Cavs front office means nothing if no ring comes of it.