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Prior to the 'Summer Of Love' I would likely visit downtown Cleveland a dozen times a year. Browns games, Indians games and concerts. The last time I was in Cleveland was in February 2020 at the Agora for a concert. I have NO intention of ever returning. There is no safety or enjoyment to be found in a Democrat stronghold.
You know how I feel about Democrats from my previous posts on here, but...read this sentence back to yourself. Does that sound like something a well-adjusted person would say? I don't mean to insult you, I'm just asking. I get where you're coming from; I have no reason to visit, say, Minneapolis or Portland anytime soon. But you're talking about Cleveland. An hour away from you, on the same lakeshore, with teams that you root for. Just come on down and take in a game (the Guards are good, and they play an exciting brand of baseball). We're not woke zombies, generally. We're a lot like you. Sandusky is one of my favorite small cities in Ohio BTW, so good for you if you're happy out there! Just know that Cleveland is still here whenever you need us.
I’ve mentioned this in several posts. Downtowns, which were once the heart of big city life, have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. The biggest reason is that hybrid/remote work are here to stay. That results in an abundance of vacant office buildings downtown. It has a trickle down effect because all the little mom and pop stores, restaurants, and shops that survived for decades on the large daytime work crowds pre-2020, no longer have the same daytime business they once had. Many have been forced to shutdown. They were the heart and soul of downtowns. Downtowns, city life, and life in general will never be the same again.
Big American cities with vibrant CBDs have always fascinated me. As a younger person, I wanted to live a short walk from skyscrapers. Since I started having children of my own, I have been more partial to "streetcar suburbs." You get all the amenities of a big city plus more enjoyable outdoor activities/parks and easier-to-navigate school options. Anytime I contemplate moving to a big city, I always first consider the nicer inner-ring suburbs. Cleveland=Shaker Heights/Rocky River, St. Louis=Webster Groves/University City, Chicago= Oak Park/Evanston, Portland=Beaverton/Lake Oswego, Boston=Brookline/Newton, Milwaukee=Whitefish Bay, etc etc.
I hope the CBDs rebound, but I guess I am a dyed in the wool suburbanite. Where I live in KC isn't even inner-ring. I can't really think of anything like Clayton in St. Louis or Rocky River in Cleveland, here in the KC area.
I don't live in an area with a massive downtown, but I simply detest traffic and taking long times to get to places because of stoplights and other obstructions. The fact they haven't made smarter stoplights by now that don't leave lots of idle time where no traffic flows hinders my wantingness to drive all over the place, forget even about the rising crime rates and homeless. Throw in inattentive drivers on their phones all the time not paying attention, argh. Also, left turn arrows that never stay green long enough to let all the traffic pass.
Plus, with inflation, the cost of anything from a niche mom and pop type restaurant is through the roof. I mostly cook my own food now. Ordering goods from Amazon is easy and convenient. Most of the places I shop at located themselves in the perimeter of the city near the interstates. Good enough for me. I do pass through downtown on my road bike, because the bike trail goes right through the middle. That's enjoyable. Any business within 1/4 mile is fair game, such as the coffee shop.
Most United States large cities downtown's just don't offer much these days.
A majority of large American cities these days are a very depressing experience at ground level.
A typical large city in America these days is thousands of very desperate people with dozens of luxury high-rises with lots of vacant retail that is boarded-up at ground level.
The 2000 to 2020 period of vibrant, interesting downtown's for a majority of America's largest cities has come to an end.
A majority of large cities are just full of desperation at ground level and than there are these massive luxury apartment buildings many of which have vacant retail at store level.
The nicest downtowns seem to be in smaller city that cater to tourists, have a large percentage seniors or those in their early 20s.
^^^
So very true and sad at the same time. I use to love going downtown, but now, I avoid it as much as possible.
The headline of the article said downtown activity of the worst three large cities was down "almost 50%".
But the numbers in the body of the article said it was even worse: San Fran down to 31% of its level three years ago; Cleveland down to 36%; and Portland OR down to 41%. All three are run by Democrats.
Sometimes the headline is written by a different guy from the one who wrote (and researched) the article.
31%, 50%, what's the difference, right? Clearly the journalists was not properly trained in statistics.
I’ve mentioned this in several posts. Downtowns, which were once the heart of big city life, have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. The biggest reason is that hybrid/remote work are here to stay. That results in an abundance of vacant office buildings downtown. It has a trickle down effect because all the little mom and pop stores, restaurants, and shops that survived for decades on the large daytime work crowds pre-2020, no longer have the same daytime business they once had. Many have been forced to shutdown. They were the heart and soul of downtowns. Downtowns, city life, and life in general will never be the same again.
Since many office workers have become hybrid workers, the mom and pop shops need to do the same. They need to develop an electronic side of their business and become hybrid themselves. I know this is not possible for every single type of retail shop but certainly some can develop an online presence to offset declines in physical foot traffic.
Even before COVID I had no reasons to visit any downtowns.
The virus was the final blow to alot of places not the only one. I've avoided downtowns as much as possible and I worked in a city for decades. No more. I even did some business decades ago because if you knew where to go you could get some good deals-not illegal but the remaining businesses needed customers. Went to one store they had to buzz you in that's how bad it was decades ago but foretelling.
I will say it again. They broke the world just to get rid of president Trump. Nice going.
It is going to take years, perhaps many years to fix the world while some damage will be permanent. All they had to do was tolerate Trump for 4 more years while he did everything through Executive Order, and then erase everything he did by overturning those XOs.
I despise "big city" downtowns and find no joy in the traffic, congestion and huge buildings that block out the sun. However, I live in Florida in a stunningly beautiful smallish city, with a very nice, small scale downtown built around a central park. We also have a second home in a resort/vacation city whose downtown has grown by leaps and bounds but in a good way.
So I guess really it's mostly about the big cities - even here in Republican Florida, the big cities are kind of a mess. I am originally from Tampa, and I avoid it like the plague.
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Clearly the journalists was not properly trained in statistics.
