Right Now Downtown

I visited Cleveland this past weekend with my girlfriend.  Our hotel sat across the street from the arena where the Cavs won a playoff game against the Boston Celtics on Saturday night and a block from the ballpark where the Indians hosted the Twins on Friday and Saturday nights.

We had drinks and dinner on East Fourth Street at Fourth Street Bar & Grill, a bowling alley at the corner of Euclid Avenue with upscale food and an outdoor patio.

Breakfast on Saturday was at the Westside Market.  This century-old Market has vaulted ceilings, a 137-foot clock tower and more than 100 vendors.  It’s more impressive than either Seattle’s Pike Street or Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Markets.  We also visited the Cleveland Museum of Art, one of the world’s great museums, and saw the movie Kick Ass at Tower City.

Cleveland has a lot of poverty, but we saw many beautiful and well-maintained city neighborhoods:  Ohio City, Shaker Square, Little Italy and University Circle to name four.  The most breathtaking is Edgewater.  Edgewater looks like Bexley but sits directly on Lake Erie.

The trip reminded me how much I enjoy living in a state with so many great cities.

Cleveland never ceases to impress me.  Last week, I traveled to the North Coast to participate in a City Club program.  I spent the night at the Wyndham Hotel on Playhouse Square, where the musical Chicago was playing.  That same night, the Cavaliers hosted the L.A. Lakers at the “Q.”

Because city planners are smart enough to limit on-site parking for major downtown venues, the 20,000 plus people attending events walked from remote parking and filled the streets, restaurants, and taverns for many blocks in every direction of their destination.  The pedestrian activity made the street feel vibrant and safe.

My friend, Mark Lammon of the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, took me for a ride to Little Italy on the new Health Line that runs for seven miles along Euclid Avenue.  This bus feels like a train, runs frequently, and makes limited stops at rail-like stations.  It drew full loads of people, including young professionals, well into the evening.  In addition to this service, the City also has three light rail lines.

Downtown Cleveland seems to be doing well.  I have long wondered about the difference between Cleveland and Detroit.  Could it be Cleveland’s commitment to transit?