Cleveland, my birthplace

[JivecitySTL]

^Not really.  I urge you to ask ColDayMan, or better yet-- visit Cleveland yourself and you will see that just as brownstones dominate Brooklyn and just as red brick flats dominate St. Louis, those hideous double-deckers dominate in Cleveland's neighborhoods.  There are plenty of wonderful exceptions, but that's the primary style in the City of Cleveland.

[chrizow]

^Not really.  I urge you to ask ColDayMan, or better yet-- visit Cleveland yourself and you will see that just as brownstones dominate Brooklyn and just as red brick flats dominate St. Louis, those hideous double-deckers dominate in Cleveland's neighborhoods.  There are plenty of wonderful exceptions, but that's the primary style in the City of Cleveland.

i have a giant soft spot for cleveland, ever since i saw "major league." 

my guess is that Cleveland nerds love those shabby wooden double-deckers the way St. Louis nerds love those shabby brick 4-plexes.

[JivecitySTL]

I'm sure you're right.

[Maitre D]

I don't think much of cities that INVENT tourist attractions.  I hope the ROck N Roll HOF blows up someday.

When I went to the city, I had no desire to go.  But my friends went, and they said it was like 20 bones to get in!  Sheesh.

Their ballpark is THE nicest one i've ever been too, Coors & Camden Yards included.  It's really, really a great facility.  But 40 bucks to sit lower level!

[DanCa]

But I thought "Cleveland Rocks!"

I haven't been to Cleveland since '86 so I can't really comment on what's there now, but I prefer brick, stone and stucco over wook houses as well.  Denver is by far a brick city.  Even the 50 year old inner-ring ranches are all brick.  This seems to keep the old housing stock in better condition over time so you don't see peeling paint, warped siding and even in the lower-income neighborhoods here, the houses appear to be in decent condition since they just never required much upkeep over the years.  I read that Denver has so much brick because when they started building in the 1800s, there were few trees on the plains and lumber was expensive since it was shipped from the East. 

[the pope]

.  (the entire eastside of the cuyohoga flats bar district was entirely boarded up.  evidently it was getting too crazy, almost like that 'party cove"at the lake of the ozarks where hundreds of boats 'tie up" and party and sex is rampant and quite public)!

a few deaths in the summer of 2000 put most of the flats out of commission, apparently getting drunk next to a river isn't a good idea afterall

[the pope]

^Not really.  I urge you to ask ColDayMan, or better yet-- visit Cleveland yourself and you will see that just as brownstones dominate Brooklyn and just as red brick flats dominate St. Louis, those hideous double-deckers dominate in Cleveland's neighborhoods.  There are plenty of wonderful exceptions, but that's the primary style in the City of Cleveland.

the cleveland doubledecker is predominately on the west side of cleveland, rather specifically Lakewood (inner ring-burb) which is the densest city in all ohio. The east side contains a larger portion of your typical boring brick walk-ups and apartment flats in addition to a large number of the midwest/great lakes bungalow

[omenapt]

My old spinster aunts lived in a doubledecker on Clifton in Lakewood back in the 60's..What a great old suburb.

[QueSi2Opie]

the downtown really wasnt that lively, even with a baseball game going on.  (the entire eastside of the cuyohoga flats bar district was entirely boarded up.  evidently it was getting too crazy, almost like that 'party cove"at the lake of the ozarks where hundreds of boats 'tie up" and party and sex is rampant and quite public)!

1. I was in Cleveland in 2002 during a baseball game, the only place that was packed was the downtown shopping mall where the Hard Rock Cafe is located.

2. The Flats District still had a lot of bars along the river.  We went to Dick's Last Resort right next to Hooter's.  The area did seem dead for a late Saturday afternoon.  Are they all boarded up now?  Or jus' certain parts?  I know the Dick's is gone now because it's no longer listed in their website.   

3. I enjoyed the area along Lake Erie with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Science Center, etc.  But the one thing that stood out was it wasn't very pedestrian-friendly and they needed more dining/retail near those places.

4. The subway/light-rail system was under-used. We took a short ride from the Hard Rock Cafe to the Flats District and was one of the only two on the damn thing! 

Anyhow, I get really depressed when witnessing the death of our great American cities.   I guess that's what I envy most about Europe...the liveliness of their cities.       

[the pope]

i repeat, the flats are dead and it has been since 2001. The new district is the warehouse district, and it appears its here to stay, since it actually has residents. The flats still have a handful of tennants, but one developer is doing he best to aquire as many parcels as possible to rebuild the flats as a residential area.

[QueSi2Opie]

The flats still have a handful of tennants, but one developer is doing he best to aquire as many parcels as possible to rebuild the flats as a residential area.

That would be a positive step towards bringing the area back to life.

Why does Cleveland have problems with the river in the Flats District while Milwaukee's Water Street seems to be a huge success?  Both are bar districts built along rivers that come in off the Great Lakes.

[the pope]

Why does Cleveland have problems with the river in the Flats District while Milwaukee's Water Street seems to be a huge success?  Both are bar districts built along rivers that come in off the Great Lakes.

thats a great question i wish i could answer........i dunno....maybe cleveland is more white trash?