Cleveland Heights
ESPN mag names melt bar & grilled one of the 10 best sports bars in usa
Melt Bar & Grilled, Cleveland's favorite grilled cheese emporium, has nabbed a spot in ESPN Magazine's list of top ten best sports bars in the country.
"We've been to thousands of them," the magazine claims, "dark, dank bars with the same overfried food, flat beer, sticky floors and TVs that never seem to have the right game on. But every once in a while, we stumble upon a joint that makes us happy we gave up our remote for the night. These are those joints…"
Melt sits at No. 10 and was the only restaurant listed in the tri-state area of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
"Think watching the Cavs is hard to stomach?" quips the mag. "Try eating five pounds' worth of grilled cheese and fries in one sitting," referring to The Melt Challenge, a dare to down Melt's monster grilled cheese featuring 13 different cheeses, three slices of grilled bread and a pile of hand-cut fries and slaw -- more than five pounds of food!"
ESPN's nod is the latest in a long string of national attention, which includes "Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives," USA Today, Esquire, "Man vs. Food" and others.
"We've been to thousands of them," the magazine claims, "dark, dank bars with the same overfried food, flat beer, sticky floors and TVs that never seem to have the right game on. But every once in a while, we stumble upon a joint that makes us happy we gave up our remote for the night. These are those joints…"
Melt sits at No. 10 and was the only restaurant listed in the tri-state area of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
"Think watching the Cavs is hard to stomach?" quips the mag. "Try eating five pounds' worth of grilled cheese and fries in one sitting," referring to The Melt Challenge, a dare to down Melt's monster grilled cheese featuring 13 different cheeses, three slices of grilled bread and a pile of hand-cut fries and slaw -- more than five pounds of food!"
ESPN's nod is the latest in a long string of national attention, which includes "Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives," USA Today, Esquire, "Man vs. Food" and others.
cimperman is 'darling' of food policy summit in portland
Last May, Councilman Joe Cimperman participated in the annual Community Food Security Coalition, a food policy conference in Portland, Oregon. Turns out, he killed.
"The surprise darling of the Community Food Security Coalition conference last May was a little-known city councilman from Cleveland," Hannah Wallace writes for Faster Times. "He spoke fervently about his city, a city of flourishing community gardens, backyard bee hives and chicken coops, a city where all farmers markets accept food stamps, where schools get discounts for sourcing local food, and where both trans-fats and smoking on playgrounds are banned. His name? Joe Cimperman."
In this lengthy Q and A, Cimperman discusses some of the efforts that are helping Cleveland become a "food justice utopia," and a model for other cities to emulate.
Cimperman explains how in 2007, Cleveland became the first city to pass an urban farm zoning law, leading to an explosion of community gardens. He says that by 2020, the goal is to have a community garden within five blocks of every Cleveland resident.
He also mentions progressive city programs like urban chickens and bees, farmers markets accepting food stamps, and shoring up food deserts with fresh produce.
"Community gardens just make us a nicer city," Cimperman says in the article. "They make us share more, pay more attention to each others' kids, understand each others' cultures more. There are just so many ancillary benefits to community gardens -- we can't imagine."
Digest the rest here.
"The surprise darling of the Community Food Security Coalition conference last May was a little-known city councilman from Cleveland," Hannah Wallace writes for Faster Times. "He spoke fervently about his city, a city of flourishing community gardens, backyard bee hives and chicken coops, a city where all farmers markets accept food stamps, where schools get discounts for sourcing local food, and where both trans-fats and smoking on playgrounds are banned. His name? Joe Cimperman."
In this lengthy Q and A, Cimperman discusses some of the efforts that are helping Cleveland become a "food justice utopia," and a model for other cities to emulate.
Cimperman explains how in 2007, Cleveland became the first city to pass an urban farm zoning law, leading to an explosion of community gardens. He says that by 2020, the goal is to have a community garden within five blocks of every Cleveland resident.
He also mentions progressive city programs like urban chickens and bees, farmers markets accepting food stamps, and shoring up food deserts with fresh produce.
"Community gardens just make us a nicer city," Cimperman says in the article. "They make us share more, pay more attention to each others' kids, understand each others' cultures more. There are just so many ancillary benefits to community gardens -- we can't imagine."
Digest the rest here.
film crews add up to $5.3m in economic boost and 41,000 hotel room nights
Movies presently being filmed in Cleveland are translating into millions of dollars and thousands of room nights for area hotels, according to the Ohio Department of Development. The films, most of which are taking advantage of the new Ohio Film Tax Credit, could generate close to $5.3 million in economic activity and more than 41,000 room nights, according to an article in HotelNewsNow.com.
Indeed, those figures might be modest, says Katie Sabatino, public information officer for the state development department. "There are plenty more film and TV projects that come to Ohio and use hotel nights that do not use the tax credit, and since there is no real film permit in Ohio, it is impossible to know exactly how many room nights are used," she is quoted in the article as saying.
"The Avengers," which is filming in Cleveland now, is the largest feature film ever made in Ohio, according to the Greater Cleveland Film Commission. That film alone is responsible for gobbling up 27,000 room nights, says the commission's Ivan Schwarz. Six other movies are currently being filmed in Cleveland.
Check out the rest of the screenplay here.
Indeed, those figures might be modest, says Katie Sabatino, public information officer for the state development department. "There are plenty more film and TV projects that come to Ohio and use hotel nights that do not use the tax credit, and since there is no real film permit in Ohio, it is impossible to know exactly how many room nights are used," she is quoted in the article as saying.
"The Avengers," which is filming in Cleveland now, is the largest feature film ever made in Ohio, according to the Greater Cleveland Film Commission. That film alone is responsible for gobbling up 27,000 room nights, says the commission's Ivan Schwarz. Six other movies are currently being filmed in Cleveland.
Check out the rest of the screenplay here.
In American culture, automobiles have long symbolized personal freedom. But present-day bike advocates say the exact opposite is true: Rather than create a sense of giddy liberty, cars foster feelings of isolation and enclosure. For that reason and more -- environmental concerns, high gas prices, the desire for a healthier lifestyle -- more people are opting to go "car-light" and "car-free."
With months-long waiting lists for many downtown apartments, it's clear that Cleveland is attracting plenty of new residents. But some aren't "new" at all. Boomerangs, native Clevelanders who've left and returned, claim a host of reasons for their homecoming. What they often find upon arrival is a city far different from the one they left behind.
The renewal of an urban core usually involves, at some point, a grand, sweeping plan that calls for huge development projects costing millions, or billions, of dollars: a new convention center, a mass transit system, a comprehensive waterfront plan. But as cities realize the importance of attracting and retaining talent, it's the smaller development projects and neighborhood investment that are driving real and sustainable change.
Long a destination that appealed primarily to small-town families in search of "big city" fun, Cleveland has ripened as a travel destination. Today, it's not just trade shows that are drawing folks, but also the growing LGBT scene, Broadway-quality theater and high-profile dining. Thanks to the efforts of Positively Cleveland, the region's convention and visitors bureau, "Cleveland Plus" drew 30 million visitors last year, who supported 163,000 jobs and dropped $13 billion in economic impact.
The Greater Cleveland RTA Citizen's Advisory Board is making riding the bus a little more pleasurable. The Transit Waiting Environments (TWE) initiative was incorporated five years ago to improve the pedestrian environment at bus stops. The goal of the program is to provide enhanced passenger amenities and information to encourage bus ridership.
"Eighty percent of our ridership takes the bus," says Maribeth Feke, RTA's director of programs and planning. "The Citizens Advisory Board mentioned that some of the bus stops had no more than a sign and were in poor condition." RTA responded by securing Federal grant money to improve the bus stops.
Interested neighborhood groups submit proposals to receive the grant money. Eligible projects include historic preservation, creation of public art, signage, bicycle access, pedestrian pathways and landscaping.
RTA has completed about 10 projects so far, including bus stops in Lakewood, Tremont, Slavic Village, the near-west side around Gordon Park, and Euclid. Other projects are underway in Cleveland Heights and at the CMHA headquarters.
"Each is individual and has merit to them," says Feke. "It's good for riders to get a better bus stop. It's good for really everyone. It's a nice redevelopment tool."
Bike shelters have been installed at Triskett, West 117th Street and Shaker Rapid Transit Stations and Southgate Transit Center. Public art in the form of functional seating has gone in on Detroit Avenue and W. 65th Street. Future projects include a solar bus station in Cleveland Heights and public art recycling bins along the RTA red line stations.
Source: Maribeth Feke
Writer: Karin Connelly
"Eighty percent of our ridership takes the bus," says Maribeth Feke, RTA's director of programs and planning. "The Citizens Advisory Board mentioned that some of the bus stops had no more than a sign and were in poor condition." RTA responded by securing Federal grant money to improve the bus stops.
Interested neighborhood groups submit proposals to receive the grant money. Eligible projects include historic preservation, creation of public art, signage, bicycle access, pedestrian pathways and landscaping.
RTA has completed about 10 projects so far, including bus stops in Lakewood, Tremont, Slavic Village, the near-west side around Gordon Park, and Euclid. Other projects are underway in Cleveland Heights and at the CMHA headquarters.
"Each is individual and has merit to them," says Feke. "It's good for riders to get a better bus stop. It's good for really everyone. It's a nice redevelopment tool."
Bike shelters have been installed at Triskett, West 117th Street and Shaker Rapid Transit Stations and Southgate Transit Center. Public art in the form of functional seating has gone in on Detroit Avenue and W. 65th Street. Future projects include a solar bus station in Cleveland Heights and public art recycling bins along the RTA red line stations.
Source: Maribeth Feke
Writer: Karin Connelly
For nearly a decade, Cleveland Independents, a local marketing group, has worked tirelessly to level the playing field between independent restaurants and large national chains. By all accounts their efforts are paying off -- with a membership roster of 90 indie eateries, CI is the largest organization of its kind in the country.
While working from home has its benefits -- and is an increasing trend -- people often miss the social interaction that comes with working in an office. The Open Office is a co-working environment designed to provide temporary and permanent work environments for people who don't want their homes or local coffee shops to also serve as their main workspaces.
"Since 2005 there has been growth in just about every city," says founder Andrew Auten of the co-working concept. "People started working from home more, either through their companies or starting out on their own. People who work from home are not tethered to a building or a desk, but at the end of the day people get isolated."
The Open Office, scheduled to open this fall in the Coventry School building in Cleveland Heights, will offer workspace in a professional environment on a membership basis.
"Our target market is the solo entrepreneurs -- people who have struck out on their own," Auten explains. "My experience is a typical person has a boost of productivity working at home, because there are fewer distractions and they get a lot done, then it starts to dissipate."
Patrons can buy packages ranging from a day pass for a desk to resident offices. Members will have access to conference rooms, team rooms and a receptionist. "You can reserve these rooms for one-on-one meetings and client meetings," says Auten. "You'll have a clean, corporate space instead of a coffee shop or someplace else not always good to have meetings."
Auten is looking at additional space in Tyler Village on Superior and E. 36th.
Source: Andrew Auten
Writer: Karin Connelly
"Since 2005 there has been growth in just about every city," says founder Andrew Auten of the co-working concept. "People started working from home more, either through their companies or starting out on their own. People who work from home are not tethered to a building or a desk, but at the end of the day people get isolated."
The Open Office, scheduled to open this fall in the Coventry School building in Cleveland Heights, will offer workspace in a professional environment on a membership basis.
"Our target market is the solo entrepreneurs -- people who have struck out on their own," Auten explains. "My experience is a typical person has a boost of productivity working at home, because there are fewer distractions and they get a lot done, then it starts to dissipate."
Patrons can buy packages ranging from a day pass for a desk to resident offices. Members will have access to conference rooms, team rooms and a receptionist. "You can reserve these rooms for one-on-one meetings and client meetings," says Auten. "You'll have a clean, corporate space instead of a coffee shop or someplace else not always good to have meetings."
Auten is looking at additional space in Tyler Village on Superior and E. 36th.
Source: Andrew Auten
Writer: Karin Connelly
Joel Borwick has owned Seitz-Agin Hardware in Cleveland Heights for 38 of the store's 56 years. To loyal customers, he and his staff are well-known for dispensing home repair tips, doling out contractor referrals, and selling only what shoppers need.
The store has proudly survived the onslaught of big box stores. When Home Depot and Wal-Mart opened at nearby Severance, Seitz-Agin trundled on, propelled by a loyal fan base and friendly personal service. Years of customer appreciation awards and press clippings from local publications adorn the walls.
Now, after decades as a fixture on Lee Road, Seitz-Again will close its doors for good on June 18th. Borwick has inked a deal to sell the building to Heights merchant Bill Mitchell, who owns Mitchell's Fine Chocolates just down the block.
In the end, it wasn't the big box stores that did the shop in, explains Borwick. Ultimately, it was the economic downturn and change in consumer buying habits that bested Borwick. The store began losing money several years ago when its contractor business dropped off. When the housing market stalled, many contractors were out of work.
Today's homeowners also prefer to hire contractors rather than fix up homes themselves. And they look online first for products, Borwick says. This shift has made it tough for small hardware stores to keep their doors open.
Since news broke about Seitz-Agin's departure, a steady stream of customers have stopped by each day to purchase one last can of paint or tube of caulk, and to wish Borwick and his staff well and thank them for their years of service.
Mitchell says he hopes to find a new tenant for the Seitz-Agin storefront by Labor Day.
Source: Seitz-Agin
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The store has proudly survived the onslaught of big box stores. When Home Depot and Wal-Mart opened at nearby Severance, Seitz-Agin trundled on, propelled by a loyal fan base and friendly personal service. Years of customer appreciation awards and press clippings from local publications adorn the walls.
Now, after decades as a fixture on Lee Road, Seitz-Again will close its doors for good on June 18th. Borwick has inked a deal to sell the building to Heights merchant Bill Mitchell, who owns Mitchell's Fine Chocolates just down the block.
In the end, it wasn't the big box stores that did the shop in, explains Borwick. Ultimately, it was the economic downturn and change in consumer buying habits that bested Borwick. The store began losing money several years ago when its contractor business dropped off. When the housing market stalled, many contractors were out of work.
Today's homeowners also prefer to hire contractors rather than fix up homes themselves. And they look online first for products, Borwick says. This shift has made it tough for small hardware stores to keep their doors open.
Since news broke about Seitz-Agin's departure, a steady stream of customers have stopped by each day to purchase one last can of paint or tube of caulk, and to wish Borwick and his staff well and thank them for their years of service.
Mitchell says he hopes to find a new tenant for the Seitz-Agin storefront by Labor Day.
Source: Seitz-Agin
Writer: Lee Chilcote
A recent study by the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture (CPAC) examines where artists are living in Northeast Ohio. Perhaps it's no surprise that artists tend to populate urban neighborhoods where they can find spacious, affordable housing (including space for studios), walkable streets, diversity and public spaces that foster social interaction.
The report shows that Cleveland Heights is Northeast Ohio's top community for artists -- collectively, the Cedar-Fairmount, Coventry, Severance, Forest Hills, Cedar-Lee and Shaker Square neighborhoods contain 19.4 percent of the region's artists. Other artist-rich neighborhoods include Little Italy/University Circle, Lakewood and Detroit Shoreway.
Yet CPAC's report, entitled "Putting Artists on the Map," also suggests that successful artist-based community development is about more than just counting galleries or lofts where artists congregate. Artist-based development builds relationships between artists and community members, fostering lasting ties that fuel the artist's creativity while aiding the neighborhood's redevelopment.
"Artist-based community development is more than opening an art gallery or having an artist move into a neighborhood," CPAC's report states. "This type of development involves the creation of a more organic relationship between artists and their neighbors."
"This can mean a neighborhood takes steps to identify its hidden arts and culture assets by finding its gathering places and influential figures. Artists can be engaged by making beautiful and interesting public spaces and help unite residents in the process."
The report suggests that neighborhoods like Cleveland Heights, University Circle and Detroit Shoreway should gear their community development programs and policies towards promoting artist-based community development. This spring, CPAC launched its own Artist Community Development Initiative.
To complete the analysis, CPAC mined the databases of large arts organizations such as the Ohio Arts Council to determine where artists live.
Source: CPAC
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The report shows that Cleveland Heights is Northeast Ohio's top community for artists -- collectively, the Cedar-Fairmount, Coventry, Severance, Forest Hills, Cedar-Lee and Shaker Square neighborhoods contain 19.4 percent of the region's artists. Other artist-rich neighborhoods include Little Italy/University Circle, Lakewood and Detroit Shoreway.
Yet CPAC's report, entitled "Putting Artists on the Map," also suggests that successful artist-based community development is about more than just counting galleries or lofts where artists congregate. Artist-based development builds relationships between artists and community members, fostering lasting ties that fuel the artist's creativity while aiding the neighborhood's redevelopment.
"Artist-based community development is more than opening an art gallery or having an artist move into a neighborhood," CPAC's report states. "This type of development involves the creation of a more organic relationship between artists and their neighbors."
"This can mean a neighborhood takes steps to identify its hidden arts and culture assets by finding its gathering places and influential figures. Artists can be engaged by making beautiful and interesting public spaces and help unite residents in the process."
The report suggests that neighborhoods like Cleveland Heights, University Circle and Detroit Shoreway should gear their community development programs and policies towards promoting artist-based community development. This spring, CPAC launched its own Artist Community Development Initiative.
To complete the analysis, CPAC mined the databases of large arts organizations such as the Ohio Arts Council to determine where artists live.
Source: CPAC
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Paula McLain was a critically acclaimed yet obscure writer eking out a living as an adjunct professor at John Carroll until she came up with the idea for "The Paris Wife," a novel told from the point of view of Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingway's first wife. After the novel was purchased by Ballantine Books for north of $500,000, it debuted at number nine on the New York Times best-seller list and has since remained in the top 20.
"Flour Girl" Bridget Cavanaugh Thiebault creates artfully decorated cakes, cookies and pastries that are as dreamy to gaze upon as they are to devour. In the past, however, her delectable confections were available only through custom orders or at special events. You practically had to get married to have a taste.
That will change later this month when Thiebault opens Luna Bakery and Café in the Cedar-Fairmount district of Cleveland Heights. Partnering with Stone Oven owners Tatyana Rehn and John Emerman, Thiebault has created an intimate, full-service café that will feature Flour Girl's made-from-scratch pastries, breakfast, lunch and dinner options, and for those who didn't get invited to the wedding, cake by the slice.
Thiebault lived and worked in New York City and Chicago as a pastry chef, food stylist and culinary consultant before returning to her hometown of Cleveland Heights to launch Flour Girl. Her business began as a creative side project while Thiebault was still living in the Big Apple, but quickly morphed into her main dish and has been going strong ever since.
Thiebault was looking for an opportunity to expand her business into a storefront when she broached the topic with Rehn and Emerman of the popular Stone Oven group of local cafes. The successful owners loved the idea and agreed to help. They promise that Luna will have its own distinctive identity, and won't try to duplicate Stone Oven's signature sandwiches, salads and soups.
Luna Bakery and Café will have indoor seating for about 15, with a sidewalk patio during the summer months. It will be open seven days a week and in the evenings.
Luna will be located at 2482 Fairmount Boulevard.
Source: Flour Girl
Writer: Lee Chilcote
That will change later this month when Thiebault opens Luna Bakery and Café in the Cedar-Fairmount district of Cleveland Heights. Partnering with Stone Oven owners Tatyana Rehn and John Emerman, Thiebault has created an intimate, full-service café that will feature Flour Girl's made-from-scratch pastries, breakfast, lunch and dinner options, and for those who didn't get invited to the wedding, cake by the slice.
Thiebault lived and worked in New York City and Chicago as a pastry chef, food stylist and culinary consultant before returning to her hometown of Cleveland Heights to launch Flour Girl. Her business began as a creative side project while Thiebault was still living in the Big Apple, but quickly morphed into her main dish and has been going strong ever since.
Thiebault was looking for an opportunity to expand her business into a storefront when she broached the topic with Rehn and Emerman of the popular Stone Oven group of local cafes. The successful owners loved the idea and agreed to help. They promise that Luna will have its own distinctive identity, and won't try to duplicate Stone Oven's signature sandwiches, salads and soups.
Luna Bakery and Café will have indoor seating for about 15, with a sidewalk patio during the summer months. It will be open seven days a week and in the evenings.
Luna will be located at 2482 Fairmount Boulevard.
Source: Flour Girl
Writer: Lee Chilcote
While Northeast Ohio's retail vacancy rate remains stubbornly high at 12 percent, a Cleveland Heights nonprofit is defying this trend by expanding its art gallery into an empty storefront, adding performance space, classrooms and offices to serve the community.
Heights Arts, which operates a 900-square-foot gallery next to the Cedar Lee Theatre, decided last year to make the leap into an adjacent storefront that formerly housed a Japanese eatery. The group has so far raised more than $60,000 towards its $100,000 fundraising goal. Renovations are expected to be completed this year.
The new 2,400-square-foot storefront will serve as a multipurpose arts space. Heights Arts, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, plans to host more poetry readings, concerts and art openings. The group anticipates that some events will spill out into the adjacent mini-park, a gathering place for visitors in the bustling Cedar-Lee district, aiding the group's mission of bringing art into the community.
Cleveland-based Studio Techne Architects designed the expansion. The George Gund Foundation and the Cyrus Eaton Foundation have provided lead grants for the project.
Since being founded a decade ago, Heights Arts has completed a bevy of art projects, including the Coventry Peace Arch on Coventry, three large-scale murals, and Knitscape, a project to brighten Lee Road and Larchmere Boulevard with crocheted 'sweaters' on parking meters and trees. The group also manages the selection process for the Cleveland Heights Poet Laureate.
Source: Heights Arts
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Heights Arts, which operates a 900-square-foot gallery next to the Cedar Lee Theatre, decided last year to make the leap into an adjacent storefront that formerly housed a Japanese eatery. The group has so far raised more than $60,000 towards its $100,000 fundraising goal. Renovations are expected to be completed this year.
The new 2,400-square-foot storefront will serve as a multipurpose arts space. Heights Arts, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, plans to host more poetry readings, concerts and art openings. The group anticipates that some events will spill out into the adjacent mini-park, a gathering place for visitors in the bustling Cedar-Lee district, aiding the group's mission of bringing art into the community.
Cleveland-based Studio Techne Architects designed the expansion. The George Gund Foundation and the Cyrus Eaton Foundation have provided lead grants for the project.
Since being founded a decade ago, Heights Arts has completed a bevy of art projects, including the Coventry Peace Arch on Coventry, three large-scale murals, and Knitscape, a project to brighten Lee Road and Larchmere Boulevard with crocheted 'sweaters' on parking meters and trees. The group also manages the selection process for the Cleveland Heights Poet Laureate.
Source: Heights Arts
Writer: Lee Chilcote
cleveland star of first posthumous pekar novella
According to a recent Comics Alliance article, Top Shelf and ZIP Comics will release Harvey Pekar's "Cleveland," the first of several major works to be printed after his death.
"Cleveland" will be a 112-page graphic novel illustrated by Joseph Remnant, who also collaborated with Pekar on his Pekar Project webcomics series. Pekar completed the script before his death last year. "So our man did get to see the book's beginning and was super-pleased with how the art was shaping up," said Cleveland editor Jeff Newlett.
The novella will be an ode to Cleveland "that weaves historical events in with Pekar's trademark autobiographical style," the article explains.
"The Indians' winning of the 1948 World Series and the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire are among the events that Pekar touches on in Cleveland, which as yet has no release date."
Check out the rest of story here.
"Cleveland" will be a 112-page graphic novel illustrated by Joseph Remnant, who also collaborated with Pekar on his Pekar Project webcomics series. Pekar completed the script before his death last year. "So our man did get to see the book's beginning and was super-pleased with how the art was shaping up," said Cleveland editor Jeff Newlett.
The novella will be an ode to Cleveland "that weaves historical events in with Pekar's trademark autobiographical style," the article explains.
"The Indians' winning of the 1948 World Series and the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire are among the events that Pekar touches on in Cleveland, which as yet has no release date."
Check out the rest of story here.
cleveland shows signs of renewal, says native son
Former New Yorker editor and Cleveland native Charles Michener pens a love letter to his hometown in Smithsonian magazine. After returning to Cleveland four years ago to cover the Orchestra for the New Yorker, Michener decided to stay. He is currently writing a book about Cleveland entitled "The Hidden City."
"Unlike the gaudy attractions of New York or Chicago, which advertise themselves at every opportunity, Cleveland's treasures require a taste for discovery," Michener writes in the piece. "You might be astonished, as I was one Tuesday evening, to wander into Nighttown, a venerable jazz saloon in Cleveland Heights, and encounter the entire Count Basie Orchestra, blasting away on the bandstand."
"I'm sure that every Clevelander was as outraged as I was by Forbes' superficial judgment about what it's like to actually live here," he continues. "Cities aren't statistics -- they're complex, human mechanisms of not-so-buried pasts and not-so-certain futures."
"Returning to Cleveland after so many years away, I feel lucky to be back in the town I can once again call home."
Read Michener's entire piece in Smithsonian here.
"Unlike the gaudy attractions of New York or Chicago, which advertise themselves at every opportunity, Cleveland's treasures require a taste for discovery," Michener writes in the piece. "You might be astonished, as I was one Tuesday evening, to wander into Nighttown, a venerable jazz saloon in Cleveland Heights, and encounter the entire Count Basie Orchestra, blasting away on the bandstand."
"I'm sure that every Clevelander was as outraged as I was by Forbes' superficial judgment about what it's like to actually live here," he continues. "Cities aren't statistics -- they're complex, human mechanisms of not-so-buried pasts and not-so-certain futures."
"Returning to Cleveland after so many years away, I feel lucky to be back in the town I can once again call home."
Read Michener's entire piece in Smithsonian here.
Social media provides entrepreneurs with a great vehicle for communicating with current and potential clients. And like the companies they seek to promote, social media feeds often mimic the personality of their owners. But marketing experts warn that one size definitely does not fit all. What works for one type of business may come across as inappropriate for another.
Creative signs are making a comeback in Cleveland. Dramatic signage not only perks up a neighborhood visually, it makes them more competitive by helping indie retailers stand out from national chains. For proof, look at East Fourth Street.
When Cleveland Heights resident Michael Adams first got serious about making the switch from law to opening a restaurant, he looked at lots of forgettable locations -- "kind of cookie-cutter," he recalls. Then someone told him about a space on the second floor of the Rockefeller Building, at the corner of Mayfeild and Lee roads. For Adams, it was love at first sight.
"It's a gorgeous space," Adams says of the former bank, with its original, well-preserved stone floors, fireplace, plaster walls, oak rafters and soaring ceilings. "A space like that needs to be seen." And, thus, Rockefeller's was born.
The building, which now houses a Starbucks, sporting goods store and other retail on the first floor, was built in the 1930s by John D. Rockefeller Jr., as a commercial center for the family's residential development along the Cleveland Heights-East Cleveland border. Later, Ameritrust Bank occupied the second floor. After Ameritrust went out of business, a kitchen was added and for decades the site was rented out for parties and events.
A portion of the large space will be given over to a bar and lounge (with its own menu), while the rest will be reserved for more upscale dining. Adams, a first-time restaurateur, has hired Jill Vedaa as executive chef. Vedaa's resume includes stints at Lola, Flying Fig, Wine Bar in Rocky River, Mise and Saucy Bistro. Adams promises an American menu, with lots of local food and seasonal changes.
Rockefeller's is scheduled to open on January 11, 2011.
Source: Michael Adams
Writer: Frank W. Lewis
"It's a gorgeous space," Adams says of the former bank, with its original, well-preserved stone floors, fireplace, plaster walls, oak rafters and soaring ceilings. "A space like that needs to be seen." And, thus, Rockefeller's was born.
The building, which now houses a Starbucks, sporting goods store and other retail on the first floor, was built in the 1930s by John D. Rockefeller Jr., as a commercial center for the family's residential development along the Cleveland Heights-East Cleveland border. Later, Ameritrust Bank occupied the second floor. After Ameritrust went out of business, a kitchen was added and for decades the site was rented out for parties and events.
A portion of the large space will be given over to a bar and lounge (with its own menu), while the rest will be reserved for more upscale dining. Adams, a first-time restaurateur, has hired Jill Vedaa as executive chef. Vedaa's resume includes stints at Lola, Flying Fig, Wine Bar in Rocky River, Mise and Saucy Bistro. Adams promises an American menu, with lots of local food and seasonal changes.
Rockefeller's is scheduled to open on January 11, 2011.
Source: Michael Adams
Writer: Frank W. Lewis