No, not referring to gun violence or celebratory drinks, but where did the month of September go? Well, I tried to get a few pics before it goes away.
Part of 'The 9' complex, the former Swetland Building - at one point slated for demolition:
Soon to be a Kimpton Hotel, the Schofield Building - one block west of the Swetland:
Both of these were prominently featured in 'The Avengers' - the tower in the background is a Marriott boutique hotel, originally an office tower designed by Marcel Breuer:
Construction of the new Hilton Convention Center Hotel continues:
Overview shot of 'The 9' complex (named after the location at Euclid and East Ninth)
A quick detour in the Federal Reserve Bank - note, it's not a branch but one of the twelve main banks in the system. It's open Monday-Thursday 11am to 1ish - highly recommend a visit and if you have kids there's an interactive 'money museum':
Over to the West side for a brief trip:
Then over to the Superior Viaduct - this building is home to Spaces gallery featuring contemporary art. They were slated to relocate but that fell through; I still love their signage on the old building, though.
New construction across the Cuyahoga River on the East Bank of the Flats. The near side, well - we're hoping the same infill happens on those parking lots - we'll see.
The next two are shots of historic buildings in need of repurposing:
And one that's doing just fine, thank you!
Over to Gordon Square for an appointment - I was way too early so I walked around a little:
This church was having a Romanian/Transylvanian festival - let's just say some festivals are more festive than others and leave it at that.
The area is still pretty mixed-use but new housing seems to be popping up everywhere:
Most people have heard of Cleveland's Little Italy near University Circle but there's a small west side enclave in the area:
It makes a better colander or cheese grater than a bus shelter.
Ah well, pardon the mini-rant - at least there's this view for chilling out:
This view isn't too shabby either - and you can see where the new Hilton will (kind of) fill a small gap on the skyline:
Next up - possibly one of my new favorite spots in the city, the recently completed Scranton/Flats section of the Towpath Trail. The Towpath Trail originally followed canals adjacent to the Cuyahoga River and led to Cleveland's early growth. I'm almost hesitant to get the word out because it was a real treat to have it almost to ourselves but it really is a special place. It's only about 3/4th of a mile but they've managed to do a lot with it and to think it used to be dilapidated buildings and junk and who knew it would be such a cool space.
Eagle Avenue bridge - the first of the lift bridges in the Flats:
Still an area in transition but trust me, worth the visit:
I'm sure you've seen the sites that 'expose' the hotel photos that are selectively cropped or shot at an angle to obscure less-photogenic elements? We can do that here:
It was clouding up and then started to get sunnier - can't believe we've had so many consecutive days with great weather - about a week and a half of sunny 70F days:
Work continues to connect other sections of the Towpath Trail as well as connections to local neighborhoods. Just think - one day, we'll be able to indulge in a plate or two of pierogis from Sokolowski's (building on the top of the hill on the right) and walk/bike/run it off right outside their door
Time to make our way back, but then...
My keen-eyed partner spotted - you got it, a big ore freighter making its way up the Cuyahoga
A group of people nearby lamented the crew weren't waving back - well folks, this guy is making sure a 634 foot freighter doesn't have a fender bender. I got the 'half-wave' and I'm okay with that.
Hope you enjoyed!