The temple formerly known as Quicken Loans will officially re-open on Sept. 30 for a concert by the Black Keys. And two days earlier, it’ll host an open house for the public.
This should not be celebrated. It should be mourned as the murder of democracy it will always represent.
A story last week in Crain’s demonstrates once again just how thoroughly the Cavs deceived the public as they swindled them for something like $160 million, after interest. Comments from Cavs leadership articulate — quite without remorse — that one of the arena’s big goals is to compete with marquee local event spaces, including the Huntington Convention Center, and with nearby bars and restaurants.
These were fears that county council members explicitly fretted over before they greenlit legislation to fund the massive expansion anyway.
Councilman Jack Schron, for example, one of the few elected officials who subjected the Cavs presenters to anything resembling legitimate questioning, noted with some alarm that among the Q’s significant upgrades was an increase in floor space, from about 90,000 square feet to more than 150,000. This would make the Q a much more attractive venue for private events, Schron understood.
The Cavs CEO, Len Komoroski, confirmed at the time that the Q would be seeking and hosting many events in the space, both public and private. Schron, then, asked why it made sense for the county to contribute $16 million to fund a competitor that would directly undercut the business of the Convention Center and the Global Center, also funded by taxpayers and already struggling. Komoroski said the Q would be aiming for different, unique events.
But the Crain’s piece reports the opposite. The Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse will now have 22 “meeting, banquet, hospitality and event spaces” that will be used to try to increase the 1,400 private events that the arena already annually hosts.
“I think people think of convention centers and hotel ballrooms for more corporate-style meetings,” said Brooke Bockelman, the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse’s VP of Booking and Events. “But this gives us the opportunity to put our name in the ring.”
In other words, they are doing precisely what they said they wouldn’t, competing for the same sorts of events that the Huntington Convention Center and Global Center for Health Innovation would hope to attract. Money in hand, there is now no need to disguise their true intentions, evidently. The Cavs told Crain’s that they have been working with Destination Cleveland to attract these events and had even brought in a sales staffer specifically focused on convention and banquet business.
One of the other fears expressed by County Council was that the Q would “cannibalize” local small businesses. Councilwoman Sunny Simon worried that new dining options and larger social areas inside the arena would impinge on business at nearby bars and restaurants before and after games.
Those concerns, too, were waved away. In some cases they were flatly denied. When Scene examined preliminary budget numbers in May, 2017, we sought to address Simon’s concern. The Cavs told us in no uncertain terms that there would be no new restaurants in the new square footage.
“There are no new restaurants planned in the new square footage,” communications director Tad Carper wrote in an email. “Might add a new coffee area, but that is still yet to be determined.”
Whether this was a semantic dodge — the restaurants may not have been planned yet, or may not have been planned for the atrium’s square footage — or a straight-up lie is irrelevant. Everyone knew there would be new restaurants.
And voilà! The Crain’s piece explains in further detail:
The arena will have what the Cavs call eight “destination hospitality areas” — from newly created neighborhoods to expanded atrium areas and the new-and-improved Loudville — that feature 16 spots where fans can order food and beverages or just hang out. There will also be six higher-end club and membership spaces, and all 62 of the FieldHouse’s suites will have been redesigned.What an absolute travesty that money which might have been spent improving the conditions of Cleveland’s roads or paying for the increased compensation of corrections officers at the county jail has instead been deployed to redesign all 62 of the FieldHouse’s suites. Cleveland’s Living Room indeed!
These new hospitality areas, which include dining options from some of Cleveland’s hottest restaurateurs, will be ideal for customizable “mix and mingle” events, Bockelman told Crain’s, events that local bars and restaurants would surely have hoped to attract:
“The Overlook Bar provides elevated views of the glass curtain that envelops the arena, plus cool shots of downtown. Such spots can be ideal for ‘people who are looking for that wow factor,” Bockelman said.”
The biggest wow factor throughout this entire debacle is that anyone believed these inveterate liars for one second. The Cavs said what they had to say to squeeze as much money as possible from this impoverished region, and then they promptly proceeded with what they intended to do all along.
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This article appears in Sep 18-24, 2019.
TRULY AMAZING HOW NEGATIVE YOU ARE!!!
Since when is competition bad? So having a new space to compete with the Huntington convention center is bad? What if an event wants to come into Cleveland but the Huntington and other convention center are booked that weekend? Is it bad that there is another option now?
You talk about how its going to take business from local bars. Do you think people that are booking 100-1000 people parties are competing for the same thing? I work at a company with about 200 employees downtown, and I can promise you we would not book the Harry Buffalo for a variety of reasons, but lets just leave it with the main reason space. We are way too small to book the Huntington Convention center so the Cavs special spaces sound like a great idea. We had our company party at the Browns stadium last year, so this would be very similar.
Your argument literally makes zero sense. This is called capitalism and competition is good. The more options the better the end product ends up being for the consumer. This will make the Huntington Convention center get more competitive. This will make places like Harry Buffalo step up their game so more people go there. This ultimately makes everything cheaper for the end consumer. You act like a city of Cleveland’s size should only have 2 event places….
Your an idiot. What a sad world you live in.
If you think this is bad Sam, wait until you hit puberty. The whole world changes!!!
“This is called capitalism and competition is good.” Sure, except the part where the city paid millions toward the renovation. That’s not capitalism, that’s a corporate handout. The point of the article isn’t that the Cavs shouldn’t be able to enter the marketplace and compete with pre-existing businesses. It’s that the city squandered a significant sum of money under false pretenses. Did the city also fund the Harry Buffalo?
I can probally assume that Harry Buffalo did receive some type of handout in regards to some type of tax credit of some sort when they opened.
And EVERY SINGLE ARENA in the country gets tax dollars. Its how it goes.
And yes, the majority of this article was about them competing with other venues.
EVERY SINGLE ARENA gets a tax credit from that city. (Because it drives MILLIONS of dollars towards that city)
To answer your question, yes Harry Buffalo probably did receive some type of tax credit. I am sure they got SOME type of incentive to open up shop so they can drive additional tax credits.
LOL the city handed $70,000,000.00 over the Cavs, much of which the City had to borrow to pay, but it’s not a corporate handout because Lebron4ever “can probably assume that Harry Buffalo did receive some type of handout in regards to some type of tax credit of some sort.” CAPITALISM!
Get real, dude.
Specifically, the strategy is known as “rent seeking:” appropriating public (tax) funds to promote private development…As was the case also with the Convention Center and Global Center For Whatever, this particular appropriation occurred not just without a vote by taxpayers, but despite their strong objections…There is PLENTY of evidence to indicate that such shenanigans are almost always net losers for local economies…except for the corporate oligarchs who benefit directly from the public subsidies…This is the OPPOSITE of economic development: using public funds to enrich private individuals…Everybody, especially the Cavs themselves, were aware they were lying to the public: this was yet another exercise in raw corporate power, facilitated by the goniffs at GCP…
I just want to know if I can sign up to pay $5/mo for Scene reporters to text me stuff.
Pull the funding. Team leaves. Your problem is bigger than the handout that was received. Team had the leverage. Team won. Dont know what there is to bitch about.
P3 – couldnt have said it better myself. Would Cleveland be better off without the 3 major sports teams? Simple question. If the answer is no, then they have leverage and we do what ever it takes to keep them here. And again, when you compare the deal the Cavs gave Cleveland for this and compare it to others around the country its pretty fair if not a good deal.
It’s too bad there is so much socialism in Cleveland – for those with the most money, of course.
The two original restaurants cost city and county taxpayers $7,526,027, That is $5.1 million for the Terrace Club in the baseball stadium and $1.8 million in the arena. Nothing too good for the richest among us.
Too bad Cleveland and Cuyahoga county are in such terrible shape. Oh well, the Browns will be visiting taxpayers for a new stadium in the near future. Take it to the bank.
LOCK THESE LYING THIEVES UP!!
Since when does capitalism mean a private business gets public funding to compete against a public entity? That is almost the opposite of what capitalism stands for. Capitalism is all about public businesses competing for profit….taking public money to compete against a public entity (which would take away more public money) isn’t capitalism.
Im surprised Sam is still alive since he spends so much time outraged. How much money has been wasted on so called education, free medical care, affordable housing, and hundreds of other leftist programs. Ill take what went in with the Q anytime over the social waste and scum in this city. That includes Sam and his pack of leftist comrades at the scene.
Swindling taxpayers is what TaxinJackson, and thief Budish do best!!! Whats a couple million hand outs here and there everytime some corporate sports team needs a new stadium and/or renovation???
Not to worry, theyll just put another ma$$ive property tax Or income tax levy on the ballot in November to make up for any shortfall!!!
Its time to get Taxin Jackson and thief Budish removed from office now!!!
The amount of money the NBA Allstar game will generate for the city is immeasurable, we keep the CAVS and losing one of only 31 franchises in the US will destroy the local economy. When the Brown left we lost many local businesses that have now returned. This is a investment in downtown and is needed to keep the franchise here.
Oh yes, the constant threat of “the team leaving” so i guess you better bend over and grab your ankles because after the politicians have had their turn, here comes your sports teams. How dare you not give them anything they want, youre much too fat and old and ugly to attract another sports team, you better be thankful the ones you have put up with your shit and dont throw you to the curb.
If nothing about any of this sounds wrong do you, I worry about the people you “care about”
I understand the argument here, and I think its a valid one. I also think the arena was in need of renovation. And, in a post-LeBron-era Cavs franchise, the arena will attract many more people down to the area that otherwise wouldnt have come at all via concerts, games and other events. The businesses hurt by the new competition will also benefit as well in that regard. Bears wondering how much it shakes out one way or the other. That all said, Cuyahoga county residents need only look at themselves for continuing to keep their representatives in office. If you dont like what they are doing, ya know, maybe try voting for anyone else just once.
How come no one mentions that Dan Gilbert , ” GAVE $ 145,000,000 MILLION DOLLARS TOWARDS THIS RENOVATION . The rest of the cost will be paid for by an increased tax on ticket sales by only those people attending events at the Fieldhouse. This arena creates thousands of JOBS – AND – TAXES. Not to mention all the people it brings downtown to fill all the restaurants and hotels. Just remember what downtown was like 30 years ago when there was NO arena. Does DEAD come to mind?
I like the new look. Of course Sam Allard and his cronies were fond of the old Arena on Euclid and wish it still was where the Cavs played.
I like the new arena too! But look, Dan Gilbert is worth $6.5 billion dollars. I tried to enter that number into my iPhone calculator and had to turn my phone sideways in order to do it. After all Gilbert “gave” to the renovation (the word I would use is “invested”), he is still worth $6.355 billion. At a reasonable rate of return on six billion dollars, he will have that investment back in a month. And that’s not factoring in the value of then new renovations that he gets to use! I don’t want to lose the Cavs either, but the idea that the City should go into debt to finance an amount of money that Gilbert could probably find in his couch cushions is honestly nauseating.
Can’t give any money to the poor if we give it all to the wealthy first! Checkmate lib tards!
Leaders? You mean your commie comrades. Youre the first to go for a cash grab for projects that perpetuate low life activities. Youve been exposed and you have no credibility. Sour grapes article.
It amazes me how much time scene spends on Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. They decry its very existence yet owe their own existence to reporting on concerts that take place there. The irony of a Scene reporter and photographer walking 150 yards from their offices on Bolivar to each concert is not lost on those who are not geographically challenged. If Scene feels so strongly, why not boycott concerts held there.
Sam you make valid points, but the Rocket House is an major attraction and a draw into Downtown for the 3M population in the 8 County Area and from adjacent states to spend their travel dollars.
At $160M spread over 20 years, thats only $8M per year invested in keeping a maximum draw for travel dollars into the Cleveland Downtown Area. Consider it a form of destination marketing. A top line arena for music and sports events means big dollars spent at hotels and restaurants and that’s good for the local economy.
So yes, Sam, criticize the specifics of the deal by smart media scrutiny, but do not condemn the whole thing. Taxpayers investing $8M per year for next 20 years to aid the Hospitality Industry is smart. And yes, Dan Gilbert makes more money also. And he spends more money in the market also.
The Cleveland Economy needs all the help it can create. Rocket House is a key part.
It’s not that complicated: most local politicians work for the real estate people.
Look at how City Council members get re-elected. They get credit for “getting things done,” which means getting things built in their wards, which means facilitating subsidies for developers, which means never pissing off the “leadership” that holds power. So anyone who looks thoughtfully at our “economic development” system, which is all about real estate, is marginalized or shut down.
And then we get this, because what’s left is a supermajority of City Council and a supermajority of County Council who are highly amenable to whatever the real estate people ask for.
Dumb as Rocks? An competitive arena will bring in more people over all and produce more jobs and taxes for ‘ THE ENTIRE CITY ” , including Hotels( which pay taxes), restaurants ,( which pay taxes),and the people who work there( who also pay taxes). These tax dollars go to help the poor ( who pay NO taxes ) . DUMB? the poor are not paying for any of this!!!!!! Yet they benefit. DUMB?
James – Great comment – Ya but the people who write these articles never think that way. They just think – hey the city is giving 70mill out, i want more money so give me the 70 mill. Do you think that 70 mill would be better suited and benefit everyone if that 70 mill got spent on new streets in some neighborhood in east cleveladn or 70 mill on one of the biggest crowd attractors in all of northeast ohio? hmmm…
Our mayor enables his thuggish family. Highway projects take twenty years to complete. Waste collection is a corrupt and failing joke, recycling is a useless disaster, city streets are crumbling, patchy, and in terrible shape, snow removal is haphazard, and leaf pickup is spotty and neglrects whole neighborhoods.
But hey, we have a spiffed-up “field house” for a last-place pro basketball team, and we might even tear down a twenty-year-old POS on the lakefront to build a bigger and better POS with a roof on it. So everything is just jake…oh, wait…we may have to replace tha joint, too, down the road.
Hooray for us! Hooray for Cleveland!
I’m a city resident…so why do I feel like such a chump? Is it just me, or what?
I live in Ohio city and we have a bunch of new streets and newer streets coming with a lot of new infrastructure. So very excited on my end!
You make it sound like Cleveland is horrible? Its a regular city with regular issues. Almost all cities are going through those EXACT same issues. And to your point of being a last place pro team, do you think our economy would be worse if we didnt have one at all? if your answer is no then you have no grip of reality.
Try coming out to the far West Side, where I’ve lived for over 25 years, and take a ride on our shitty streets. Come on garbage pickup day when the trash collectors miss the trucks and spew garbage on them. better yet, come on a dy when the leaves clog the gutters after it snows, and the snow turns to ice that mixes with the uncollected leaves. or wait until spring when you can weave your way around the potholes.
Cleveland is wonderful and horrible at the same time….a glass half-full and a glass half-empty kind of town. it all depends on who you are, where you live, how old you are, where…or IF…you went to school, what you do for a living…or don’t do…how much money you have, and…the bottom line…what your skintone is (I saved the most obvious for last…though it ought to be first).
Other large cites are not shrinking and losing dozens of residents a day, they are growing. We are among the very few that are NOT…along with Detroit, Toledo, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh.
And if we didn’t have an NBA team, it wouldn’t change my life, eitherfor better or for worse, one damn bit. I would venture to say that most people here would probably say the same. Sports teams do not have all that much effect on either a city’s or a region’s economy…not like major white-collar and blue-collar industries do.
I can still remember the mid-Nineties, and. hearing how the “Gateway Project”…and its twin venues…would generate “tens of thousands of well-paying, year-round, permament jobs” Anyone with any grip on reality knew that claim was bullshit from Day One. If you believed it, or if you believe that our ecomony hinges on pro sports, I have a bridge to Ontario you might want to take a look at.
So because you dont make good money, its other peoples faults? Do you think it has anything to do with your work effort or some of the decisions you have made in your life? Or is it the skintone excuse? There are plent of people with different skintone that work their asses off and go to college and get good jobs and make money.
Stop making excuses and make your life better. Stop living in the past and get in the future. Maybe people are moving out of Cleveland as you say, but I will also say that people with good paying jobs are moving in as evidence that Ohio City is building close to 1,000 new units over this past year and upcoming. And all of those rents are above 1k and close to 2k a month. So obviously people are moving to Cleveland.
And all of those blue collor employees – Who do you think makes up the majority of the Browns season tickets? You dont think that would hurt the economy if they left again?
Here’s a heads-up…never assume…it makes an ASS out U and ME, but mostly U.
You assume I don’t make “good money”…whatever that means…is that because I live on the Far West side instead of yupster Hingerown (stupidest name in the city) or Ohio City? You denigrate my work ethic and “choices” and “skintone”…have you ever met me, or even seen me?
Sounds to me, from all three of those rather racist assumptions, that you ASSUME I’m young and black and never went to college and never worked a day in my life. WRONG…on all four counts, pal… I’m old, white, and probably graduated from college decades before you even existed.
And you sound like a champion of gentrification, which puts you on the outs with a whole lot of folks in Ohio City and elsewhere.
And if you really think that blue-collar employees are still the majority of Browns season ticket holders, you really don’t have a good grip on economic realities. It’s not the 70s or 80s anymore. Wise up. Most of them are suburbanites who make big bucks in order to afford those tickets at today’s prices, and paint their faces and act like yahoos and construction workers and factory rats on Sundays because they think that is what a Browns fan is suposed to be and act like.
Go spend some time in the Muni lot on any given Sunday, and ask around, and you’ll find more white-collar folks from Strongsville and Solon than from the neighborhoods of Cleveland.
And here’s another newsflash…for every single and childless yupster who moves into Ohio City and pays two grand for a little box with a balcony, two or three families with schoolkids are being forced out of this town because they can’t make it here anymore. The net result is a city bleeding to death and down to well under 400, 000…we are Tulsa with pro sports teams and a lot more snow.
Liars can figure, but figures don’t lie. As Frank and His Rat Pack like to chortle…”It is what it is.” Wake up, get out of your bubble, and deal with reality. Little islands prosper in this town, while the rest of it is in serious trouble.
$160 million – after interest… way to arbitrarily inflate the $70 million figure. If you bought a house for $250,000 (figuring a 30 year mortgage at 5% with 20% down), would you tell people you paid almost $450,000 for it? I would certainly hope not, since that’s not the way that works at all as your use of the house has significant value and the overall appreciation of the real estate during the mortgage generally offsets the mortgage interest by a large degree. It’s called an investment. That’s exactly what was done with the former Q. The revenue generated by the Cavs alone more than warrants it. A once aging and outmoded venue is now a state-of-the-art attraction at what is a minimal cost to the city as the city’s portion will be paid with revenue generated by ticket sales. In an era where NBA teams are demanding new facilities topping $1 billion, the $70 million portion of the tab which will be picked up by arena attendees is a steal. The additional $115 million was shouldered by the lessee, Dan Gilbert. The city will still own the real estate and the resulting tax revenue generated from its use.
As for the competition factor, you’re blowing that way out of proportion. If anything, it will draw more interest in using the city at large for events for which the city would’ve never been considered. I would also advise you to interview the surrounding business owners and residents how they would feel about an abandoned or severely underutilized arena as the events at former Q were responsible for ticket sales well in excess of 1 million units annually. But, I guess it would be better to not have the admission tax revenue, payroll tax revenue and 7-figure foot traffic in the area. This is probably wishful thinking, but it’s time to grow up and realize that you don’t get something for nothing and reasonable investments need to be made to compete with other markets and promote growth.
WOW! And I don’t mean that in any positive interpretation of this article.
CLEVELAND’s newly-re-made/remodeled/upgraded arena facility is now going to be competitive with those, more-recently-constructed, in: Brooklyn; Charlotte; Dallas; Detroit; Houston; Memphis; Milwaukee; Orlando; Sacramento; San Francisco. This isn’t the entire list, but just look at who Cleveland is competing against. Cleveland isn’t in the league of many of those mentioned here, in terms of: population; average income; simultaneous occurring activities; airport; etc.
This article unfavorably compares the “Rocket” to the new Convention Center and Global Center. What is the difference? All were constructed with large contributions of public money … other than the arena, all were done ONLY with public funds. All three venues out-source management and operations to private businesses.
The Global Center was originally touted as being Cleveland’s pivot to becoming the center of Medical research and technology. How has that worked out? There is still space available. No big announcements of life-changing inventions or medical breakthroughs have been celebrated … with significant notice of National or International media … let alone resulting in a 1,000,000 person Parade. And Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse is NOT its competition.
The Huntington Convention Center is much larger than its predecessor. It’s new, has all the greatest amenities, is far larger than what it replaced. Which makes all that much more space going under-utilized. Bookings spiked as a result of getting the Republican National Convention. And now, they seem to have retreated towards a normalcy expected in a City of: under 500,000 people; a small airport with underwhelming connectivity for in-coming business travelers and NO International direct flights; and a suspect infrastructure. Again, Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse is NOT its competition.
Compare that to the new Rocket Mortgage Field-House. Cleveland has a brand new facility. That’s right, when this place opens, it will not be a “lipstick on a pig” renovation of a 25 year old facility. It will be BRAND NEW. It will have the amenities of its newer competitors. It will continue to be among the most highly-used facilities in the Country for a wide variety of activities for the enjoyment of Northeast Ohio.
And, all this for barely half the cost of original construction and less than 25% of the cost to build the same facility from the ground up!
There’s plenty to be disgusted about when it comes to how the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County are run. And that discussion should be addressed where it belongs – at the ballot box. But, in terms of this Community Asset, everyone got it right. Fortunately, Dan Gilbert was patient and remained committed to Northeast Ohio. Thank you, Dan.
Finally, nothing about any of the Region’s recent Capital projects have anything to do with its failures: crumbling roads; a third-world Jail; rubber-stamp City and County Councils; ineffective Leadership; a lingering reputation of … incompetence, crime, stagnation, poverty.
So, thanks again. I can’t wait to visit our brand new arena. I can’t wait to experience the new amenities. I can’t wait for Cleveland to quickly jump back to the top of every tour’s preference. I can’t wait to taste all the great new food offerings. I can’t wait to experience the results of neighboring businesses “upping their games.”
AMEN TO STEVE BOSSIN and CC!!!!! This is an asset to the city.
And to ” I ain’t whatchoo thought, bro” – sorry you live with such a negative attitude. You make it seem that Gentrification is bad? Yes I am a supporter of Gentrification.
I want crappy old buildings that are empty or underutilized to be demolished or rehabbed. (is that bad?)
I want the city to invest more money on infrastructure because new residents supporting taxes are moving in. (is that bad?)
I want to have a fun atmosphere where people are positive and not negative all of the time. (is that bad?)
I want my property value to skyrocket with all of the new investments. (is that bad?)
Public safety is going to get better because of gentrification. (is that bad?)
It will make our core downtown Cleveland a much stronger economy which will then support the less fortunate outer close suburbs with the increase. (is that bad?)
And yes there are a bunch of “little islands” around that prosper. All right where I live like, Tremont, Ohio City, Duck Island, Detroit Shoreway, Gordon Square, Lakewood, Rocky River. I don’t know about you but I love living here. And yes i do go to the Muni Lot. Why does it matter if people are blue or white collar? It’s an amazing time and everyone is having a blast. Really don’t think it matters how much money you make but I can damn sure tell you it looks like everyone is having a blast.
No, not everyone is having a blast in Cleveland. Try venturing out of your safe zones (Tremont, Ohio City, Duck Island, Detroit Shoreway, Gordon Square, Lakewood, Rocky River) and see how the less privileged and the ungentrified are doing. It doesn’t matter how much money you make until you happen to be among those that don’t have any.
And hey, if you like paying San Francisco prices for Cleveland property, knock yourself out. It’s still a free country…or was the last time I checked…and it’s your money to piss away as you see fit. P,.T. Barnum was right…there’s a sucker born every minute…especially the ones born in the Eighties and Nineties, and plenty of developers willing to take you and your ilk to the cleaners.
Enjoy that ten-dollar craft brewsky on the patio of your favorite foodie eatery. One less fool taking up space at Sokolowski’s.
The beer is actually $6 usually! And Townhall has $3 beers on Mondays!!!!!! You should try it out if your having such a bad time in the burbs. And I dont want to “venture out of my safe zone” THATS WHY I PAY THE MONEY FOR THAT “overpriced” home you mention. So I can stay in my nice bubble and have fun drinking my $6 not $10 beer!
And I never said everyone is having a blast… You act like any semi-major city doesn’t have poverty levels or people that are less privileged. But why is it bad that some places like those that you mentioned are prospering? Why is everything so overpriced in the good places? Why can’t it just be a nice place to live? Does everything have to suck like the places you mention that are not Ohio city or Tremont?
I’m pretty sure every single city in this country has places like Ohio City and Tremont and then other places that are less fortunate. Am i missing something?
Town Hall is for kids, so forget that noise…and I do mean NOISE. Go back and read the posts again…I said Far West Side, which is NOT a suburb, although it used to be until the early Twenties. It’s been part of Cleveland for almost a hundred years now
There are plenty of Irish-themed bars in my own hood if I still wanted to go to bars, or drink for cheap…neither of which appeal to me anymore. Been there, done that, got hammered, got lucky, got it out of my system, grew up, grew old. And the beers don’t cost six bucks out here, either.
Why is everything so overpriced in the good places? Does everything have to suck like the places that are not Ohio city or Tremont? I am not a sociologist or an urban planner. Go ask Frank and His Rat Pack if you want answers to those questions, not me. But he will just smirk and say “It is what it is”…
Are you missing something? Damn betcha. How much time have you got?
Went to the open house for the spiffed-up arena in September. Vey nice, but food prices were ridiculous.
Given the cost of tickets to events these days, i figured I’d better go, because I may never get inside again.