As the weather improves, I've been trying to get out and about more - recently I visited the sky 'deck' at the 9, visited a (new to me) portion of the Towpath, checked out some of the construction going on in Duck Island, and took a walk on the new Lake Link trail. Of course, there are some random photos thrown in for good measure.
Might as well start with the Hilton, still plugging along:
Not that Key Tower ever looks small, but from the roof of the Convention Center it looks pretty darn big.
Some folks not happy with Mayor Frank Jackson - the person in the blue cap never moved the sign away so makes you wonder what they're hiding.
The former Board of Education building getting a thorough cleaning - it's going to be converted into a Drury Plaza hotel:
The Garfield Building - a good amount of bricks fell from the cornice not too long ago so they're inspecting to make sure it's stable. Another building slated for residential conversion, btw:
Alright, over to the "sky deck" at the 9, located on top of the Swetland Building - it's called 'Azure' but being Cleveland, I'd suggest 'The Cloud Deck'
Fortunately the skies *were* azure when I stopped by:
The Swetland Building has an "H" shaped footprint so there are seating areas at each 'corner'. Hard to believe this building dodge a bullet twice - once in the 1970s when a twin tower for the Cleveland Trust building was proposed and in the 2000s when the Cuyahoga County commissioners proposed tearing it down (and the Cleveland Trust Tower) for a new administration building:
Keep in mind it wasn't too long ago the building looked like this:
Now it looks like this:
Back to ground level, the restored 'Mondrian-esque' windows of the first floor of the Cleveland Trust Tower:
During asbestos remediation and renovation, those windows looked like this:
Not the biggest fan of the name they gave the complex 'The 9' (which includes Cleveland Trust Tower and rotunda, and the Swetland building) but considering how well they pulled it off I'm not going to complain:
Usually some higher-end vehicles parked out front:
Next up, a visit to the Towpath Trail - been trying to get out and explore sections I haven't been to so this time it was the stretch between Rockside Road and the Canal Discovery Center. First, gotta grab lunch so we went to the Winking Lizard in Independence - the patio has a great view of downtown. This is about eight miles south of downtown Cleveland:
Not that Cleveland's topography is *that* dynamic but it's not completely flat:
Onto the trail; again this is part of the Towpath trail which roughly follows the former canal system that connected Lake Erie to the Ohio River. Some sections aren't complete but once they are, it will be about 100 miles of continuous trail. More info about the Towpath here
http://www.ohioanderiecanalway.com/Main/Pages/57.aspx
Always a treat to see a Great Blue Heron:
Quite a few remnants of the old canal locks:
Time to head back - it's about 1.75 miles as the crow... err, goose flies:
Once again, the heron.
Looks like we caught him during his lunch break:
Time to get back to civilization:
Heading down to the Flats:
This bridge will hopefully be one of my new favorite places...
... because there's a proposal to run a High Line style park/trail along side the Red Line Rapid tracks
A few new spots have opened up in this section known as Irishtown Bend (originally settled by Irish immigrants) including restaurants, breweries and a bike/skate park:
Alright, a few photos of the old and new in Duck Island, located west of Tremont and east of Ohio City. Legend has it that the area got its name because bootleggers would 'duck' from the authorities back in the day. It's not an island and you don't see too many ducks around but oh well. This building will be home to a variety of businesses, including a brewery and a meadery.
A local landmark - not sure how long this structure will remain. I know it's old-school and kitschy but there's something charming about it:
Directly across the street:
Typical Duck Island homes:
Not sure, but this might be one house:
Newer, but 'older' newer construction:
New construction directly across the street:
Duck Island sits in the shadows of the western pylons of the Hope Memorial Bridge:
Skyline view from West 17th and Lorain:
Northern end of Duck Island on Columbus Road - these have been selling in the mid to upper $300K range; not my style but it's a great location:
Here we are, the Scranton Flats section of the Towpath - remember the photos earlier in the thread? Soon enough, this will all be one connected trail. The newest addition is the Lake Link trail bridge is over Scranton Road:
This stretch just recently opened, so we had it almost all to ourselves. The area was neglected for a while and formerly housed a lot of smaller industrial companies. It'll be interesting to see how it gets cleaned up - hopefully cleaned, not 'sanitized'.
This section of the trail skims Duck Island at a slightly lower elevation:
Hey, we got a mountain range!
The next section will continue on to the lakefront - all in good time:
Let's try to see the Forest City for the trees
This section will connect to the northern end of the Tremont neighborhood (and again, to the rest of the Towpath):
And of course as we were wrapping it up, the sun comes out - ah well, things are looking brighter
Hope you enjoyed!
CLEVELAND - Decks, Ducks, Lakes, Links
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