Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 19^th 2005

There won't be anything new on this site for a week or two, as I'm going to be riding into the sunset with my beloved, and no-one answered my call. You'll next hear from me when we've reached Seattle and started our new life together.

That is, if I even have any readers.

A Walk Through Durham Township
Brad Knapp
Canned Environments
Chromasia
DaysLikeThese
euphorochrome
Here, My Dear
Jose Nazario
No Traces
Reza Mazaheri
smudo
Worksongs

Downtown Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 19^th 2005

The Arcade, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 19^th 2005

It says a lot about the relationship between downtown Cleveland and its suburbs that I didn't even know this place existed until I read about it on a website a couple of weeks ago.

Downtown Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 19^th 2005

Carnegie Avenue Bridge, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 19^th 2005

There are four of these figures, marking the two ends of one of the main bridges across the Cuyahoga. One of the more attractive ways in which Cleveland reminds all comers that its golden age was before the Great Depression.

The banks of the Cuyahoga, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 19^th 2005

Clevelanders see a throbbing nightlife quarter. I see urban decay, dead industry, and a handful of cheesy-as-hell clubs and bars in the midst of it. Sorry Cleveland, but I just don't get what's so good about the Flats.

Roadside memorial, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 19^th 2005

I apologise for the wonkiness of this image, and generally poor finish quality of the coming few. I was all excited about the new Photoshop, but today it has started refusing to open files, and it will be a while till I have the time to figure out why.

Behind the abandoned hotel
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 12^th 2005

The abandoned hotel
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 12^th 2005

In a few days' time I'll be heading off on a roadtrip, and I'll be without internet access for a couple of weeks. Meanwhile I have plenty photos from the past couple of weeks in and around Cleveland that I'd like to post as I leave this city. I can cue them all up, one for each day that I won't be online, but Blogger doesn't seem to have a way of saying don't show this post until this date, but then publish it.

So is there anyone who'd be willing to log in to Blogger once a day and publish my pre-written posts for a couple of weeks?

The abandoned hotel
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 12^th 2005

The abandoned hotel
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 12^th 2005

I don't know how long this place has actually been empty for, but this sign must be a clue. It seems safe to assume there was text on the upper part when the building was in use.

APOD
A Walk Through Durham Township
Brad Knapp
Better than salt money (huge page with many photos - this is a direct link to my favourite)
canned environments
Chicago Mile by Mile
Christoffer Jon Sinnbeck
de-lineation
Desert Dream
Houser Design
Invisible Threads
I see art everywhere
No Traces
Orbit 1

The abandoned hotel
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 12^th 2005

The abandoned hotel
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 12^th 2005

Entrance to the abandoned hotel
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 12^th 2005

One of the signs that this building still has an owner who pays some attention: behind the broken glass there are intact doors chained shut, and every ground level broken window was boarded up or had another pane of glass behind the broken one. If I had wanted to enter, I would have had to break in.

Another door had a beware of the dog sign. If it were remotely believable, I bet that would be a better deterrent to local teenagers than no trespassing.

Ballroom of the abandoned hotel
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 12^th 2005

Abandoned hotel, by Randall Park Mall, North Randall, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 12^th 2005

I'll be posting a few more pictures from this place, because I found its decripitude as fascinating as horrifying. The mall is also dying, though I have no pictures from there because I felt uncomfortable bringing out a camera for some obvious blight tourism when there were still a few people around actually shopping or trying to make a living. It's also the only place I've ever seen a church in a mall.

It is deeply sad. There are various hints (as you'll see in the coming week) that someone is still watching over this building and trying to keep trespassers out, yet clearly there's no-one interested in refurbishing or replacing it. If only the price of land were higher round here, something would be done with both the hotel and the mall (which looks to have something like a 30% vacancy rate), but instead people go and cut down more woodland, pave over more soil, and build from scratch because it's cheaper. I wonder if this site presages what will happen to Legacy Village in another generation's time.

Oh, and in case it isn't obvious: this set of pictures are more extensively digitally manipulated than most of mine. I'm trying to recreate the mood of the place.

The bike co-op's contribution to the Hessler Street Fair, University Circle, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
May 22^nd 2005

Hessler Street Fair, University Circle, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
May 22^nd 2005

A Walk Through Durham Township
Brad Knapp
canned environments
Christoffer Jon Sinnbeck
Chromasia
Dockwalker Images
Jens-Erik Sinnbeck
Joseph Levy
Mark Tucker
Michael Scott
Reza Mazaheri
Smudo

Hessler Road, University Circle, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
May 22^nd 2005

Hessler is a cool road with beautiful old houses in an urban area, and a neighbourhood association that seems to actually do stuff for the residents rather than just enforcing petty rules. They have this fair every year which people make quite a fuss over. Personally I wasn't exactly blown away—apart from the live music (which is cool, but the stage felt weird and it was kind of hard to pay attention) it's just a bunch of hippy stalls either selling stuff or promoting political groups—but then perhaps I'm spoilt from having lived right in the middle of Brighton for two years. I had so much of this on my doorstep 7 days a week. Certainly in a place as devoid of pedestrian culture as Cleveland, it's nice to see people walking for once.

Between two level crossings, one of which was being used by the longest train in history when I showed up.

Willoughby, Ohio, USA
June 5^th 2005
context

Looking South from the Old Mill Road / Chagrin River Road bridge, greater Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 5^th 2005
context

Looking North from the Old Mill Road / Chagrin River Road bridge, greater Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 5^th 2005
context

Chagrin River Road, greater Cleveland, Ohio, USA
June 5^th 2005
context

1913 Model T Ford, Flint, Michigan, USA
June 26^th 2004

We'll be going to the car show again this year, en route to Seattle.

North Park Boulevard, Shaker Heights, Ohio, USA
May 30^th 2004

Memorial Day was last Monday. Like last year, someone put these little flags all along North Park a few days before.

I just posted my submission to World Photo Day. I had intended to blog about this ahead of time, in case the project appealed to any of my 5 readers, but, well, some other events got in the way.

Today has not been the greatest of days. I could bitch about all the different things that broke today, but I thought this picture was as symbolic as anything else. I got to the lab before noticing my... unorthodox choice in footwear.

Oh, and the lab carpet is that ugly. I just don't usually look at it.

Astronomy Picture of the Day
Chromasia
Därk
de-lineation
invisible threads
Reza Mazaheri
Worksongs