The potential of a city street...

Lakewood Walk and Roll


What happens when you shut down a city street to motorized vehicles? Can you celebrate the walkability of your community? Lakewood, Ohio sure can. Offering a plethora of eating establishments, shopping and professional offices a community that celebrates its diversity and its density happens to be one of the most enjoyable places I have had the fortune to call home.

Taste of Tremont


Of course Tremont gets to celebrate a long history of eclectic and exciting eateries and finds no other way to share in its bounty than putting aside a festival based solely on eating and drinking! Not to shabby for one of Cleveland's oldest ethnic communities that manages to seem to reinvent itself every decade.

Two widely varied events in two of Cleveland's inner ring suburbs, both based upon the idea the the public street could be a public right of way and is, in essence, public space that is typically underutilized. While the argument that infrastructure drives development can be made it is also important to realize how integral PEOPLE on the street are to local businesses and neighborhoods. Granted, not every day can be a festival, but enough festivals/events and some decent street planning and layout may bring back the public interaction and activity that so many neighborhoods need.

Just imagine a city street with people. Window shopping would lead to better retail business, the area would be safer and cleaner as there would be more self policing, a sense of community and of ownership would create family legacies in neighborhoods just as we had before the advent of television forced us to scurry inside to pander to the gratification of the flickering screen.

So next time you are sick of flipping the channels and finding nothing to passively watch, how about grabbing a cool beverage and sitting on your porch, waving to your neighbors? Or take a stroll down the local retail strip and see what goods are to offer? How about stopping to chat to someone about the humidity, or the local sports team or even to ask directions to that new local restaurant you overheard a co-worker talking about? It doesn't take much but it can save an entire neighborhood and you may even find yourself having a good time and taking a sense of pride in where you live.

Special thanks to Lilly Handmade Chocolates for the chocolate eating contest. Luckily, what we couldn't finish we were able to take home! They also offer a beer (and soon wine) selection that is designed to compliment the chocolate!