All together now

Tonight I was at Playhouse Square again, and it was refreshing to see all the activity and energy infusing Downtown Cleveland.

Of course, there was the Tribe game at 3:55, which always seems like such an invasion from the 'burbs. Keeping that theme, Go Diego Go was letting out at the Palace Theater, resolving my curiousity about why a young child was chanting the racial slur "dago! dago! dago!" in the parking garage stairwell.

Later you had The Crucible (with snacks) at the Ohio, La Boheme at the State, and Tri C Jazz Fest at the Allen.

Add to that the fabulously surreal experience of seeing folks coming to the CLAW (Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend - Link NSFW) at the Wyndham (I saw a LEATHER TUX and it was beautiful. I totally wanted him to come attend the opera in that.)

Even better was the mix throughout all this at the newly opened restaurant Bricco at the Hanna.

All this gives me such hope for the area once the NEVER-ENDING CONSTRUCTION is finished. I can see, with all the effort they've put into bringing people to live downtown, that once there's enough pulse and activity to draw them out of the Statler, there's going to be a burgeoning night life in the area.

Already Fred has assembled the railing that marks off the Hanna's al fresco seating, and on nice days, it's easily packed by 5.

More outdoor seating means more people will stay downtown after work for happy hour - which could lead to the urge to shop (if someone could provide the wares - Banyan Tree, Knuth Shoes, Anna Van H. are you listening?) increase impromptu meet ups as well as decrease rush hour congestion.

I can't wait for summer to increase the pulse of the city and hopefully bring even more life to an area that's all too often deserted.