Calling All Tailors!!

I'm petite ("PC" for very short – 5’ 0”) so I either need to buy my clothes in ridiculous sizes like 00P/0P/pp/xsp, or I have to get them altered. I had an AMAZING tailor in Columbus (oh Damian, how I miss you so) but I can't very well keep driving 2 hours south to get my pants hemmed (and I certainly can't do it myself).

Sewing machine, CASB ©2009

I started out by going to a woman who worked out of one of the old art galleries in The Galleria -- her service was called Sew Simple (I think). She did a fairly decent job, although I only had her hem a few pants, but the gallery closed shop and she must have moved elsewhere.

After Sew Simple disappeared, I was happy to discover a place in the lobby of my very own building, “Ella's Alterations” at Statler Arms. At first, I just had her shorten a couple of straps on some dresses. Then I had her hem a few pants. BUT! It wasn't until I asked her to take in a few things that I discovered her truly disappointing limitations. I have to admit . . . she warned me that the alterations would change the look of the item. I, however, wasn't worried. My former tailor Damian used to take in all kinds of clothing for me and I knew what to expect (e.g., if there was a pattern on the article of clothing, the pattern might be changed a bit). BUT OH! I was not ready for what she handed back to me. All she did was pinch the fabric together on the inside and sew that together. I think she called it "pleating." It looked (and felt) TERRIBLE. She ruined 2 articles of clothing (not to mention she did a shoddy job at altering a bridesmaids dress I left for her). NEVER AGAIN! Damian would take the time to undo the stitches, pull together the excess fabric, CUT the excess fabric off (instead of just leaving it on the inside of the clothing) and then redo the stitches. Miss "Ella" apparently doesn't have the time to do that or doesn't know how. I was severely underwhelmed with the quality of her work. The prices were cheap, but as they say, you get what you pay for.

So I took my toys and went home, determined to find a tailor who . . . better suited my needs. Here's what I found (note: this list is not extensive, but after weeding out bad reviews and disconnected phone numbers, this is what was left and still met my criteria):

(1) Sew Elegant

Contact: Jane
(440) 846-3910
440 238-6404 (cellular)
19808 Cross Trail South
Strongsville, OH 44136
By appointment

The woman who returned my phone call, Jane, seemed very polite. She informed me that she works out of her home in Strongsville, and one need only call her to set up an appointment to stop by. I didn’t really inquire into much more because I wanted more of a commercial establishment (complete with firm policies and deadlines).

(2) SewNeau
(216) 688-0850 ext. 2
PO BOX 16485
Rocky River, OH 44116-0485

They have a promising website, but nobody ever returned my phone call.

(3) Alterations Express
(216) 896-9331‎
27083 Chagrin Blvd
Beachwood (Woodmere), OH 44122

Third time’s the charm! It’s about a 25 minute drive (East) from downtown, but I’m familiar with the area and there are a few shops around it that I go to anyway (e.g., Whole Foods, Evolution Yoga Studio, DSW, Filene’s Basement, Legacy Village, Beachwood Place, etc.). I found the store in a shopping plaza nestled between an Ethan Allen and Howards Shoes?? As soon as I walked in and was greeted by the friendly staff, I knew I had found my new tailor . . . er . . . I mean alterationist. Is that a word?

Alterations Express exterior, CASB ©2009

The shop has several private dressing rooms where the clients go in and try on their clothes. When the client is ready for a staff member to start pinning and measuring, she simply flips the light switch in the dressing room and unlocks the door. A light on the outside of the door goes on alerting the staff that the client is ready to be fitted. The staff member then goes directly into the spacious dressing room that is complete with a raised platform, full length mirrors, a kneeling pad (for them) and pins, etc. They measure you right in the room (door open or shut based on your comfort).

Alterations Express interior, CASB ©2009

They have 4 prices based on how quickly you need your garments back. They even have a sign on the front door that boasts about how you can wait while you’re pants are hemmed and take them when you leave.

I just picked up my clothes today and they look (and fit) great! I’m definitely going to spread the good word!

Take a Hike or a Bike

We all know it's coming . . . Cleveland's terribly cold winter weather (yikes)! But don't fret just yet! There's still plenty of ways to enjoy the warmth while it lasts.

-- Walking Tour--

For example, stop by City Hall and pick up a few complimentary walking maps, courtesy of Clevelanders in Motion. There are apparently 8 in the series, but I could only find maps #1, #4, and #6.


Of the 3 I could find, I recommend #6, the "Rock N' Roll Boulevard Route" (distance 3.0 miles). It essentially has you walk from the corner of Prospect and E. 9th down to Voinovich Park (at the tip of the E. 9th St Pier) around Brown's stadium, up W. 3rd to Lakeside, onto Ontario St. and then back to Prospect. I think this is a great way to see a lot of what downtown has to offer. The listed points of interest along the way are the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame, the Great Lakes Science Center, the Historic Gateway District (the area between Public Square and Playhouse Square from Superior Ave. south to the inner Belt). Plus, it's a 3 mile route, so it's also a great workout for a weekend or even on an extended lunch break.


-- Guided Walking Tours--

If you want something a little more structured, then try the Take A Hike guided walking tours. Take a Hike offers 3 unique tours guided by an historical Cleveland character, such as John D. Rockefeller, Mrs. Alfred Kelley, Garrett Morgan, and others. The tour schedules are as follow:

6 PM on Thursdays:
Historic Gateway Neighborhood
Meet at The Arcade
(401 Euclid Ave.)

10 AM on Saturdays:
Historic Warehouse District
Meet at Constantino's Market
(1278 West 9th St.)

10 AM on Sundays:
Canal to Harbor
Meet at Settler's Landing RTA Station
(1025 W. Superior Ave.)

Each tour lasts roughly 1 to 1.5 hours and is FREE!!! But I'd take advantage of the tours sooner than later, because they're only offered until Sept. 6th (and then not again until May 2010).

--All About Bicycles--

If walking isn't your thing, then rent a bicycle for the afternoon! City Bikes, (located on E. 4th across from Flannery's) offers bike rentals at $15 for 2 hours or $6 for their "business lunch" rate. They're open 7 days a week between the hours of 10 AM and 8 PM. But again, with cold weather around the corner, you'll want to act quickly. City Bikes only stays open every day through Aug. 31st and then keeps limited hours Friday-Sunday in September.

If you already own your own bike, then I guess you'd like to know about the 9-mile Cleveland Lakefront Bike Trail that traces the Lake Erie shoreline along Lakeshore Boulevard from E. 9th Street to E. 185th Street. From this route, you can access the E. 55th Street Marina, Gordon Park, Euclid Beach, Villa Angela and Wildwood Park areas. I actually walked this path with my dog Charlie, but I recommend biking if you have less time (we ended up doing a 14 mile walk into Bratenahl and back -- ouch -- but if you turn around at the bridge it's only 2 miles round trip). We hopped on at N. Marginal down by the Burke Lakefront Airport and continued on that road (as opposed to sticking to Lakeshore Blvd). It's pretty deserted and there isn't much to look at until you completely pass the airport. We checked out Gordon Park, which was actually quite nice, and there were plenty of people fishing off of the bridges.

There's also free bicycle parking in the Willard Parking Garage at City Hall and at the Cleveland MetroParks Zoo. There's even a local bike advocacy group, ClevelandBikes, that's trying to get a Cleveland bike station built downtown.

And get this . . . employees who commute to work via their bicycles (at least 3 times a week) might be eligible for a bicycle commuter tax break ($20/month) for expenses such as helmet purchases, repair, etc. It's a part of the Bicycle Commuter Act passed by Congress in 2008. Worried about arriving at work in a not-so-fresh way? If you're an employee of the Cleveland Clinic who bikes to work, you can use the showers at the Walker building Fitness Center for free! Think you'll be lonely on your morning bike commute? Well there's a solution for that, too! OhioBikeBuddies is an online matching service that will pair you up with some biking companions.


Basically, not only is walking or biking around a great way to see Cleveland, but the city and other groups are committed to making Cleveland less congested, more easily accessible, and fit and active, as well.

We Could All Use a Little Change

About a week ago, the local media began reporting on the new neon yellow "parking" meters that suddenly appeared around downtown Cleveland. But they aren't parking meters at all, they're the new "Change Where It Counts" meters installed to help decrease panhandling in the city. The Downtown Cleveland Alliance (along with the City of Cleveland, and the Downtown Faith-based Community) launched the campaign (called GeneroCity Cleveland) last October. What will start as approximately 15 meters will turn into 40 meters for "Change" in the downtown area. (Photo: Cleveland Change Meter, CASB © 2009).

The media has dutifully provided the pertinent information: that the money collected from the meters will go toward a program to provide the homeless with proper ID (i.e., birth certificates and Social Security cards), so they can qualify for social services; that the meters aren't meant to create a financial windfall, but rather, they are an attempt to enhance the pedestrian experience; and that they're designed to change people's attitudes toward giving away money.

But is it really changing anything (or is it still too soon to tell)? I think people look at the meters and think, "Huh. That's an interesting little idea" and keep walking. I think the people who don't give change will continue to not give change (to the meter or an actual person) and the people who do give change to the panhandlers would rather give change to an actual person as opposed to a meter. I can see a tourist or two popping in a spare quarter, but are the leaders of Cleveland more interested in changing the mentality of visitors OR the mentality of the people who move around the city on a daily basis (i.e., those who live and/or work here).

It appears that some of them are more interested in the visitors' perspectives (in the theory of cognition). The chairman of the Downtown Cleveland Alliance was reported as saying that the campaign is part of an initiative to make downtown Cleveland safer and more appealing to suburbanites and other visitors. He is also reported to have said that the meters will allow the public to still give money on the street, but to those who need it rather than the panhandlers. Really? You don't think a panhandler is really needy (ok, I admit that not ALL of them are -- like the the ones who make up stories about their car breaking down or just needing a little change to make a phone call, etc.)? The truly "street" homeless are the rock-bottom needy who feel the only option left is to swallow their pride and stick out their hand. Granted, it takes more humility to ask for help rather than simply asking for some spare change, but to say that the people sleeping on the sidewalk aren't actually needy is stretching it a bit, don't you think? One of the problems is that the powers-that-be behind this initiative are using the terms "homeless" and "panhandler" synonymously.

Look, it's a great idea. But I'm not sure there's enough happening behind the scene to make it worthwhile. I concede that this is still in the early stages, but -- for instance, check out the website associated with the meters, GeneroCity. I'm not quite sure what's going on here. The RTA donated a small bus that has been retrofitted (with the help of funds from the Cleveland Foundation) to shuttle the "homeless" to a shelter or to get the services they need. There will be a social worker on board to help facilitate these services. But here's where it gets tricky . . . under the "Rules of the Bus" tab on the website, Rule #1 reads, "Please schedule a request for a ride at least 24 hours in advance." I don't know many truly homeless people who have access to a telephone (or maybe people like me just aren't giving them the change to make the phone call). The only answer I can come up with is that the people calling will be those who are already staying at a shelter (or trying to avoid having to resort to a shelter). So will the bus still go around at random and approach the homeless people on the streets and offer to take them to the shelters? I think the sight of someone curled up in the corner of a vacant building with a styrophome cup set up next to him is much more upsetting (albeit less aggressive) than a random person approaching you on the street and spinning some tale of how they need just a couple of dollars to do X, Y or Z.

I'm not an investigative reporter, and I'm not pretending to be -- I don't have all of the facts. I just think that people would like to know a little more about how this is all really going to work out. THAT is what might actually encourage people to drop a little change in the meter. And if the endeavor is turning out to be more cumbersome than originally anticipated, then let's be sure not to let the meters turn into yet another rusted fixture in downtown Cleveland that silently reproaches its passersby for a failed attempt at something supportive of the city's 2nd renaissance.

And let's seriously consider the possibility that panhandlers might just camp out near the meters and hope to guilt contributors or would-be contributors into handing them the change instead.

"Change Starts Here," the meter also reads. But what's the next step . . .