Cleveland Ohio Funguide Weblog

one of the most happening and hopping places at one time was the flats of cleveland with the clubs and night life.. go there now and its homeless people, dark, crime infested area tha ya really dont want to be after dark. there are alot of great places and buildings down there that just need some tlc rehab and cleveland could have one hell of place to go and have fun and let loose. as well as bring some jobs and well needed money into this city. lets bring people back to cleveland and ohio instead of chasing them away, everyone trying to move out and get away. with the stripper law going into effect we will see what happens. we need to develope what we have insead of creating ghost towns

By Ron on Aug 6, 2007

I am originally from the Cleveland area, having lived there for most of my life, had known the Flats. I had visited there in the late 1980s through the early 1990s. I have no idea what is has been like since then but it used to be a hoppin’ place. I remember a BP Fest which had people there, possibly in the 1000s. It was a summer evening and both sides were full of people. At the time, I think it was still considered a fairly safe place. Although I did have a friend of mine get jumped for his wallet, over near the Circus (a dive strip club on one end) about that time. I remember spending some time on a friend’s boat on a few evenings down there, too. That was a lot of fun. It’s too bad to hear things aren’t so good there anymore.

Now, about the strip club issue. I don’t have any particular moral objections to strip clubs. I, like any other American, can exercise my rights to NOT go to them if I wish. It can be a fun, although expensive evening. I think the problems arise when alcohol mixes with some people who can’t even manage their behavior sober. The added dimension of nudity to the alcohol equation just sets the behavioral bar even lower.

I am sure the police spend lots of quality time around the Flats in general already. Adding horny drunk men to the mix….or should I say encouraging drunk men to be horny is likely to only add problems. While money-making businesses are what helps makes Cleveland a popular place, I think you have to balance out the other costs involved. Police and emergency room help, extra bouncers, and whoever is lucky enough to pick up all the trash generated by the crowds all have to be calculated into the mix….not to mention the liability involved with insurance and lawsuits that follow the consumption of alcohol. I am sure it adds up. Barhopping, obviously, is not a family-friendly activity. However, tourist dollars are still on the table here. If there is a public perception that the Flats is dangerous place to be, the bulk of the tourist dollars will go. This will leave the place to the die-hard idiots who like to drink, and the supporting cast of ne’er-do-wells to carve their own financial niche out of those idiots. If memory serves, Cleveland worked hard to get the Flats to be a cool place to hang out. Sounds like it may have reverted back to what it might have been like before.

I think there must be better ways to help Clevelanders find employment, generate revenue and be considered a cool place to hang out. The Flats has a lot of potential. It’s wide range of establishments are part of what made it cool, in my opinion. A range of dance clubs, a variety of restaurants casual to high-end, blue collar bars, a comedy club, an arcade, and a soundstage…not to mention boats to take you back and forth across the river could keep you busy. I am not entirely convinced that strip clubs, especially an area of them, would really help things get back to the way they were.

By stjarna67 on Aug 14, 2007