Working in the downtown of a Large City(Advice needed)

[ChiefWahoo]

The warehouse district IS the nice part of town. Lol

Thought about this as I was sitting in traffic. Remember to leave more time than seems reasonable for your commute. The innerbelt project has really thrown a wrench in my mornings. Even when all roads are open, Cleveland has awful traffic for a city so small. I don't know if w're bad drivers or the infrastructure was that poorly designed, but we have Chicago-level traffic with 1/3 the population.

 

[slugg77]

The warehouse district IS the nice part of town. Lol

Thought about this as I was sitting in traffic. Remember to leave more time than seems reasonable for your commute. The innerbelt project has really thrown a wrench in my mornings. Even when all roads are open, Cleveland has awful traffic for a city so small. I don't know if w're bad drivers or the infrastructure was that poorly designed, but we have Chicago-level traffic with 1/3 the population.

As a native Clevelander,I can say it is the driver's. Especially the south suburbs.

OP, no worries. People are people, no need to fret. I have lived in Southern California, Cleveland, and NY (very briefly, hardly counts), all that changes is the weather and the quantity of said people.

 

[scottish steve]

I love the anonymitty of a truly big city- Tokyo spoiled me for other cities. Some people get stressed by the crowds but for me the fact that nobody pays you any attention unless you're wearing a pink tutu, allows me to relax. I have lived in Braemar, population 850, and you couldn't go to the toilet without everyone knowing about it! But being abe to avail yourself of any product or service you like, with late store hours and a good transportation system, plus having the ability to wander endlessly without purpose in the expectation of finding new places, is what a decent city is all about.
And when you settle in and find the best local cafe or deli, you start to feel you belong there.

 

[ChiefWahoo]

Hadn't thought about it that way, Steve. Thanks for the perspective.

 

[NoKetchupAllowed]

The commute isn't for everyone.

it breaks down one of 2 ways:
driving - its going to be hell on your car and the percentage of your day that is mentally taxing (i commute through the worst of chicago every day with a clutch pedal.... it gets really old some days). The costs add up quickly but it is still your own personal domicile. Oh and factor in accidents, weather, nato summits will exponentially effect your commute times, not to mention what you will inevitably discover is that some critical section of your commute will be under construction for 6 months out of the year
public transit - you need a quality messenger bag and a decent weekend bag (for occasional overflow) to succeed on your daily urban hike. You will learn to travel light (which will mean buying your lunch every day). This is equally taxing and the entire time you have no personal space. Oh and you live and die on following a very strict time schedule (and do not expect the public transit authority to return the favor), and learn to enjoy "layovers". After a year you will either take up one of 3 hobbies: knitting, crosswords or angry birds. (super huge personal bonus was metra let me drink openly on the train, I miss my happy hour cab)

ask yourself if this job is worth the additional time commitment and personal expense every day as you will get very bitter after the fact.

(this is someone who last year spent 6 working man months on the train and traded that job for one that will put 27k miles on my car this year)

 

[scottish steve]

Or you could look at your commute as the only time in the entire week where no-one can ask anything of you. Read those books you've been putting off all those years, take up street photography, buy a kindle, become a sudoku master. Become comfortable being out among your countrymen, watching the boredom or pain or laughter in all those faces, the result of 10,000 years of "civilisation". Notice how "that girl" is always on the same train, but yesterday she was late and today she seems happier and is texting furiously. She must have met someone!

 

[devorenm]

I work in university circle area but spend a decent amount of time downtown - for a smallish city (anymore) downtown has a lot of amenities that it seems many of the people who work there aren't aware of. I think you'll really enjoy it.

How old are you? Can you move or is this a house with a mortgage and kids in school kind of situation? The commute from Brunswick is going to suck - it sucks generally from the South burbs but it is particularly bad now because of the innerbelt project. You could drive into brook park and take the red line in but I'm not sure how much time you save since you are only saving about 10 miles or so. If you can move tot the city you'll have a difficult time getting a place downtown (occupancy rate is about 98 percent right now - and thus expensive) but there are lots of good neighborhoods that would be a short commute by car or transit (Tremont, Ohio City, The Shoreway, University Circle/Parts of Fairfax/ Cleve Heights, etc.

 

[dymaxion]

I work in university circle area but spend a decent amount of time downtown - for a smallish city (anymore) downtown has a lot of amenities that it seems many of the people who work there aren't aware of. I think you'll really enjoy it.

How old are you? Can you move or is this a house with a mortgage and kids in school kind of situation? The commute from Brunswick is going to suck - it sucks generally from the South burbs but it is particularly bad now because of the innerbelt project. You could drive into brook park and take the red line in but I'm not sure how much time you save since you are only saving about 10 miles or so. If you can move tot the city you'll have a difficult time getting a place downtown (occupancy rate is about 98 percent right now - and thus expensive) but there are lots of good neighborhoods that would be a short commute by car or transit (Tremont, Ohio City, The Shoreway, University Circle/Parts of Fairfax/ Cleve Heights, etc.

Unfortunately, moving is out of the question (Kids, Mortgage the whole bit)

It looks like I will be taking the bus from Strongsville as part of the park and ride.

Part of my fear comes from the fact that I am not a native Ohioan. I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin and moved to Ohio about 20 years ago.
I have very little exposure to what goes on in a large city on a day to day basis. Even after all these years here I still feel like a fish out of water.

Again, thanks to all of you for your words of wisdom.

 

[scottish steve]

I can see this is genuinely bothering you. What in particular do you find worrying? And how big is this city?

 

[bonzos_beard]

I am terrified at the prospect of dealing with the
large crowds of people, difficulty parking ( or taking public transportation).

stock up on those disposable surgical masks & rubber gloves

and maybe some of those all in one radiation proof suits

 

[oc_in_fw]

Part of my fear comes from the fact that I am not a native Ohioan. I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin and moved to Ohio about 20 years

do not worry- Ohio isn't Texas. They don't shun transplants.

On edit: that sounds harsher than intended. What I mean is that natives say that you have to be born her to call yourself a Texan. You will be accepted but you won't be a Texan. You can, however, be an adoptive C-towner.

 

[ouch]

I didn't know there were any large cities in Ohio.

In these parts, I recommend that newcomers wear any of the latest Air Jordan sneakers that cost a minimum of $300 and carry an iPhone, as well as a pair of high end headphones, preferably Beats by Dr. Dre. In addition, they should walk with $20 bills conspicuously dangling from each pocket, especially if they take public transportation. These techniques will indicate to the natives that you are a serious man, and they will accord you the proper deference.

 

[ChiefWahoo]

Atrollsayswhat?

 

[RABIDMONKEY]

1) talk to yourself 2) twitch a little 3) wear the "veg" out of a plastic bottle youll just blend in , maybe get a few bucks lol now to the real advice Dont leave stuff unattened, dont flash wealth . , be aware of surroundings , walk confidently . speak with confidence and politeness and THINK. Ran a hot dog stand in downtown jacksonville fl part-time for almost a decade I got all sorts from working people, police officers, to homeless , to the really crazy , If you dont look like a victim you wont be taken for one criminals as a rule are like any predator , they dont want a fight or hassle , they want easy prey , If you are aware , dont give them a reason (flashing money , flashy expensive jewelery . leave stuff on seat in car ) they will look for someone else

 

[raisindot]

Part of my fear comes from the fact that I am not a native Ohioan. I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin and moved to Ohio about 20 years ago. I have very little exposure to what goes on in a large city on a day to day basis. Even after all these years here I still feel like a fish out of water.

It really won't be anywhere near as bad or hard to adjust to as you think it is. If it was, you wouldn't have every city in America (or, indeed around the world) filled with people who had moved in from rural areas. As long as you keep of everything that's going around you (i.e., keep that wallet in your front pocket for a while and be a little more suspicious of people than you previously were) you'll be fine.

I would suggest that before you start your new job that you take a day or two off from work and take that bus into town and walk to your office. Get a flavor for the area and become acclimated to the idea of being in large crowds. This will help you overcome your fears a bit and it's something you absolutely want to do before you start your first day on the job. As I said before, do a little girl watching (glancing, now gawking) or people watching. Grab a $5 Starbucks and sit outside and watch the people go by. You may find that it won't be as terrifying as you thought.

 

[ouch]

Atrollsayswhat?

A troll? Where? Point him out and I'll give him the boot.

 

[Doc4]

Humans are generally very adaptive. Over time, you will become more familiar and therefore comfortable with your new surroundings. Driving will probably be the hardest part, since it happens so quickly (compared to walking down the street or on the bus, where you can pause to gain your bearings or ask for help) and in almost no time flat you go through the "oh crap I'm supposed to be in that lane over there" ... "dang, was that where I was supposed to turn?" ... "where the fudge am I?" ... "everybody lock your doors and dial 9-1 and hold your finger over 1."

 

[Slash McCoy]

Go into town next saturday. Take the same route as far as possible that you would take on a work day. With no time constraints and no pressure, you will be able to familiarize yourself with things and get used to SOME crowds, though the movement pattern and hustle-bustle will be different on a weekend. Of course train and bus schedules will probably be different, so it won't work for fine-tuning your daily commute, but it might help you get used to the whole idea and get comfortable with it. Relax and have fun for a few hours, then go home. Day is done. Wife, pipe and slippers, drink and dinner. Go for it, Ward.

 

[scottish steve]

I must admit that the first few times, I did have to take a deep breath just before going into the London Underground or Shinjuku Subway station- it's intense. But you get used to it. Remember there are all sorts in a cuty and the authorities are used to anything. As long as you're sincere and don't seem dangerous or deliberately annoying, you'll get help.
Can someone please tell me how big this monster metropolis is?

 

[slugg77]

Cleveland is easy. Since you live on the west side, get the lake on your right and you will find your way home In all seriousness, Once you have driven around downtown a few weeks, it becomes second nature. I worked downtown, I found that waiting around for 15 minutes lessened the traffic significantly.

Steve, Cleveland itself is not that big. There is a smattering of public transportation available, mostly buses. Unlike most metro areas where the city proper is pretty large, Cleveland itself is not that big. It is the hundreds of suburbs/neighborhoods and their residents that call themselves Clevelanders that make it seem larger (since most people have never heard of Slavic Village, Oakwood, Brathenal, and the like, I get the point).