The Flats were once the sweat-soaked hub of industrial Cleveland -- equal parts water front shipping depot, railroad station, factory hell, and warehousing stop on the wide road of commerce. Back then, Flats entertainment meant throwing back shots of Cutty Sark and chasing them with Pride of Cleveland beer in some tiny punch-palace of a bar that was woefully short on decor, but long on colorful, or even dangerous, characters. Over the years, this strip of real estate lining the East and West banks of the Cuyahoga River has emerged as a massive entertainment complex for boaters, weekend warriors and tourists alike. A few tiny taverns have evolved into an array of eating and drinking establishments: Waterfront restaurants. Underground music clubs. Furious dance bars. Drinking holes catering to the creative and the crazy.