Snarf
Dystopia
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Nitsud Regnifloh wrote >>
all of you that complain that Columbus is dead at night downtown, do something about it. come downtown after hours, eat there, drink there, walk around. but, you'd all rather sit in front of your computers and bitch.
does the bail bondsman make a good cocktail?
Nitsud Regnifloh
Valerio Heights
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walk a little further there snarfy boy...name be a big city DT that doesnt have bail bondsmen shops?
JedThorp
Merion Village
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I guess I don't know what people expext? Everyone likes to complain about downtown and say "we need..." or "we need..." as though there's someone out there who has the ability to wave a magic wand and just MAKE that stuff happen. In my opinion, city leaders are doing just about everytying they can to invigorate the downtown core, but it takes time. Frankly, the downtown business core in a LOT of big cities is dead after 6PM. I look at downtown as a sort of blank slate with a lot of things going for it. If/when the economy bounces back, I think downtown will really take shape. But, you can't spend all your time at Easton and expect downtown to magically come to life. Heck...Easton is part of the problem. If you want to see downtown "come alive" then start eating at the new restaurants on 4th street...go to a show at the Ohio theatre...go visit the new Audobon MetroPark...grab a drink on Gay St....ride your bike up High St...etc.
michaelcoyote
!seabus
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AmyJ wrote >>
And from the Westin, had they turned right instead of heading up High Street, they would have been 3 or so blocks from Dirty Frank's and Little Palace. German Village is a hop, skip and a jump away as well. A little prior research would have served them well.
A friend stayed at the Westin and found DF within an hour of checking in. She went there every night because she loved it. DF isn't everyone's cup of tea, but LP is there as well and 185 is just a bit farther. Beyond that Lindey's, Mohawk, G. Michael's and HighBeck are all in GV a short cab ride away.
I'd probably say that Renaissance, Residence Inn, Hyatt and Hampton Inn are all a better bet for people who want to be close (easily walkable distance) to bars and restaurants.
As for staying at easton, that wouldn't be at the top of my list, but it would beat the hell out of staying in Dublin or Polaris.
Oak
Schumacher Place/German Village area
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One of the things that I always notice about downtown is the sorry state of the buildings. Who wants to move into a building that looks like it might fall down around you? For example, take the Madison's building, it looks like hell! What about that old crap shack at Broad and High - it was in such sorry shape and the city shut it down and forced the camera shop to close before someone was killed. The they finally tore it down and built the new building in its place. It's all about broken windows theory IMO. If you want to attract business, the owners of those sorry buildings need to either be given some incentives (carrot or stick) to fix them up and get them leased.
Having lived/worked/partied in DC, I can also tell you that after a) the govt shift ends and b) the museaums close, downtown DC also looks like the set of "I Am Legend".
labi
Weinland Park
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I'm kind of stuck on the part where the waiter at Barrio TOLD THEM to go the Short North, but they refused based on the guy's memory of what things were like 15 years ago. Some people you just can't help.
As his cousin, OP, you might have stuck up for our city (instead of starting another "oh waah Columbus sucks" thread) and reinforced to him that he was a 10-minute walk from having a great time in a real urban environment but turned it down and bailed for a hotel at the mall.
This is a city, not a mall. Cities have occasional poorly maintained buildings, dead blocks, even dead districts, that you can end up in if you pick the wrong hotel. I don't see any reason for the extended civic soul-searching about this...
Oak
Schumacher Place/German Village area
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That's probably true. If I owned a building and had deep pockets and my options were to spend a LOT of loot to fix it up where I "might" get a return on my investment in years, or just let it sit and pay the basic property taxes and utilities to keep it within basic code; I think I would probably let it sit, lose money and take it as a "loss" on my taxes. Where is my incentive to fix it up? There isn't one. I might actually "make" more money taking it as a loss on my taxes!
rus
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JedThorp wrote >>
I guess I don't know what people expext? Everyone likes to complain about downtown and say "we need..." or "we need..." as though there's someone out there who has the ability to wave a magic wand and just MAKE that stuff happen.
You mean it doesn't work like this:
Random insanely rich guy:
"Gee, I'm SO tired from shoveling $100 bills into a fire pit. I wonder if I should do something else with my money."
*reads whining forum post*
"Why, that's it! Best way to burn off money ever! A vertical farm with an aquarium wall! I'll be poor in no time!"
lizless
Columbus/Hocking Hills
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cc wrote >>
Columbus has allocated grants/matching fund type programs for facade improvement many times in the past. I think part of the problem is apathy of the landlords and a general lack of tenants which cycles the malaise.
Not anymore. The grants were discontinued after City Center was sold back to the City of Columbus. Somehow the grants were tied into City Center. Tip Top desperately wanted the grant but it was discontinued by the time we were able to pursue the funds.
Central City Recording
Clintonville
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a) Pretty much every CBD in the country shuts down at 5pm. The ones that don't are the exception, not the rule.
b) Our city leaders ARE providing incentives, ie the matching grants for facade upgrades. They may not be the right ones or enough of them, but it's not like they can MAKE landlords provide more attractive options or MAKE businesses locate downtown. Which leads to:
c) The available property downtown doesn't match the demand. The retail space are WAY too big and everything (retail, office, residential) is WAY too expensive. The market hasn't adjusted to the reality yet, and until it does, it will be very difficult to get the critical mass of residents and retail that make an area feel truly alive.
d) The transit mall MUST GO before High Street will ever be a good place to walk again.
So yeah, High St downtown has its challenges, but embarrassing? Not at all. I think it's way more embarrassing that dude couldn't find something awesome to do unless it was right on High St. And that his local cousin couldn't help guide him in the right direction. "Hey, honestly cuz, avoid High St downtown and hit up German Village or the Short North." Easy.
keephaten
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More jobs and residents downtown is the best cure for a weak downtown. At least that has been recognized and addressed. Many condo projects downtown over the last few years and bringing 1400 Nationwide jobs downtown from Dublin is great (unless you live in Dublin and your job just moved downtown). Retail businesses will follow.
Central City Recording
Clintonville
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Touche Liz, didn't know about those going away..
colrex7
Ohio
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labi wrote >>
This is a city, not a mall. Cities have occasional poorly maintained buildings, dead blocks, even dead districts, that you can end up in if you pick the wrong hotel. I don't see any reason for the extended civic soul-searching about this...
Agreed.
Also...
This was the Short North 20 plus years ago. Anything can happen...it just takes passionate people to make a difference. And Downtown is no exception.
lizless
Columbus/Hocking Hills
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The OP's point is one that we hear daily from visitors to Dirty Frank's and Tip Top.
We try to train our staff to be good ambassadors to the City, point out where to go and where to find the various points of interest based on a visitor's tastes and needs.
I think that an effort by Experience Columbus to train all meter attendants, cab drivers, valets, SID ambassadors, concierges and hospitality and foodservice workers to be ambassadors to downtown Columbus would be a huge step. If we had maps we could provide and teach everyone to simply smile at our visitors, it would enhance the experiences of our guests so much.
catnfiddle
Giant Corncob District
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My brother and his wife stayed at the Westin when they were in town a while ago. They have a concierge there who was extremely helpful when I couldn't get over to see them (they were in town for a friend's wedding, not just to see me). Why didn't your friends ask at the desk? They would have at least been told about the hole in the ground where City Center used to be.
That being said, that area has a great deal of potential that just may be recognized as the aforementioned hole is developed. For the time being, perhaps some of the downtown hotels could consider shuttles to Short North, Victorian Village and German Village as a way to generate a little tourism. Experience Columbus might want to think about that.
Tenzo
Chicago Lakeshore
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Columbus isn't Philly.
Downtown Philly actually picks up in volume and a activity after 7.
It's also had 400 years to develop a good downtown night scene and taverns dedicated to the after work crowd and people going out after going home.
One of things I just can't get used to here is everything closing up. In Chicago and Philly I would go home, eat dinner, change clothes, and go out at 7:00 and do stuff. It's not that type of town.
Philly has four times the population density as a whole and about 20 times the population density downtown. So yeah, sure, if you told them it had a night scene like a major city, you should be embarrased. But that's based on expectations, not reality.
I get uncomfortable when people say Columbus is 'just like X' or 'the same as Y'. It's not. It's Columbus and it's something to be proud of in it's own right. (or, I guess, embarrased, depending upon what you set it up as.)
ChrisSunami
King-Lincoln District
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For those of us who have lived in Columbus for an extended period of time, I think we've seen the downtown make steady improvements from what was truly a ghost town a couple decades ago to something showing increasing signs of life.
However, it's true that it still has a long way to go, and that High Street, Columbus's most vibrant corridor, is ironically at its worst in the stretch that passes through downtown.
It's too bad the OP wasn't able to be more of an ambassador to steer his cousin to some better experiences. It's very true that you really have to know where to go if you are in Columbus. But if anything, that's even more true of Philly.
And as far as the OP's suggestion of political change --I'm not a unquestioning fan of every move Mayor Mike makes, but I well remember how previous administrations seemed determined to promote the suburbs at the expense of the center city. From my point of view the Columbus renaissance began when Coleman entered office, and has only accelerated since then. Anyone who thinks the city was better 15 years ago doesn't really know the city.
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