Krugkiw

This is many a college student's wet dream, no doubt. There is now a smaller type of this kind of development at the University of Louisville right now. Only slightly better architecturally, with just as crappy a name (Cardinal Towne!). But if it had been there when I was a student, I would have loved hanging out around it, since UofL has a real dearth of entertainment options for students around the campus.

I was at the Banks yesterday with a thirtysomething man that hadn't been downtown in ten years. The only thing he knew about it was that there was a Toby Keith's restaurant somewhere around it. I certainly understand that hanging out downtown isn't for everyone, but it's still a bizarre experience when you follow urban development news and you're with someone who is immediately lost as soon as they get onto Second St. from I-75 South. I think there's definitely some truth to your post that the Banks can cater to suburban and urban crowds. Maybe my acquaintance from last night will do something at the Banks sometime now that he knows it has easy interstate and parking access. At the same time, though, the guy has infant twins to take care of, and going out to eat someplace close to his home is probably his most realistic entertainment option. I don't think he needs to be belittled for not going downtown more often.

Reminds me of this ridiculous tiff in Brooklyn over losing a view of the Empire State Building because of the Atlantic Yards development.

^ Man, I don't even know where Kenwood is! In all seriousness, I thought the Macy's store downtown was doing pretty okay from anecdotal evidence. Seemed like my coworkers were doing a lot of shopping there during lunch breaks. It's interesting that a residential project is moving forward in hopes to keep and allure retail in the CBD. The market is clearly there for downtown residential, and it would seem to follow that retail would pop up where the population is. Speaks to how difficult it is to develop a functioning downtown neighborhood, especially when contrasted to how easy it is to develop in the exurbs.

As long as I can watch it from the warmth of my living room.

I find this statement really funny.

This does at first glance look to be a lot better than the first phase of the Banks. I do not have a Business Courier subscription, but does the article say when they expect residents to move in? I recently drove off I-71 onto 3rd street, and noticed that the strip of GABP-Banks-NURFC-Future Banks-PBS looks/will look fantastic. By the time the next phase is done it will actually look like everything connects.

It doesn't seem like the "City vs. Suburbs" rhetoric is very useful when responding to anti-streetcar comments. Discussion about the similarities in spending on the streetcar vs. I-275, the I-75 widening, and the Brent Spence Bridge is very effective, and does not need to include attacks on one's lifestyle choices. The anti-streetcar people would love nothing more than to mischaracterize streetcar supporters as hipster-yuppie-hippy types that exhibit the same amount of hostility towards suburbanites as the suburbanites exhibit towards OTR hipsters. I think the streetcar argument is strong enough in favor of the project, and shifting the discussion from the actual project to a shouting match between individuals with contrasting lifestyles is ineffective. I cannot leave comments on the Enquirer, but I felt like venting my frustration on the matter somewhere. I realize UO commenters are not the same individuals that comment on the Enquirer.

Certainly looks that way. If this is official, I'm really excited for it. Thirteen stories; was that the maximum height allowed for the Banks? I forget what they decided. Also, didn't realize Tin Roof was open either until I walked by there last week. I'll have to check it out.

Would you now prefer that the casino be built in the suburbs, given what it will look like? Serious question. If this was there attempt to build an urban casino, I wonder how much different their suburban casino design would be. Giant parking lot instead of a garage, and no restaurants with street access? All that said, I'm glad Broadway Commons is being utilized.

I remember when Eric Deters was fired from 700WLW he wrote a rant explaining how some of the more well-known callers ("Richard from Indian Hill" comes to mind) were made up. I think there needs to be a 700WLW Streetcar Discussion drinking game. Drink any time when: -The streetcar is referred to as a "trolley" "choo-choo-train" or "toy" -When the suggestion is made that they should go to BRT or "trolleys with wheels like they have in Kentucky." -When it is said that building the streetcar will limit public safety and other city services. You would have been pretty drunk this afternoon. Any other suggestions?

^ I think it was a Cheeseburger in Paradise in Eastgate. Never been to either.

Anyone got an idea on the dating for those Bing Maps? Based on construction progress and the condition of the vegetation, it looks to be about March-April 2012. How about the satellite photos above Cincinnati for Google Maps? Maybe September 2010?

Anyone know where the Enquirer got the sketch that seanian513 posted in the #10 reply to this thread? Some archive somewhere? Edit: Never mind... the caption says the Cincinnati Museum Center. Love that they're adding to the annex, but that tower in the sketch would be to die for.

Maybe Channel 19 can just have a segment where they synthesize everything that goes on in this forum.

Technically in Wilder, KY. My sister worked there for a bit.

And he's a Yankees fan!

Unfortunately, the Cardinals are already ahead since they won a game before the Reds even had a chance. :-P No wire-to-wire this season. Oh well. I don't think other downtown Cincinnati establishments will see a drop off, but I have little faith that Newport on the Levee is going to feel the same "entertainment retraining" effects, unless the cheaper/free parking is really that attractive to keep people there. I think the Reds would need to see a sizable increase in attendance to make up for it.

Frostee Rucker, one of the investors in the Orange Leaf at the Banks, has been signed by the Browns. I doubt that changes anything, but I'm gonna miss the amusement of having a guy named Frostee owning a frozen yogurt shop.

Only because everyone else is posting their visit experiences, I went with some friends on Saturday. Put our name in at 6:30, went to the Holy Grail to get drinks, and got our phone call two and a half hours later just as the Cincinnati-Louisville game started. Restaurant is everything you would expect, though most of the light in the dining section we were in came from the street lights right outside our window on Mehring Way, which was a bit glaring. Also, it seemed like the wait staff was trying to shoo us out by bringing out our checks as soon as humanly possible after the game, even as several tables around us were going unoccupied at about 11:00. Edit: Forgot to mention that they were being very paranoid about letting people into the restaurant that were standing in line outside. You actually had to get permission from the guy at the door to go into the building to put your name on the list, and only one individual from our party was allowed in to do it. I'm not sure if a plan to put your name in early and drink at the Lager House bar would work if they do this every night. I had a feeling it had something to do with the maximum occupancy allowed in the building, but I can't be sure.

I had no intention of getting this this far off topic when I posted about the differences between the 90's scene and today. I was very tempted to post it initially in a new topic in the City Discussions section, but didn't think it'd cause such discourse. That said, thanks to everyone for the insightful commentary. I have quite a different appreciation and understanding of OTR and the people on this board. Unfortunately, my friends and I are definitely what you would consider the "people [JYP] would see at Mt. Adams," though I do intend to show them about the various restaurants and bars in OTR sometime soon. I hope that we don't make anyone that usually frequents these establishment uncomfortable or unwanted, and vice versa. OTR is too good and too important to culture-squabble over.

I find this interesting, as I was only in grade school at this time. In Michael Uhlenake's 20-year history of OTR he laments the characterless bar scene on Main St. in the 1990's, but he notes that he approves of the restaurants and bars that currently populate Vine. Anyone with experience between the two scene's have a similar feeling towards them?

As he was inexplicably figuring out the exact number of people Mahogany's would need to serve for a week, the worst assumption he made was that 50% of the business would come on Friday and Saturday. Maybe for Willie's in Kenwood or whichever one he still owns, but wouldn't Mahogany's be served by a fairly large downtown lunch crowd and weekday games during the Reds season? The Streetcar thread made me painfully aware that people won't walk more than 3 blocks for lunch, but I imagine they'll be able to make a decent amount of revenue during weekdays for these reasons. What price would you pay for a little diversity and a fantastic mix of restaurants at the Banks? Would you rather complain about how the vast majority of the tenants are going to be national chains? Maybe it's not going to maximize the potential ROI for the grant and the loan, but I think this restaurant is going to be a success, and I'm happy to see it coming to the Banks.

This question may have been answered a dozen times, but where exactly is the Brewery District? Judging by those last comments it's north of Liberty. Is there a definite boundary? Between Central and McMicken?