GCrites

The kids, their folks. Of course it's not racist to enforce loitering laws. But there are a few people who don't see it that way, and moving the buses is seen as a way to passively fix the problem without causing PR problems and losing sales.

Saying something to the teens would also be considered bigoted.

Columbus buildings do a killer job with their lighting.

Akron BJ, hehe.

Circleville Herald for small-town bullshit gossip. I got in some trouble with the law in Reynoldsburg while living in the City of Columbus and somehow it ended up in their "Vital Statistics" section. I hadn't lived in Pickaway County for years, but my folks do, and no, they don't normally report Columbus violations in the paper. What do they do, index the high school yearbooks against all police records in Ohio?

MayDay's right, loading docks are VERY important. Columbus' center (GCCC) actually has 36 doors, IIRC. It's flat with lots of extra space to move around. Battelle isn't complete shit, but you end up with a really small boneyard and semis have a very small area to maneuver and a small rear lot. Actually, Battelle's dock pretty much sucks. Exhibitors have no place to park in the back, and if they suck at reversing with a car trailer (which many do) it turns into a huge mess. Vets' dock is also totally lame. The presence of only one door and a tiny staging area frustrates expo workers. The area where trailers park is downhill, making it very dangerous for those loading and unloading the trailers. Vets and Battelle are comparatively old, though, and the people who designed them didn't know any better. They're still better than some places where you have to load everything with a forklift at ground level. Sounds like a rant, doesn't it? I used to work for George Fern. As far as the area around the GCCC goes, it is among the most walkable areas in Columbus. There are several places to get food (not as much at night; the Damon's even closed) tons of bars and an OK amount of hotel rooms in the area (but not enough). What Columbus REALLY needs is more upscale hotel rooms downtown. I'm talking five star. I'm not sure if it has any at all, and if it does, there aren't enough. edit: added 2nd paragraph.

Las Vegas gets a ton of shows because of sin and sun factors. Weather will always keep us from getting as many shows as Phoenix, Vegas and Orlando. What time of year is your show? During certain times of year, cities without extra capacity are booked solid.

Ahh, Jesus this is hilarious. Yeah, the dump's in Grove City.

Busted! Groveport's in Franklin County!

John Holmes was born in Ashville (where my folks live and where I went to high school) and later moved to Pickerington before going to LA. Larry Flynt was originally from the coalfields of Eastern Kentucky. Hustler was based out of Columbus from about 1973-79 with Larry living across the street from the Columbus School for Girls in Bexely. Now you know lots more about Ohio's porn giants.

Is this where the dragstrip used to be?

Baah, it's demographer talk.

Transit and walkability are really key, and Columbus sucks at both. People in this age range don't want to deal with racking up 3 DUIs just to be able to go to the bar and meet people. There are still many people 25-34 in Columbus, it's just that they spread out and trapped in various suburban apartment complexes where nobody meets their neighbors.

Does the Williamson Bridge still close when it's cold?

MTR, yes.

Also, I think Ohio's crummy rest areas on U.S. and state routes are very charming. People need to understand what it is like to use an old outhouse once in a while.

Ahahaha, I've been following Seicer's messages and webpages for maybe 8 years as a roadgeek. He is an opinionated guy. We roadgeeks don't like substandard highways, gridlock and dangerous intersections. Often, our pursuits are rural in nature. Highway upgrades need not be at the expense of transit if waste is eliminated. Unfortunately, many believe that if highways remain substandard and dangerous that the average American will switch to transit. Instead, they will just continue pounding their steering wheels. The only way to get people that belong in the cities back in them is is to make it "cool", unfortunately.

Hey Sherman, didn't know you were on here. I'm Bigfoot 4x4x4 on m.t.r. Anyway, I remember being able to smoke inside the courthouse when I went there in 2004.

As a complete music nut, I'll be glad to see Germain go. Columbus needed Germain in 1993. The largest music venue we had at that time was Batelle, which didn't seat enough people to bring larger acts or package shows. Of course, if a band was super-gigantic, they could play the 'Shoe if the stars and moon were in perfect alignment. In 2006, we have the Schott, Nationwide, Crew Stadium and Lifestyles. Between them and preexisting venues such as the Newport, Little Brother's, Alrosa Villa etc. Columbus has the perfect size venue for just about any act. I hate watching shows at "sheds" (amphitheaters). Here's a few reasons: Weather - The weather can fuck so many shows in the summer. It's always 900000 degrees at Ozzfest (and that's only in the years when it's actually worth going), or it rains. $4 water on top of $8 booze just sucks. Daytime - OK, daytime shows work for Woodstock, the California Jam and huge European and South American music festivals with 350,000 people. When there's 9,500 people at a show it's hard to take on a true rock 'n roll mood when the sun is still blazing at 8:30pm. Dio... DURING THE DAY? IRON MAIDEN... DURING THE DAY? Has Alice Cooper ever played at Polaris? Please tell me the answer is no. Distance from the band - Sheds always put you 12 miles away from the band if you aren't in the first few rows. Crap sound - It's not that the sound system can't handle the dimensions of the area. It can. To me, at larger sheds the drums, and to a lesser extent, the bass guitar sound like shit. It's because of the reverb effect of the way sound bounces off the hill and back wall. There is nothing that the sound guy can do about it. It's mainly a vibe killer to me. Suburbs - I don't want to see a band in the suburbs. Plus, people around were always bitching about the noise. Hey dipshit, if you don't like the noise, don't move close to the venue. No place to party before or after the show - Since there were only strip malls around with almost no walkability, it's difficult to meet up with fellow fans at a bar for a few beers before or after the show. Polaris also frowned upon tailgating so that they could whack you for more $8 drinks. In the U.S.'s much more laid-back older days, a "Heavy Metal Parking Lot" situation happened before every show and people had lots of fun. Of course, we're in the "Square Era" today. Even though it's partially outdoors, Lifestyles doesn't have most of the problems listed above due to its location, smaller size and indoor half. Does anyone know if, when it rains, the band equipment is turned around to face the indoor side and the crowd sent inside the building? A quick soundcheck would be all that is needed. I don't think Columbus will lose many shows, if any, when Germain closes. The other venues can pick up the slack.

When I lived near Eastland, I thought it was so silly that the area is unwalkable and has been since the area was developed in the '60s. There are muddy trails down both sides of the road where people walk in complete defiance of the system. It is most noticeable at the underpasses. No wonder the average Columbusite throws crap at pedestrians, yells at them and assumes that they are bums -- the infrastructure makes pedestrians LOOK like freaks. Morse Road is the same way.

Hehe, I think that's the joke.

I can't believe nobody's used the term Roundtown yet.

^^ I was actually in the store at Pleasant Ridge the day I wrote that. It looked like somebody cleaned 'em out as far as Transformers went; well, at least the original "real car"-based ones. The ones at the mall are just beat up enough to make them cost $7 instead of $50, although they have the nicer ones as well.

I just walked past the Crosley Tower tonight, and it looked really creepy/awesome with half of the exterior lights burned out.

As someone who just moved here, it's always fun seeing which parts of Cincinnati are just like Portsmouth.