You choose the comparison city

[thelakelander]

I'm being forced to use the rest of my vacation days in December.  This means I'll going to take advantage of the opportunity and do a little traveling on the road.  Since I'll be spending Christmas in Detroit, there are a few stops I'm interested in making to get an urban photo update on.  One is Chattanooga, TN and I've already booked my downtown hotel for that city.  Now I need to choose one out of the following three:  Indy, Louisville or Winston-Salem.

Is there a city out of these three that readers would like to see more than the others?  If so, vote for it here and I'll book a hotel in the city that leads the results a week from today.

[jbm32206]

Would like to help, but aside from Chattanooga, I can't say that I've spent any quality time in the others that you mentioned....although I'm more likely to lean towards Indy...

[thelakelander]

I'm pretty familiar with the cities, I just haven't been to any since I moved to Jacksonville.  This is a good opportunity (from a planning standpoint) to see how revitalization schemes they had planned and were implementing five years ago have turned out.

[Ocklawaha]

Greensboro/Winston-Salem has a fresh Light Rail Project Planned. I'd like to see some details and perhaps a photo spread of what and where they plan to place it. Perhaps we could learn from their choices.

Ocklawaha

[Matt]

i wanna see indy, city of the enemy.

[thelakelander]

so far it's Indy in a landslide.

[vicupstate]

Indy is the most comparable, although louisville isn't far behind.  

Both are similiar size and conservative and consolidated.  I saw Indy up close in 2002 or something like that, the years all run together.  If you go there, Indy's man-made 'canal-walk' is the must see.  Also, the American Legion/monument area.  The DT Simon mal too.      

[Ocklawaha]

Oh well, I still like Winston-Salem. Perhaps indy if you do two things, go talk to and photograph the Indiana Railroad... A shortline success story that purchased a DEAD sub-mainline from a major carrier and created a whole new empire from dust and rust. http://www.inrd.com/

The other thing to do in Indy, is take a Teal Blue blow torch to the town! BTW does Indy have a football team?

Ocklawaha

[02roadking]

Oh well, I still like Winston-Salem. Perhaps indy if you do two things, go talk to and photograph the Indiana Railroad... A shortline success story that purchased a DEAD sub-mainline from a major carrier and created a whole new empire from dust and rust. http://www.inrd.com/

The other thing to do in Indy, is take a Teal Blue blow torch to the town! BTW does Indy have a football team?

Ocklawaha

They do have a team, but they are not that good....LOL

[thelakelander]

Things of interest in each that I would make an attempt to check out off the top of my head.

Indianapolis
1. Downtown Simon Mall
2. Canal Walk
3. Convention Center
4. Broad Ripple
5. Privately financed monorail system

Louisville
1. 4th Street Live
2. Waterfront
3. Convention Center
4. Old Louisville

Winston-Salem
1. Old Salem
2. 4th Street (Downtown restaurant row concept)
3. Old cigarette plants converted into lofts
4. Burke Street/Brookstown

Considering I'm driving and a portion of that drive will be on I-65, it may be possible to hit Indy, Louisville and Nashville in one trip.  Which would be interesting because they all are consolidated cities like us.

[Ocklawaha]

Lake if it's still going to be Indy, take a look at Union Station, a restored Romanesque Temple of Railroading, with a upscale hotel, school, Amtrak and Mexican Embassy inside.

Also don't miss the Monorail, the vehicles could be stacked aginst our own Skyway for interest. Clarian Medical Center? Operates it, it has two stations and is open to the public. It also flys over the canal walk.

The Canal Walk is something like I'd love to see done with the lower end of Hogans Creek, all the way to the River, though it would be quite narrow alongside Maxwell house to the riverwalk.  

Ocklawaha

[vicupstate]

Things of interest in each that I would make an attempt to check out off the top of my head.

Indianapolis
1. Downtown Simon Mall
2. Canal Walk
3. Convention Center
4. Broad Ripple
5. Privately financed monorail system


Winston-Salem
1. Old Salem
2. 4th Street (Downtown restaurant row concept)
3. Old cigarette plants converted into lofts
4. Burke Street/Brookstown

It's been awhile since I have been to either one, but Greensboro was more than the equal of Winston-Salem when I visted last.

As for Indy, I would add these:

* Monument Circle.
* American Legion Mall
* Residential section along Massachusetts Avenue (I think that is the street) DT.
* Union Station
* There is a lush park with underground parking near the Capitol. I THINK is is between Maryland St, Washington St. and Capitol Ave.

[thelakelander]

10 for Indianapolis, 1 for Louisville and 0 for Winston Salem.  I just got a good deal at a downtown Indianapolis Marriott for $39/night.  Although, I was originally going to wait till Friday, I booked the hotel last night.  So here are the places I'll be checking out over a week and a half later this month.

Chattanooga
Dayton
Detroit
Toledo
Indianapolis
Louisville
Lexington
Greenville
Columbia

I reserved hotel rooms in the bold cities and I'm planning to stop for a few hours in the others.

[Jason]

That sound like it'll be one heckuva trip Ennis.  How are you getting the kids to go along?  Do they enjoy urban sightseeing as much as you?

[thelakelander]

I've got this down to a science now.  You do most of the major driving beween cities at night (while they are sleep) and you schedule your day stops (they have to eat, use the restroom) in cities along the way you want to explore.  If downtown, we'll do family activities (hit the museums, parks, waterfronts, travel by rail (if its available), etc. and I'll bring the camera along.  If I want to explore urban neighborhoods, I get up at 6am or 7am, leave them in the hotel where they can sleep in and eat breakfast, while I explore the desired districts on foot or by car for three hours or so.

If its a trip where I'm going to fly to town and use mass transit, instead of renting a car, I drop them off at their grandparent's house in Central Florida and fly out of Orlando or Tampa (depending on who has the cheapest tickets for the intended destination).

The boys are now 6 & 4, so traveling is not as bad as it was a few years ago.  This trip will be interesting because we'll be taking our year old neice with us.