10 Great Streets in America, 2011

[tufsu1]

I agree. There should have been more southern cities on the list. I'd put King Street in Charleston on there & maybe something in St Augustine.

First step is that someone has to apply...so maybe nobody worthy in the south submitted this year

[hightowerlover]

What no love for Philips Hwy?

[Bativac]

Honorable Mention:  The goofy traffic circle to nowhere on the Arlington Expwy Service Rd.

Not to derail the thread, but I have wondered about this since they built it - what is the point of this traffic circle? Why was it built there? Was somebody just curious about what it would look like?

[ben says]

Broad Street, Church Street, State Street, Atlantic Street, Water Street, Bull Street, Montague Street, Lambol Street, Longitude Lane....all in Charleston, too...

[Fallen Buckeye]

I agree about most of the streets mentioned, and I'd add Edgewood Ave. in Murray Hill. It's not all that beautiful, but my wife and I probably spend as much or more time there than in Five Points or San Marco or some of those other spots listed. Mostly that's because of the Crazy Egg, the Dreamette, and Edgewood Bakery. It's not glamourous, but it's real.

[I-10east]

My top 3:

3.)  The flyover from 95N to 10W

2.)  The flyover from 295S to 95N

1.)  The flyover from Butler W to 9aS

Honorable Mention:  The goofy traffic circle to nowhere on the Arlington Expwy Service Rd.

The Mayport Flyover should've atleast made the top three! LOL

[JeffreyS]

Edgewood ave from the river north to post.  Residential and Context sensitive commercial.

[Dashing Dan]

There should have been more southern cities on the list. I'd put King Street in Charleston on there & maybe something in St Augustine.

Aviles Street - "the nation's oldest public street" seems worthy of consideration here.

Aviles Street rebounds after rehabilitation
Goal now is to get more locals to go there

http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2011-10-22/aviles-street-rebounds-after-rehabilitation#.TqnB-XLZeuI

Despite a tough economy, business is booming on the nation’s oldest public street, said Jeff Norton, owner of Madre’s Restaurant on Aviles Street and president of the Aviles Merchants Association.

...

“This is really the place people want to be in St. Augustine,” Norton said. “It’s the center of the universe, as far as we’re concerned.”

[fieldafm]

My mom used to co-own a restaurant on Avilles Street and I spent many hours in that kitchen... and ate quite a bit of her profit margin

Cellar 6 on Avilles is outstanding, if anyone is looking for a good recommendation. 

[peestandingup]

There should have been more southern cities on the list. I'd put King Street in Charleston on there & maybe something in St Augustine.

Aviles Street - "the nation's oldest public street" seems worthy of consideration here.

Aviles Street rebounds after rehabilitation
Goal now is to get more locals to go there

http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2011-10-22/aviles-street-rebounds-after-rehabilitation#.TqnB-XLZeuI

Despite a tough economy, business is booming on the nation’s oldest public street, said Jeff Norton, owner of Madre’s Restaurant on Aviles Street and president of the Aviles Merchants Association.

...

“This is really the place people want to be in St. Augustine,” Norton said. “It’s the center of the universe, as far as we’re concerned.”

I do like strolling down that street. I make it a point every time I visit St Augustine.

However, what I dont like is the way they tried to cram in parking spaces on that little street. It looks ridiculous & plus, hurts the functionality of it for pedestrians IMO. All for what, a handful of spaces? Jesus, does every historic storefront in America have to ugly them up by going against the original design & jamming in parking just so a couple of patrons won't have to walk from a street or two over?

[peestandingup]

^Nevermind. I see that they recently took out the spaces to make more room for on-street dining, etc. Good call!

[dougskiles]

Imagine how awesome it would be to hop on a commuter train at 5 pm on a Friday and go to Aviles Street for dinner.  Then catch the last train home.

[Ocklawaha]

Imagine how awesome it would be to hop on a commuter train at 5 pm on a Friday and go to Aviles Street for dinner.  Then catch the last train home.

It would be very cool Doug, trouble is, evening commute is entirely southbound. Evening trains probably wouldn't return until morning rush. They would spend the night at a small yard in St Augustine. Sorry to pop your bubble.

As for streets, if we're talking true, walkable, mixed use, urban streets, then I think San Marco Square is the hands down local winner. Most of the other Jacksonville streets named have some mixed use, but I don't see any clear winners. In that runner up category I'd suggest the nine blocks of Herschel in Fairfax is as close as the others and certainly more unique.

But in northeast Florida there probably isn't another downtown street as remarkable as St. Augustine's King Street. Within a space of just 4 blocks you have retail, office, hoteliers, government offices, tourist attractions, historic buildings, a basilica, park, college, and working waterfront. If one was to take the whole of King Street, it would be diagnosed with multiple personalities, from dense mixed use tourist and municipal street only to pierce the ghettos of the west side, continue and it runs down a former railway all the way to the site of the steamboat dock in Tocoi.