Fionn MacCool's and Rush Street

[comncense]

Did anyone get to check them out this weekend? I walked by both Friday night, but didn't go in either. I really like the exterior of Fionn MacCool's. I didn't get a look at Rush Street since there were so many people standing by the entrance of it.

[Basstacular]

I checked out both Friday early evening.  I wanted to get there before the "madness" started.  Went to Rush Street first and was actually suprised for the better.  It's still the same layout from Twisted, but they did some neat painting on the floor and there must have been 50+ flat screens hanging all over the place.  Considering their time frame to get it ready for FL/GA I thought they did well.  I was told they would be closing for a couple weeks after this past weekend to finish off the rebuild, so we'll have to wait for the final product. 

As for Fionn's...I was very, very impressed.  Loved the build out, loved the patio and loves all the large open door ways leading out to the side patio tables.  Food was excellent and the vibe was great.  Both seem to be very nice addidtions to the Landing.  Now let's just hope they can both sustain.

[Tacachale]

I can certainly believe that Rush Street will be closing. I find it somewhat harder to believe that it will be opening again. But we can always hope; the Chicago Pizza folks seem to know what they're doing.

I haven't gotten a chance to hit up Fionn's, but I like what I've seen so far. Things may be looking up for the Landing.

[comncense]

Why do you find it hard to believe that Rush Street would open back up again Tacachale?

[BridgeTroll]

I checked out both Friday early evening.  I wanted to get there before the "madness" started.  Went to Rush Street first and was actually suprised for the better.  It's still the same layout from Twisted, but they did some neat painting on the floor and there must have been 50+ flat screens hanging all over the place.  Considering their time frame to get it ready for FL/GA I thought they did well.  I was told they would be closing for a couple weeks after this past weekend to finish off the rebuild, so we'll have to wait for the final product. 

As for Fionn's...I was very, very impressed.  Loved the build out, loved the patio and loves all the large open door ways leading out to the side patio tables.  Food was excellent and the vibe was great.  Both seem to be very nice addidtions to the Landing.  Now let's just hope they can both sustain.

This is good to hear... thanx for the review!

[Basstacular]

@Tacachle...There is no way they would not plan on opening back up simply by looking at how many 42" flat screens they put up and the work they put into it.  The TV's were not installed for the short term and there's no way they'd spend that kind of $$ for one weekend in my opinion.  However, I can understand anyone's reluctance to believe that they are opening back up.  The optimist in me says they are going to give it a full effort to make it succesful and I hope they succeed as I'm sure we all do.

[urbanlibertarian]

Like Lake is always saying; complimenting businesses in a compact setting help make each other more successful.  Hopefully a better link will be established between the landing and bay street/ocean/adams areas.

[tufsu1]

Like Lake is always saying; complimenting businesses in a compact setting help make each other more successful.  Hopefully a better link will be established between the landing and bay street/ocean/adams areas.

I believe that's already happened....the new pedestrian connection next to the Main Sty bridge ramps (that replaced the road) does the job....plus the new laura Street....all that is really needed now is better signage/wayfinding

[comncense]

I just wonder how we'd go about establishing that connectivity. As far as entertainment/nightlife it's like downtown is a small scale copy of how Jacksonville is as a city... spread out. Even though I wouldn't describe Marks, Dive, TSI, Lit, Ivy, Burro, P.L.S. and Dos Gatos as being far apart, they definitely aren't all in an ideal bar hopping distance as most people would like them to be. Throw in the fact that we have a bunch of 'Daytime Only' businesses between these spots, it makes them seem that much further apart. The Landing is sort of in an entirely different region it seems.

On a side not, are majority of the upstairs spaces in clubs/bars I listed occupied (the ones that are multilevel buildings)? It would be nice if we could cluster new nightlife on top of each other. Like Burrito Gallery and Indochine have managed to do.

[tufsu1]

actually I'm fine with the bars being a tad bit spread out (yet still very walkable)...it leaves room for complementing restaurants and shops to fill in the gaps over time.

[thelakelander]

Like Lake is always saying; complimenting businesses in a compact setting help make each other more successful.  Hopefully a better link will be established between the landing and bay street/ocean/adams areas.

I believe that's already happened....the new pedestrian connection next to the Main Sty bridge ramps (that replaced the road) does the job....plus the new laura Street....all that is really needed now is better signage/wayfinding

The link is going to have to be stronger than a sidewalk through a few parking lots and under two bridges.  Short of infilling new buildings with active uses at ground level between the two, the focus should be on the Independent Life Building (Wells Fargo Center).   

Reopening its ground level uses up to the street (just follow the Wells Fargo Store example) would both enhance Bay and Laura Streets.  If something could be done with one of the ground level spaces of the Dyal UpChurch Building, that would be a strong visual, pedestrian friendly connection tying the two areas together.

[thelakelander]

^Another thing that could help fill in the gaps is to allow sidewalk vending and food trucks to congregate on the block between Ocean and Main.  Do that and you'll transform a dead zone into an active one that draws from both directions.

Portland, OR


Toronto


Making a strong connection between the two can be pretty easy and cheap.  However, it's going to require a policy change in regards to mobile vendors and working with Wells Fargo Center's owners to allow its tenants to have their own outdoor entrances.  Allowing mobile vendors wouldn't cost anything and it would probably be cheaper to install outdoor seating and a few storefront entrances at the Wells Fargo Center than it was to grade and sod the Shipyards.

[Tacachale]

Why do you find it hard to believe that Rush Street would open back up again Tacachale?

@Tacachle...There is no way they would not plan on opening back up simply by looking at how many 42" flat screens they put up and the work they put into it.  The TV's were not installed for the short term and there's no way they'd spend that kind of $$ for one weekend in my opinion.  However, I can understand anyone's reluctance to believe that they are opening back up.  The optimist in me says they are going to give it a full effort to make it succesful and I hope they succeed as I'm sure we all do.

The timing and the rushing just smack of a business capitalizing on the big weekend by hastily setting up shop in an available space. I'd like to believe they're in it for the long haul, and I wasn't aware of the TVs, which may be a good sign. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if "Rush Street" as such never opens back up.

[tufsu1]

maybe you should go take a look at what they did with the space...if they had no plans beyond this weekend, why renovate at all?

[Basstacular]

maybe you should go take a look at what they did with the space...if they had no plans beyond this weekend, why renovate at all?

That's why I have faith that they will re-open and make a go of it.  Knowing what it looked like before and the $$ they put into...there is just no way in the world they did that for one weekend, even if that is FL/GA weekend.  Trust me guys...when you see the massive amount of TV's they have installed alone you know they are going to re-open.  Just my two cents.