Baltimore's Inner Harbor vs. Jacksonville's Riverfront

[thelakelander]

It's taken us over 40 years to get to this point, so it's not unrealistic to expect that it will take another 50 years to fill in that much space at our absorption rate. But yes over time (half of us will be dead or too old to enjoy) you can.  On the other hand, you can still get there by following the Inner Harbor route. Start in a concentrated point and incrementally expand outward. This way, you can at least have some real vibrancy earlier on with a concentrated epicenter.

[Know Growth]

Hard living here all these years amidst such "Potential".

I am in the marine recreation business,host boaters from throughout the US who come to Jacksonville to buy boats,often remaining in the area for a time (after all, we posses the finest weather patterns! )-those from the Northeast,Baltimore exhibit the most incredulous disappointment and exclamation:"Jacksonville Has So Much Potential!"

It strikes me that in Jacksonville, the public owns so much waterfront property.

I am certain we could eclipse Baltimore-although as noted,many of us would be dead by then.
If not by now,when?
Might not be worth it to look forward with anticipation. Better to select a place,home that has met certain potential,or is quite reasonably comfy,smug in it's own skin,attributes.
I know of some who have recently moved away or plan to due to this Dashed Potential dynamic.
Treating Downtown with detachment,sense of futility of no help or service of course.

Thank you MJ,Ennis- nice effort,work here with this presentation.

[Noone]

I wanted to add something to this conversation, but all I can think about is crab cakes...

+1

+2

[tayana42]

http://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_speck_the_walkable_city
Compactness = walkability = connectivity = popularity.

[ssky]

I wanted to add something to this conversation, but all I can think about is crab cakes...

+1

+2

+1,000,000
I was JUST talking about Maryland crab cakes about five minutes ago! I still remember my dismay, when I first moved here from Baltimore over 20 years ago, at the total absence of anything resembling a real crab cake...the kind that is almost all lump crab meat and so rich that you can barely finish one. The first time I tried to order a crab cake, at the "fancy" restaurant on the Old Pier in Jax Beach (I know, I know...but I was new here back then and I figured any restaurant that was at the beach and right on the water...), I asked the server if they were fresh or frozen. She checked with the chef and reported back that crab cakes only come frozen (WTH?!?). I knew at that moment that I was very far from home!

I have recently learned from a well-known local chef that almost all of the crab meat used down here is pasteurized Asian "swimming crab" and, according to him, using chunk white tuna to make a crab cake would yield better results than using that. (Omg!! Yuck! No!!!!) He rhapsodized about the old days when one could get fresh-picked blue crab meat from Palatka but said that is no more. Oh well...at least now we have Barbara Jeans...but, to roughly paraphrase Dorothy, "...there ain't no place like Bawlmer, Hon!"

[thelakelander]

http://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_speck_the_walkable_city
Compactness = walkability = connectivity = popularity.

It really is just that simple.

[Keith-N-Jax]

If its really that simple, then why Jacksonville?

[thelakelander]

We've failed so long, we find ways to ignore the obvious in favor of more complex schemes and unproven strategies.  Hopefully, that type of sentiment has changed. Only time will tell.

[Keith-N-Jax]

Ok I see, so another 30 years then and we will be set gottcha, just kidding, hopefullly they develope a good plan. There are to many water front developments to keep coming up with what was proposed.

[thelakelander]

LOL. Unfortunately, if we keep doing what we've done the last 40 years, Jax will be underwater from global warming before the streets are lined 24/7 with people and businesses.

[tufsu1]

Nothing about the new Baltimore casino?

the logo looks a lot like the one ISIS is using for Christians

[JaxNative68]

I wanted to add something to this conversation, but all I can think about is crab cakes...

+1

+2

+1,000,000
I was JUST talking about Maryland crab cakes about five minutes ago! I still remember my dismay, when I first moved here from Baltimore over 20 years ago, at the total absence of anything resembling a real crab cake...the kind that is almost all lump crab meat and so rich that you can barely finish one. The first time I tried to order a crab cake, at the "fancy" restaurant on the Old Pier in Jax Beach (I know, I know...but I was new here back then and I figured any restaurant that was at the beach and right on the water...), I asked the server if they were fresh or frozen. She checked with the chef and reported back that crab cakes only come frozen (WTH?!?). I knew at that moment that I was very far from home!

I have recently learned from a well-known local chef that almost all of the crab meat used down here is pasteurized Asian "swimming crab" and, according to him, using chunk white tuna to make a crab cake would yield better results than using that. (Omg!! Yuck! No!!!!) He rhapsodized about the old days when one could get fresh-picked blue crab meat from Palatka but said that is no more. Oh well...at least now we have Barbara Jeans...but, to roughly paraphrase Dorothy, "...there ain't no place like Bawlmer, Hon!"

Try Barbara Jeans in Palm Valley (15 S Roscoe Blvd, Ponte Vedra, FL).  They are better than any of the crab cakes I ate while living in the Baltimore area.

[JaxNative68]

^ Sorry I missed your last couple of sentences.  Baltimore for the past 20 years has been importing most of their crab meat due to the issues the Chesapeake Bay has had.

[JaxNative68]

Baltimore's Inner Harbor also has the advantage of the density of the surrounding cities, mainly DC.

[Redbaron616]

You can do all sorts of things when you tax the daylights out of your citizens.

You can have Baltimore's Inner Harbor. It's a tad pricey and not all that great.