Jax gets positive press on Huff Post travel blog

[thelakelander]

I understood where he was coming from. However, I also understand and have lived Project Maximus's point. Savannah is a cool place, but it's also a small place. Depending on what you're in to, it can get old and boring pretty fast.  With a city like Orlando, yeah there's Downtown Disney, I-Drive and Universal Studios and sprawl (like Abercorn in Savannah), but you can also find local "cool" spots like Thornton Park, Downtown Orlando, Winter Park, College Park, Audubon Park, etc., if you're willing to get off I-4. Having multiple vibrant pedestrian scale districts is something that a city like Jax can take advantage of too. 

[Adam White]

I think it's fair to say Jax is relatively close to a number of interesting or cool or whatever places - Daytona, Savannah, Orlando, Gainesville, St Augustine. So while the more jaded amongst us might lament that it seems you have to drive somewhere else to do or see something interesting, a more optimistic person might point out how well-situated Jax is.

I thought the article was interesting because it pointed out a few things that Jax is doing (like the breweries) and pegged it as a potential "next big thing" or more likely the "next, next big thing". Jax has lots of potential. And I think a lot of that potential could be realized or harnessed if the downtown could get sorted out.

[thelakelander]

A vibrant downtown would help but regional multimodal connectivity would go a lot further, IMO. Imagine if you could enjoy Riverside, San Marco or Springfield and have quick, easy, reliable and direct access to downtown, Jax Beach, St. Augustine, Fernandina, etc. Regionally, you'd have an environment where you could easily market several different type of scenes as a package.

[CG7]

Well on Saturday I had tacos with an ocean view, watched a surfing competition, and walked the beach on a spectacular day. Yes I had to drive (but it was an easy ride) back downtown, but I drove down one of America's best streets (Laura) and stopped a the food truck rally at the Landing, and had some more good food. I drove back to Avondale where we watched the River City Pride Parade. Walked home, cleaned up and walked to the River City Pride Festival in 5 Points. If Jacksonville isn't cool enough for some people, I don't know what else we can do. Peace

[Adam White]

A vibrant downtown would help but regional multimodal connectivity would go a lot further, IMO. Imagine if you could enjoy Riverside, San Marco or Springfield and have quick, easy, reliable and direct access to downtown, Jax Beach, St. Augustine, Fernandina, etc. Regionally, you'd have an environment where you could easily market several different type of scenes as a package.

I agree. To be honest, I kind of assumed the two would go hand-in-hand.

[RattlerGator]

The thing that I loved was the lack of ridiculous bitching and moaning about what Jax doesn't have *and* the very clear acknowledgment of what I've said before about us -- very Florida, very Southern -- which should be celebrated because it makes us unique and attractive. Even the commenter talking about (and lamenting) the suburbs and tea party types -- hell, that's very attractive for a large segment of the American population.

The next decade for this city is going to be so damn exciting.

[CCMjax]

Aw man, he forgot to mention the Krispy Kreme doughnut burger you can get at Kickbacks! 

Nice article, I recently went to Austin for a wedding and spent a day in San Antonio.  There are actually many things I liked more about SA than Austin mainly having to do with the very historic and vibrant downtown SA has.  Austin of course is very vibrant too but also becoming very modern and a little too cosmo for me.  SA seems to have held on to its history more which makes it a very interesting place to visit, something Jax and most other cities should learn from.  Austin still has a lot more to offer than SA as a whole, especially since SA seemed like kind of a dump outside of downtown.  They have done a tremendous job preserving and investing in its downtown/riverwalk and if they see some of the surrounding neighborhoods improve it could be a very cool place to live, not just visit.

[finehoe]

Gotta love the first comment. Had no idea if you don't live in Riverside or Murray Hill then you're literally in conservo nut job land.

Except that's not what he said:

The BEST parts of town are the liberal areas, like Riverside and Murray Hill. The suburbs are full of birther nut teahadists.

[UNFurbanist]

I'm sorry, I can't take Baltimore seriously, esp after that Freddie Gray/rioting/diva mayor debacle there (no offense to any Baltimoreans). There always seem to be a push from the liberal intelligentsia (like the Huff) to prop up these failing liberal cities; Many of the residents in Baltimore proper do not pay taxes, and we all know that neighborhoods goes to sh*t when that happens. Many cities like this are propped up by the federal gov't (case one Detroit) which is not talked often about.

dumb

Haha glad someone said it.

[Snaketoz]

I'm sorry, I can't take Baltimore seriously, esp after that Freddie Gray/rioting/diva mayor debacle there (no offense to any Baltimoreans). There always seem to be a push from the liberal intelligentsia (like the Huff) to prop up these failing liberal cities; Many of the residents in Baltimore proper do not pay taxes, and we all know that neighborhoods goes to sh*t when that happens. Many cities like this are propped up by the federal gov't (case one Detroit) which is not talked often about.

dumb

Dumb is correct.  The biggest obstacle to Jacksonville becoming a fantastic city is the huge numbers of rednecks, thugs, litterers, tea baggers, obese heart attack candidates, and a general feeling of "it's good enough, don't raise our taxes".  I hope before I leave this earth I am able to see Jacksonville change in a positive way.

Haha glad someone said it.

[peestandingup]

Gotta love the first comment. Had no idea if you don't live in Riverside or Murray Hill then you're literally in conservo nut job land.

Except that's not what he said:

The BEST parts of town are the liberal areas, like Riverside and Murray Hill. The suburbs are full of birther nut teahadists.

Right. "Best" here meaning the urban areas he mentioned, whereas everything else (IE the suburbs) are a wasteland of backwards conservatives. I mean, if they're conservatives they must be birther nuts, right?? That's literally what he said.

And I'm not taking sides or defending any political party, but that's just a dumb statement, not at all accurate & makes the rest of Jax look like some kind of wasteland. The guy's obviously a douche bag & has some kind of mental illness where he sees everything in black & white (Huff Post, so..yeah).

[simms3]

Hooray for positive press, but I find it pretty mind-blowingly odd and really not all that surprising that nearly every comment is from someone in Jax doing what they think is best to further prop up the city.  Hardly a peep from people in Baltimore, Sacramento, San Antonio, or Albuquerque (3 of these cities are significantly larger than Jax and one would assume would have more readers/posters).

A post from John F. Thompson, a self-described stay-at-home parent with a picture of his beautiful family/kids as his FB profile picture stating:

"Next time check out the country's coolest contemporary art museum featuring the newest rising stars in art from around the country - MOCA Jacksonville."

pretty much sums it up.  Nothing wrong with any of this, but comments from young family men and women (pretty much my age with multiple kids already) times 20 hailing Jacksonville's contemporary art scene just seems so ironic to me, that's all.

Another comment:

"Jacksonville is one of the most Beautiful cities in the South despite the liberals who have no tolerance for any opinion but their own!"


I think it proves the point that the city has a huge inferiority complex and some stereotypes will always be true.  Best to embrace.  City is doing a better job at that!


I think the read on Jax is accurate and sounds very good without spin.  Too much I read about some article describing Jax that sounds way too much like a spin piece.  The very first sentence:

"A small but active community of entrepreneurs working double time to change the image of this large but sleepy city."

Is an amazing testament to what is happening in Jax, and clearly the author feels that, knows that, and acknowledges that.  That's more props than anything I've read nationally about Jax in a really long time!  Pretty sweet that just about all of those entrepreneurs are active posters on MetroJax.  Wonder if one of them knows the author

[Tacachale]

Who the hell reads internet comments sections?

[Adam White]

Gotta love the first comment. Had no idea if you don't live in Riverside or Murray Hill then you're literally in conservo nut job land.

Except that's not what he said:

The BEST parts of town are the liberal areas, like Riverside and Murray Hill. The suburbs are full of birther nut teahadists.

Right. "Best" here meaning the urban areas he mentioned, whereas everything else (IE the suburbs) are a wasteland of backwards conservatives. I mean, if they're conservatives they must be birther nuts, right?? That's literally what he said.

And I'm not taking sides or defending any political party, but that's just a dumb statement, not at all accurate & makes the rest of Jax look like some kind of wasteland. The guy's obviously a douche bag & has some kind of mental illness where he sees everything in black & white (Huff Post, so..yeah).

The guy's obviously a douche bag & has some kind of mental illness where he sees everything in black & white (Huff Post, so..yeah).

I hope you see the irony in that post.

Aside from that, Joe Flowers is actually a pretty decent guy (and he teaches at UNF).

[Ajax]

I think it proves the point that the city has a huge inferiority complex and some stereotypes will always be true.  Best to embrace.  City is doing a better job at that!

It just reinforces my opinion that people who read Huffington Post and post to their comment sections have inferiority complexes.