Tony Allegretti hired as Market Manager of the Riverside Arts Market

[Shwaz]

What a perfect day for the RAM opening. I was surprised (like everyone else) to see such a turn out.
The atmosphere was as good as it gets.

I agree the degree of Art left a lot to be desired... maybe it was just the actual "art" there wasn't my taste.

The food however was a major bright spot for me. I saw dishes and things I had never seen before.

The performers were enjoyable and the small amphitheater set-up was a great place to relax and enjoy the sounds.

I felt there could have been much more produce available. The few booths there did offer some great looking organic fruits & veggies and it all looked much better than anything available at the Beaver St. market.

I'm going to try to stay out of the beer / wine debates but I will say this; I would love to see Bold City offering their delicious beers and attracting new customers every Saturday. It would be nice to sit down after an hour or so of strolling up & down the aisles, grab a B.C. pint and just sit and enjoy the music / river views.
I believe it will happen and won’t ruin anyone else’s experience.

[stephElf]

I got a chance to go Sat afternoon and loved it!

quick review on my blog ... http://reviewjax.blogspot.com/2009/04/riverside-arts-market-opening-day.html

[CrysG]

I'm gonna say this. All of you AA members need to stop comparing RAM to a restaurant, Art Walk, hotel bar, baseball game, Jags game or anyplace else places that serve beer/wine. They are not RAM. They are not outside at 10am on a Saturday. They are not family friendly. They do not have things geared 100% towards kids.


I stand by my claim and I' keep defending it until blue in the face. If you as an adult can not see yourself walking around for a couple of hours without a beer or wine then you have a problem.

[CrysG]

And btw put down your beers, sober up and read. I never said I had any children.

[CrysG]

That's just asinine and irrelevant. The only person implying that we want alcohol there because none of us can make it through the day without getting loaded is YOU.

In reality, I'm suggesting it because I think it will make the event better, and give two prominent local vendors the opportunity to attract more local fans. Will it attract a bunch of drunks? NO.



So what would be the point of having them there? So everyone can stand there and look at the pretty bottles?

[stephElf]

I will admit that some people, not myself, seemed surprised there was no alcohol... I don't really see why. It's a day event and family friendly... why throw alcohol into the mix... so what? there is 562 clear plastic cups to pick up?  

<--- this coming from a huge fan of beer and wine  

[thelakelander]

I was hoping to see a nice review this morning of the RAM and how great it was and all  I see is whining because there was no beer or wine......geez! who cares, get over it.

We do have a photo tour of the RAM coming up.  Stay tuned!

[Shwaz]

Isn't there another RAM thread?

I'm going to find it and maybe we can change this to the "To drink or not too drink... @ RAM" thread.

[CrysG]

As those of you who are saying Magic Kingdom at Disney serves alcohol might want to double check. According to the Disney website they do not. It was Walt's wishes never to serve alcohol there.

[Shwaz]

I drank a beer at every country in EPCOT my last trip there in Feb.
By the time I hit Mexico I was hammered, there were kids everywhere and I kept screaming where’s the monster truck show. The next thing I knew my khaki pants turned into jean shorts and that made me mad so I started screaming obscenities at the children.

Ironically, EPCOT is the park with the most culture.

I'm going to try to stay out of the beer / wine debates

couldn't resist

[Steve]

My wife and I got there at about 10:20 - we missed the bike valet, and just locked our bikes up by the restrooms.  I thought it was a great event - the challenge will be to keep it up every week.

As far as the beer and wine, honestly I hadn't thought about it until I read this thread.  Personally I'm indifferent to it.  What do other arts markets do?  I don't know.  However, I think that it's not really an issue, and will  have nothing to do with whether or not the market succeeds.  For this to succeed in my opinion, it needs to draw people to the core that will stay in core to do other things (restaraunts, shops, etc), and vice versa.  It will be a challenge with the lack of connectivity at the location, but this is where JTA can come in with the streetcar.

[blizz01]

What's the status on the River Taxi(s)?

[stephElf]

For this to succeed in my opinion, it needs to draw people to the core that will stay in core to do other things (restaraunts, shops, etc), and vice versa.  It will be a challenge with the lack of connectivity at the location, but this is where JTA can come in with the streetcar.

It is only 6 or 7 blocks to walk to the 5 pts area... not too far in my opinion....

[thelakelander]

Its not the distance from Five Points, its whats along the distance that can embrace or severe connectivity.  Long term, we'll have to find ways to bridge the unwalkable and unpleasant gaps.  Perhaps a streetcar system that encourages infill development is the answer.

[ProjectMaximus]

I'm gonna say this. All of you AA members need to stop comparing RAM to a restaurant, Art Walk, hotel bar, baseball game, Jags game or anyplace else places that serve beer/wine. They are not RAM. They are not outside at 10am on a Saturday. They are not family friendly. They do not have things geared 100% towards kids.

I beg to differ that (some) restaurants, art walk, baseball games, and Jag games don't "have things geared 100% towards kids." Whether they are legitimately family friendly or not is subjective, but they do offer activities/products specifically for kids.

I'm personally ambivalent about the prospects of serving the beer and wine. I think it is a terrific idea to give local breweries and wineries some exposure at a festival like this. It would fit in very nicely in an environment like this. I'm only even talking about sampling beer/wine for purchase to take home. I wouldn't necessarily even expect to consume it on the premises. But I do also realize it COULD get out of hand. Just allowing alcohol somewhere opens the possibility of drunkenness and disorderly conduct. And it wouldn't make sense to sell without offering samples...and that could then lead to a slippery slope.

Anyway, I see some merits to both sides (although I really feel both parties have presented some arguments that are built on faulty reasoning) and I am hopeful that the beer garden idea, with its apparent implication of alcohol being confined to a specific location, will appease the most visitors.