Next Batch of Cities for Comparison Articles

[brainstormer]

You might check out convention centers in some of those cities.  If I remember correctly, the last time I was in Baltimore, they were building a brand new one right downtown.  I could be wrong about that though.  I also was impressed by the infill around the new stadium in Baltimore.  How does it interact with the rest of the city?  How might we work to connect our stadium in Jacksonville with improvements (thinking Shipyards and met park) between the inner core and this area?

Also get pictures of retail signage in the DT areas.  Something I still think Jacksonville is terrible at.

[thelakelander]

Good points brainstormer.  I'll keep the convention centers, how they integrate with their surroundings, and retail signage in mind.

Harrisburg has a few good brew pubs....my parents like the Appalachian Brewing Company

www.abcbrew.com

According to their site, they are one of the largest microbreweries in the country.  Looks like a pretty good spot for lunch on Sunday.

While not fine dining by any means, any trip to Pittsburgh has to include a visit to Primanti Brothers in the Strip District.

http://www.primantibros.com/

Thanks, I can do without fine dining.  Affordable meals help stretch the dollar out.  I visited Pittsburgh a few years ago and had a Primanti Burger in the Strip District.  Any other popular Pittsburgh spots for local cuisine?

[thelakelander]

I walked around the Inner Harbor last night.  Here are a few initial things I noticed.

1. Police & Lighting



This area of downtown is well lit and has a strong presence of police on foot patrols and bikes.  However, they don't detract from the scene.  Their presence gives off a sense of safety.


2. Wide Streets



Locally, we say that State and Union cut downtown off from Springfield.  In DT Baltimore, just about every street around here is a five to six lane one way with heavy traffic and pedestrians still cross them.  The difference is there is a reason to cross.


3. Old and New



From what I've seen so far, there is a decent mix of old and new construction.  It really makes the place feel unique.

Alright time to leave the hotel room.....

[reednavy]

Baltimore has an ESPN Zone?! Damn it!

[fsujax]

Hey....we have a Gold's Gym downtown. Just missing everything else that is in the picture above.

[hanjin1]

Hey....we have a Gold's Gym downtown. Just missing everything else that is in the picture above.

Yea, but theirs is probably better

[fsujax]

Yeah probably! Ours used to be cool until it relocated to the Landing. Everytime I go to the gym, I get so dissmayed at how dead the Landing looks and all the empty storefronts.

[vicupstate]

Baltimore already has a large and contemporary convention center, so they must be expanding it if anything.  As far as crossing the wide streets there are three major catwalks from the Inner Harbor to it's adjoining areas.

Baltimore has a really great DT.   

[Wacca Pilatka]

The building in Lake's third Baltimore picture is a former power plant with a checkered history prior to its being converted to the successful mixed-use entertainment structure it is now.  It failed as a bizarre indoor theme park--I was there at its opening when I was 7--and sat vacant for some years afterward.  Which seems odd in hindsight, given that at least the Inner Harbor area of downtown Baltimore has been pretty successful since the early 80s.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore_Power_Plant

[rjp2008]

Stick with cities comparable in population - the Rochesters, the Nashvilles, Columbuses...The bigger cities can make more interesting urban environments because they have the dough.

[sheclown]

I love Baltimore.   People use the water taxis to go to and from work.  Fell's Point is an awesome section, trendy, and yet (believe it or not) it still has a working class vibe about it. In fact the place is large on authentic, useable, dense with a wide assortment of people who share a common space.

[tufsu1]

The building in Lake's third Baltimore picture is a former power plant with a checkered history prior to its being converted to the successful mixed-use entertainment structure it is now.  It failed as a bizarre indoor theme park--I was there at its opening when I was 7--and sat vacant for some years afterward.  Which seems odd in hindsight, given that at least the Inner Harbor area of downtown Baltimore has been pretty successful since the early 80s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore_Power_Plant

aren't you forgetting the amazing years when the buildiing was P.T. Flaggs nightclub...I spent several Sunday evenings there on Teen Nights!

[tufsu1]

Baltimore has an ESPN Zone?! Damn it!

yes the second one (after NYC) in the chain

[tufsu1]

Stick with cities comparable in population - the Rochesters, the Nashvilles, Columbuses...The bigger cities can make more interesting urban environments because they have the dough.

Baltimore is very comparable...in fact, the City pop. has come down to around 600,000....at one time it was well over 1 million

[thelakelander]

Stick with cities comparable in population - the Rochesters, the Nashvilles, Columbuses...The bigger cities can make more interesting urban environments because they have the dough.

What about places like St. Augustine, Key West, Charleston, Savannah, Chattanooga and Ann Arbor?  From my experiences, the size of the place really does not matter.  The compact clustering of complementing development and density seem to play a far more important role than how much dough a specific community has.