A "Sound" and a "Food"

[scottjsmith]

Why do people travel?

You go to Nashville for country music, New Orleans for blues and jazz, Boston for the pops, Kentucky for bluegrass, Detroit for gospel, soul and that "MoTown" sound, and Seattle has grunge/alternative/progressive rock.  Jacksonville has...well, it has...you know -- that Lynyrd Skynyrd / Limp Bizkit / Jumpsuit Apparatus kind of a vibe.

When in Philadelphia, you gotta have the steak sandwich (don't call it a Philly Steak sandwich up there...it's redundant), Baltimore for their crabcakes, Miami for its cuban food, Buffalo for its chicken wings.  To get a taste of Jacksonville, try a New York-style pizza, California Cuisine, Hawaiian Fusion or some Tex-Mex.

Now, there are plenty of great musicians and lots of fine restaurants here, but there still is no "sound" and no "food" that people can identify is purely Jacksonville.

It may be a small thing, but Jacksonville doesn't have an identity of any kind, except for being home to "that expansion NFL team" of fifteen years, the Jaguars.  Even major events, like the Tournament Players Championship, are in "Ponte Vedra, Florida," and not Jacksonville.

[I-10east]

It may be a small thing, but Jacksonville doesn't have an identity of any kind, except for being home to "that expansion NFL team" of fifteen years, the Jaguars.  Even major events, like the Tournament Players Championship, are in "Ponte Vedra, Florida," and not Jacksonville.

The Doral Open is in Doral, FL not Miami.
The Phoenix Open is in Scottsdale, AZ not Phoenix
The Milwaukee Open is in Brown Deer, WI not Milwaukee
The Houston Open is in Humble, TX not Houston.

No more trying to belittle Jax because the TPC is in the Jax suburb of Ponte Vedra and not Jax; That's it, those days are over on Metrojax!

What are the major identifing foods for Orlando, Nashville, San Jose, and Oklahoma City? Countless major U.S. cities do not have an "unique" type of cuisine.

[Sportmotor]

well..Nashvill has some good moonshine

[Cliffs_Daughter]

Orlando's food...  Orange Juice and Mickey Mouse ice cream bars? 

[Mueller]

Well, clearly there's a Jazz element to the town that has been inconsistently promoted over the past several decades.  There was also a nascent movie culture before the depression.  I thought the last Jazz festival was a great start.  I know the Ritz theater has its monthly Ritz Jazz'n Jam every 1st Saturday of each month.

[Shameless Plug: @ 8:00pm. $15.00 at the door (price includes one drink)!] 

When I went it was barely attended, but was some excellent Jazz (for a noob like me).  This is an example of a good start to try to get back our Jazz culture before the decline of western downtown.

As for food, are there any of those learned Metro Jacks historians that are familiar with a particular cuisine from Jacksonville's heyday?  I can only think of some backwoods recipes in Cross Creek. 

[JaxDiablo]

What are the major identifing foods for Orlando, Nashville, San Jose, and Oklahoma City? Countless major U.S. cities do not have an "unique" type of cuisine.

You're comparing Orlando, Nashville, San Jose, and Oklahoma City to Miami, New York, New Orleans, and Boston?

Orlando doesn't have a food, sound, or vibe... it doesn't need it, it's got the most magical place on earth and a studio tour amusement park that allows you to pick your own wand and play quidditch. 

Nashville has the music thing down pat.  So that brings people looking for stardom or to leech off of stardom.

San jose and Oklahoma city are on par with Jacksonville.  Neither of them are on my top 100 places to visit in the US on a vacation.  Jacksonville would have never been on the list either.

I personally don't see us getting a specific sound, food, or attraction to make us a "tourist" destination.

As great as that would be for the first few years after it waned and died off we'd have a substantial amount of unemployment we may be required to pick up if the attraction we erected for the tourists didn't stay open.  As well as other issues such as waning housing market due to people leaving looking for work elsewhere.  If we went the tourist route this would potentially be an issue in the long run.

Jacksonville needs to find a way to energize and revitalize it's downtown.  Coming from Chicago, at night or on the weekends, "downtown" Chicago wasn't always bustling and moving, but there was always something to do.  There weren't the empty lots that we have here, the empty buildings with signs for rent/lease all over the place.  I'm not saying we need to have a Mardi Gras style party downtown on a nightly basis, but filling in those empty store fronts, office buildings, and lots would have a dramatic impact on the rest of the city.

I'd think Jacksonville would be bending over backwards to give tax breaks, incentives, and benefits to companies willing to base themselves in the city.  I truly believe if we could get downtown closer to capacity for businesses it would dramatically change the way the whole of the city worked.  I have no idea how we could get the city to work on this, but I think it would be a huge impact if we could get it to happen.

[Captain Zissou]

^ +1!

[crystalvessels]

It should be a bit of both but all tied together on our river or maybe even the beach, but the landing is still a failure and the beach front is full of condos.

  I was born and raised in OKC and moved to Jax right as a downtown renaissance was happening. The city voted to temporarily increase the sales tax and the city planners studied San Antionio's river walk. So a land locked city dug up a part of their downtown, put in a fake river, built a giant stadium that now is home to OKC Thunder and the city is buzzing. No, not Chicago or NYC or Portland, or even considered a "unique" city but a great city none the less. 

If finally there is local govt that is truly committed, things could change.

Alvin, please help us.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

CV is correct. 

I just spent an awesome weekend in SAT, and even though most (I) would consider the Riverwalk touristy and cookie-cutterish (a word?,) there were still plenty of non-chain, possibly even independent, restaurants that myself and my two brothers, one who lives there, managed to have a great time and not have to write home about a Ruby Tuesday's.  If OKC is anything like that, sign me in.  If JAX were anything like that, I'm already in, but pinch me and maybe I'll notice.

We have the potential to generate the same kind of buzz here.  We are currently in the middle of a 'restaurant revolution' so to speak.  We are also in the middle of making an identy naitionwide with Jacksonville brews.  There's a reason that many 'Big Name, Corporate, High-End, Contemporary' (cookie-cutter is easier to say) restaurants are opening up at the SJTC, it's because the locally owned, independent restaurants have upped the game on the norm, and they're forcing the corporates to stake their claim earlier rather than later.  Talking to you Capitol Grille & Blackfin.

The fact of the matter is that we have several, very successful restaurants, some here in Riv/Avo that have upped the bar across the board for Jacksonville and travelling-to-Jacksonville diners, and the big boys have noticed.  The problem that most of here on MJ have is the expansion into the southside as opposed to DT, but our new mayor realizes that it's a problem (unlike his competitor)

[danem]

I agree with JaxDiablo. First make Jacksonville what it needs to be for those who actually live here. Sounds and foods will follow!

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

That's the reason to be positive.  We have a mayor in AB, that realizes that right now, we're kind of an awkward, teenage girl (Jacksonville), we have the potential to be really hot, but we're lanky and lopsided and we just need to fill out in all the right areas.  Let's put some motor in the back of that Honda.  Once we get DT going, the rest of it won't matter (suburbs), it will follow, definitely, but it won't be the first thing that people look at. 

Once we can encourage enough locals to make DT a destination instead of a, "Hey, that's a nice skyline, but I hear there's no where to park." as people pass on the Fuller Warren, then the people that visit will pick up on that vibe and eventually, we'll be a destination city for those who want to go to Florida and not deal with a rodent (Orlando) or coke dealers (Miami) or pirates (Tampa.)

[dougskiles]

When it comes to food, I would say our urban neighborhoods have a pretty good thing going - particularly if you like local more than chain.  With Matthews, Taverna, bb's and Bistro Aix all within 1 mile of each other, San Marco's food scene is hard to beat (and yes, I know Riverside/Avondale has great places too...)  Even the more moderately priced venues offer a quality local experience.  And these are places where you can get to know the owner/operators, who BTW, contribute significantly to the communities of which they are a part.

While we may not have a signature meal that the rest of the world knows us by, we have much to be thankful for when it comes to food.

[urbanlibertarian]

Isn't pork bbq with a mustard based sauce kinda unique to this region?

[Dog Walker]

Don't you know the Camel Rider was invented here?  And we have the Big Jim whistle.