QuietMike

An interesting note about ridership. The City Paper today noted (in a brief blurb about Kroger selling MCS tickets) that "an average of 500 people commute to work on the Music City Star each weekday." That sounds pretty good to me. What were the ridership projections when they were putting the system together?

According to the Metro Council website, that resolution was adopted on December 5, 2006 but "returned unsigned by mayor" on December 11, 2006. I doubt the Ashland City leg will be the next one to get going, absent a champion on the local, state, and federal level pushing hard. Perhaps Councilman Isabel is the man on a local level. I suppose another way Ashland City could jump in line would be if there was a breakthrough on track availability or some other compelling reason, on an expense basis, to get it going.

I got that magazine in the mail last week. Their mailing list is really screwed up if they think I can afford any of the houses listed in there! The interior renderings of Siggie look nice, though.

I drove by this yesterday on my way home and they're clearing a huge tract behind the CMHOF running the entire block between 4th and 5th Aves. When combined with that enormous surface lot behind the GEC it makes for a vast expanse of nothing... but it looks very ripe for something.

Is there a consensus on which line of the MCS will be implemented next (making the brave assumption that there will be a next line at all)? Have any feasibility studies or other steps been taken for any of the other lines? I know there are significant hurdles to overcome regarding track access, city/county/federal funding, etc. for all of the lines, but I wonder if any progress has been made. Any bets on a timeframe for the other lines? 2-5 yrs? 5-10 yrs?

I took the earliest train out (4:20), so it wasn't very crowded - probably 20 people in my section and the same in the other sections. However, the parking lots at all of the stations were pretty full, so I assume that the later trains are more crowded. After experiencing the convenience of the MCS first-hand, if I lived on the east side of town, I'd definitely ride it as much as my schedule would allow.

Took my first ride on the MCS Friday afternoon and it was a lot of fun. Made it to Mt. Juliet in less than half an hour while listening to traffic reports of deadlock on I-40 eastbound. Anyway, the conductor announced that on Thursday and Friday nights (starting soon), they would be running a "night train" leaving Lebanon around 6:00 and returning around 10:00 (give or take - I don't remember the exact timeframes). Sounds like a good opportunity for some folks in the eastern suburbs to ride in, have dinner and perhaps catch a show, and ride back. The good news is that it's another expansion of the service. Hopefully it will continue to be a success.

The Tennessean is reporting that the MCS will be offering "Game Day Express" service to the Titans vs. Ravens game on November 12. Round trip ticket is $20. Sounds like fun to me!

Well that's certainly good news! So is the excavation work considered "construction" (such that the excavation will start in June) or will excavation start in March, then they'll start building the tower in June?

Brief Hijack - Does anyone else think that the ST crown resembles the back half of a horseshoe crab? Maybe it's just me, but that struck me this morning as I was on the site checking out the new video. Picture this critter upside down and I think it's pretty close...

I saw Tony G glad-handing the crowd this morning at the State of Metro Address. It looked like he knew everyone in the building. Anyway, I'd love to see 150+ reservations by the end of the month.

I once had a helicopter pilot fly me underneath one of the interstate bridges spanning the Cumberland river downtown. I'm sure he could have gotten you the shots you needed... Anyway, a cool place (a la Ghost Bar at the Palms in Vegas) would be sweet on the 60+ floor of ST. There would be a line around the block to get in.

FYI - demo at the Encore site is in full swing, with two of the warehouses already razed and only one to go.

According to the ST promotional email I just got, floorplans and a price list will be available on the ST website on Saturday. I guess we'll find out the price points soon enough...