jbjust

Since he prefaced his statement by saying "We're missing some geography in the middle of the country," doesn't that suggest that "West" could mean Chicago?

No school on Election Day, right?

Don't we have any multi-millionaires on this board that can make this happen? Come on people!

Trader Joes is exactly the sort of "destination store" that would pull people into the city. Not only that, but Trader Joes prefers cheaper real estate in gutted older buildings. I've got some contacts at CC, but given their current financial situation I wouldn't even suggest this to them. So long as we're talking pie-in-the-sky, wouldn't it be nice for WTVR ("The First TV Station in the South") to move closer in on broad street and have some sort of museum/visitor center space with their studios. I won't go so far as to suggest a Today Show-type window onto Broad, since I'm a little afraid what we would see out the window during those 11:00 p.m. broadcasts.

I would like to just see the local Richmond-based retailers take a couple of blocks on Broad street and make a go of it. I can just see a flagship Circuit City store (which includes a consumer electronics museum to attract traffic from the convention-goers) beside a more upscale and trendy Saxon shoes beside a new Schwartzschild downtown. Heck, CarMax could even take a couple of storefronts downtown like some of the luxury car dealerships do in mid-town Manhattan. Beside all of that could be a new, smaller Ukrops that would cater to the folks in the Jackson Ward area. I can dream can't I?

This will hopefully lead to much greater utilization of the Pocahontas Parkway and the new interchange at the airport.

I've always found Sam Miller's unremarkable in just about every respect.

I wasn't clear whether he was talking about a JC Penny store or their corporate offices near the new Goodwill.

That is outstanding news about the Fresh Market. I still think that there is just too much of a critical mass around CTC for it to be abandoned for Watkins Center. I've heard lots of rumors of a Costco going in between Lowes and CTC, which would further solidify that area as a center of gravity.

Granny Wade's now has a brief description of their restaurant on their web site. It is from the Style Weekly description: Appalachian-Southern Cooking

Do you know anything more detailed about Granny Wade's Burt? That would be a welcome addition to the Slip.

What's wrong with River City Diner in the bottom? Better that than a chain.

Any word on changes in the design or height?

Seems like good news regarding progress on the public marina near Rockett's Landing; Richmond seeks nod for public marina

I flew to Atlanta last week on AirTran. The flight down on Monday night was about 1/3 to 1/2 full. The flight back only had two empty seats. Also, when I arrived Monday night, both parking garages were completely full.

If you haven't driven around Rockett's landing lately, you've got to go. I had driven around 6-8 months ago but was blown away by what I saw on Sunday. That is going to be a showplace and spur the development between it and Lucky Strike.

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After reading the Times-Dispatch (or Richmond Magazine -- I can't remember) review of The Boathouse last week, I decided to check it out. I've never been before, but it appears that it has been substantially renovated since it's days as the Boathouse. Even though the air conditioning wasn't quite up to task, the Salmon and the Mahi Mahi were quite good. We will definitely go back when it has cooled down enough to sit on the deck overlooking the lake. All in all a very unique dining experience for Richmond and some very good seafood and a great wine list.

Don't overlook Milepost 5, which is in the same shopping center as Crab Louie's. It's close to $15/entree and had good very traditional seafood. It's the sort of hole-in-the-wall place that you'd find out on the Outer Banks.

I think that it is pretty well-established that ticket costs to/from hub airports are much higher than the costs of flying in and out of connecting airports. The trade-off, of course, is the convenience of direct flights. I once flew from Boston to Greenville, SC -- connecting through Charlotte. The flight to Charlotte was actually $200 more than the flight to Greenville, even though it was the exact same plane from Boston to Charlotte. Essentially US Airways paid me $200 to take an additional 30 minute flight.

Bump to hasten getting these huge pictures off the front page.

I think I saw you taking pictures last week standing beside the new StickyRice ToGoGo cart across from the James Center. Do you have blondish hair?

The Capital Ale House in Midlothian is going to have a substantial outdoor patio with an outdoor fireplace I understand. Should be quite a summer's evening destination when it's all done.

Isn't that where the gas truck wrecked last month and roasted the overpass?

I think the parking garages are the most urgent need. I think one of RIC's big advantages is convenient parking at the airport. Most business do not see satellite parking as a viable alternative.