cheshireguy

Back in GR, baby!!! I feel like I've been on the moon. I spent the last two weeks in Salt Lake City, Utah, a city of about 180,000 people and a metro area of a little over a million. They have a sucessful and well-used streetcar line that connects the major routes of the downtown region. I witnessed many, many commuters using this streetcar system on their ways to work/play. If SLC can pull this off, doesn't it seem like we could as well???????

Can someone refresh my memory a bit and tell me how tall this structure will be upon completion? I remember the "spire" was to be the tallest portion of the building - is this still correct? When we were in the Lacks Cancer Center the other day, the rendering looked as if the spire was on the ground???

Bruce Heys Builders, a custom home builder out of the Ada area (and currently working on the RiverHouse) is being featured on an episode of "Flip That House" 8:30 PM on Saturday night on TLC. This episode focuses on one of Bruce's home renovations in Hurricane Katrina-stricken New Orleans. Check it out - I think there is a replay at 10:30 Saturday as well as 8:30 Sunday morning.

I get some longing glances while touring town in my 2001 Volkswagen Passat Wagon. Oh, yeah, giggidy-giggidy.

Yeah, we do PizzaPapolis every other time when in the Motor City - I haven't heard of Slows, but I will definitely check that out. As far as bars, we usually do the crawl that includes The Baltimore, The Old Sheleleh (sp?), The Detroiter, and another one I can't remember. We need more ideas, people!!!!

Hey there MoTown, My wife and are are coming into town Friday for the Tigers vs. Anaheim at 7 p.m. We haven't been in the D in about 6 months - Is there any new bars/nightclubs for a couple of 30 year-old yuppies like us? We are getting into town around 3 pm and staying at the RenCen, so we need a new great restaurant as well. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, GO TIGERS!!!!!!!!!

No , at 20 stories (hopefully) it will fall just under the 23-floor JW and quite a bit further under Bridgewater Place (which will be 34 stories, around 400' once condo tower is finished).

I agree - a 12-15 story building there with underground parking (at least one floor of parking) would be fantastic. A large office building with a few floors of loft condos and an Urban Outfitters on the first floor!!!

If DeVos is correct in stating that the corner is the "Times Square" of GR, they need to make sure this property hits and hits hard. This lot is THE lot as far as GR making a statement, and in my opinion, they need to do this right. No cut-down scales, no budget - trimming, no penny-pinching. I hope that if this is really a go, that they take into consideration that hundreds of thousands of people (VanAndel Arena, DeVos Place, the hotels, etc.) will identify Grand Rapids with this section of the city. Check out the hotel we stayed at last time we were in Montreal. a larger -scale version of the this would be great (kind of like City Flats) - www.opushotel.com

Thanks foto - now back to business. How am I going to open this Bell's Hopslam with no bottle opener???

"Hmmm, that plant sits right next to the railroad tracks too. " I know I am having a "dense" day, but can I ask what you're hinting at GRD???

How about on the west side of the river on Michigan?? It could be housed in one of the "for lease" buildings near Riverhouse - it could help spur the cleanup/redevelopment of that great area.

Any updates on the bat Hopcat out there?? I heard initially it was to open Nov. 17th, which would be great cuz Founder's Grand Opening is the same night and we have friends coming in from The Windy City to visit!!

Now, although I am no Oppenheimer or Fermi (sorry Einstein), I would consider myself fairly intelligent, maybe even slightly above average. Whoever edits the backdrop storylines for WOOD TV 8 are not so much on the intelligent side. You see, it would seem that one must have a strong grasp of the English language and how to correctly spell the words of it, but I have noticed numerous times that words are misspelled as clear as day and they run it on the news. The latest came tonight with the story of the Indiana suits that ok'd the dumping of toxic waste into Lake Michigan for the benefit of a petroleum outfit... they spelled pollute 'polute'. C'mon, guys!!! No spell check on that system??? BTW, slightly above average intelligence means I can beat those damn 5th graders about half the time.

Wow, the recent larger excavation really evokes how big this is really going to be. I have been stoppping in occasionally for weeks looking at the first phase and thinking, "It looks bigger in the drawings!" Awesome Tokyo stuff, JD.