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Oh . . . and a library. What a wonderful addition to the list!!! That would be excellent.

Geez. Why such a scrooge, RaleighRob? I guess I can't have my two front teeth either? Actually, I see your point on a lot of these issues. But I'm not ready to discount my downtown desires yet. The kind of store that I envision would use a different model than Capital City Grocery. CCG is trying to be a single source grocery store -- competing with the mainstream grocery stores that have lower rents, easier accessibility, and serve a larger geographic/demographic population. A deli-style grocery store would only occupy a fraction of the square footage, and it would not try to compete with the mainstream grocery stores. I imagine it as a Fresh Market (which I consider "destination" grocery store) with about 10% of the selection/inventory -- and without the classical music. A deli counter could cater to a downtown lunch crowd (foot traffic) in addition to a condo population that has sacrificed a large, accomodating kitchen for a different kind of lifestyle. I'm not a condo person, but if I were, I imagine that my kitchen inventory would be pretty spare. I'd go to the store several times a week to pick up enough food for one or two dinners -- and my meals would be SIMPLE. A pack of pre-washed greens, frozen pasta, and a few olives from the deli. A pack of pre-made sushi and a bottle of wine. Chicken salad, tuna salad, bean salad, fruit salad. Likewise, a downtown movie theater would need to be a "destination" movie theater. I'll drive to the Galaxy in Cary or the Varsity in Chapel Hill to see a movie that I can't see at Mission Valley. In fact, I frequent those theaters far more often than Mission Valley. I think a lot of people would come downtown to see an Art House film. Anyone ever heard of the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago?? http://www.artic.edu/webspaces/siskelfilmcenter/ Do you think Raleigh could support something like that? I'm not sure, but I sure would love it. The gym? OK . . . I give. It probably wouldn't work. For the SE Raleigh folks . . . I just found out that the Chavis Community Center has a weight room/fitness center, and you can get a month-by-month membership. I think I may check that out for the post-Christmas winter months.

All I want for Christmas is . . . . -A movie theater downtown -A downtown gym -Downtown retail to keep it hopping on the weekends -A downtown, deli-style grocery store* -My two front teeth *Sorry, Seaboard. You aren't walking distance for me. I just want a small, storefront grocery store -- produce, pre-prepared deli foods, frozen pastas, milk, wine, good bread. I'll pay more for that stuff, but I'm not likely to pay significantly more for staples. I'll still go to Food Lion/Kroger for flour and grits. The density is there -- or nearly there. Right now, the residents in downtown condos East of Fayetteville St. vote at the Chavis Community Center. This precinct currently stretches all the way to Rock Quarry Rd. I've heard that the downtown portion of the precinct is approaching the critical population (~3,000) that would constitute a new, independent precinct. Where do residents at the Dawson currently vote? Does the West portion of downtown have an independant precinct yet?