superjack

I haven't been visiting this board as much as in the past, but the recent posts concerning Main St have caught my attention. I think the biggest obstacle for Main St, right now, is the presence and proximity of the triving Vista. It is going to be very difficult for Main St to pick up the restaurants and bars that Vista consistently attracts because that's where everyone wants to locate. And it's a better set up (and cheaper) for that sort of thing. I would like to see Main St position itself as a complement to the Vista instead of trying to be a competitor of sorts. I'm not sure how this can be done, but I think "good" retail destinations may help as well as "unique" destinations in general. If Main St tries to compete head-to-head with the Vista, nothing is going to happen. But, if some quality destinations come, then slowly people and restaurants will follow. For what it's worth, it used to bother me that there wasn't much to do on Main St, especially since that's where all the tall buildings (you know, what's supposed to be city center) were. Over time, I've begun to appreciate the Vista and Five Points more and more. I think it's cool that so many city blocks are completely geared towards entertainment, and both are really thriving. Again, Main St has to be something different to succeed...and hopefully something great!

I hope I didn't offend you, Matt. I wasn't referring to the business itself, just the building that houses it! If nothing else, it really needs a facelift.

Are there any plans for the lot(s)?

Do any of you know what (if anything) is going on the corner of Main & Lady beside the butt-ugly House of Fabrics building? I've noticed that lot currently being used for construction purposes (parking, etc.). I hope something excellent will occupy that prime piece of real estate. By the way, why would anyone want to preserve that old House of Fabrics building? It is truly an eyesore! There's nothing significant about that building except it's old. It is ruining an otherwise beautiful city block!!!!

The book was called Insiders' Guide to Charleston. Publisher: Globe Pequot Press. I believe it was the 9th edition. You are all welcome to check this out for yourselves. By the way, I love Columbia because it's a wonderful city and because I live here. I'm also proud that both Greenville and Charleston are also wonderful cities in South Carolina. We just need to observe the facts, no matter which city they favor.

Hey guys! I've been in Washington DC for several days now on vacation. While killing some time today, I walked into a Barnes & Noble bookstore. I was in the travel section and noticed one of those city guides for Charleston. The first thing I noticed in the introduction was a boast about Charleston being the 2nd largest city in SC, which is true. What really ticked me off is that in the next statement it mentioned that only GREENVILLE was larger! A complete inaccuracy! How does this get into printed media like this? Greenville's city proper is about have the size of Columbia's. Granted the Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson metro is larger (and is also probably larger than the sqare mileage of several small states). And, of course, no mention of Columbia at all! What do you guys think about this!?

Gotcha! Yeah, what a shame. I hate to see something like that skew the numbers for Columbia. Columbia's city population is also somewhat hindered by the fact that virtually everything across the Congaree river is in Lexington County (cities of Cayce & W. Columbia) and will never be annexed by the city. I've always felt that the city population of Columbia doesn't accurately capture its "size." If you subtracted Fort Jackson and added Forest Acres and the eastern portions of West Columbia and Cayce, Columbia would appear MUCH larger -- and rightfully so. Without consulting the census, one may survey Columbia for a week or so and determine that its city population "feels" like 200,000 plus. I, for one, think that Columbia feels awefully large for the meek 116,000 that is reported in the census, and I drive all around in the city nearly every day.

Matt, what exactly do you mean by this? Just curious.

I am very pleased to see all of these projects coming along. With all the residential growth and development in DT Columbia, it seems only natural that a new office (or mixed-use) tower should pop up pretty soon. We need something 400 feet or more! I'm really tired of the SouthTrust building being the "ambassador" building of Columbia's skyline. We need something original, much bigger, and more beautiful as the center piece. It would do so much for encouraging the overall progress of Columbia.