HomerJay

Saw this interesting article about Allegiant Air's new pricing idea: http://seattletimes....onairfares.html Basically, they want to offer the option of variable priced tickets where the final price depends on the price of jet fuel at the time of the flight. If you choose that option and gas prices fall, you win. If prices rise, you're hit with a surcharge. I'm personally not crazy about the whole idea.

I had a Cuban just last night at the Blue Ridge Brewery. Quite tasty. I know the Bohemian has one too that's supposed to be good, but I haven't had it.

I'd still be against it. Although this is a far better design than the usual Sprawl-Mart, and I like the idea of mixed-use development, I still find the company objectionable on social and political grounds. Given that deciding where to shop is the little bit of political power most of us will ever have in our consumer based society, I will continue to vote my values and will never shop at Wal Mart, no matter how much the Chinese economy and the Walton family suffers from my arrogance.

I disagree with "The Fed needs to stop spending money...period" type of logic. Although the debt is a very serious problem, simply halting all spending would likely make matters much worse. I'm talking about a long and painful depression, far worse than what we're seeing right now. As with all discussions of federal spending, the key is to cut out wasteful or unproductive spending. Spending that stimulates the economy in a productive way, e.g. that which encourages meaningful job creation, should not be stopped. Investing in infrastructure can fall into this category. If we let out infrastructure fall to pieces, we're going to see increased costs to business and consumers, not to mention higher repair/replacement costs in the future. A healthy infrastructure can support other domestic industries. Personally, I'd like to have the trillion dollars we wasted in Iraq; that money would have been much better spent investing in our domestic infrastructure, especially forward looking green technologies. That said, I'm not convinced the Greenville project was the type of thing we should be spending money on at this time. I just think it's important to challenge the dangerous, overbroad anti-spending logic we see in times of financial distress.

What is all this talk about Stamford? I grew up in and around NYC and have known a bunch of people who have worked in Stamford. NOBODY I know loves Stamford. Some actively dislike it. You know what Stamford has going for it? New York City is relatively easy to get to. It's essentially a suburb of New York, whereas Greenville is it's own urban center. You're all excited about a Target? Really? I've said it before and I'll say it again, louder and more aggressively if I have to - generic chain stores and restaurants do not make a city great. The turn it into just another mall-city. That's not what makes Greenville good. If you want that, you have dozens of other places in this country that will offer you Targets and Gaps and whatever other mediocrity you desire. Please, leave downtown Greenville alone.

I'm sorry, I just can't let this one go without comment. From what I've been told, the development of downtown Greenville has been a product of PUBLIC-PRIVATE efforts. The so called 'free market' depends on the state and on collective action. Let's be honest about how the world works and not perpetuate ideological drivel about some magical invisible hand that will solve all the world's problems if the pesky, evil government just lets people do what they want.

Sounds like Mongolian BBQ.. and yes, we do need one in Greenville.

I like the logo more than the name. Is it cynical of me to think that the decision was made with an eye to getting sponsorship money from Michelin, BMW and such?

I recently heard that the owner of the former Woolworth building property is NOT going to create a green space as originally planned. They say it is a financial burden to plant grass there. As far as I can tell, that means we get to live with the construction fence until some unknown time in the future when something else is built there. If there's anything worse than the empty building, this is it. I'm hoping the city will be able to put some serious pressure on these people.

As a Ranger fan who vividly remembers the 1994 season, I'd like to personally welcome Neil to Greenville. It'll be nice to balance out the Boston influence that accompanies the Drive (no disrespect).

It's about a mile south of the mall, on the right side of the street if you're heading south on Haywood. It's a sizable space - I'm too new in town to know what it was before, but our server thought it had been a steakhouse.

I went to the new Papa's and Beer Mexican restaurant on Haywood Road yesterday for lunch. Both of the meals I tried (mine plus my dining companion's) were very good, better than the average standard Mexican fare I've had around town. The people working there were very enthusiastic about the new location (they have restaurants in Asheville and Hendersonville) and I can see them doing well. Best of all, lunch was very affordable. I'd recommend giving them a try.

I was in the "we buy gold" store today. The owner (?) told me that they're transitioning to a full music store, no more we buy gold. They'll have guitars, amps, plus all the regular accessories in front, plus some special stuff in the back area including guitar lessons. I didn't ask him what precipitated the change, but I think it's a great idea.

swu_BA_student's original comment is a valid one. If there are new owners who are genuinely interested in turning Qwikee's into a reputable business, constructive criticism is important, not simply negative comments. There is a difference between consumer feedback and being grouchy.

I like the name Highlanders, but that might be because I'm from New York and that was the original name of the Yankees. Do you think southerners would have a problem with that?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the sign on Qwikees says they're closed for remodeling. They say they're going to reopen and include other services such as DVD rentals and cigar sales.

Chiefs was a great name for Johnstown because the classic hockey movie Slap Shot was filmed there and the team in the film was The Chiefs. Since that doesn't have anything to do with Greenville, a name change probably is in order. How about the Greenville Goons? That'll surely attract some fans!

Sounds tasty! Although, Sunday would be March 21st, not the 22nd.

It's unfortunate that independents get so little respect. Although national chains like B&N & Borders are good at what they do, there is nothing unique about them. A downtown B&N would be essentially the same as the Haywood B&N not to mention the B&N in every other city. Better than no bookstore, for sure, but certainly less than ideal. On the other hand, build a business like Powell's in Portland or The Strand in NYC and you've got something special, something people identify with your city. I'll be very surprised if an independent comes in and I won't begrudge a national chain if they do instead. But, I feel compelled to speak out against the continuing homogenization of business in this country. Give me Coffee Underground over Starbucks any day.

I'm extremely excited about the possibility of a bookstore. Would this be a national chain or - hope of hopes - some kind of independent operation?

I have no great love for Quikees, but I do think it is important for an urban downtown area to have places where you can buy a newspaper, candy bar, or pack of cigarettes. Cities need more than just restaurants. Main Street is great, but it runs the risk of being just a destination for people who want to eat dinner and not a Main Street that is the center of city life, in the old fashioned sense of the term. The corner newsstand or bodega is just as much a vital part of a neighborhood as the day spa and gourmet eateries.

Transit related, but possibly off topic: Apparently there is a toll road near Greenville that is on the verge on going bankrupt. http://www.nyfiscalwatch.com/?p=1983 I've only been in the area for 2 months, but the fact that I didn't even know it existed seems like evidence that the road was not built in the right place. What went wrong here?

I don't think parking is necessarily prohibitively expensive or limited at Furman. I'm just hopeful that University students, faculty and staff might be more aware of the benefits of public transportation and actually make use of it if it were available. The car culture in the South isn't sustainable. A route between Furman and downtown has a potentially large enough and diverse enough customer base that it could help elevate the bus system above what I perceive is a system mostly for poor folks.

Hi folks. I'm a new Greenvillian (Greenvillite?), very interested the city's development (past, present and future). Does anybody know if there are plans to run a bus line up to Furman University? If so, from where will it run?