ric75
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Posts posted by ric75
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Wow, I guess with so much going on this weekend this slipped under the radar. Finally Vault is opening!
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Dana Craig was not happy at KONA GRILL in Short Pump, but Don Baker in the current Style Weekly rather likes it. Most of his review is about the former (and last) owner of La Petite France who spent 10 weeks in Phoenix training to manage the Richmond version of KONA GRILL which, incidentally is the third most profitable restaurant in the chain.
http://styleweekly.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmo...9D3430288834D1D
West Broad Village must be a very busy place with Whole Foods, the other trendy market whose name escapes me, Dave & Buster's, KONA GRILL and McCormick & Schmicks on the horizon.
Suburban Richmonders are willing to wait hours to dine at the newest chains even though much shorter lines await them at better quality, locally-owned establishments in the City. Wonder what it will take to get them over their fear of every business that's not surrounded by giant parking lots?
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The permit says it's for the power plant building... applied for in early 2007 and approved in Feb 2009.
Jeez.. good to know the City is on the ball with these things.
Wonder if the company is still interested in doing something there? -
How does it reduce rail's effectiveness and why is it a big mistake?
I won't speak for burt but if that entire shed is used for a bus transfer station then it does put a future limit on how many trains can pass through that area without major rail modifications and even then, space is a serious limitation. Secondly, I've always felt that downtown needed a destination building and had dreams that this building could fit that bill. making it a transfer station only moves people who were waiting for buses on Broad Street and shifts them over to the Bottom. It won't be an economic boon to the businesses there and in fact could be a burden if it isn't implemented properly. I see the idealism behind this idea but practically I think it's bound to be a failure.
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Karsen's probably wasn't the best example to use in this case for the fact that they closed when the market decided they weren't a good value. That's what should happen. What local restaurants do you feel survive on reputation alone? Chains have another advantage over mom and pop businesses in that they have huge marketing budgets and access to cheap, pre-fab food. Do you think Applebee's, Ruby Tuesdays, or TGI Friday would survive if it wasn't for their television marketing and cheap, fast food fare? This is getting into my personal politics but I hate watching every city in this country become a bland replica of the other. I honestly couldn't tell you any difference between the Far West End and Northern VA or most any suburb of America. You see the same signs, in the same strip malls, and the same vinyl-clad houses on the same cul-de-sacs. I feel like the souls of our communities are being sold to corporations and advertising agencies and that many are complacently going along with it. In the realm of the natural world, sameness or lack of diversity in a biological system is a sure path to extinction. Perhaps that's why many of us reject the chain trend that has been taking place since the 50's. And by the way, I don't believe we should support an establishment solely because it's local but if just a fraction of our money that currently goes toward chain stores and restaurants would be redirected towards unique, locally owned establishments, imagine how fun and vibrant our communities could be? Sorry for the rant but I just felt I had to explain the reasoning behind my prejudice against chains.
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Double post... thanks slow interwebs.
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While not surprised, it makes me sad that a good local restaurant in a quaint and real location closes and a chain restuarant in a fake and clustered location has a 45 minute wait.
That is frustrating. Retail and restaurants will be hit hard by the coming recession/depression. I only hope we have the presence of mind to spend our money in the places that give Richmond its unique identity and help them stay open instead of supporting the further homogenization/commercialization of America. I don't think this one comparison necessarily suggests a trend. Several chains near me have shut down while more established, locally owned businesses remain.
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Looks like Highwater will be seeing some changes in coming weeks... a new stakeholder has entered the picture and wants to turn it into a gourmet burger joint.
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Looks like Richmond will lose its other sports team. Very sad to see no one give a crap about sports in Richmond.
http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/pr...99556/#comments
Yeah I wonder why that is? As long as I've been here, the younger folks living in the city have tended to spend their money at the bars/restaurants... usually the sports are supported by families in the suburbs but many of them have such a skewed perception of the City that they don't come... hockey has never been my thing but I have been to a few games. We'll have to see what happens. I personally don't feel sports make or break a City. I think the Coliseum suffers some of the same ills that the Diamond does... there's little synergy with surrounding entertainment.
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You're brave. When the sun goes down, I'm off the island. I especially wouldn't take the tripod. I am mad still at half of the Fed Reserve being lit.
Haha I hear ya Cadeho. But surprisingly enough a lot of folks are out there in the evenings, especially since the sun goes down so early. There were some joggers and other folks enjoying the sunset like I was. Plus the tripod can double as a weapon
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Thanks guys. Yeah I have to give my camera and tripod most of the credit... I just pushed the button
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I'll try and bring this thread back to the front page again. Here are a few shots I took Sunday evening on Belle Isle. IMHO, the river and it's parks are why Richmond is such a great City. Hope you all enjoy!
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There is confirmed news of two restaurant closures that saddens me.
KARSEN'S at 3411 West Cary Street and RELISH at 101 South 15th Street.
Bummed to hear about Relish closing. I'd heard a lot of good things about it. Perhaps the lack of street presence hurt them?
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I found out that Six Burner could go in the building next to Berry Burk. Sounds like they are waiting for the economy to pick back up, but are excited about the area.
That would be an interesting move. Their current location doesn't get much synergy from other businesses. Glad people are paying attention to the area around the Carpenter Center.
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Sad to see both of those institutions pass into the annuls of history. Losing locally owned businesses is always a bad thing.
The thing that bothered me more was some of the reader comments posted at the end of the story. Getting dressed up isn't as comfortable as shorts and a t-shirt or as popular as it once was, but to label the shopkeepers as snobs and the clothing they sold as superficial when the stores were already going out of business for lack of sales shows no class.
I would surmise that to these people, loading up on overpriced third world goods at corporate outposts of far away retail conglomerates that might, if they're feeling like its good marketing, donate a couple thousand to the local United Way, is the better choice. No wonder all the malls look alike!
I feel even better about my purchases from Franco's, which for me is easily the most interesting store at Short Pump Town Center because of its locality and uniqueness.
These local stores need our support, and when I'm shopping in Richmond, I'm going to at least check them out even if I don't purchase.
Great post Steven. I've vowed to buy all my gifts this year from local merchants so I'll be happily doing all my shopping in Carytown and the Slip this year. Oh and does anyone know where I can buy a starter brewing kit in town?
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My sources were correct about the restaurant approved for Rocketts Landing. It will be under the aegis of THE BOATHOUSE AT SUNDAY PARK which is on the shore of Swift Creek Lake in the Brandmill area of Chesterfield County.
Coupe has placed the Times Dispatch story in the Rocketts Landing thread, but here it is again for those of you who might have missed it.
From today's RTD dot com:
http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/loca...-212731/153109/
That's going to be a great location for a restaurant. I hope for the sake of their view and for that section of riverfront in general that they make an effort to bury the utility line that starts near the power plant and runs west between Water and Main St. The City doesn't seem to notice them at all but their abundance drives me insane sometimes. Between the mess in the Bottom and the tangle of lines by the Jefferson Hotel and the new VCU buildings, I wonder what it will take for the City to notice how they detract from an area and mandate utility line burial with all new downtown construction projects.
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This will be 31 apts across from BW3 and Stool Pigeons. It should be completed later next year. The name of the developer escapes me at the moment...
Do you know if there will be any ground level retail or office space there? A friend of mine said that Glave and Holmes' office may be moving to one of those buildings.
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Why would people with money drive to the Boulevard to see a movie when there is very little currently nice about the area? Wouldn't that be a better place for a 99 cents movie theater? There are so many forces against that working.
The simple answer is because they don't want to have to drive to the far reaches of Henrico or Chesterfield to go to a nice theater. The demand for a first run theater has been there for ages and it's finally being met. Not only will it serve residents in the City but it will be the closest and best theater for folks in the near West End, Varina/East End, and North Side alike. There are plenty of folks to support this theater and though North Boulevard hasn't come into it's own yet, this is just another crucial step in it's resurrection. I haven't been to a theater (with the exception of the Byrd) in ages because I don't like driving 30 minutes to go to a strip mall but I will be going a lot more often now that this theater is here.
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Here's a good read from Richmond.com. Seems a lot of folks are snapping up deals on housing in the City and the metro-area overall seems doing well in these tough times. I would expect the City's overall sales to be lower than the counties just based on the total number of units but Richmond is hanging in there. Wonder if that means that as a percentage, more units are being sold here in the City?
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Tough day for news on the Richmond economy but perhaps there will be a silver lining. Instead of Chesterfield, Richmond, and Henrico, all trying to tackle things separately, maybe it's time they saw the advantage of working as a single unit when it comes to issues such as transportation, jobs, and a regional identity. Squabbling between counties and the City will only put us at a disadvantage over other metros when it comes to attracting new business.
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A few shots of the future home of Pie.. I finally got around to uploading a few photos I've taken over the weeks! I have a serious motivation problem
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I'm sure there are ways to screw up building a stadium downtown. But you can also screw it up no matter where you build it. A lot of the comments on the RTD site just refuse to accept that a stadium can go downtown.
I don't have any experience with suburbanites in other cities but the older suburbanites here in Richmond fear downtown like the Plague. And it's funny because they say things like "nobody goes downtown after dark" which tells me they actually haven't been there in decades if ever. Not sure why they are so dead-set against it but they are and they go out of their way to try and spread their anger and fear around to others... which is why you see so many negative comments on the TD. I wouldn't worry about it too much. The more attention downtown gets, the louder these folks squawk which tells me downtown is really building steam. The protesters will be the last to convert if they ever do so don't expect everyone to ever be on the same page. Hell, Richmond could be Manhattan and these people would be saying the same things they always have.
Back on topic though.... I definitely support a downtown stadium as long as it is privately funded. Filling that gap between downtown and Church Hill helps create a large, walkable, safe, and visually appealing district stretching from Tobacco Row and Church Hill to the east, all the way through downtown, VCU, and the Fan to the west. Those abandoned lots are a very important piece to the puzzle so I hope they get it right.
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Is anyone else having trouble accessing Richmond City Watch?
Yeah I think they may have been hacked again. Some kind of active-x file wants to install when you visit there now.
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How about we just leave politics out of this thread altogether.
As long as it's not on-topic for Richmond, it's off-topic which is on-topic for this particular forum
Wonder if the company is still interested in doing something there?
Richmond Dining-Out scene
in Richmond
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Hmm I forgot where but I had read of a Brazilian Churascarria coming to the Slip so I assumed it would be there. Sounds like several spots will be filling in. I think both styles would be a welcome addition to the Slip.