Vrtigo

It's on the edge of downtown, it's still a solid hunk of density, and it carries the flag of one of the most influential companies in the world. Sure, I'm a little disappointed in the size, but the next tallest would look kinda awkward in that location anyway. It's still a historic development for Nashville and I'm 100% onboard with whatever they decide.

Courtesy of Scott Phillips, via LinkedIn (EDIT: Look at those windows! Hideous! You can see right through them! /sarcasm for my Westin haters.)

This appears to be finally underway:

My memory of the renderings from many years(!) ago led me to expect this project would have a fairly modern appearance, but it's turning out much more traditional than I had expected. It's surprising to me that 1) this project has changed so dramatically from its original vision, and/or 2) that it's been in the works for so long that the very definition of "modern" has evolved in that span of time. Weird.

^ That just means nobody has died and/or they haven't tripped over enough of them yet. I personally love the mobility and having another option to get around the city. I just wish we could do something to better manage the clutter.

Agreed. The tri-brand look on every sign is overly cluttered. It would make more sense if each was its own sign and had its own dedicated space on the facade. Ideally, each with its own dedicated entrance to minimize confusion amongst the clientele.

Basically the entirety of Broadway is cheese, so I think it's entirely appropriate that we have a hotel catering to the same appetite. It's not for me, but I am confident they will be quite successful without my support.

During my recent trip to Holland and Belgium, I was intrigued to see a few Bird scooters scattered throughout Brussels. Emphasis on the "few" because there were, in fact, only a few to be seen anywhere we went. This was the only brand I saw and, unlike in Nashville, there simply were not enough of them around to be any sort of a nuisance whatsoever. I think a big part of Nashville's frustration with scooters is that there are such an unbelievable number of them scattered throughout our city. The general opinion towards them would stand to improve dramatically if their numbers were reduced significantly enough that idle scooters weren't blocking most of the sidewalk at every urban street corner. A slight raise in the tax levied on them would likely be enough to reduce the idle clutter. Also, as is hopefully no surprise to anybody, there were a lot of bikes in Amsterdam (more bikes there than we have scooters in Nashville, if you can believe it)! One thing that seemed to keep the bicycle clutter to a manageable level were designated bicycle parking areas on the sidewalks. A simple white box stenciled on the ground seemed to generally control the clutter in most areas such that they didn't end up in the middle of the primary walkway. What if Nashville created designated (and enforced!) scooter parking in a similar manner? By the way, here's Brussels as seen from the top of the Atomium (because I can't tease you guys about great cities without giving you a skyline shot or something): Some of you probably remember a recent post where I expressed that the most vibrant areas in these cities were not the supertall ones, but those full of low rise, mixed use development. The above shot of central Brussels and its relatively few tall buildings is a great example.

Here's another action shot because we all seem to be so enthralled with this giant protrusion into the sky:

^ We're staying off topic for one more post because I loved that place. "ONLY GOOD CUSTOMERS." If he didn't feel like it, he'd tell you to go somewhere else because he wasn't serving you. And you could get two rolls the size of your forearm for like $7 out the door (I often had half a roll left over because I was so full). He wouldn't even accept tips!

^ I don't know the answer to your question, but they could be exploring the general stability of the roadway to determine whether it needs any additional support to accommodate the surrounding excavation.

^ My fellow Cummins resident has roof access... Hmm...

It's fun for me to see trees growing in excavated pits like this because it serves as a reminder of just how long a given project has been going on. Upward!

Fixed that for you.

^ I believe they leave an excavator in the hole which removes the ramp, then that excavator is lifted out of the hole with the crane.

Indeed! I bet very few people know that artists such as Ray Charles were originally considered "country" music in their early days.

Don't forget the incessant, overly sensitive political mudslinging!

^ I recall numerous comments over the past several years or so wondering when this current cycle is going to call it quits. It does seem to be slowing a bit, but then a new announcement every other week seems to completely reset that expectation. Heck, I heard a comment last week from a New York developer who said Nashville probably only has about two years(!) before things begin to slow down, so I guess we better get moving...

^ Going on a hunch here, but I bet the street address will be 255. Don't ask me how I know.

^ Sounds like a property manager's worst nightmare (not that I blame him!). I had a hell of a time filling my rental this year due to all of the free rent promos around the city. Hopefully more of the supply is absorbed in the near future so things go back to a slightly more reasonable normal.

^ It's had a bath since this picture was taken.

He's asking about the "Hall of Game", not the "Hall of Fame".

Idly gazing out the office window on this rainy Thursday: (at least the pedal taverns are empty, for a change...)

To clarify, the most vibrant areas I was referring to were typically filled with three to four story structures, not 10+.