slyder1

^Hey thanls for the link! I am definately checking out your store on First Friday next week. I will take my mother, but watch out, she'll probably buy the whole store! LOL

I was wondering how many art galleries, not restuartants with art, there are in Downtown Springfield. I know its somewhere around 20 but I don't know the exact number. I know that Kansas city has 60 and is the 2nd largest art district in the country, so 20 for Springfield is pretty freakn good. Here's a list of ones that I know of: Hawthorn Gallery Keyes Gallery Randy Bacon Studio Good Girl Art Walnut Street Gallery MSU Art and Design Gallery MSU Student Exibition Center Susan Sommer-Luarca Gallery Hyde Gallery Drury Pool Art Center Bellwether Gallery of the Arts Creamery Arts Center Park Central Gallery OTC Fine Arts Gallery Springfield Hot Glass Studio Springfield Pottery Art Studio Global Fayre Gallery Those are the ones I know of, but I also know a couple more have opened up recently. It will be really interesting to see how many more open up with the continued growth of Downtown.

I drove by the National and Chestnut interchange and things are moving very fast, it looks really great. I couldn't tell if they made room for the third lanes on chestnut but I think they did. Although it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't. Springfield planning for ya'. I've been thinking about some ways to make the roads better or upgraded around here and the only thing, I think, that would really spark a change is another Transportation tax. I know we already have a 1/4 cent tax for city intersections and roads, but honestley that is nothing compared to what other cities have. I was thinking, if the city approved a 1/2 cent sales tax for major intersections, we could very soon see some major improvements to intersections that really need it. Take Kansas Exspressway and I-44, ahhhhh never drive down highway 13 during rush hour! Then theres Chestnut and 65, which is always backed up during rush hour, Battlefield and 65 really needs a facelift, horrible traffic too. Then there's Campbell and James River... don't even get me started! So I was just wondering what all your thoughts were if a 1/2 cent sales tax to fix major interchanges was ever to pass, and if you would vote for it?

I wouldn't be that excited about Texas Roadhouse... the atmosphere is better than the food. They have all the waiters and waitresses do line dancing throughout the night. I don't know if I just had a bad experience but I will never go back. Cheddar's, on the other hand, is a great restaurant and will be very popular. The one up here is always packed and the food is great and very cheap. A lot of their food is pretty fattening though. I was also wondering if ther is a Sullivan's down there.

It will be good once they get the Metro Transit Authority up and running. Connection to Willard, Strafford, Nixa, Ozark, Republic, would really help out alot of people I bet since all of those communities are booming and of course are bedroom communities of Springfield.

I was reading threw this thread and I noticed you mentioned Doe's. Is that steakhouse out ot Little Rock? We have one here in Downtown Springfield and I never knew where it came from, pretty good steak though. I actually like that Little Rock doesn't have so many chain steakhouses, they localy owned ones down there a awesome. It's basically the same here in Springfield. There are quite a few steakhouses but nothing compares to Flame or Clary's. Sullivans is great but it doesn't touch Flames aged meat. If anyone ever visits up here you really need to try Flame Steakhouse downtown. Pretty soon we will also be getting a Mike Shannon's Steakhouse out of St. Louis, can't wait for that.

Pretty cool aerial. Although I wish they would have panned over a little bit to get the actual "downtown" where the cluster of buildings are. heres the link to look at the larger image: http://www.aerialphotoinc.com/api_high.jpg

Im sure most of you have seen the latest projects going on in Springfield like the intersection of National and Chestnut. They are adding dual left turn lanes in each direction, as well as leveling the intersection grade. This will be alot of fun once they have to start shutting down the intersection. LOL... Amoung other big projects the US 60/Glenstone Ave. and Republic Rd. Interchange is being redone. Upcoming projects that will start in the fall are the I-44 Glensone Ave. Interchage which will mirror the Sunshine US 65 Interchange as well as H being widened to accomadate a center turn lane past Valley Watermill, and intersection improvements at McClernon/Glenstone and Valley WaterMill/ Glentsone. Then to the south the Intersection of Primrose and Glenstone will also be getting dual left turn lanes in each direction as well as making room for a third lane addition in both directions on Glenstone, something that should have been done along time ago. There are other projects going on as well but I covered most of the major ones. If anyone else can think of any more please add them.

Hey thats a really cool find Aporkalypse. Those numbers for the Chenal Zip are incredible... the highest I could find in Springfield was the 65809 zip with $335,000 as the average home price, but I couldn't see where they listed the median income. Can you tell me were that was listed? Thanks for the great link.

Ha ha... thats pretty funny, but I wonder if the people did it to make fun or if they actually like him.

I went ahead and moved your post into this toipc d_weava, I hope you don't mind. I saw that they will be putting in 3 interchanges between Springfield and Rogersville on US 60 tp upgrade it to a Freeway. I can't remember where they said they will put them but I know one was at Farm Rd. 125, US 60 Business in Rogersville and I don't remember the other one. I'm glad modot is planning this for the future so we don't get caught with our pants down. After this is completed Springfield will a great highway system in the metro... in fact it will be better than most cities our size and larger.

It's here everyone, the last first friday of 2007. I hope that you all will be able to get to downtown tonight, I know I will and I can't wait to see all the wonderfull christmas festivities.

The only place I think you could get those is on Flikr. I'm not sure how they do that but I think unless the photo is copyrighted then you can just save the photo to your computer and download it to a san disk and get it developed... I'm not sure but thats what I would do, however the quality might be distorted.

I found these really cool photos on flickr!

I drove on the 44/65 interchange yestrerday and they have these huge polls all around the interchange. My guess is that they are for lights to light up the interchange at night. What do you guys think. That would be awesome if they were for lights, it would really make that interchange feel urban!

Well maybe we wont have to worry about a 'no cruising ban' after all. Downtown business owners are fighting against the 'law that allows cops to do as they please!' I can't remeber where I read about it but I would try the news-leader and sbj.net. In other news, season tickets for the new JQH arena are selling way faster then anticipated! My only concern about this whole new arena thing is that they didn't build it big enough and they wont be ablt to expand it. The way Springfield is growing and the fan support in this area and MSU being a big University, they should have put at least 14,000 seats, preferably 15,000. Oh well, right?

This is really pathetic that we couldn't get more than 12,000 votes. It would have been so easy, for instance if the news channels announced that everyone should go vote on thier computer and the newspaper had it in big letters GO VOTE ONLINE!

I went to the artwalk last night and I couldn't believe how many people were downtown! I was also shocked at how many new businesses have gone in downtown, its insane. Springfield's downtown resembles a city downtown of three times our size. No joke! If you guys havent been to an artwalk in a while you should definately go.

Wow, talk about front row seat! Thanks pyaxi...I will drive through there later tonight when I get off work!

hmmmm... hate coffee, love cappuccino! Hey guys, What do you think about the idea of a roundabout on the square. It would open up more sidewalk space and still have alot of room in the middle for a big fountain, sculptures... What do ya think?

I will be one of the first to use it!

So I've been thinking about how Springfield could do a brand new large music venue since we lost the Rockwell. I don't know if any of you knew but the Rockwell was a top 100 music venue in the country! I think if we had something along the lines of the 'House of Blues'. We could call it "Blues House of the Ozarks." I think that would be awesome. What do you guys think?