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Agreed.. I think the thing to watch is the types of businesses that may (or may not) follow this decision. Right now.. there arent alot of bars on Main Street per say. So, most of these residents will likely go to the Vista, which they do now, or down to Five Points..The City and the Downtown Boosters need to make sure that more bars DONT open on Main Street(and try to lure more restaurants) if they want it not to evolve (or devolve) into another college bar district. I dont see that happening given the current direction of Main Street as a corporate business center, the arts, adult living and entertainment. If it continues in that direction then the only issue you may have is a bunch of drunk college kids walking back to the Palmetto Center after a night of drinking in the Vista.. which can be easily monitored by CPD. Also with that many college kids living there.. I can only imagine that USC PD will also extend their patrols into the area.. which is a good thing for public safety overall.
Also, it hasnt been mentioned but it is an opportunity for both CMRTA and the USC Bus System to collaborate to provide better service for these folks to get to and from Campus and places like Five Points....
This is just me, but if you want peaceful, why live downtown?
I was wondering the same thing. There are more peaceful areas even downtown if that is what the OP wants. Maybe a quieter neighborhood of Shandon or something is what they would prefer. If you want to live on Main Street, don't complain if you can hear other people at night.
My wife and I were back in Columbia a couple weekends ago for a friend's wedding. Although we typically stay with friends, we decided to "be tourists" on this past visit.
We stayed at the Sheraton on Main St. The Palmetto Building was always my favorite downtown building, so I was excited to stay there as guest. The service and staff were very friendly and welcoming, as is typical for Columbia. Parking was ridiculously expensive (by Columbia standards) as the only option is valet at $18/day. Fortunately I am a former-local and knew that there were always plenty of meters available for free at night and over the weekend. The bed and amenities of the hotel were great (tv's in the bathroom were a nice touch), and it was clean and well-kept. It definitely had the charm of an older building, and our room was very small, nearly as small as our room when we visited San Francisco.
My biggest gripe is the overall lack of promotion of the Main Street area (and the rest of Columbia) by the Sheraton management. Typically when I stay in a new city, I check out the hotel guide for "things to do" nearby. Under the area attraction section of the Sheraton's guide, there were a whopping FIVE "things to do" in Columbia. Two of them were the Koger Center and Township Auditorium, which hardly count. I just can't believe that a hotel in the urban center of the city would not have a more substantial list of attractions in Columbia. I don't pretend that Columbia is a huge tourist destination, but I can think of dozens of things I would recommend to a visitor before I'd even think of the Township or Koger Center. They also had no list/recommendations for dining, aside from their own restaurant. No mention at all of Villa Tronco, Macs, or Hampton St Vineyard. When my wife and I returned from the reception at midnight on Saturday night, we found the hotel kitchen closed and the only suggestion from the manager was Beezer's. I love Beezers from my years at Carolina, but I'm surprised that is the only weekend dining option after midnight.
That gripe aside, we had a wonderful time staying on Main St and only being a couple blocks from the Vista and the Statehouse/USC. The weather was perfect, and Columbia is truly a beautiful city in the Spring. I'd highly recommend the Sheraton if you have guests in town who appreciate the character of historic buildings, or just want to spend a couple nights downtown and see Columbia from the point of view of a "tourist".
TXGamecock, I printed off your assessment and will hand it to staff in the basement of the Sheraton, maybe even to management if they're there when we go.
This may be a good thing for town and gown neighborhoods around the school. Maybe it will absorb some of the off campus population and put less rental housing pressur on neighborhoods.. thus opening the potential that they will return to home ownership? I have to admit I dont know if USC has town and gown issues anymore since most of the real estate adjacent to campus is either way too expensive for student housing (Shandon, Wheeler Hill, sections of Rosewood) or is blighted and students offer the first opportunty for redevelopment .... as in King Park and parts of Waverly.
I just do not see the answer for downtown/Main St being a few hundred students unless one wants a strip of fast food places that cater to them.
I just do not see the answer for downtown/Main St being a few hundred students unless one wants a strip of fast food places that cater to them.
I have not seen this advertised as the answer to Main St. I don't think any city has "an answer" for Main St. The area is doing well, could be better as with any city.
The Elite Epicurean building is getting a facelift. They're painting it a beautiful light green with cream trim and gold accents. I'm sure it's historically correct. I hear a restaurant called Chelsea's is going to occupy the ground floor of the building on the Laurel Street side.
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