NewYears@ the landing? (Jacksonville: crime, hotel, house)

[dolphin3]

Just wondering how it was downtown last night. With all the crazyness now it's hard to go out and feel safe. If the bad guys don't get you the good guys will. So was it fun?

[KerryB]

Originally Posted by dolphin3

With all the crazyness now it's hard to go out and feel safe.

What craziness??

[vdecapio]

Originally Posted by dolphin3

With all the crazyness now it's hard to go out and feel safe. If the bad guys don't get you the good guys will. So was it fun?

I too am not sure what this means. I have not seen any craziness in Jax after 3 months here. I see a lot of normality, a lot of homelessness, a lot of strip malls, speed bumps, planned communities.....not too crazy in my book.

I wanted to go downtown for the fireworks just to see a bunch of people in the downtown area......I like seeing downtown have some life. To me downtown is like that kid in high school that no one would hang out with, but when that kid made friends it put a smile on my face. I am always hopeful and ready to smile when downtown has visitors and the potential to make new friends!! It will be a great day when downtown is the "coolest guy in school" so to speak!! But, I did not make it down there because I got wrapped up in some conversations at a house party in Mandarin.

I am also curious how the Gator Bowl weekend was. I was downtown on Sunday walking around and saw very few UVA or TT fans. And then watching some of the game on TV, I saw a lot of empty seats. Was this game a financial dissappointment for the city?

[mawipafl]

I'm not sure what dolphin3 means either. In the short 6 months I've been here, I've visited downtown quite a few times and have never felt anything but safe. In fact, with all the hoopla about homelessness, I've been so surprised to see benches void of people and all their worldly possessions in shopping carts.

That said, I can only comment about UVA and TT fans in the downtown on Monday, New Year's Eve Day. And there were tons at the Landing area because of the pep rallies, the 5K run, and the Gator Bowl Parade. I'm quite certain the restaurants did very well because the lines to get into Hooters and Bennys were long (personal experience), so I will presume the same kind of crowds at the other restaurants and in the upstairs food court. The souvenir shops and kiosks looked very busy as well. My relatives, who've attended the parade many times, said this year's crowd seemed bigger.

[FYI about the parade -- even if you're not a football fan nor an alumnus of either of the participating colleges, the parade is great and I recommend it! It has lots of big floats, big balloons (that need to do the limbo under the traffic light armatures - quite a feat!), and high school bands from afar (this year from Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, etc.) as well as local bands. The Shriners participated in all their glory - quite fun!! All-n-all it was a 2-hour parade -- well worth the effort to attend!]

Later in the evening I was sitting in the Omni Hotel lobby waiting for my ride and I observed a flurry of activity with people coming and going and truly enjoying their time here in Jacksonville. Listening to people talk, I think Jacksonville threw out a very welcoming mat, and I was proud to be a resident.

If Sunday was light on fans downtown, perhaps they were visiting other parts of our area. After all, except for the Landing, there really isn't much to do downtown unfortunately.

And as for the game not selling out, I wonder if it's even possible to fill any stadium when the college teams are from far away? Unless one is a die-hard football fan and wants to see a game no matter who's playing, or unless one attended the college, what would be the draw to get thousands of locals to attend?

[dolphin3]

It sounds like going downtown was alot of fun and I am sorry that I was out of town. The "crazyness" I referred to is from the news in central florida I suppose. Having spent some time down south I am glad to be a citizen of Jacksonville. There has always been alot of things to do here and I hope more attractions keep coming to our town to keep people occupied while they are here for the big events. I was in palm coast for NewYears and there wasn't much to do there. I just wondered how it was NewsYears Eve. I would have really liked to have been down on the riverwalk. There are not many places in the southeast as nice as that on a beautiful night with all the lights and the river running by. And when they have fireworks its really spectacular.
I'm sure I'll be keeping my house here for awhile. Make sure to water your fruit trees today!

[ara^bess]

Originally Posted by dolphin3

Make sure to water your fruit trees today!

Thanks for the hint. I have some fruit trees on my property and didn't know to do that.

I know what you mean by asking about the 'crazy' part. We hear about so many crimes and murders in Jax until those living in one area can get the wrong impression about the safety in another area. Oddly enough, the crime doesn't seem to effect the comings and goings of the residents. I never felt unsafe in downtown Jax, or any other area, in all the years I lived there....even though I know they've all had their problems from time to time. I think by using common sense...most people are more than safe in Jax.

[Ryde41]

yikes.. I forgot about both our fruit trees.