Downtown Little Rock (North Little Rock, Clinton: condominiums, violent crime, construction)

[golden eagles fan]

I was in Little Rock on New Year's Day and I was impressed with the skyline for a city its size. I was with some friends and we saw the Clinton library (but it was closed). We did walk down the bridge from the library to N. Little Rock side. I may try and return to LR and explore more. What's there to do in downtown?

[BMW335i]

Glad you enjoyed it (and were impressed)! It's changed and improved so much over the past 20 years. It started with the development of the River Market District in the late 1990's, which is the area just west of the Clinton Library...followed of course with development of the Presidential Library/Park, a 20,000 seat arena and 10,000 seat baseball stadium across the river, multiple high-rise condominiums, a fixed rail streetcar system linking both sides of the river, a $60M renovation of Robinson Center Music Hall, a nearly $100M new expansion of the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (under construction). All of this has spurned development in other areas downtown, including Main Street (ongoing) and south Main (SOMA), not to mention the East Village area south and east of the Clinton Library and downtown Argenta (NLR), which is impressive in its own right.

So the skyline isn't just impressive in scale, but there's lots of teeth and momentum behind its rejuvenation over the past few decades. There is still a lot of work to do, and in particular, the corporate office environment (i.e. those high rises) are under immense pressure with changing workplace environments post-pandemic, but...we'd love to host you in the future for a long weekend!

[Yorker_in_AR]

Originally Posted by golden eagles fan

What's there to do in downtown?

Really, not much to do downtown LR. other than the Clinton library and visiting the capitol bldg. There are a few bars / restaurants worth trying and the occasional concert across the river in North Little Rock. The trolley is a novelty that's kinda neat but operates mostly empty on an odd schedule.

Downtown really rolls up the streets after 5:30 at the end of the work day.

[BMW335i]

Originally Posted by Yorker_in_AR

Really, not much to do downtown LR. other than the Clinton library and visiting the capitol bldg. There are a few bars / restaurants worth trying and the occasional concert across the river in North Little Rock. The trolley is a novelty that's kinda neat but operates mostly empty on an odd schedule.

Downtown really rolls up the streets after 5:30 at the end of the work day.

That's quite a bit of undersell there friend. There are literally dozens of well-regarded restaurants, bars, and shops in the River Market, not to mention the numerous museums I mentioned (and many that I didn't). The downtown office core (Financial Quarter) certainly shuts down after hours, but not the entertainment districts. I'd put Little Rock's downtown up against ANY peer city in the region.

[Yorker_in_AR]

Originally Posted by BMW335i

That's quite a bit of undersell there friend. There are literally dozens of well-regarded restaurants, bars, and shops in the River Market, not to mention the numerous museums I mentioned (and many that I didn't). The downtown office core (Financial Quarter) certainly shuts down after hours, but not the entertainment districts. I'd put Little Rock's downtown up against ANY peer city in the region.

LOL - like I said, a few restaurants and bars worth checking out and a couple museums, concerts. As far as an entertainment district its just not what you think it is compared to other cities regionally, maybe LR violent crime situation tempers what it could be downtown.

[BMW335i]

Originally Posted by Yorker_in_AR

LOL - like I said, a few restaurants and bars worth checking out and a couple museums, concerts. As far as an entertainment district its just not what you think it is compared to other cities regionally, maybe LR violent crime situation tempers what it could be downtown.

I'd say taking the list from my original comment (as an example), and reducing that down to "The Clinton Library and Capitol Building, and a few restaurants/bars and the occasional concert" (like Elton John this past Saturday?) is disingenuous at best. I travel quite a lot, and I'm very familiar with the region and peer competitors. Many of those cities have traveled to Little Rock to try and mirror the transformation and investment that's happened over the past 20 years. Please elaborate how it's "not what you think it is compared to other cities regionally...". And I don't believe violent crime has materially impacted downtown; it certainly hasn't curtailed prior and current capital investments.

[Yorker_in_AR]

Originally Posted by BMW335i

I'd say taking the list from my original comment (as an example), and reducing that down to "The Clinton Library and Capitol Building, and a few restaurants/bars and the occasional concert" (like Elton John this past Saturday?) is disingenuous at best. I travel quite a lot, and I'm very familiar with the region and peer competitors. Many of those cities have traveled to Little Rock to try and mirror the transformation and investment that's happened over the past 20 years. Please elaborate how it's "not what you think it is compared to other cities regionally...". And I don't believe violent crime has materially impacted downtown; it certainly hasn't curtailed prior and current capital investments.

I travel quite a bit as well and LR's downtown is mostly desolate comparatively.

Just this week Little Rock declared community violence a public health emergency and if you jump over to Reddit crime is the first thing people are warned about when asking about LR. So, yes crime unfortunately is an impact. Can't imagine peer cities looking at LR on how to do much of anything right, maybe how to install surface parking lots, LOL.

Let me guess, you're a white male boomer that works downtown and commutes west to live in the suburbs hardly spending time downtown after dark or weekends, amirite.

[sub]

Put down the race card because nobody's playing.
Downtown Little Rock is pretty good for a city it's size and also for a city with a decade's long reputation for crime. I'm not going to sugar-coat it, LR has some serious issues.
It's also not one of the cool kids on the block where people from out of state pay exorbitant amounts of cash just to live in some irrationally overrated backwater.
I'd say Little Rock and it's downtown does reasonably well considering.

[Yorker_in_AR]

Originally Posted by sub

I'd say Little Rock and it's downtown does reasonably well considering.

OP asked what there is to do downtown Little Rock. Sub what do YOU do downtown LR?

[BMW335i]

Originally Posted by Yorker_in_AR

I travel quite a bit as well and LR's downtown is mostly desolate comparatively.

Just this week Little Rock declared community violence a public health emergency and if you jump over to Reddit crime is the first thing people are warned about when asking about LR. So, yes crime unfortunately is an impact. Can't imagine peer cities looking at LR on how to do much of anything right, maybe how to install surface parking lots, LOL.

Let me guess, you're a white male boomer that works downtown and commutes west to live in the suburbs hardly spending time downtown after dark or weekends, amirite.

OP states he was impressed with Little Rock's skyline and wants more info.

I respond with a partial list of the over $1B of investments made in the past 20 years.

Your response casts it off as a few bars and restaurants, and infer other cities are better.

I ask you to elaborate, and you attempt to redirect the subject to crime (off-topic really from OPs question).

It's more than a bit regrettable for you to then make personal assumptions through pure conjecture, but since you brought it up....no, I'm not a "boomer" (seriously?)...I have lived downtown (but not currently), I work downtown, I own property downtown, and I'm an investor downtown.