Downtown Louisville? (Lexington, Frankfort, Dayton: condos, houses, neighborhoods)

[kat750]

Downtown is to fruity and pretentious for me. It sure is alot nicer than what it used to be. And i really do feel safe other than the middle of the night, even then it fine. I see what its about and i get it i think, its just not me.

And i cant stand coming in from Georgetown and seeing Mohammad alis big trash talking mug plastered on the side of a building. Its cheesy and corney

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by rnc76

So, did you just make up a list based on your opinion as "proof". That is honestly amazing.

Indeed it is.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by stx12499

Well, if we were to rank regional downtowns from IL, IN, MO, TN, MI, WV, OH and KY, here is how Louisville stacks up:

1 Chicago
2 Indianapolis
3 Nashville
4 Memphis
5 Louisville
6 Columbus
7 Atlanta
8 Cincinnati
9 Saint Louis
10 Cleveland
11 Grand Rapids
12 Knoxville
13 Lexington
13 Kansas City (before KC live opens fully when it will jump to number 6 or so)
13 Detroit
16 Fort Wayne17 Charleston, WV

So, if you have honestly traveled you will see that Louisville stacks up pretty well. I would be highly surprised if you even knew half of what exists in downtown Louisville.

Who's "we" and what criteria were used to come up with this list? I cannot imagine who would honestly say that Indianapolis, Nashville, Memphis, Louisville, and Columbus have downtowns ranked higher than Atlanta, no matter the criteria. That's just laughable and idiotic.

[stx12499]

Downtown Atlanta is not too happening. Most the action is in Midtown. Yes, I believe Louisville has a slightly better downtown than Atlanta, especially for nightlife and restaurants, if not for business density (of course ATL has the nicer skyline, more jobs). This does NOT include midtown ATL. As a word of advice, please do not call anyone, much less a moderator, "idiotic." There is no question that Nashville, Memphis, and Indianapolis certainly have more vibrant downtowns than ATL. Columbus maybe not. Just because it is a big city does NOT make its downtown more vibrant. Downtown ATL after dark is literally dead compared to a downtown Indianapolis. Detroit is a similar sized city to ATL and it is way worse there.

[noland123]

I don't agree,Atlanta has a lot of nice restaurants and nightlife, it is the number 1 convention city in the south,so there is a lot happening in HOTLANTA. It has the first or second busiest airport in this country. There is a lot more density than Louisville as far as buildings go,the thing that makes Louisville better is that it has a riverfront,whereas Atlanta is landlkocked

[JMT]

Originally Posted by stx12499

Downtown Atlanta is not too happening. Most the action is in Midtown. Yes, I believe Louisville has a slightly better downtown than Atlanta, especially for nightlife and restaurants, if not for business density (of course ATL has the nicer skyline, more jobs). This does NOT include midtown ATL. As a word of advice, please do not call anyone, much less a moderator, "idiotic." There is no question that Nashville, Memphis, and Indianapolis certainly have more vibrant downtowns than ATL. Columbus maybe not. Just because it is a big city does NOT make its downtown more vibrant. Downtown ATL after dark is literally dead compared to a downtown Indianapolis. Detroit is a similar sized city to ATL and it is way worse there.

I didn't call you idiotic. I called the ratings you cited to be idiotic. Since you never said that you created those ratings yourself, why would you take my criticism so personally? Who is the "we" who created those ratings? I never would've called you or anyone else idiotic, and I'm sorry if I came across that way. But I see nothing wrong with calling a list of rankings idiotic particularly since there was no criteria whatsoever given for coming up with that list.

Atlanta's downtown is more than just a few very tall buildings. It also has the world's largest aquarium, three major league sports arenas, a dozen huge hotels that are almost always filled, a huge convention center that is booked solid,a university with over 20,000 students, a very busy subway system, and of course the ever-popular World of Coca-Cola museum which probably has more annual visitors than all of downtown Louisville. And just because it's not busy after dark doesn't mean it's not packed during the day and on weekends.

Besides, Midtown Atlanta is separated from downtown by a mere 14 lanes of freeway and a subway stop. Most visitors to Atlanta probably have no idea that the Fabulous Fox Theater or the High Museum are in midtown and not downtown.

I'm not trying to be critical of Louisville. For a city its size, Louisville definitely has a happening and attractive downtown particularly compared to places like Birmingham, Raleigh, Richmond,
Tampa, even Charlotte.

[12buttons]

Originally Posted by stx12499

Well, if we were to rank regional downtowns from IL, IN, MO, TN, MI, WV, OH and KY, here is how Louisville stacks up:

1 Chicago
2 Indianapolis
3 Nashville
4 Memphis
5 Louisville
6 Columbus
7 Atlanta
8 Cincinnati
9 Saint Louis
10 Cleveland
11 Grand Rapids
12 Knoxville
13 Lexington
13 Kansas City (before KC live opens fully when it will jump to number 6 or so)
13 Detroit
16 Fort Wayne17 Charleston, WV

So, if you have honestly traveled you will see that Louisville stacks up pretty well. I would be highly surprised if you even knew half of what exists in downtown Louisville.

So much for that list..Nashville is 3? It ain't Paris..hell it isn't even Boston or Chicago..not even close...I think it isn't sure what it wants to be - still evolving into ...something? Everytime I drive there I still am wondering what it wants to be..so far Los Angeles comes closest...

[stx12499]

This is I list I made myself based on MY personal experience traveling, living, or staying in these cities multiple times. Note that the list is limited to a few states in the Midwest and and South....so why are you bringing up Boston or LA?

Now, does the Coca Cola museum get millions of visitors a day in ATL? If not, it cannot even beat Louisville's Fourth Street Live, which gets over 4 million visitors a year, probably around half of them tourists. So the above posters theory on that is off, and to talk about crazy statements, that is one.

Downtown ATL leaves a lot to be desired. All the tall buildings and office workers do not make it a nice place to visit. Neither does large professional arenas. Detroit and STL have large pro arenas downtown and their downtowns are probably less vibrant than the likes of smaller midsouth cities like Memphis. Furthermore, downtown ATL does not exactly scream "safe," especially just blocks from the CBD on the south.

Heck, there are college towns with more 24/7 vibrancy than downtown ATL in its own state (see Athens). For any urbanite interested in living in a downtown, 24/7 vibrancy means it all. You talk about Atlanta's MARTA like it is NYC or something. Let me tell you, I lived in ATL and even though I am Arab-American I found myself one of the only nonblack patrons of the train on many many occasions. ATL doesn't have any of the big city feel or vibrancy in its downtown, and I stand by my claim there are many midsized cities in this region that are killing it. And no, you cannot count Midtown Atlanta in the mix. If not, why not count Louisville's Highlands as part of its downtown. Or Nashville's Midtown? The list could go on and on.

I am NOT comparing overall cities, but rather looking strictly at downtowns. ATL has so much more to it than downtown, from Midtown to Buckhead up to Virginia Highlands and even Five Points and other areas. And of course a bigger metro is going to have more to do overall. But comparing downtown to downtown, ATL is simply unimpressive except for the sheer height of its skyline. Many people with urban experience agree. Check the forums at skyscrapercity.com to see similar views. However, overall, as a city as a whole, ATL probably ranks behind Chicago on that least as far as vibrancy, but NOT as far as downtowns. Sorry, that is my view and I can say that having lived there (and I think many people agree).

[JMT]

Originally Posted by stx12499

This is I list I made myself based on MY personal experience traveling, living, or staying in these cities multiple times. Note that the list is limited to a few states in the Midwest and and South....so why are you bringing up Boston or LA?

Now, does the Coca Cola museum get millions of visitors a day in ATL? If not, it cannot even beat Louisville's Fourth Street Live, which gets over 4 million visitors a year, probably around half of them tourists. So the above posters theory on that is off, and to talk about crazy statements, that is one.

Downtown ATL leaves a lot to be desired. All the tall buildings and office workers do not make it a nice place to visit. Neither does large professional arenas. Detroit and STL have large pro arenas downtown and their downtowns are probably less vibrant than the likes of smaller midsouth cities like Memphis. Furthermore, downtown ATL does not exactly scream "safe," especially just blocks from the CBD on the south.

Heck, there are college towns with more 24/7 vibrancy than downtown ATL in its own state (see Athens). For any urbanite interested in living in a downtown, 24/7 vibrancy means it all. You talk about Atlanta's MARTA like it is NYC or something. Let me tell you, I lived in ATL and even though I am Arab-American I found myself one of the only nonblack patrons of the train on many many occasions. ATL doesn't have any of the big city feel or vibrancy in its downtown, and I stand by my claim there are many midsized cities in this region that are killing it. And no, you cannot count Midtown Atlanta in the mix. If not, why not count Louisville's Highlands as part of its downtown. Or Nashville's Midtown? The list could go on and on.

I am NOT comparing overall cities, but rather looking strictly at downtowns. ATL has so much more to it than downtown, from Midtown to Buckhead up to Virginia Highlands and even Five Points and other areas. And of course a bigger metro is going to have more to do overall. But comparing downtown to downtown, ATL is simply unimpressive except for the sheer height of its skyline. Many people with urban experience agree. Check the forums at skyscrapercity.com to see similar views. However, overall, as a city as a whole, ATL probably ranks behind Chicago on that least as far as vibrancy, but NOT as far as downtowns. Sorry, that is my view and I can say that having lived there (and I think many people agree).

Thanks for the clarification. By the way, it's Virginia-Highland, not Virginia Highlands. But don't feel bad, I used to make that mistake, too, until someone corrected me when I was staying at her house there on Highland.

I would be hesitant to rely on a mall (such as Fourth Street Live) to anchor a city's downtown rehabilitation hopes. It might work, and I hope it does, but in most cases it doesn't. After a few years the novelty wears off and people get tired of battling wacky downtown one-way streets and the hassle of parking garages just to eat at trendy theme restaurants. Downtown malls often rely on downtown office workers to keep the food courts and restaurants busy. I know, people in Louisville will say that Louisville is different, and maybe it is. But I'm hard pressed to find an American city that has developed a big downtown mall that didn't eventually fizzle after a few years. Baltimore's is working so far, but then again Baltimore already had a huge base of tourists visiting its Inner Harbor before that mall (whose name I can't remember) was built.

A lot of people disagree with your assertion that a dynamic downtown is a 24/7 downtown. I've lived in big cities like Hong Kong, Paris, Brussels, Manila, Miami, Atlanta, and Washington DC. Of those, only Hong Kong could be considered a true 24/7 city, yet I would hardly say that those other cities don't have dynamic downtowns.

Over 5 million people visit downtown Atlanta's touristy area around Centennial Olympic Park anchored by the Georgia Aquarium (3.6 million), the World of Coca-Cola (1.5 million), and CNN Center (I can't find figures for that). That area of downtown Atlanta is hopping on weekends, but you're right that it's pretty dead at night.

Anyway, I hope Fourth Street Live works out and makes Louisville one of the few cities where a downtown entertainment mall meets its goals. And like I said in an earlier post, I really do think downtown Louisville is attractive and has a lot going for it. I'd rather spend time in downtown Louisville than downtown Birmingham, downtown Charlotte, downtown Raleigh, and many others. But you haven't convinced me that downtown Louisville is more dynamic than downtown Atlanta. But I definitely respect your opinions and appreciate your taking the time to explain them.

[censusdata]

4th Street Live has been open 4 years and is still as vibrant as when it opened. The East Main and Market areas are also booming. Lexington has had a major building added downtown since the mid 1980s, while Louisville's skyline in the same period went from being compared with Dayton to being compared with Nashville

Lexington's downtown may be more walkable, but it isn't even close in terms of architecture.