Best/Worst thing about the Ville (Lexington, Louisville: low crime, hotel, houses)

[rpb502]

In your opinion, what are the best/worst thing(s) about Louisville.

Best:
Restaurants. Louisville is FULL of awesome local restaurants.
Low crime for a city Louisville's size.
History. I love Louisville's rich history.
Fairgrounds. I really enjoy going to the state fair every year, I think ours is one of the best in the U.S.
Water Quality No doubt about it, we have some great tasting water.

Worst:
ROADS. Not traffic, but very poor road quality. Potholes, bumps, cracks...overall its just embarrassing. This seems to be a state-wide issue though.
Approach from he south. Not a big deal, but downtown Louisville's approach from the south is horrible. I think its the Old Cardinal Stadium and the Silo's that kill it.
Lack of entertainment/sports venues. Louisville needs better venues. I know we have the new arena u/c, but we also need a new pro-capable football stadium and and an ampitheather. There was talk of tearing down the old stadium and building a new concert venue, but I haven't heard nothing on that for awhile.
Upscale shopping. Louisville needs Saks, Trader Joe's, IKEA, etc.

[bw87a]

I agree with the upscale shopping and the new venues. Critics argue that the money could be well spent elsewhere, however, I believe new and exciting venues engender an exciting feel in the city. It's not just that fact that you're spending money on something that could be spent elsewhere. It's all about increasing the atmosphere of your city, which increases your quality of life.
Having new and exciting venues is a part of having a good quality of life; it's not just low housing costs, low taxes, etc. There needs to be a good mix and entertainment should be a priority as well. You can't just FIX everything and then increase entertainment. Sorry if that was a rant.

I'd like to see improvements to better and affordable housing downtown. I'd love to live downtown someday, but I'm afraid I won't be making enough money after college to do that. Could be wrong though.
I think that interstate system is an asset to the region (minus the bridge situation!). You can pretty much navigate around anywhere pretty quickly.
I believe a BAD thing the city has going for it is the unequal distribution of growth. The neglect of the SW part of the county, which does have quite a bit of money and potential, will really hurt the future growth prospects of the city. It kind of irritates me when people first suggest areas east of 65 to new comers. While these places are the paradigm of the healthy and the wealthy, the southern and southwestern areas of Louisville are gorgeous and have beautiful subdivisions, smart people, and great potential.

[rpb502]

Originally Posted by bw87a

I agree with the upscale shopping and the new venues. Critics argue that the money could be well spent elsewhere, however, I believe new and exciting venues engender an exciting feel in the city. It's not just that fact that you're spending money on something that could be spent elsewhere. It's all about increasing the atmosphere of your city, which increases your quality of life.
Having new and exciting venues is a part of having a good quality of life; it's not just low housing costs, low taxes, etc. There needs to be a good mix and entertainment should be a priority as well. You can't just FIX everything and then increase entertainment. Sorry if that was a rant.

I'd like to see improvements to better and affordable housing downtown. I'd love to live downtown someday, but I'm afraid I won't be making enough money after college to do that. Could be wrong though.
I think that interstate system is an asset to the region (minus the bridge situation!). You can pretty much navigate around anywhere pretty quickly.
I believe a BAD thing the city has going for it is the unequal distribution of growth. The neglect of the SW part of the county, which does have quite a bit of money and potential, will really hurt the future growth prospects of the city. It kind of irritates me when people first suggest areas east of 65 to new comers. While these places are the paradigm of the healthy and the wealthy, the southern and southwestern areas of Louisville are gorgeous and have beautiful subdivisions, smart people, and great potential.

I totally agree.

Maybe the "Waverly Hills 5-Star Hotel" project could bring a spark to the area...even though I personally love it the way it is now.

That building is just becoming ridiculously popular...not just locally either.

[cobolt]

Why do people think IKEA is upscale? They sell some cheap a$$ cr*p furnature. I just never understood the IKEA fascination.

[nlschr0]

Originally Posted by cobolt

Why do people think IKEA is upscale? They sell some cheap a$$ cr*p furnature. I just never understood the IKEA fascination.

Yes - I would agree that IKEA is not upscale ...but count me in as one of those who is addicted!

I doubt they will be opening a store in Louisville, though. They are pretty big about having regional centers and not over-saturating their market areas, and with the new store in Cincinnati I think they are done in this region for a while.

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by nlschr0

Yes - I would agree that IKEA is not upscale ...but count me in as one of those who is addicted!

I doubt they will be opening a store in Louisville, though. They are pretty big about having regional centers and not over-saturating their market areas, and with the new store in Cincinnati I think they are done in this region for a while.

I dont know about that. Indy would be the most likely to get the next store in this area, but an IKEA in the new Middletown Crossings development in eastern Jefferson would service Louisville and Lexington, which is equal to the Cincy metro in size, and could easily support such a store. When the fad runs out, (and it will in 3 years), I think we will see it open around there or maybe even Old Brownsboro Crossing. This is all just a hunch and not based on any reports.

FYI, I also had a hunch fern Creek would get a new lifestlye center and now there are plans for one as big and nice as the Summit.

Fern Creek area shopping center plan grows | courier-journal | The Courier-Journal

[censusdata]

Best:
--> Park system, waterfront
--> Eastern Parkway, Bardstown Rd, & Frankfort Ave
--> Traffic flow is about as good as it gets
--> U of L one the nation's fastest rising universities

Worst:
--> block after block of urban prairies surrounding Downtown
--> West End/ Shelby Park most depressing areas I have ever seen anywhere
--> the old city/ urban service district has taxed out nearly all middle class residents
--> complete lack of support (infrastructure & brown field redevelopment) from the city towards U of L
--> too many freeways cutting through Downtown (86 I-64 & I-65 PLEASE)

[bw87a]

86 I65 and I64, psh. sorry, but people have to get into the CBD somehow. and by a mode that is efficient and effective.

[Gimme3steps]

Worst? Calling it the "Ville"

[censusdata]

Originally Posted by rpb502

Approach from he south. Not a big deal, but downtown Louisville's approach from the south is horrible. I think its the Old Cardinal Stadium and the Silo's that kill it.
Lack of entertainment/sports venues. Louisville needs better venues. I know we have the new arena u/c, but we also need a new pro-capable football stadium and and an ampitheather. There was talk of tearing down the old stadium and building a new concert venue, but I haven't heard nothing on that for awhile.

Maybe people in Louisville should start giving U of L the support UK gets from the city of Lexington.

UK's campus used to be next to a large complex of abandoned/ under used industrial buildings too (it was called the old Tobacco Warehouse District). In the mid 1990s the city of Lexington began buying up all the empty warehouses and replacing them with new residential and shopping areas.

U of L get's NO such support from the city of Louisville. Even the city's largest non horse sporting venue (PJ Cardinal Stadium) got ZERO support from the city, either financially or in planning. U of L can not afford to spend $40 million purchasing and moving the silos or all the other abandoned properties next to. It would seem logical for the city to invest in the Floyd Street corridor, but of course that might help U of L, and that's something Loser-villans can't stand for