Parking Meter Rates and Hours to Increase (Wilkinsburg, Washington: apartments, hotel)

[Lobick]

Originally Posted by Enough_Already

I worked downtown years ago. The amount of businesses which are gone is astounding compared to that time.

And yet the number of people working downtown has remained remarkable stable since the 1950s...odd.

http://nullspace2.blogspot.com/search?q=downtown+jobs

So if anything... the concentration of higher paying jobs in the county, which itself has a disproportionate concentration of the higher paying jobs in the region, is trending up pretty clearly. So the next time you hear anyone even suggest that jobs are fleeing the city or Downtown.. or have ever fled the city in the past... ask to see their data they are basing that conclusion on...

Finally... for the history buffs or those who think all numbers in the past were higher. On this question of how stable Downtown has employment has been... here is something from p7 of the Mass Transportation Study of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, Part 2 that the ACCD commissioned in 1951. Read and compare the reference there for the jobs count in the 'Golden Triangle'.

[doo dah]

Originally Posted by Enough_Already

There are lots of other restaurants downtown than those. The top restaurants will not suffer as much as the ones a level or two below. Some of those might even go out of business. Those places are not as busy as some people make them out to be.

You said top notch restaurants, I gave you top notch restaurants. Where are the James Beard winners in the suburbs?

[Der Schwabe]

Originally Posted by Enough_Already

Most people are not spending hundreds of dollars for a meal on a daily basis. But there are many restaurants in the city where there are many equal quality restaurants in the suburbs. Paying to park is a reason for some people some of the time to choose the one where they don't pay to park. The result in the aggregate is less spending in the city.

Hundreds of dollars? I'm not talking about fine dining exclusively. Part of the appeal of the city is variety. As much as you can have the Cures, Butchers and the Ryes, Habitats etc, you have the Thai, Cambodian, Uzbek, Syrian, Lebanese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean places along with casual, less expensive food of a variety and density that to my knowledge does not exist in the suburbs.

There are certainly good places out there in isolated pockets but even then, trying to get good food in the South Hills is just depressing in my personal experience. There are a few good restaurants here and there but the demand is so high (because there is little alternative) that it makes sense to come into the city and suffer under the autocratic hand of the pay to park fascists.

[PghYinzer]

Originally Posted by Enough_Already

That might be on a Monday through Thursday at 6:00 but not on the weekend or at 9:00.

I worked downtown years ago. The amount of businesses which are gone is astounding compared to that time.

On a Saturday I was at Nola at 7 pm...the place was packed. I left Nola at around 9 pm...place still packed, and they actually politely asked us to move to the bar if we were only going to drink since they needed to turn our table. We moved to Primanti's, which would be one of the lower scale places downtown, and it probably had a good 25 people in there. We left Primanti's at 12:30 or so, and we were definitely not the last ones to leave.

[UKyank]

I don't think anyone arguing either side of this issue has any data showing where those eating at any of the restuarants inside of outside of the city reside?

It personally doesn't effect me in any way as I have an alcohol with dinner vice that precludes me from driving either way

[Der Schwabe]

Originally Posted by Enough_Already

That might be on a Monday through Thursday at 6:00 but not on the weekend or at 9:00.

I worked downtown years ago. The amount of businesses which are gone is astounding compared to that time.

Sorry, missed this one but this is demonstrably ludicrous. Can barely get lunch down here these places are so packed.

[PghYinzer]

Originally Posted by UKyank

I don't think anyone arguing either side of this issue has any data showing where those eating at any of the restuarants inside of outside of the city reside?

No hard numbers, but for my examples of a night out it was probably a 50/50 split with my group of friends.

And I don't think this really is a city/suburb thing. I live in the city and still have to pay to park at these places. I don't get a waiver for being a city resident.

I think it has more to do with preferences. If you are willing to substitute Olive Garden for Stagioni, then so be it. However as a poor inner city Dominos eating resident, that is a decision I refuse to make.

[doo dah]

Originally Posted by Der Schwabe

Sorry, missed this one but this is demonstrably ludicrous. Can barely get lunch down here these places are so packed.

When E_A worked downtown years ago, they were 10 deep at Palmers' counter!

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

I would bet that most of the revenue is coming from people who live or work downtown. At least, whenever I'm there, it looks like people who got off work.

A lot of the Downtown customer base is also people who are staying in the hotels, who are pretty much a captive audience.

[PghYinzer]

Can't make this up....just overheard a suburbanite talking about the lunch they got at the downtown Dominos today.....