Baton Rouge is boring . Nothing to do ... (Lafayette, Lake Charles: college, live)

[MetroBTR]

Originally Posted by Caa

I am a transplant from here, my hubby was not a frat guy nor do I see what you are talking about. perkins Rowe, to me, is full of families and people of many races and social status-one of my favorite places to walk around and get a nice dinner from CPK.

I agree with you.

My wife and I are 60 somethings...old farts. Even we go to Perkins Rowe every now and again.

There are definitely alot of college students that go there. And also high school students. I don't see why that should be a bad thing, though.

[MetroBTR]

I think alot of people are completely misunderstanding the reasons why us "locals" are upset with all the complaints. Bear with me as I try to not to offend anyone.

People say we get mad when they say we aren't one of the world's greatest entertainment meccas like New Orleans or Vegas, that we aren't very walkable, that we aren't as deliciously liberal as San Fran, that we don't have the public transportation options of New York City, we aren't as wealthy as affluent as another city, we have worse crime than such-n-such a town 2,000 miles away.

Newsflash: We never claimed to be any of those things

There is a crime problem in Baton Rouge. We know this. However dangerous, it is not Baghdad. We are doing everything within reason to try to help the problem. Some at risk and already dangerous neighborhoods have formed crime prevention districts, and residents pay extra money out of pocket for private patrols. Other areas have acknowledged the problem, which is the first step to correcting it. A good example is the "take back 10" initiative going on in Mid-City.

There is a walkability problem in Baton Rouge. We know this. Understand that we are a young city. Almost all of it was built after the invention of the automobile. But when people finally realized that auto-centrism was dangerous, most of the city was already built. We are a city of subdivisions, which also creates problems. Most are large, and purely residential. There is no place within walking distance for many of these folks, so sidewalks in those areas are not going to do anything to get people out of their cars. Realistically, we cannot do anything to alleviate the "spreadoutedness" of the city. Nothing short of a miracle is going to make Shenandoah more convenient to Downtown, or make LSU more convenient to Metro Airport....However we can make some areas more walkable than they are. The new sidewalks going in along Perkins Road are evidence that we are making progress. Other indicators of progress are the planned extension of the levee path, the addition of bike lanes and new sidewalks to go into the Brightside Drive construction. In additon to that, many of the Green Light Plan projects include sidewalks. This is a problem that has been realized, and is one that most of us freely admit. We are not ashamed because we are doing what we can with what we got. We can't put down hundreds of miles of sidewalks overnight.

However, I honestly do not feel like we have a shortage of things to do for a city of 225,000. I am in my 60's and even I can find things to do. We may not be on the "cutting edge" as one poster put it, but we don't claim to be. I don't think you'll find very many "cutting edge" cities of 225,000 in the south.

Also, there are many good local restaurants, but if I told you where they are, it might be harder for me to get a table next time I go. Go hunting and see if you can find them. One that I will brag about is Don's Seafood. It's a little bit out of the way for South Baton Rougeans, but well worth the trip. Also, for amazingly fresh seafood, head to Tony's on Plank Road. There are countless other good places to find grub, though. Go out and sample. A good place to start on the hunt for a variety of good local restaurants would be Government Street.

Gosh...there is so much more to write. Anybody mind if I take a break and pick up where I left off later?

For now, I'll close with this: Are there places of a similar size (lets make the criteria 200,000 to 250,000 in city limits) that are so much better than Baton Rouge? Maybe. However I don't feel like this means that Baton Rouge is a place that should be criticized so harshly. Especially when the people doing it don't give me the impression that they have really explored the things that define Baton Rouge.

[mhounit]

Applause ...

[annie_himself]

I agree with MetroBTR, for a city of our size and since we are not a vacation destination, we have enough things to do for 750,000 people. When we get more amenities across the metro area we will have more things to keep us happy.

[Caa]

Originally Posted by CuriousLindsey

The original list contained lots of outdoor activities that I would love to get involved in if the weather here wasn't so miserable. It would be great to be outside more often, but I just can't handle the humidity. I was born and raised here, so you'd think I would be used to it, but it affects me twice as much as it seems to affect most people. I just wish I could enjoy all of the activities listed without having a heatstroke, being eaten by mosquitoes, or drowning in my own sweat.

Also,
Where is this? I'd like to check that out sometime.

I think that the weather here is perfect! It was only 54 degress today-if you are sweating outside in that..there is somwthing wrong with you. This is the state for outdoor stuff, especially in the fall and winter, our climate at this time of year is perfect!

[Caa]

Originally Posted by MetroBTR

I think alot of people are completely misunderstanding the reasons why us "locals" are upset with all the complaints. Bear with me as I try to not to offend anyone.

People say we get mad when they say we aren't one of the world's greatest entertainment meccas like New Orleans or Vegas, that we aren't very walkable, that we aren't as deliciously liberal as San Fran, that we don't have the public transportation options of New York City, we aren't as wealthy as affluent as another city, we have worse crime than such-n-such a town 2,000 miles away.

Newsflash: We never claimed to be any of those things

There is a crime problem in Baton Rouge. We know this. However dangerous, it is not Baghdad. We are doing everything within reason to try to help the problem. Some at risk and already dangerous neighborhoods have formed crime prevention districts, and residents pay extra money out of pocket for private patrols. Other areas have acknowledged the problem, which is the first step to correcting it. A good example is the "take back 10" initiative going on in Mid-City.

There is a walkability problem in Baton Rouge. We know this. Understand that we are a young city. Almost all of it was built after the invention of the automobile. But when people finally realized that auto-centrism was dangerous, most of the city was already built. We are a city of subdivisions, which also creates problems. Most are large, and purely residential. There is no place within walking distance for many of these folks, so sidewalks in those areas are not going to do anything to get people out of their cars. Realistically, we cannot do anything to alleviate the "spreadoutedness" of the city. Nothing short of a miracle is going to make Shenandoah more convenient to Downtown, or make LSU more convenient to Metro Airport....However we can make some areas more walkable than they are. The new sidewalks going in along Perkins Road are evidence that we are making progress. Other indicators of progress are the planned extension of the levee path, the addition of bike lanes and new sidewalks to go into the Brightside Drive construction. In additon to that, many of the Green Light Plan projects include sidewalks. This is a problem that has been realized, and is one that most of us freely admit. We are not ashamed because we are doing what we can with what we got. We can't put down hundreds of miles of sidewalks overnight.

However, I honestly do not feel like we have a shortage of things to do for a city of 225,000. I am in my 60's and even I can find things to do. We may not be on the "cutting edge" as one poster put it, but we don't claim to be. I don't think you'll find very many "cutting edge" cities of 225,000 in the south.

Also, there are many good local restaurants, but if I told you where they are, it might be harder for me to get a table next time I go. Go hunting and see if you can find them. One that I will brag about is Don's Seafood. It's a little bit out of the way for South Baton Rougeans, but well worth the trip. Also, for amazingly fresh seafood, head to Tony's on Plank Road. There are countless other good places to find grub, though. Go out and sample. A good place to start on the hunt for a variety of good local restaurants would be Government Street.

Gosh...there is so much more to write. Anybody mind if I take a break and pick up where I left off later?

For now, I'll close with this: Are there places of a similar size (lets make the criteria 200,000 to 250,000 in city limits) that are so much better than Baton Rouge? Maybe. However I don't feel like this means that Baton Rouge is a place that should be criticized so harshly. Especially when the people doing it don't give me the impression that they have really explored the things that define Baton Rouge.

YOU ARE AWESOME!! Love all your points MetroBR!!

[Tmoneymonet]

One thing I love about BR...its a college town...yet its not JUST a college town. There are plenty of things to do there from arts, to bars and dancing, to sight seeing, eating, etc. Just go and find something that interests you!!!

[rcp11889]

The thing is..it's not really the best college town...

[MetroBTR]

Originally Posted by rcp11889

The thing is..it's not really the best college town...

[annie_himself]

It has potential. How does Gainesville, Fayetteville, and Charleston and other college towns, esp in the SEC sompare?