By Carleton S. Finkbeiner
Toledo Mayor
The week of April 23, 2007, was one of the proudest weeks this city has ever had. On Monday, fDi (Foreign Direct Investment) Magazine, published by the distinguished London Financial Times, recognized Toledo as one of the Top Ten Cities of the Future in North America in the category of major cities. Furthermore, of the 44 cities they evaluated, they found Toledo to be the most
New Arena looks cool. Goes with 5/3rd ballpark. 2009 might generate some good vibes, including convention center. Keep in mind, Zoo and Art Museum are some serious gems.
Sometimes things aren't as Good as they Appear, AND somethimes things aren't as Bad as they appear.
In the end, being a pessimist is not healthy. At some point, I need to have a good attitude and find some good. I'm gonna give a shot.
I know the east side is unhappy about losing the arena but at least this is actually happening and its not just another empty promise of the old Sports Arena finally being fixed/rebuit.
"Downtown has undergone a renaissance with new businesses populating what, just a few years ago, were dilapidated, empty storefronts."
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Downtown USED to be populated with a lot of businesses & foot traffic - pre 1965. Downtown Toledo did show promise, but I think the statewide smoking ban will smash that promise to pieces. I never liked anything about Erie St Market - (old news, I know) - full of crappy looking booth type shops, candle shops (does Toledo or ANYWHERE need another freaking candle shop?) The antique mall & libbey glass were the only good things about it. The Italian deli had promise - but such slow turnover, I had huge concerns about freshness - heard this concern repeated a lot by others. Nothing much has done well there. Downtown Toledo needs more than a ball park, arena & a few restaurants & bars to work. And I still think the arena should have stayed on it's current site - traffic will be hell now.
I'm tired of hearing the Eastsiders complain about losing the Sports Arena
Not all of eastsiders are unhappy about that, The more i think about it, the more i like the idea of it being downtown. AND it isnt about the fact that the eastsiders want it there, the complaining stems from the fact that the voters feel that they were ignored when it was first voted to build it on the east side.
I do remember that darkseid - I remember xmas shopping downtown (as most of you do too, I'm sure) as a kid, LOTS of shoppers, foot traffic - every single day. That was before the urban sprawl though - other than a few drive in movies, you had to go downtown to see a movie. No malls, just Westgage, Southland & Parkway Plaza. (showing my age). I thought downtown was coming back to life when they started Party In The Park. But then the whie collar yuppies were annoyed it was infiltrated with the blue collar scum - even though Toledo is a blue collar town, and many of those blue collar workers made & spent more money than the white collar office workers. Just seems like somebody's aways bitching.
tm - I too am weary of the bickering about the Sports Arena - but I believe that people voted for it to be on the existing spot & stay on the East Side. They voted, but their vote seems to have meant nothing. KInd of like when a business owner decides to appeal a reported smoking violation - it won't mean a damned thing, because all appeals are required to go to Franklin County in Columbus, to Judge Cain - who's on the board of directors of Maryhaven ( a drug rehab & smoking cessation business). Won't matter if the violation report was bogus - the judge who stands to make money off this ban will rule, regardless. Won't mean a damned thing if it's fair or not. And that pisses people off.
to hurl its smug insults and feelings of superiority-thereby proving everything that could possibly be construed as selfish or evil about the term yuppie.
Get behind me, Starling, I've got you covered!
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b251/Foolkiller/posters/258Troll_spray...
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BRING THE TROOPS HOME-NOW!
Why should one more drop of our soldiers blood be spilled on foreign soil? Why fight/die for 'freedom' anymore when our citizens are pissing it away at the voting booth?
Blue Collar, White Collar, Dog Collar - Who cares - they all drink beer in the contained area!
won't carty be gone by 2009? hey, it's not so hard to beat that pessimism thing.
"Downtown has undergone a renaissance with new businesses populating what, just a few years ago, were dilapidated, empty storefronts."
The Mayor is correct to state that some businesses have moved into downtown but as the manager of the hotel recently cited for alleged violations does make a point that there are vacant, still, store fronts directly across the hotel and around the downtown are.
It is one thing to be optimistic versus being realistic.
http://toledoohioneighborhoodconcerns.com/blog
do you remember the deal they had way back in the 60's where they blocked off several blocks of downtown, and planted trees, had vendors , statues,and benches,etc? I always thought that was cool. For my money, it was the best thing they ever tried. Back before Portside, I wrote a letter to the rag suggesting toledo bring the trolley cars back, it would have made a fantastic tourist attraction similar to the Frisco cable cars. My letter was ignored and they tore the remainder of the tracks up and built Portside instead.
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BRING THE TROOPS HOME-NOW!
Why should one more drop of our soldiers blood be spilled on foreign soil? Why fight/die for 'freedom' anymore when our citizens are pissing it away at the voting booth?
I'm tired of hearing the Eastsiders complain about losing the Sports Arena. At least they are getting the Marina district.
The South End/Maumee area lost the Mud Hens and what did they get??? More parking at an empty Southwyck.
MikeyA
Nobody voted to put it on the east side. There was never a vote for anything of the sort. The vote was about financing the arena, which was then planned on the East.
The arena is being financed differently now and thus the ballot measure is moot.
Besides, even if that was what was voted on, it's funny to me that the only votes complaining about being "ignored" were those that just happened to live on the East Side.
Personally, traffic-wise, I thought the best place for it would be in the Marina District right about where the defunct power plant is now, for no other reason than access to the interstate just blocks away via a two-lane divided road. Synergy wise, though, downtown. Hands down.
As I've mentioned before, I live downtown. I spend a LOT of time in my neighborhood. On ballgame nights, it's a different place altogether. With an arena it's just all the more people down there.
I thought downtown was coming back to life when they started Party In The Park. But then the whie collar yuppies were annoyed it was infiltrated with the blue collar scum - even though Toledo is a blue collar town, and many of those blue collar workers made & spent more money than the white collar office workers.
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Yep! Which is why they scheduled them to start about the time blue-collar workers were just getting off work. Which is also why I've only been to TWO of them in all the years they had them-one was to see Pat Benatar (she was fantastic and still had it), I can't recall the other-too many years. I figured, f**k 'em, guess they don't want my money. Got a lot of the phony coughing and hand-waving when the yups walked by me, due to my tobacco. But, by God, that beer sure flowed like a waterfall! I really got a kick out of all of the yups whining when they made them go into that contained area to buy beer. Hey, tough shit. That was the early forerunner of banning booze at any public function where there are children (yes, the rugrats yet again used as the excuse) present.
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BRING THE TROOPS HOME-NOW!
Why should one more drop of our soldiers blood be spilled on foreign soil? Why fight/die for 'freedom' anymore when our citizens are pissing it away at the voting booth?
Have you heard the story of the killing of the streetcar in America?
It was covered in the EXCELLENT documentary "Who killed the electric car?"
The gist is that there was consolodation in the streetcar manufacturing industry, as is expected as industries mature. But it allowed Automakers (and related companies like Goodyear and Standard Oil, for example) to purchase the companies and turn them all into.... wait for it.... bus manufacturers.
It's been 6 months or so since I've seen the movie so I can't remember exactly what company actually did the buying of the streetcar companies, but it was certainly General Motors or a General Motors Related Company.
Interesting, I thought...
I love how insecure so many of you are about being a so-called "blue collar worker." I mean, that's the only reason I can imagine that so many of you spew such nasty invective towards white collar workers. You try to use "yuppie" as some term that's supposed to offend us (you try to use "liberal" in the same way) but I don't know any "Young Urban Professionals" who feel inadequate, secretly pining for the day where they could be Old, Country-Bumpkin, and Unprofessional.
Truth be told, I've always taken "yuppie" as a compliment. But I don't understand what it is about us that bothers "your kind" so much. That we have our youth? That we're college educated? That we're often well paid? That we get to use our brain and not our brawn?
I just don't get it.