Suburban sprawl isn't an attraction to me either but I don't point that out and "grumble" about it every time something, new restaurant etc., in suburbia gets brought up in this forum.
Every time, no. When you do, you don't hold back.
http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=18206.msg214174#msg214174Our downtown has a lot more potential to be a bigger draw for the restaurant/bar crowd. The other night I went with some friends to some place out by the mall near 71st and Memorial, against my will I might add. It was in the same parking lot, on the north side, where the Red Lobster and Windsor Market are.
I could not believe my eyes. This place was large and packed. But I was in shock most of the evening for these were young adults, people mostly in their 30s, some younger some older,,, packing this place out there in suburban wasteland, dreck. The place was nice I grant you, wish I could remember the name, but it was a chain,,, and by the MALL!? Really!? These were grown up people, acting all cool, dressed up in their clubby clothes and such, hair done just so, strutting around, socializing, having a drink and listen to music.... in a SUBURBAN STRIP MALL!? Really!? It was just so surreal and abnormal from my perspective. Now I remember beeing a teen and thinking the Mall and such was neat,,, but adults? I mean here they were parking in some huge parking lot of a strip mall to go out and just down the way was the Chuck-E-Cheese and that big pizza place thing, yet somehow this was a "normal" hang out for these people? OMG! Grow up and go to the city lol. Could you imagine meeting someone at some bar in a suburban strip mall? How humiliating lol. "Come here often hot stuff? " But there they were packing that place in like it was a completely normal thing? I was just utterly baffled.
Sure, I complain about things urban when they are attempted to be applied to things suburban with an attitude that to do otherwise is criminal. Sidewalks, dense housing, form factor zoning for an urban area are fine.
If you all think pay for parking is an
attractive attribute to an urban area, fine. Go for it. I would rather have a remote free park and ride lot for light rail or a (real) trolley and pay more for a round trip trolley ride than I would pay for parking after driving all the way down town.
I believe I have been mostly supportive of urban things for downtown, except pay parking, when they are applied to downtown areas. Sometimes I say I support something for downtown and then add that I support it for "you" even though I don't want it for myself. Take it how you want.