Louisville is booming... What do we need next? (Rochester, California: transporting, movers)

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by Visvaldis

Sounds like an interesting place. But I doubt if Louisville has enough people that would attend such such a theater to keep it afloat. Otherwise the Baxter would show such films much more often.

That is your opinion, but you have a known tendency to downplay the amount of culture that exists in Louisville. Weren't you the one that said Louisville didn't have very good restaurants? Anyone well traveled knows Louisville's restaurants stack up with cities 5 times larger--Louisville's restaurant scene is honestly as interesting as Atlanta's, for example, and I have lived in both cities.

I for one would not only support an indie theatre, but I personally know dozens of people who would. And considering the very strong and growing arts scene and all the things you mentioned, I think it would be a hit. The beer would be icing on the cake. It needs to be a place molded on the Keep Louisville Weird Model, in a refurbished old building either downtown or a surrounding urban area like the Highlands or even Germantown. A high traffic street is not imperative but a say, Bardstown Road location couldn't hurt. Talk to people at places like Magbar, 3rd street dive, Highland Coffee Shop, Nachbar, Cahoots, Cumberland Brews, and Back , Pink Door, Monkey Wrench, and even Baxter itself to see what people hate there. Talk to people at Actors theatre, Burnberry Theatre, or and see what they say as I think they would be the critical mass type of people. The corporate art cinema on the north side of Indy for example would never work in Louisville, even though they have good films.

Louisville, as a city, is tired of crap. Baxter did not offer true indie films. Indeed they are "sell outs." The indie/artsy types in Louisville hate "sell outs" so to speak. In the same way, Louisville will never again support crappy minor league sports like ABA or minor league hockey. Why? People in Louisville want the real thing. People would go to pro sports but not some second class minor league team. Likewise, a TRUE indie art theatre that got the major indie films you find in theatres in cities just to the north of here, would work WONDERFULLY.

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by stx12499

That is your opinion, but you have a known tendency to downplay the amount of culture that exists in Louisville. Weren't you the one that said Louisville didn't have very good restaurants? Anyone well traveled knows Louisville's restaurants stack up with cities 5 times larger--Louisville's restaurant scene is honestly as interesting as Atlanta's, for example, and I have lived in both cities.

I for one would not only support an indie theatre, but I personally know dozens of people who would. And considering the very strong and growing arts scene and all the things you mentioned, I think it would be a hit. The beer would be icing on the cake. It needs to be a place molded on the Keep Louisville Weird Model, in a refurbished old building either downtown or a surrounding urban area like the Highlands or even Germantown. A high traffic street is not imperative but a say, Bardstown Road location couldn't hurt. Talk to people at places like Magbar, 3rd street dive, Highland Coffee Shop, Nachbar, Cahoots, Cumberland Brews, and Back , Pink Door, Monkey Wrench, and even Baxter itself to see what people hate there. Talk to people at Actors theatre, Burnberry Theatre, or and see what they say as I think they would be the critical mass type of people. The corporate art cinema on the north side of Indy for example would never work in Louisville, even though they have good films.

Louisville, as a city, is tired of crap. Baxter did not offer true indie films. Indeed they are "sell outs." The indie/artsy types in Louisville hate "sell outs" so to speak. In the same way, Louisville will never again support crappy minor league sports like ABA or minor league hockey. Why? People in Louisville want the real thing. People would go to pro sports but not some second class minor league team. Likewise, a TRUE indie art theatre that got the major indie films you find in theatres in cities just to the north of here, would work WONDERFULLY.

Thata boy!

[Visvaldis]

Maybe you people encounter others who would like to see more foreign/indie films, surely there are many in Louisville. For a theater to survive financially with out-of-the-ordinary films may be a risky investment, that would require sizeable crowds. Many might have an interest in such films and gladly attend, but would it be enough for a theater to last one year?
I have little interest for the likes of Jolie, Depp, et al, and have never seen the inside of any Louisville theater except the Baxter, and go only rarely. Otherwise, I have a card for Wild & Wooly. The library also has some foreign films worth the viewing. This indicates that some interest for such films exists, but a theater is another story.

[Crew Chief]

I'd sure like it if y'all got around to building the bridge that would take the Gene Snyder across the river into Jeffersonville, Indiana one of these years! The JFK during the morning rush hour SUX!

[Visvaldis]

Originally Posted by Crew Chief

I'd sure like it if y'all got around to building the bridge that would take the Gene Snyder across the river into Jeffersonville, Indiana one of these years! The JFK during the morning rush hour SUX!

A little patience please...in about 20 years the new bridge will be open for traffic!

[louroclou]

When we moved back to Louisville two years ago, we heard the traffic reports in the morning and there was always some catastrophe on the Gene Snyder. We vowed never to set tires on it, and we have kept our promise.

You know, it's interesting - and disturbing - the way Louisvillians drive. I suppose, in the spirit of this thread, I would suggest what we need next is mandatory driver re-education. If the drivers back in Rochester NY, where we lived 35 years, were often obnoxious, the drivers in the Ville are oblivious. People are barely aware they are in their cars. Every once in a while they glance away from their phones and realize their living rooms are moving down a street. Now, they're not overly fast or pushy, and they're often downright kind and courteous: they let people in, they smile, they don't honk. Their sins are of omission, not commission: my wife has been hit twice in less than a year by people totally unaware of the flow of traffic, of the traffic around them.

And no one uses their damn turn signals. I've seen mention of this in local papers and magazines. Folks think it's quaint and endearing. It's not; it's rude, it's lazy, and it's dangerous. My only theory is that it comes from that residual cracker mentality that keeps people from using seatbelts, from wearing helmets when motorcycling, from properly seating-in their kids. It's smoker and and unleashed dog owner mentality: Ain't nobody tell me what to do, it's my bidness, I ain't gotta do nuthin I dont want to do... Arrgh...

That said, I'd rather drive a year in Louisville than a week in New York City - or an afternoon in Boston...

[Crew Chief]

When I deliver to our Louisville-area stores, there's only one I get on the Snyder for, thank goodness. The Watterson, IMHO, is a far better way to get to all of the others. Yes, the I-71/Snyder junction is a dangerous one. Especially if you are Southbound on I-71 or Eastbound on the Snyder getting onto the I-71 Southbound (that hill just before the off ramp makes it hard to see backed-up traffic, even from my seat in the big truck...) I'd rather be in Louisville's a.m. rush hour than Cincinnati's, though.

Louroclou, unfortunately, Louisville drivers with poor driving habits have LOTS of company in every other city in America...

[louroclou]

> I'd rather be in Louisville's a.m. rush hour than Cincinnati's, though.

Amen.


As for craziness in other cities... I know, I know. My younger son in Baltimore just laughs when I complain about drivers here not using turn signals. So does my older son who used to live in Montgomery, Alabama. Still, I stand by my characterization of Louisville's obliviousness...

[louroclou]

Oh, by the way, my wife found out today that Cincy is getting an Ikea. Dang. Why didn't we snag that? Can we get a Crate & Barrel?

[yegna97]

Having been here only three months, my thoughts are qualified...

I do agree that public transport could be better here but the bus is the way to go. The infrastructure of highways and roads exists. Buying and maintaining buses is cheap - buying and maintaining trains is not.

Light rail is nonsense. It is a gigantic waste of taxpayer money on a white elephant that only a tiny percentage of middle class people will use. That's a fact and I don't want my taxes paying for other people's pipe dreams.

Have express buses (reserved lanes are great too) from the center of key neighborhoods: St. Matthews, Hurstbourne, etc., to/from downtown. Have them run all day, with express buses from downtown going to other parts of the city as well. The hubs in these neighbourhoods could be the starting point for buses serving those areas. Keep most bus routes reasonably short and local.

I've been taking public transportation every day for 25 years all over North America. If the commute is not comfortable and pleasant, no sane middle class person will get out of the car and onto a bus (or train). This requires the commuter to pay the majority of the cost, which will not be cheap. Bus tickets and passes can be subsidized for the poor and students in whatever way works.

Even at $70 to $80 per month, public transport would be beat the car for cost-effectiveness. The reduction in stress is priceless, of course. But a middle class person expects, rightly, that the monthly fare plus taxes should pay for a nice, hassle-free commute.

I've taken the bus many times here and so far I like it. It's clean, the drivers are nice and it's been reliable. The bus system needs a revamp for such a big, spread-out city. I don't mind sensible government spending on public transportation and paying a lot more in fares. The folks at TARC seem to understand that the customer is king and I appreciate their good work.
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A repertory movie theatre where you can have a glass of wine with the flic is cool. I'm sceptical about whether it'd make money here though...

I'd love to have a nice 24 hr grocery store downtown.

Lastly, drivers here are particularly bad.