Amazon HQ2 thread - Page 107

10023 · #**2121** Posted **Jan 25, 2018, 11:58 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jd3189

Here are some articles I found today on the Amazon bids. If anyone wants to post excerpts from them here, you are highly welcome.

This one says that the cities that are mostly likely to get the HQ are Atlanta, Raleigh, DC, Boston, and Austin based on this criteria:

This article says that the cities that most likely won't get it are Toronto, Newark, Denver, Columbus, Nashville, Austin, and Raleigh.

And this one from USA Today just goes over the pros and cons of each city.

Austin would give them an East Coast presence?

cabasse · #**2122** Posted **Jan 25, 2018, 1:00 PM**

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Originally Posted by pj3000

does atlanta have good pizza?

Yes! ANTICO

Atlanta3000 · #**2123** Posted **Jan 25, 2018, 1:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 10023

Austin would give them an East Coast presence?

Austin gives Amazon a Mexico/Latin America presence more than an East Coast.

cabasse · #**2124** Posted **Jan 25, 2018, 1:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 10023

Except the nice neighborhoods are all to the North, so no, that doesn't work.

not quite; i suppose that's more true for the suburbs, but the coolest inner city neighborhoods are off to the east, and increasingly, the west midtown, southwest (westview, adair park) and in the future, the near southside. basically everything near the beltline, which is still continuously under construction.

the northside is mostly extremely suburban as soon as you go past few older south buckhead neighborhoods (peachtree hills, garden hills) and even these are just streetcar suburb-type neighborhoods. *edit* i should add buckhead village and the lenox corridor as neighborhoods, even though they're basically the buckhead CBD - there's quite a bit of highrise residential that's been built here.

Vlajos · #**2125** Posted **Jan 25, 2018, 2:28 PM**

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Originally Posted by 10023

Part of the problem is that you're using Ruth's Chris as a measuring stick. That's like going to Olive Garden and then saying you don't like Italian restaurants. Try Bavette's Bar & Bouef (one of Brendan Sodikoff's restaurants). Excellent cocktails too.

You are right in that steaks, and typical steakhouse dishes, are among the easier things for a capable cook to do at home, however.

Sure Bavettte's is great. Certainly better than the vast majority of steak houses.

10023 · #**2126** Posted **Jan 25, 2018, 2:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atlanta3000

Austin gives Amazon a Mexico/Latin America presence more than an East Coast.

It doesn't even really do that.

Vlajos · #**2127** Posted **Jan 25, 2018, 2:32 PM**

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Originally Posted by emathias

I love Naha. I was a recognized regular there for many years until I got hitched and could no longer justify the gross expenditure it took to dine there at least weekly. Still love going back now and then, but most of the staff that recognized me have moved on so it's not quite the same for me as it was, but it's still great food. They actually have a great steak on their menu, which I've had a couple times, but it's really only there for the business folk I think - usually their non-steak items are far more interesting. And I think they have the best cheese course in the entire city - maybe one of the best in the country - I've made a meal just of that more than once.

Yeah, Naha is one of my favorites. Always great selections and there is always some sort of steak for those that need it. Their wine list is always top notch too.

Vlajos · #**2128** Posted **Jan 25, 2018, 4:02 PM**

Found this interesting. Not sure how some of the cities in the 20 final could be included.

"John Schoettler, who oversees Amazon’s real estate, provided a few clues while speaking at an event Friday in Seattle. The comments could be interpreted to mean Amazon prefers a more condensed, urban setting similar to what it has in its ever-expanding Seattle offices.

Amazon envisions “a combination of buildings and facilities probably within walking proximity to one another,” Schoettler said at the event, according to a Jan. 19 story in the Puget Sound Business Journal. Schoettler also expressed an aversion to bids that propose spreading 8 million square feet of offices onto several sites, unless those sites can be expanded or somehow connected.

He also indicated Amazon would heavily weigh factors such as availability and cost of housing and proximity to public transportation. “We look forward to cities that are also progressive and are thinking forward and long-term in terms of affordable housing and mass transportation and being able to move people around,” Schoettler said, according to the business journal."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/c...und-chicago-ryan-ori-20180124-story.html

twister244 · #**2129** Posted **Jan 25, 2018, 4:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Found this interesting. Not sure how some of the cities in the 20 final could be included.

"John Schoettler, who oversees Amazon’s real estate, provided a few clues while speaking at an event Friday in Seattle. The comments could be interpreted to mean Amazon prefers a more condensed, urban setting similar to what it has in its ever-expanding Seattle offices.

Amazon envisions “a combination of buildings and facilities probably within walking proximity to one another,” Schoettler said at the event, according to a Jan. 19 story in the Puget Sound Business Journal. Schoettler also expressed an aversion to bids that propose spreading 8 million square feet of offices onto several sites, unless those sites can be expanded or somehow connected.

He also indicated Amazon would heavily weigh factors such as availability and cost of housing and proximity to public transportation. “We look forward to cities that are also progressive and are thinking forward and long-term in terms of affordable housing and mass transportation and being able to move people around,” Schoettler said, according to the business journal."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/c...und-chicago-ryan-ori-20180124-story.html

Interesting, but not surprising. From my perspective, I would place Denver above Austin on the list, but below some other cities (Chicago,DC,etc). I was just in Austin recently for the first time. Great city, but they have a ways to go when it comes to public transit infrastructure. I could see DC for strategic/political purposes. Chicago for obvious reasons. It seems like one could almost group the top 20 into distinct groups where some cities could be competing laterally with similar metros. I wonder if there will be yet another short list or two before we get a final answer....

skyscraper · #**2130** Posted **Jan 25, 2018, 4:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by twister244

Interesting, but not surprising. From my perspective, I would place Denver above Austin on the list, but below some other cities (Chicago,DC,etc). I was just in Austin recently for the first time. Great city, but they have a ways to go when it comes to public transit infrastructure. I could see DC for strategic/political purposes. Chicago for obvious reasons. It seems like one could almost group the top 20 into distinct groups where some cities could be competing laterally with similar metros. I wonder if there will be yet another short list or two before we get a final answer....

I would say that if these are the most important criteria, it comes down to Chicago and Philly. Philly gets the edge because of East Coast proximity and even lower housing costs than Chicago.
But this is all tea-leaf reading. I wish Amazon would pick a winner already and stop this endless speculation by so-called "experts".

the urban politician · #**2131** Posted **Jan 25, 2018, 4:34 PM**

Neither Atlanta, Boston, or Raleigh have good pizza.

Philly has cheesesteaks which are awesome and thus an adequate substitute.

New York has good pizza but it's that same floppy shit that gets old.

Chicago has the best pizza in the solar system. Amazon should choose Chicago. What's the point of money without pizza?

James Bond Agent 007 · #**2132** Posted **Jan 25, 2018, 4:56 PM**

You can get Chicago-style pizza in NY too, you know. In fact you can get it in Atlanta, Boston and Raleigh too, for that matter.

skyscraper · #**2133** Posted **Jan 25, 2018, 4:57 PM**

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