phoenix...
I was referring to the GM&O as an intermodal facility next to the tracks. The additional traffic issue would need to be settled, but the infrastructure is still there... esp. the most expensive part (the tracks), though if an extra spur leading down from the main trunk line that Amtrak traditionally used is needed then it might be worthwhile to at least see how much that costs.
On the marina: A marina in the nature I'm suggesting would really be almost entirely made up of piers w/ a small, raised building in a traditional Gulf Coast style close to the land portion. I don't see the danger of a hurricane affecting such a structure as being more significant than one affecting Felix's or Oysterella's, etc. It would obviously be difficult to insure, but b/c it's not residential and the actual cost for replacement would be comparatively small (relative to other types of development) then it would be among the least-risky propositions for land use along that stretch.
I don't know where would be a "best" location for a waterpark, but I think perhaps where I-65 & -I-10 join might be good. That's sort of functioning as the western entrance to the city at present, it's convenient to most everyone, & there's still a lot of land that's unused or barely used in that area, though I think a lot of that is due to the geography of the area (meaning, I think it's swampy).
as far as my #8... it's a pie-in-the-sky thing & I said so, but there are lots of partnerships between local governments and college teams out there. (The University of Minnesota's building a beautiful new stadium right now that would be about the perfect type of design for what I had in mind.. Theirs is 50K but made to be easily expandable to over 80K & features a horseshoe-style design w/ the open end looking directly out on the skyline of Minneapolis).
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At first I was SURE I was against this, then I read number 9!
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Not really sure what you mean by that.
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I mean, COME ON! How could an area that loves football SOOOO much not want/support a pro team?
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You've been in Phoenix too long
Folks down here are bigger college football fans & while they've already got their teams picked from birth, the Sr. Bowl & GMAC generally do very well & I suspect USA will be good for around 20K or so at their home games if they market well. The Saints being in NOLA pretty much keeps Mobile out of the running for a NFL team, but the folks in NOLA seem to constantly be threatened by the owner over there about his moving the team to San Antonio. I'm not really a fan of his, to put it bluntly.
I'd also much rather have a MLB team than a NBA team. Baseball plays more home games and has more players so it'd make a greater impact on the area. Plus, it just fits the area's tradition better. I think only 2 cities have more people per-capita in the MLB HOF than Mobile.
On the Opera Hall - I like the idea of lofting it over structures, provided those structures don't interfere w/ the acoustics (like having a club downstairs, etc.)
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Druid:
I think the reason for the consolidations in the dept. store business is that they're not as profitable as they used to be. Even stalwarts like Macy's have had issues recently. It's not really the economy, but rather the focus shifting away from the "in-town general store" mentality that led to the rise of the dept. stores to the specialized shop ideology that you go to a certain store to buy a certain type of clothes that's designed to fit a certain iconography (A&F preps, Hot Topic emo kids, etc.). This is sort of the culmination of something the dept. stores kickstarted by focusing on clothing so much. You still have a few dept.'s in a dept. store, but the majority of the sales floor is devoted to clothes. In their heyday the dept. store sold everything. They were like Wal-Marts w/ multiple floors. General Stores on steroids. I think we're seeing the end of the dept. store era as we traditionally interpret it.
The zoo idea stems from the popularity of the zoo in/near Gulf Shores and the fact that most cities of a certain size have one. While I believe Mobile has one I don't think most of the citizenry even knows where it is located. It's more a relocation idea than a start-up in that sense. Mobile, due to its location and subtropical climate, lends itself to the possibility of becoming a great location for a large zoo. It would be very cool to be an eastern version of the San Diego Zoo, though the start-up expense would be massive. I see your point, I just disagree that it wouldn't be worthwhile to have something better than the current option. While it's great to have lots of things focused on local cultural aspects, sometimes certain amenities/attractions are universal. Every kid loves to see the lions, tigers, elephants, penguins, monkeys, & giraffe's etc. I agree that an aquarium would be a facet of the attractions that could successfully be geared towards the city, but zoos are almost always more about entertaining locals.
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I think it would be cool to have like a river flowing through the entire length of the aquarium, and have the bottom of it made of thick gass so that wherever you are along the walking route you can look up and see all the different systems as the river gets closer to the gulf. THAT, I believe, would be something that no other aquarium has.
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Great idea, but I believe that a similar (though less cool) version of that will be undertaken in the new Bass Pro Shop across the bay.
There are lots of interesting aquatic fauna in Alabama, but focusing too much on our state limits us needlessly. We are Mobile... the capital of old West Florida AND the original capital of Louisiana... Why not expand the fauna possibilities to our sister states to the east (FL) & west (MS & LA). That gives you a massive range of possibilities. I like the idea of the river system moving through the facility, but maybe do it in sections on the inward side of a downward spiral from an upper floor (windows looking out on the city on one side and exhibits on the inward side) and design the structure in a wide turret? That way you could also have a large central tank that was several stories high and could have clear tubular walkways leading through it at different levels in arcs around the perimeter. This would provide room for both types of exhibits w/o a lot of wasted space. Visitors would simply take an elevator to the top at the entrance to the building and start their walk down. It's worth pointing out also that the bottom two floors of the building would have to have their exhibits taken elsewhere should a hurricane come. Making a tall, cylindrical structure (perhaps 5 stories tall) would give you the possibility of putting the least-mobile exhibits (sharks, etc.) in the main tank (start it on the 3rd floor w/ strong support structure beneath it) and above, w/ the more mobile, smaller exhibits (like crabs, childrens exhibits, etc. in the two lowest floors. Having the buffer of a walkway area and the physical mass of the external exhibits (which could be equipped w/ roll-down metal storm shutters to protect them) would help protect the more expensive residents & structure of the main tank. It would be an expensive structure, but it would be unique & have all the things you'd ever want in an aquarium.
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Gayfers, the largest department store in Alabama, was the reason Springdale Mall was able to hold its own against Bel Air for years. The acquisition of the chain by Dillards was the event that triggered the mall's eventual 'decline'.
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Yeah, but I think a lot of their sustainability was based on leeching customers off the much larger Bel-Air across the street. I also remember not being such a big fan of Springdale when I was a kid and Gayfers was still very much a going concern. Mom only went over there to go to that store, though. Now the only reason I ever go there is to go to Barnes & Noble or Best Buy.
HAHA! That sounds like a band name.
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Need some football tickets. Whats the new height of the Riverview since the crown has been added?
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