Street Scenes As We Get Closer To WEG

I have been surprised at the response to the last post, especially the part about the WEG prices. Everyone seems to be talking about the lack of ticket sales and the sudden reduction of some event prices. I still cannot afford to see any of the events, with or without the rest of the family.

I really must thank the guys over at Barefoot and Progressive for their link and the response of their readers. They are not just another Kentucky blog.

Now, on to some of the other things going on in town. First district councilwoman Andrea James has been featured in a video on Kentucky.com looking at the conditions of the downtown sidewalks. Not so much the walking surface but the poorly placed nightly obstructions. I have looked at some of these in the daytime.

Easily the best use of space when the tables are not in use is this place on the corner of South Limestone and West Vine. The new streetscape is a real boon to the walkability of the area and I am sure that it will be better when the whole project is done.


I think my next favorite would be the stretch (above) from The Taste of Thai to Bellini's on Main St. I think that they could be pushed a little closer to the street and I would hope for a bit more coordination from all the restaurants there. At night it is a little tighter but not all that bad.


Mia's(above) also does a good job of storing the furniture during the off hours but the narrowness of the Short St sidewalk does cause problems at night. Just around the corner and up Limestone, a la Lucie's(below) tries hard to not crowd the space too much. If North Limestone were to be done like they did on the south side things could be real sweet.


The part of Short St on the west side of Cheapside also has its good neighbors during the daytime. Most of Cheapside's (below) tables along the street are tight against the building although there could be some widening of the sidewalk in the future. I would certainly hope that Short is considered soon after they turn it into two-way.

We have talked many times about Mill St and, to be sure, it could be turned into a pedestrian mall quite easily. Most of the bar there store their tables and chairs inside during the day and those who do serve lunch outside have very limited seating and still crowd the street. All in all they do the best that they can. The one place that I consistently see as a poor effort toward storing their tables out of the way is on Main St in front of Victorian Square. DeVassa rarely leaves sufficient space for two to walk their door and seems to try to make it more convoluted each time I go by there. Two examples are shown below.




















These tables are usually stacked near the two light poles and not beyond the parking kiosk where there is more room. A relocation of the trash/recycling receptacle would also ease things a bit. A little more thought should go into their arrangement.

I have also noticed a new collection of public art which, though small, I hope grows to include all of downtown. I would like to know what you think.




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