Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Five Things I Wish Tallahassee Had

While the national economy is tanking, quite a bit of construction is going on around town. According to this column by Mary Ann Lindley, banks, office buildings and (wait for it) more condos are coming soon.

All those things will contribute to our tax base, which is important. And they're all so dull I can hardly stand it. I'm grateful that Tallahassee doesn't look like the rest of Florida, but I wish we could attract some businesses with more ... buzz. No, Wal-Mart doesn't count.

In no particular order, here are five things I wish Tallahassee had:

1. Trader Joe's (Their ginger snaps? Heaven.)
2. Nordstrom
3. A theater where alternative films stayed for more than a week.
4. An airport that didn't require me to fly to Atlanta to get to Orlando.
5. Ikea

There's a long-running discussion about this over at Urban Planet. One of the posters got their wish for an IHOP, so maybe my dream of unassembled, Swedish furniture will be realized.

10 comments:

That Hank said...

Did I already know you're an urban planet person?

I don't wish much for national chains, though I feel you on the theater.

Personally, I'd like an interesting downtown night life, and I don't mean one that only caters to the moneyed crowd.

E. Peterman said...

You know, I was wondering the same thing! Urban Planet seemed like the kind of forum you might dig. As for downtown, I am so with you. The Mint Lounge looks like it might be a little too hipster-wannabe for my taste. But seriously, if I hear about one more condo project ...

T.H. Elliott said...

Isn't AMC supposed to be leaving? I'm down in Orlando now, but that would be sad. Of course, Miracle 5 always sucked. It's just a gross theater.

E. Peterman said...

Yikes, I hadn't heard about AMC. That would seriously suck. I've gone to the Miracle 5 many times, but I have to agree about that it is seriously lacking. I don't need surround sound, but a clean floor would be nice.

That Hank said...

And the thing with the condos is that none of them are full and, from what I understand, none of them are selling well. If someone would open up fairly affordable apartments in the downtown area, you'd get more life flowing.

But yeah, I keep an eye on the ol' UP, though I don't post all that often. I just like to know what's going on around me and when my rent is going to jump.

re: Miracle 5. I'll deal with dirty floors any day if it means having choices aside from Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Saw 18.

E. Peterman said...

Or "Underdog." Yeah, I sat through that one.

That Hank said...

Well, I suspect that's because you're a mom.

E. Peterman said...

This is so, DG. My kids have no standards.

The Irredeemable Shag said...

I think the AMC is going to either move to the Falls Chase area or the new open-air mall development near I-10 (whenever they start on that project).

I personally wish we had a Tony Romas. I wished for years for a Panera. Now that we have one, I've only been a handful of times. Sometimes things are more appreciated when they are not conveniently located.

The Irredeemable Shag
http://onceuponageek.com

E. Peterman said...

An AMC near Fallschase would be fantastic for us. I think you're right about how absence makes the heart grow fonder. Going to Nordstrom is like going to Disneyland for me now!