The area around Jones Street in Raleigh has the same issue unfortunately.
1 Like
Low density single family home overlooking downtown Toronto. Typical suburban attitude… 
(Okay, I swear this is the last trip picture!)
16 Likes
That wnd one from campus.
1 Like
Not sure which campus you mean, but here’s one more because I’m a liar. This is the opposite of our density downtown, but I want it for us. Just did happy hour (?!) in an area that is what smoky hollow wants to be. Much more successful and filled with people.
9 Likes
Something from another city.
And there aren’t any watermarks down here in Key West! Just the marks in the water…
Edit:
Raleigh needs a water feature. It makes for much better pictures.
11 Likes
Towns and cities really have started to care about their downtowns. Case in point is my hometown of Wytheville VA. When I was growing up we lived downtown in an apartment behind my dad’s retail store. It was booming in the 1970s and 1980s. As time went on, downtowns became run down and vacant. The strip malls and shopping centers were where everyone went. Now with online shopping and a change in our habits overall, the towns have had to become more inviting in other ways. Wytheville re-did all the concrete sidewalks downtown with brick (even the sketchy alley I remember as a kid) and expanded the walk path, adding piped in music all over town. Who knows how much $$ was spent? But now the downtown is back thriving with interesting shops and no less than 5 craft breweries. Vision plus funding can often have big payoffs.
11 Likes
8 Likes
a recent completion a section ~1.5 of the Roanoke river greenway connection Salem, VA and Roanoke, VA. the new bridge span is 200 feet and i think…nice kudzu management. pleasant ebike ride.
13 Likes
This is pretty much my dream for the Char-Grill lot. Picks up some of the midcentury aspects of the original building (bottom right of this image - unlike Char-Grill, the actual building was pretty neat in this case) with the serrated roof line and general clean design and keeps the cool sign.
7 Likes
Miami Beach has a similar building with all that green screening on it.
I’ll have to take some photos and share.
2 Likes
The new Paragon movie theater in Fenton, Cary is great. I looked up the dimensions of the theater and the footprint is 185 feet by 220 feet. That’s totally in the realm of possibilities in any downtown or Dix area project if any developer would incorporate a movie theater. Especially since Alamo Drafthouse now has mandatory 18% tipping and the prices for food is really high now.
5 Likes
You should tip 20% but that’s a weird thing for them. They should get rid of tipping and just price accordingly. It’s a damn movie theater.
4 Likes
No they should pay their employees better. Especially when charging $16 for 3 chicken tenders.
Also some murmurs on reddit about the service charge not going directly to the servers.
2 Likes
I go to Alamo frequently and haven’t seen this mandatory tipping percentage. It’s also a movie theater restaurant, not a drive thru so their prices are kind of inline with “eating out” prices from my perspective. Their sandwiches, burger, and pizzas are pretty damn good so I think they can stand behind those prices.
The Regal at North Hills is a great, cheaper alternative. 
4 Likes
Visit the Paragon Theater in Cary and compare food and prices and the overall experience. Pizza is way better than Alamo.
1 Like
I like the one off Glenwood. Decent prices, beer, etc. Close to my house. The Fenton one is nice. Seems extra busy and expensive tho. Kind of don’t like the waiters walking through my movie, which Alamo does too. But Alamo is pretty far for me so it’s seldom I get out there.
I think it’s a new thing with the Alamo to do 18% tipping. They say that you no longer need to tip beyond the automatic one though, so it doesn’t bother me much.
I’ve gone to the Paragon theater a couple times now and honestly the experience for me was super mediocre. Weird setup, completely broken food system, out of lots of items, and the lights in the rows shine directly at your face when you’re watching the movie. Feels like they’re trying to reinvent something that’s already good.
I did Paragon once earlier this year and it was nice but nothing spectacular. Not going to drive to Fenton for a lot of shows there. Marbles Imax has better tech than Paragon from what I saw. (again, just one visit)
Alamo is a 5-minute drive, 10 minute bus ride from my house so admittedly, I am super biased. 
5 Likes
That’s not saying much when Alamo’s “pizza” is just microwaved frozen cardboard pizza. Their food completely sucks, IMO. Last time I went (for Barbie) I just got some fries and not only did it take half the movie before they came out, they were just molten potato lava with a soggy outer shell. Never buying food there again.