It’s that time of year again. The leaves are turning, the temperature is dropping, and yet another failed downtown venture gets shuttered. Yes, despite the urgent need for a good 24-hour diner within walking distance of downtown Harrisburg, the Tom Sawyer Diner From Hell served room-temperature mediocre food at premium prices and closed every night promptly at 10. Apparently, this did not turn out to be a successful business model — who knew?
The venue will reopen as Konnichiwa, an Asian-Mediterranean fusion diner. Harrisburg Nightlife has the pre-roll, and watch Sara for the full details next week. You know, for as snooty and cliche as Bricco’s “Voted The Least-Harrisburg Restaurant (LOL Get It? Because Harrisburg Sucks And Everybody Here Is Stupid And Uncultured And Stupid and Harrisburg Sucks LOL!)” billboard is, this is exactly the sort of thing that keeps that cliche alive.
Because it’s now apparently a felony-1 to dare suggest that something is a bad idea without producing at least three good ideas to replace it with, I’d like to present my list of wishes for Downtown 2008. Feel free to add your own in the comments:
- For the love of god will someone please open up a 24-hour diner within walking distance of the DT? It’s only been over half a decade since downtown really took off; how has nobody come up with this idea yet?
- Dragonfly needs to start enforcing a dress code on their door line.
- “Daylife” development. The retail development going on around State & Second is a start, but where are the shops we were promised? Give people a reason to come downtown on a Wednesday afternoon, and they will. This will require a concerted effort among potentially-competing developers; apparently this is too much to ask. Maybe it’s time to overhaul Strawberry Square.
- More residential development. Put people within walking distance of downtown and everyone wins. Fewer cars plus more pedestrians equals better opportunity for inline retail development. Plus, full sidewalks always make a city look better. The Market Street Lofts have the right idea, but the price is ridiculous.
- A major overhaul of one of the bigger venues downtown. Dragonfly would be prime for this. The nightclubs we have were all fine and good when they opened five years ago, as they were far better than what existed previously (that’s questionable in regards to The Vault, but I digress). Fresh paint, a floorplan redesign, some loft-like spaces. I point out Dragonfly only because I know that building inside and out, and it would be a cakewalk to completely carve out the interior and make some very interesting multi-level designs.
- A rooftop and/or over-sidewalk deck. Is that too much to ask?
- Less hip hop. Enough already.
4 Comments
October 5, 2007 at 4:24 pm
LOL Harrisburg…
Dave, your ideas are GREAT and exactly what a successful city needs…key word there being “city”. Harrisburg is a small town and is only so because the mindset there keeps it that way. It could EASILY take off and become a real big [mid-size] city, as all of the right ingredients are in place (e.g. a dense, historic DT, great urban neighborhoods, an awesome riverfront…just to name a few). But the stupid decisions and short-sighted ideas keep it exactly where it is: 10 years ago.
I dunno, a very sarcastic “Keep waiting, and let me know when it gets there,” is all I can say when the subject of great ideas (like yours) in Harrisburg is brought up.
October 5, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Ok I know there’s some hostility downtown, that being said I can honestly say this place will not last. Who here has ever said “Mmmm I could sure go for some asian-Italian-Greek right about now”. Ok maybe gyros. Gyros at 2. Mmm, nom nom nom…
October 6, 2007 at 8:00 pm
I have read the other sites and am in agreement with everything I have read so far. This is a stupid idea. I hope they keep the outdoor areas open because I have had a lot of enjoyable summer afternoons out there this year. My only question is, why not just make it a late-night diner and be done with it? It sounds like someone got tired of people complaining about the poor quality and poor service and gave up.
October 15, 2007 at 12:11 pm
I love my hometown, but Harrisburg was, is, and always will be the “special kid” who tries really hard in the race, but never can quite catch up. The excuse used to be old money–now it is not enough money. The commercial space is there, but downtown will unfortunately always be just not quite ready for prime time.
I have to admit, it peaked in its infancy, around 2002-2003. Overhaul is key. In the words of my close buddy (who just sold off arguably a pretty “significant” part of downtown nightlife), “it just ain’t what it used to be.”
Move to Palm Beach. It’s what I did.
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