urbanSTL

Maybe the cardinals and cordish could try and woo HOK out of Met Square once their lease is up by the end of the year...They reportedly have looked at the equitable building and will be looking at other locations within downtown...

What would be good about using TIF dollars to lure a business already located downtown to a new building in BPV, creating more vacancy at the Met Building? That's fine if HOK wants a different space downtown, but we shouldn't use public dollars to move them around.

dweebe wrote:

Gateway City wrote:I'll just go to the Grove (or basically anywhere else in the City) if I want to get a beer. Silver Ball Room in Bevo - $2.

And your point is.....?

Meaning going to a bar at BPV costs 3x as much, so I probably wouldn't go there. But maybe some people who are into cowboy stuff would.

debaliviere wrote:

Gateway City wrote:Then don't go to bars that have indoor smoking.

Do you remember what it was like before the smoking ban took effect? Smoke-free options were few and far between.

They're not any more, though. We should still get to keep a few.

DannyJ i never mentioned anything about using taxpayer money to woo HOK to BVP i just simply stated that HOK was thinking about leaving Met Square and maybe cordish should try to woo them to be the anchor of a possible new Office building.. For 1 I'm not for using taxpayers money to lure a company from location to within another as in downtown it's pointless however i am for using taxpayer money for a outside the state company that'll bring more than 3000 or so jobs to area... As far as BPV goes it's a entertainment district of course your going to pay a higher premium for beers food etc. If the prices are to steep then it's not a place for penny pinchers.. Other than that go out and have blast know what you can and can't afford. It's all about budgeting your money properly and places like BPV will get you if your aren't careful with what you spend...

dropped by BPV after the hockey game on Friday -

downers -

it is a bar mall - not enough distinction between venues

the Ted Drewe's are the cups you can buy in most grocery stores -disappointing

Crowds at Shannon's seemed down - (may not be, visual inspection only)

Party crowd was taking their partying seriously, maybe too seriously

Server chicks show a lot of skin - always a hoosier joint red flag

The Upside -

Jammed, lively, and has been very good at building a connection with the stadium, this seemed to foster a feeling "shared experience" for lack of a better term - it felt good

The Busch II infield is an OK outdoor space - it could be a great outdoor space - needs more seating and get the beer vendors off of the pitchers mound

With as many people hanging out there, they have to be capturing some of the crowd that skates out in the bottom of the 9th

Materials, fit and finish are really nice - the restaurants look good - the giant TV is awesome


So mixed review, as I thought it would be, success will ultimately determined by what comes next - I still can't believe that the DeWitt's have not opened a Dewey's -would be a hit, something unique, the pizza is very good and would be more family oriented then the existing venues

I'm surprised and disappointed Ted Drewe's is only offering the supermarket type cups of frozen yogurt.

Even if it's a limited menu I think it would be great for them to sell some actual hand crafted concretes at BPV.

Hopefully they will consider that later on.

Alright, I finally decided to check it out after going to my first home game the other day. Kinda upset I had to pay to get into the museum, what with this being St. Louis and all, but I understand. The museum is awesome. Definitely check it out sooner than later.

We then wanted to find something to eat. BPV was so crowded I suggested we go somewhere else Downtown instead. My cousin didn't wanna walk like 2 or 3 blocks to Hooters so we went with the Brewhouse. GREAT burgers and fries! I would definitely go there frequently if I lived Downtown. I am hoping to move into the Arcade when it's done, too, so if that happens then I'll be at BPV all the time. See? It's not just for visitors.

Gateway City wrote:Alright, I finally decided to check it out after going to my first home game the other day. Kinda upset I had to pay to get into the museum, what with this being St. Louis and all, but I understand. The museum is awesome. Definitely check it out sooner than later.

We then wanted to find something to eat. BPV was so crowded I suggested we go somewhere else Downtown instead. My cousin didn't wanna walk like 2 or 3 blocks to Hooters so we went with the Brewhouse. GREAT burgers and fries! I would definitely go there frequently if I lived Downtown. I am hoping to move into the Arcade when it's done, too, so if that happens then I'll be at BPV all the time. See? It's not just for visitors.

My wife and I went to the afternoon game yesterday and bought seats in the all-inclusive area with stadium-style seats above BallPark Village. It was a little nippy so most people spent about half the time inside where the food was, or at the back of the seating where the bar was and you could see the game. Not a bad view of the game from up there. No elevator to the highest seat section - only stairs. I thought it would be nice if, someday, they make that a place where kids and families could sit. Right now, no family is going to buy all-inclusive seats that include beer and drinks. Our tickets included free admission to the Hall of Fame. I agree it is excellent. I would suggest Flying Saucer or 360 as alternatives if BP Village is full.

roger wyoming II wrote:Anyone been on a non game day? Get the sense that the Cardinals restaurant (or some other venue) would be a decent "family friendly" option for lunch or dinner with kids?

I've been to the Cardinals Nation restaurant on a non-game day with the kiddos. It wasn't busy and they had a kids menu. However, the food was about what you would expect from Applebees.

Holy piss, if we could get a Ripley's or LegoLand Downtown...That would be amazing. To families who wish for DT to have more kid-friendly entertainment destinations, either of those would tell them that DT has arrived. I'd like to get one at Union Station and the other closer to the heart of DT. Maybe in a new building over a surface lot, maybe on/near Washington.

Stopped by Ballpark Village after a game last week. I'm not super impressed. We didn't have time for the museum. We weren't planning to eat there. We're not drinkers or partiers, so the rest of it didn't really appeal to us.

One question, though. Why do you need someone in the bathroom to turn the water on for you and squirt soap onto your hands? And then you are expected to tip them? I think I was about 2 years old when I learned to effectively wash my own hands. I don't need help. Anyway, that part seemed silly to me.

stlcardsblues1989 wrote:Stopped by Ballpark Village after a game last week. I'm not super impressed. We didn't have time for the museum. We weren't planning to eat there. We're not drinkers or partiers, so the rest of it didn't really appeal to us.

One question, though. Why do you need someone in the bathroom to turn the water on for you and squirt soap onto your hands? And then you are expected to tip them? I think I was about 2 years old when I learned to effectively wash my own hands. I don't need help. Anyway, that part seemed silly to me.

What's the point of going there if you didn't go to the museum, eat or drink? I wouldn't have much fun just walking around either...

2nd portion- that's pretty common in a lot of places are Wrigley, seemed like every bathroom I go to in wrigleyville has someone in the bathroom with the sink area full on gum, cologne , smokes, condoms ect ....

Went last night (7pm) to try and eat. It was really hard to figure out where everything is located on the grounds. Wish they had a mini map like a mall does. Brew House was an hour wait! Everything else seemed pretty busy as well. We ended up eating back in the CBD. The place does look good and seems perfect for what it is: A bar mall. .

I think BPV is making the stadium metro-link station more busy to see more people there on non-game days now.

Hopefully this secret tower Geoff is sitting on (to be announced next weekend) is a BPV tower...Maybe even offices if we're really lucky!

^ unless Bill Dewitt was lying 3 weeks ago when he said they will move slow on the residential portion, i doubt thats it

also the issue here is I dont think the Cardinals would entertain an idea of other developers doing residential at BPV...I mean do the Cardinals ownership have an exeperience in residentail projects? its a different animal then entertainment district.

^ I don't really think it is about if they do residential or not. It is a matter of what will maximize DeWitt's and Cordish profit. I think it is pretty clear that residential and hotel rooms will go along Clark in addition to Ballpark Live. How things are developing in P&L District is how I think you will see things happen at BPV. I believe Cordish is developing the residential tower in P&L but could be mistaken. The other big question, can they bring in hotel operator who is willing to bet that the location will over come a market with plenty of hotel rooms.

Also, from a different perspective you can look at Roberts brothers and their failed miserable attempt with Roberts Tower. They built a tower but no marketing experience or resources to speak of and you wonder if they even did some market studies. DeWitt/Cordish have organizations with plenty of marketing experience, the resources and cash flow to bring in some expertise if need be. It might be focused somewhat on entertainment but those two families are smart enough to know what they have and who they need to bring in.

Now that BPV is up and running, it makes the idea of Rawlings moving there even more of a no-brainer. An interactive Rawlings museum would be the perfect complement to BPV's existing offerings, and of course, it would be amazing to have their corporate offices down there as well. There's the marketing research aspect as well - major leaguers would be able to test out Rawlings products. Such a move would bring Rawlings an incredible amount of publicity/exposure.

That would be a "home run" for Rawlings. I'd love to see it.