Appreciate the takes of a local!StlAlex wrote:I actually lived in downtown Indy:ldai_phs wrote:Was in Indianapolis and was shocked by how similar yet different their downtown felt to STL.
- No homeless or easily discernible crime
- Streets were clean of trash and most buildings have either been renovated or torn down instead of being left to blight.
- Restaurant selection or lack thereof similar to downtown STL
- Probably has just as many dated hotels as downtown STL but a handful of newer ones on top that help them land all of these big events
- Marquee newer office buildings for Rolls Royce and Caterpillar, and a rooftop sign for Sales Force made the City feel a bit more leading edge
- Construction projects and cranes every few blocks, much of it centered on adding more hotels including a Ritz and another convention center hotel
It let like STL could catch up if we were willing to target demo of blighted properties + extensive hotel incentives.
-Homelessness definitely exists lol.
-I saw the same amount of crime there as I've seen working downtown for 5 years now, none.
-Restaurant selection has way more chains to choose from, including Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, Stake and Shaek, and Chick fil A.
-Hotel scene is way better than STL, which makes sense being a city that has made a genuine effort to cater to tourists as opposed to residents. They have a Conrad, JW Mariott, just built a Signia in a new skyscraper, and the Ritz is being developed by the Pacers.
-The new office buildings are suburban style hellscapes, one is barely downtown the other is in the suburbs. Salesforce moved in after Chase vacated the tower, not dissimilar to AT&T, except they got a new tenant immediately.
STL also has quite a few hotels in the pipeline, just none are new build whole Indy has 2 new build happening right now. So maybe they aren't as obvious.
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The single thing that upset me the most was how much better Gainbridge Fieldhouse has spurred new development compared to Enterprise Center. Definitely lots to learn in that area for sure. The Ritz doesn't happen without the Pacers helping fianace it.ldai_phs wrote:Appreciate the takes of a local!StlAlex wrote:I actually lived in downtown Indy:ldai_phs wrote:Was in Indianapolis and was shocked by how similar yet different their downtown felt to STL.
- No homeless or easily discernible crime
- Streets were clean of trash and most buildings have either been renovated or torn down instead of being left to blight.
- Restaurant selection or lack thereof similar to downtown STL
- Probably has just as many dated hotels as downtown STL but a handful of newer ones on top that help them land all of these big events
- Marquee newer office buildings for Rolls Royce and Caterpillar, and a rooftop sign for Sales Force made the City feel a bit more leading edge
- Construction projects and cranes every few blocks, much of it centered on adding more hotels including a Ritz and another convention center hotel
It let like STL could catch up if we were willing to target demo of blighted properties + extensive hotel incentives.
-Homelessness definitely exists lol.
-I saw the same amount of crime there as I've seen working downtown for 5 years now, none.
-Restaurant selection has way more chains to choose from, including Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, Stake and Shaek, and Chick fil A.
-Hotel scene is way better than STL, which makes sense being a city that has made a genuine effort to cater to tourists as opposed to residents. They have a Conrad, JW Mariott, just built a Signia in a new skyscraper, and the Ritz is being developed by the Pacers.
-The new office buildings are suburban style hellscapes, one is barely downtown the other is in the suburbs. Salesforce moved in after Chase vacated the tower, not dissimilar to AT&T, except they got a new tenant immediately.
STL also has quite a few hotels in the pipeline, just none are new build whole Indy has 2 new build happening right now. So maybe they aren't as obvious.
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And if you wander in their subreddit, the same fear mongering over downtown crime, and well, real crime in downtown Indianapolis and everywhere else.
For all the grace and praise this forum (and others) gives Indianapolis it still deals with very real problems. I think the success is in the execution of projecting an image of success and getting regional buy-in.
It's also the state capital, so there's that leg up already.
For all the grace and praise this forum (and others) gives Indianapolis it still deals with very real problems. I think the success is in the execution of projecting an image of success and getting regional buy-in.
It's also the state capital, so there's that leg up already.
You can't overstate regional buy in. City and county are merged, making voting on tax increaes far easier to pass and more fruitful than in STL, and the convention canter/Lucas Oil complex are funded by a 1% food and beverage tax by Marion and by ring counties, just would be unheard of in STL and a total non-starter.bwcrow1s wrote:And if you wander in their subreddit, the same fear mongering over downtown crime, and well, real crime in downtown Indianapolis and everywhere else.
For all the grace and praise this forum (and others) gives Indianapolis it still deals with very real problems. I think the success is in the execution of projecting an image of success and getting regional buy-in.
It's also the state capital, so there's that leg up already.
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