Urban Jacksonville

“Downtown Jacksonville is Sexy”

01/28/07 • Posted in: Downtown Jacksonville by Joey Marchy

So says Entertaining U, let it be so. Last Wednesday’s edition of EU had a huge feature on living in Downtown Jacksonville.

Downtown is Sexy: Life and Style at the Urban Core features features 4 interviews with Downtown Jacksonville big shots Tony Allegretti, Terry Lorince, Stephen Dare and yours truly (and least big shot of all) Urban Jacksonville. In addition to the interviews the feature has stories on Downtown Jacksonville’s new and existing properties, Jacksonville nightlife, Chamblin’s Uptown and things to do with the family.

Holy crap that is a lot of content, all accessible by Internet tubes. Folio Weekly please take note. EU is handing you your ass wrapped up in megabytes and ethernet cable.

And they’re not even done, they go on to review the Burrito Gallery and they interview Nick Cave, the artist responsible for the Second Skins exhibition at MOCA.

Each article has says something important about downtown, so take a sec to read them all. Here are some of my favorites:

Intro: The Landing is probably the least interesting thing happening at our urban core these days, although it always makes for a nice photograph.

Interview with Terry Lorince: With 1500 units downtown, and about 2200 people, there is a growing and thriving community in Downtown Jacksonville. There are 100 sites under construction now and there is a lot of pre-selling and new plans being made everyday. We are looking at 5000 residents downtown in a couple of years.

Interview with Tony Allegretti: If retail follows rooftops .. then [retail growth] will happen here … that will make it a lot less affordable to own retail space downtown. It will never be as affordable as it is right now, so cash in your 401k and lease it now.

Downtown Nightlife: While MarkÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s is all but empty at 2:15, TSI was still loaded with hot young girls and dudes that dress for irony. Or at least I hope they were dressing that way for irony. If they werenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t, wouldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t that be ironic.

Chamblin’s Uptown opens Downtown: I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t say Ã¢â‚¬ËœI wonder if IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m going to survive?Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Bullsh*t! I say IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m going to make it so damn good, like I did with Roosevelt that weÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re going to draw in the people.

Interview with Stephen Dare: The real villains were the city planners, and they are still around and making decisions. The guy that shut down retail downtown is still one of the cityÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s consultants.

Sidenote: Rachel Henley transcribed a portion of our interview at Shanty Town, you can read it here: EU talks with Urban Jacksonville Blog

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 28th, 2007 at 9:32 pm and is filed under Downtown Jacksonville. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

porgie

ive just gotten the lease for the 1500+ loft on the cover of eu. im in
on feb 8th--- my wife, the head illustrator for the wall street journal, comes in feb 18th. even though our plans to acquire 324 n broad were rejected, it frees up our funds for our move to downtown. were actually looking to buy downtown, hopefully 16flat as we talked to jim albertelli. Fawns hit it right, downtowns a good unknown band thats got me and my wife excited. like nycs east village WAS. but thats no more up there, but we see it right here. i like the way the 'necks cringe when i say im moving downtown!!!
looking forward to seeing yall at our housewarming party!
Steve Dare for mayor
Uturn

"you arenâ€™t good at building your own meal"

Geez, I have to do that at home! :)
Downtownparks

Joey, I guess we will have to agree to disagree. I loves me some Mongos. If you didn't like it, maybe its because you aren't good at building your own meal :-)
stephen dare

Demolas is pretty freaking awesome.

The food is just exactly like the family outfit on the jersey boardwalk, and its great.

The guy and his women are pretty engaging as well.

I loved the story in the EU, and I think its great that they are finally doing some editorial that is worth reading!

Valuable as Folio might be, they don't cover everything in the city worth covering. EU is moving into their own territory, in my humble opinion, and its about time some one did.

Bosworth owned and operated a small hipster pizza place downtown and hes got insight into urban issues that few other people in journalism have in this town.

I can't wait to see more.

And incidentally, the Landing flap was ridiculous.
PCollins

I like the Asian place upstairs. Ask for Korean food and they will bring some good stuff, all the little bowls of pickled veggies, kim chee, etc...
Adam Beaugh

jersey sub's place is awesome. and the guy who owns it will come to your table and tell you crazy stories about growing up in jersey.
joeymarchy

Dan, Mongo's does not rule. I have been there twice and did not like it either time. Maybe I need to try again...
Uturn

Hehe - I agree! That was pretty funny. Heck, you know, I don't even understand half the crap you all talk about on here most of the time. It's about like listening to my 16-year-old daughter and her friends. Sounds like a bunch of space aliens. Heck, I'm almost afraid to ask what most of it means. Anyway, I'm just trying to make the point that "old" people (those over 30) shouldn't be scared out of downtown/Springfield/wherever because, oftentimes, they are the ones with the "real" jobs (money) and will help keep the area alive.
downtownparks

That might be the single funniest post ever!!!

By the way, Joe, Mongo's Rules, and its at the landing...
Travis

I'll make a fortune in recycling Pabst cans. You can be my helper. We'll give each other horrid haircuts and listen to bands with impossibly long names that tend to sound like a marching band farting in an elevator.

We'll have business cards with so many buzzwords on them that the pure synergystic light will melt the face off of mere mortals.

At the end of a day of hard work, we'll both retire to our floor on the strandoplex and web 2.0 the shit out of each other.
Uturn

So, if we're supposed to be going to all these cool bars and restaurants at The Landing and Downtown and Springfield and hanging out at the coffee shops and the record stores while we're purchasing furnishings at Urban Outfitters for our new $300,000 downtown loft and taking part in all the art gallery galas and taking in all the indie bands playing in the various venues - when is anybody supposed to actually work?
joeymarchy

Doesn't it? Ha ha ha ha ha!

We'll see once Fuddrucker's moves in, but what good is there at the Landing besides Coastal Cookies, Starbucks, the mexican place, the view and the 9-West Outlet? Note: I have not been to Demola's Jersey Subs or the Italian restaurant, so i don't know if it is any good.
downtownparks

"I fielded pissed off calls from the Jax Landing people today because of one sentence in the article about Downtown."

Yeah, we have one of them over at MetJax.com. She is convinced that you were saying the landing sucked.
Jon

Hmm. Where to start.

First of all, nothing makes everyone happy, right? I fielded pissed off calls from the Jax Landing people today because of one sentence in the article about Downtown.

Tony DID have a smirk when he said to cash in your 401K.

Influencing 35,000 words a week of editorial is difficult at best, especially when the paper has been doing essentially one thing for twenty years.

Rick, who writes most of the movie reviews, is actually about 70, or maybe he's 100, I don't really know. The trick is knowing how to read him. His style is hilarious. I'm developing a drinking game around the way that he writes.

But most of all, thank you everyone for reading EU. We're trying to make it more relevant, so i hope you can all see that. If Rick's writing bothers you too much, just turn straight to the music section and read my articles. I interviewed Murder by Death and Yo La Tengo in this issue, and i also try to interview and cover a lot of local music. Don writes really great art reviews, and Brenton's writing is always pretty funny. Come to think of it, he interviewed Evan Dando in this issue. Who else covers that much stuff?

As for the douches, I find that most people come across as assholes at first, but the better you get to know them the more you can appreciate them. Even if they are assholes. Lots of my friends are assholes, but so am I in a way. And i guess so are you, in a way.

Keep reading!
realist

i think we can agree that there are douches everywhere. its best because downtown you will see different people. i don't think it will ever look like the rest of jax.

especially during the day, everyone on the sidewalk/street is different.

its too big for gentrification and douche takeover
fawnleibowitz

"So mature adults are not worthy of downtown? I mean, I just want to make sure I get this right. I donâ€™t want to stumble onto the wrong turf or anything."

And the above is actually not what I said at all, thanks, Uturn.
fawnleibowitz

"I love hipsters as much as the next person, but all the hipsters in the world wonâ€™t make downtown cool. It will take a diverse mix of people from all over the city interested in coming downtown to make it a fun place to live and work."

See, this is where i depart from the rest of you. I moved downtown to GET AWAY FROM THE REST OF JACKSONVILLE. If i wanted bland, boring, and average people, restaurants, shops, nightlife, etc. I'd live in Mandarin or in some subdivision off of Southside.
Don't get me wrong (which I think a lot of you are): I don't think everyone who lives and visits downtown needs to be some tight black jeans wearing, asymetrical haircut having, LCD Soundsytem listening "hipster", but i would like downtown to retain its sense of counter culture. I mean, no one can argue, i think, that what you like about downtown is that it is exactly the opposite as the rest of the city. And i am just saying that as more people flood into the area, i hope it can maintain its sense of going against the tide. In hindsight, my remark about Mark's was pretty much stemming from the fact that I just don't like that bar (though I have found myself there far too many times than I would like to admit), and really has nothing to do with what i was trying to say, which is that I hope downtown's character and what makes it cool right now doesn't get lost in the fight to bring people down here.
And i would say anyone's desire to drink good beer, eat good food, and hear music is exactly what makes you have style that the Mandarin/Southside set doesn't, not what you are wearing.
fawnleibowitz

"I love hipsters as much as the next person, but all the hipsters in the world wonâ€™t make downtown cool. It will take a diverse mix of people from all over the city interested in coming downtown to make it a fun place to live and work."

See, this is where i depart from the rest of you. I moved downtown to GET AWAY FROM THE REST OF JACKSONVILLE. If i wanted bland, boring, and average people, restaurants, shops, nightlife, etc. I'd live in Mandarin or in some subdivision off of Southside.
Don't get me wrong (which I think a lot of you are): I don't think everyone who lives and visits downtown needs to be some tight black jeans wearing, asymetrical haircut having, LCD Soundsytem listening "hipster", but i would like downtown to retain its sense of counter culture. I mean, no one can argue, i think, that what you like about downtown is that it is exactly the opposite as the rest of the city. And i am just saying that as more people flood into the area, i hope it can maintain its sense of going against the tide. In hindsight, my remark about Mark's was pretty much stemming from the fact that I just don't like that bar (though I have found myself there far too many times than I would like to admit), and really has nothing to do with what i was trying to say, which is that I hope downtown's character and what makes it cool right now doesn't get lost in the fight to bring people down here.
Shops At Target

Actually AdamB (and Fawn), I get the same sideways looks from the "hip people" and from the "frat yuppies," depending on which style I am wearing: long-sleeve/jeans/boots or t-shirt/cargo shorts/tattoos.

But I could really give a shit either way...

I'm the first to admit that my fashion sense is about 5 years behind the curve (sometimes 10...one day flannel will be back in style).

Sorry, but I feel that my desire to drink good beer, eat good food, and hear music outweighs my lack of style.

And if people gave each other a chance, they'd probably find a lot in common.
vicupstate

Excellent coverage and publicity for DT. To Tony, Joey, Terry, Stephen, et al....

Thanks for bringing Sexy Back !
joeymarchy

Yeah I don't agree with Fawn's comments either.

"Coincidentally, its the latter people (Mark's patrons) who I feel are the bandwagoners who are going to make downtown as lame as the rest of Jacksonville is."

I love hipsters as much as the next person, but all the hipsters in the world won't make downtown cool. It will take a diverse mix of people from all over the city interested in coming downtown to make it a fun place to live and work.
Dennis

Quite the odd layout for talking about how downtown is sexy. Kind of wish they pushed the photography and design a little more to emphasize the idea.
roadking

"I like that when I go to TSI itâ€™s full of cool kids while Markâ€™s is full of Yuppie douches whoâ€™re dressed like they just came from Sunday school."
Too funny and pompous.
Can't we all just get along.
skimbro

Basically you have two choices to complement the preferred grungy-enough-to-be-cool set: people who are yet grungier due to the lack of a job and/or home; or people who are less grungy because they get paid. The latter group is the only one of the two that will help sustain downtown economically, so they are the better contingent to tolerate. Besides, even the ones in suits aren't likely to be the Biff and Muffy yachting types. Otherwise, they wouldn't be downtown.
Adam Beaugh

i'm sure that there are some nice people who go to mark's. in fact, my room mate and her boyfriend go there. however, every time i walk past it on the way to tsi, it just seems WAY to frat boy, ditsy girl. i'm not a fan of places that see me walk by andthe people make sideways glances. i guess a guy shouldn't dress in clothes that fit him. it's not like i'm in drag.
Uturn

So mature adults are not worthy of downtown? I mean, I just want to make sure I get this right. I don't want to stumble onto the wrong turf or anything.
Antonio

I said the 401k thing with a smirk. Please note the smirk. I was trying to say more about the market condition. I'm not advisor. There are rents as low as $8-9 per foot downtown is all.

fawn, every person in a bar is exactly the same? Actually I know this is not true because I'm not cool and I get into tsi and don't have sunday bests and do go to marks. and all yuppies are not douches. In fact if you are young and get paid to do things, you might be proof of this.
nick

EU's redesign is nice, but the writing is often atrocious. There doesn't seem to be much of an editorial presence at the mag.
Adam Beaugh

i agree with that.

i checked out EU over lunch today, and overall it's pretty good. My main problem is with the guy who writes the movie reviews. They are so poorly written that it's almost fun to read. Maybe he's 16, which would explain it. the wording, sentence structure, and stream of thought are horrible. i don't want to be mean, but it's just in my nature.
fawnleibowitz

The way i feel about downtown in general is kind of the way I feel about really good unknown bands I like: I really want people to like them, but not too many people, if that makes sense. It's like, I want downtown to become vibrant and appreciated, but I don't want all the bandwagoners just latching onto and making it lame. I like that when I go to TSI it's full of cool kids while Mark's is full of Yuppie douches who're dressed like they just came from Sunday school. Coincidentally, its the latter people who I feel are the bandwagoners who are going to make downtown as lame as the rest of Jacksonville is. So, i mean, i want progress, but I would like downtown to keep what is, i think, it's edge and coolness, if that makes sense.

“Downtown Jacksonville is Sexy”

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