Discuss Detroit » Archives - Beginning July 2006 » When will Downtown Detroit get an ESPN Sports Zone? « Previous Next »
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Emu_steve
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Post Number: 16
Registered: 11-2006
Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 5:13 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Seems a SportsZone and Hooters are two staples for most big cities.

I'd think they'd be big $ makers.
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Stecks77
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Username: Stecks77

Post Number: 204
Registered: 08-2006
Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 7:55 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The chain will probably go bankrupt before Detroit gets one.

Maybe will get a Planet Hollywood instead?
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Detroitstar
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Post Number: 340
Registered: 01-2006
Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 8:28 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The only place that would seem to make any sense for the ESPN Zone would be in the Madison building...but that is no longer an option. Maybe the new ramp on Broadway...but that seems like a strange location.
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Charlottepaul
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Username: Charlottepaul

Post Number: 70
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 8:35 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

How big are they? Maybe the open half a block south on Broadway past the YMCA wouldn't bee too bad. (Always thought that it was an odd location for the Y by the way--doesn't exactly fit into the city's plan for Broadway to become a bar strip.)
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Beadgrl
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Post Number: 65
Registered: 07-2006
Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 8:55 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Having visited an ESPN SportsZone in Las Vegas a few years ago, i think they would fit nicely here. Where in the city, i don't know. But if it means more jobs and money for the city, bring it on.
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Tiorted
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Post Number: 24
Registered: 02-2006
Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 9:04 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I remember talk about an espnzone in Ford Field when it was under construction but I guess that fell through. The Chicago espnzone is nothing special, reminds me of "Dave and Busters"

What I wouldn't mind seeing downtown is a "House of Blues" open up.
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Miketoronto
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Username: Miketoronto

Post Number: 375
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 9:31 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

How about a unique downtown without the chains?

Who needs House of Blues if you have a real Jazz Bar unique to the city???????

I really don't get the obsession with turning all our downtowns into carbon copy's of each other.

Once the downtown is full of nothing but these chains, people are not going to visit.

Keep it unique. Keep it Detroit.
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Mcwalbucksnfitch
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Post Number: 14
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 9:42 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thats very true, although people are attracted to things they recognize. Detroit can still have it's own distinct personality and keep its identity and support large chains that will contribute to helping the tourism base grow.
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Charlottepaul
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Post Number: 71
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 9:42 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

True. An ESPNzone is more of a status symbol than anything. Nobody really wants downtown Detroit to be the same as every other downtown.
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Upinottawa
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Post Number: 643
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 9:50 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

That being said, no one really wants every other downtown to be the same as downtown Detroit.... :-(
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Miketoronto
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Username: Miketoronto

Post Number: 376
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 10:05 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Really I think chains are the biggest problem now in keeping vibrant downtowns.

I see it happening in downtown Toronto where chains are taking over once interesting shopping strips. And guess what, why go and shop on say Queen Street, if its all the same stores like the Eaton Centre has? But thats whats happening.

Its happening in all cities. Michigan Ave in Chicago is amazing. But when I was there, I bought nothing on Michigan Ave, because it was all the same stores every other place has.

We have got to promote local business in our downtowns, or they are going to turn into nothing but suburban mall copy cats.

The thing I love about downtown Detroit is its lack of chains. Everytime I go there, its amazing to see local homegrown places that have weathered the storm so to speak and continue to thrive in a "real" Detroit culture.
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Milwaukee
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Username: Milwaukee

Post Number: 343
Registered: 08-2006
Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 10:23 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

1. There will never be an ESPN zone in downtown Detroit.

2. If there is an ESPN zone in downtown Detroit, it will be after the one is built in Dearborn, Birmingham, and Ann Arbor.

Seriously, ESPN Zone is for rich and middle class white people. You think you are going to get those people to go into big bad Detroit just for some games? The company will surely build one in Oakland County before ever setting foot in Detroit.
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Hysteria
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Username: Hysteria

Post Number: 1731
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 10:29 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)


quote:

Seriously, ESPN Zone is for rich and middle class white people. You think you are going to get those people to go into big bad Detroit just for some games? The company will surely build one in Oakland County before ever setting foot in Detroit.




The same was said about Hard Rock Cafe and look where they ended up.
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Thnk2mch
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Username: Thnk2mch

Post Number: 525
Registered: 02-2006
Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 10:29 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)


quote:

Seriously, ESPN Zone is for rich and middle class white people. You think you are going to get those people to go into big bad Detroit just for some games?




YES

(Message edited by thnk2mch on December 01, 2006)
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Thejesus
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Username: Thejesus

Post Number: 369
Registered: 06-2006
Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 10:31 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Milwaukee:

Rich and middle class white people are the ones who spend money in the entertainment district...don't believe it? Just stand on the corner of Brush and Adams after a Tigers or Lions game lets out...

That said, I wouldn't expect to see an ESPN zone anywhere in Michigan anytime soon
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Sharmaal
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Username: Sharmaal

Post Number: 961
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 10:37 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

And no Rich or Middle Class White people go to Red Wings games either.


(Message edited by sharmaal on December 01, 2006)

(Message edited by sharmaal on December 01, 2006)
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Spitty
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Post Number: 501
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 11:11 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I think the Statler Hilton site would be a good spot for an ESPN zone, it could be the ground floor retail that occupies the Rock Financial Building once they decide to move there.
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Tkelly1986
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Username: Tkelly1986

Post Number: 193
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 11:24 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I say the vacant lot outside the Comerica fences........I would love to see a development on that land ala Wrigleyville. 10 or so story apartments except for an ESPN Zone in back of Barden's place that would be only 3 with a rooftop deck......that strip of Adams could be an awesome bar scene if developed right. Close it down to traffic, replace the DAC garage with one more aesthetically pleasing with ground flood retail and make it a bar scene like Cleveland’s flats where you pay one flat fee to go to 10 bars. That would be nice.
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Danindc
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Username: Danindc

Post Number: 1952
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 11:34 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)


quote:

Close it down to traffic, replace the DAC garage with one more aesthetically pleasing with ground flood retail and make it a bar scene like Cleveland’s flats where you pay one flat fee to go to 10 bars.




You know the Flats is dead, right? And that it was never a "one cover charge for 10 bars" deal?
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Matt
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Post Number: 1133
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 11:37 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Cheesecake Factory!
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Dialh4hipster
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Username: Dialh4hipster

Post Number: 1853
Registered: 11-2004
Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 11:44 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hey let's just trash up the whole CBD! It'll be like a little Macomb County right in the middle of Detroit!
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Dds
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Post Number: 44
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 11:54 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I agree with DH4H. Everyone could use a little white trash in their lives.
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Tkelly1986
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Username: Tkelly1986

Post Number: 194
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 11:54 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

ok, I am getting it confused with somewhere else then, but I know there is a major city that has an entertainment district like that, I just can't remember which one.
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Hysteria
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Username: Hysteria

Post Number: 1732
Registered: 02-2006
Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 11:57 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Louisville has one.
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Ramcharger
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Username: Ramcharger

Post Number: 149
Registered: 05-2006
Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 5:20 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)


quote:

"You know the Flats is dead, right?"



When did this happen? I was there two or three years ago and it seemed to be full of people then.
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Bobj
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Username: Bobj

Post Number: 1549
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 5:27 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

We need more people living downtown and more foot traffic on all nights before places like the ESPN Zone will open. I don't like chains myself, but lots and lots of people do. Look at the Hard Rock, many of the people there would never come Downtown except for an attraction like that. A nice mix of chains and local businesses would be ideal.
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Toog05
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Username: Toog05

Post Number: 66
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 5:40 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Detroit will get an ESPN Zone, the middle-class will soon make up the a good portion of the population in and near downtown.
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Andysrc
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Post Number: 140
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 6:45 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I went to the flats about eight or so years ago in Cleveland. Seemed to be pretty happening. I went to the flats last spring and on a beautiful Saturday night, it was absolutely dead quiet.
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Rhymeswithrawk
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Username: Rhymeswithrawk

Post Number: 142
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 10:28 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

You all are missing the biggest reason why Detroit will never get an ESPN Zone: Ilitch will never let it happen.
He's not a big fan of competition, and he's got his Hockeytown Cafe.
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Bobj
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Post Number: 1551
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 10:33 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Good point rhymes
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Yaktown
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Username: Yaktown

Post Number: 61
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 10:40 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

ESPN Zone is over-rated anyway. I went to the one in Las Vegas and it was just another sports bar, albeit with higher prices. $10 for a burger?! The D doesn't need chains like this. How many times can you go the same restaurant in different cities?
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Rhymeswithrawk
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Username: Rhymeswithrawk

Post Number: 144
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Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 10:46 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I agree, Yaktown, but it's sort of like a status thing. Most of the out-of-state friends I've taken on tours almost always exclaim, "Wow! Detroit has a Hard Rock Cafe!?"
Speaking of which, does anyone actually go in there? That would be a bummer if it closed, though its lack of Detroit music legends on its outside facade is another reason I've never gone in myself.
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Milwaukee
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Post Number: 349
Registered: 08-2006
Posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 - 11:45 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

1. The flats are dead. I was in Cleveland this summer, and all those bars and nightclubs were closed on a Friday night. The Warehouse district right next to it seemed to be doing fine, but not the flats.

2. You don't need an ESPN Zone, a great downtown doesn't need to have a bunch of tacky crap to make it nice. It really is only a status symbol.

Detroit should work on filling the abandoned buildings with lofts and offices before building an ESPN Zone. And remember, this is only the downtown. How about the city fixes it's schools, rebuilds it's infrastructure and then works on getting ESPN Zone downtown.
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Rhymeswithrawk
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Post Number: 146
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Posted on Saturday, December 02, 2006 - 12:02 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

If the city doesn't fix its schools, no one (with a choice) will want to raise a family here. The nation (and most of the Mitten) thinks crime is Detroit's worst problem; they're wrong. I agree with all of Milwaukee's points. He's right about the Flats, too. Cleveland's schools, by the way, are somethin' awful. Not as bad as DPS, but still mighty bad.
There aren't enough childless, economically comfortable people to do this thing alone. We need families. Badly.
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Emu_steve
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Username: Emu_steve

Post Number: 17
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Posted on Saturday, December 02, 2006 - 12:16 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

one thing which may drive some decisions on more sports bars (either SportsZone or not) is the decision on a possible new hockey arena.

If a new hockey arena is built in the Fox area that would be another what 50 game nights of fans in the area.

I'd assume that Hockeytown couldn't hold all the hockey fans who would come to eat and drink.

Add baseball, hockey and football and that averages out to one event every other day. That is a lot of spectator traffic.
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Hysteria
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Username: Hysteria

Post Number: 1739
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Posted on Saturday, December 02, 2006 - 12:23 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)


quote:

There aren't enough childless, economically comfortable people to do this thing alone. We need families. Badly.




Detroit needs new residents that earn the bucks but don't demand a lot from city services. The single residents moving to and/or living downtown are a great example. Itsjeff posted an article in another thread that relates:


quote:

Boston and San Francisco count fewer people than they did five years ago, yet they seem to be in better economic health. What they’re essentially doing is losing families with school-age children and gaining singles, childless couples and empty nesters — smaller households with ample incomes that demand much less in the way of city services.



http://www.governing.com/artic les/11cities.htm
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Smogboy
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Posted on Saturday, December 02, 2006 - 12:35 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I'm wondering if other metropolitan cities ever wish they had their own Lindell ACs??

While I'm not opposed to us having an ESPN SportZone, I'm also thinking that someone out there with deep enough pockets & vision should be able to come downtown and open up something uniquely Detroit and not just be a franchise of a major chain. WIth so many sports arenas in the area, I think it'd be feasible to cash in on some of the fans coming into the area.
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Spitty
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Posted on Saturday, December 02, 2006 - 3:51 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Nobody's mentioned that ESPN zone has an arcade with some really cool games. We have nothing like that Downtown. ESPN Zone is like Dave and Buster's or Gameworks and I think an arcade where you can drink might do well downtown. I don't care if it's a chain or independently owned, but some kind of arcade would be pretty cool.
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Sticks
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Post Number: 145
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Posted on Saturday, December 02, 2006 - 7:03 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Rhymeswithrawk, I just went into the HRC for the third time in a year. Doesn't seem as packed as when I first stepped in. But I can imagine they make some money from the skating rink bringing some people downtown. And don't forget all the professionals in the CM building: they seem to congregate there after work for drinks, of course.
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Bob
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Post Number: 1248
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Posted on Saturday, December 02, 2006 - 7:13 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

We have more unique things in our downtown like Hockeytown Cafe, 5th Ave Billiards, Cheli's, etc. Those are the kind of things I would much rather have anyways.

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