dxfret

This is a global issue. Things are not normal everywhere and uncertainty makes things worse. Nashville is well positioned with a diverse economy and robust development continuing. This crisis will pass and others will follow.

I think the transformation to the WeGo brand is quite good. The new name, logo and livery work well together. I only wish the new branding had somewhere included “Nashville” or “Music City”. I liked the old tag line “Your ticket to Music City”. The previous Nashville MTA logo and colors were extremely dated. Unfortunately many of the newer bus shelters still have the old MTA design incorporated into the bus shelter which will be expensive to update.

Memphis has always had a lot of potential but so much has been squandered over the years. The riverfront is an amazing asset. Poor government and civic leadership has been a big issue, along with the high crime rate. Memphis made a big bet on becoming a distribution center and the so-called “aerotropolis” that has not panned out well except to create acres of warehouses where people don’t live. As a result the city’s growth and regional economy have been mostly stagnant for years.

“Surely a "4-star" hotel has to be nicer and more spacious than a cabin on a riverboat.” This would largely depend on amount of hours in port stops. Viking will offer cabins and amenities superior to any hotel. In already paying top $ for the cruise, why pay extra for hotels? These are not the vessels of the Delta Queen era. Viking has been very successful in Europe with similar river cruises popular with American tourists.

Sorry, but none of the hotels cited above can ever be considered top quality by discerning travelers. The star system rating hotels is largely meaningless, and is primarily used by hotel chains and booking engines for marketing and to raise rates. Memphis badly needs at least one high end hotel, but none currently exist in the local market or pipeline. I’m talking about hotels like Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, Conrad, Waldorf, or possibly even a JW Marriott.

Sadly, there are really no high end hotels in downtown Memphis. The Peabody bills itself as high end, but it’s actually very old and not super nice. Any informed passengers will certainly stay on the boat.

TN is truly the Volunteer State. How generous to share yourself in that spirit.

The Wall StreetJournal and NY Times have both had recent articles about river cruises and Viking’s planned entry in the US. What is shocking is how very expensive these cruises are for passengers. Anything to increase Memphis tourism will be good, but Memphis is likely to be a mid point stop with passengers visiting mostly as day trippers. As such this would not create a lot of additional demand for hotel rooms or air travel as passengers are likely to embark/disembark in other cities. I do hope the city can work to improve the River Terminal. Even though it is fairly new, it has already had a lot of problems.

Valuable to know that someone is tracking the pulse of the city from afar and across the internet, and with 100% certainty. Nashville is strong!

The architecture across the entire Lipscomb University campus is bland, uninspired and boring. Worse than a state community college.

Such wisdom!

British Airways has been using a combination of 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft over the winter period. The aircraft used depends largely on passenger loads and specific days of the week. The 787-9 is scheduled to return to daily nonstop service again this spring. It will be replaced by the larger 787-10 in September.

It was painful to watch Pat Nolan’s so-called interview with Cooper. Channel 5 needs a younger generation political reporter.

Montgomery Bell Academy has more money than they know what to do with. Similar situations at Ensworth and the Harpeth Hall School, but MBA really has the cash and spends lavishly, just like Vanderbilt.

The office building with gold glass on Briley Pkwy near the entrance to the old airport terminal has always been especially hideous and has not aged well.