Economic Conditions - Nashville, TN, U.S., Global

[satalac]

11 minutes ago, DDIG said:

This is actually probably an awesome time to go to Disney as long as everyone is complying. What were the waits like?

Without getting too off topic...AWESOME. Animal Kingdom had 5 min waits which is just the lowest number they can put. We walked onto every single ride both days there. Magic Kingdom had 15 mins waits at the longest, even though the times said much longer. Epcot...Well there's not many rides, but we waiting no longer than 15 mins. Finally, Hollywood Studios. It had the most people, but that's partially due to the smaller and narrower park layout, plus a couple of big new rides. Mickey and Minnie Runaway Railway which had just opened before the parks closed showed wait times of 60-90 mins regularly, but we waited maybe 20 mins. Rise of the Resistance, which is absolutely incredible, did still have boarding groups you'd have to log onto to get, we rode twice, but was limited to one ride per day. Overall, we basically rode whatever we wanted whenever we wanted. The only hiccup was the second time we did Rise and the ride broke down while we were in the Stormtrooper room. Best breakdown ever since I got to snap plenty of pics and it was in the AC.

 

[Jarno]

On 7/21/2020 at 8:43 AM, smeagolsfree said:

I think its different stroke for different folks! 

For me, I don't like visiting Broadway as a local. When I vacation for instance in  NoLa, I only visit Bourbon St. maybe once and and then I am done. I have no desire to go back to the strip in Las Vegas and have seen enough of Times Square in NYC to know I don't want to go.  Too many people, too many drunks, too much touristy cheese in all of these places. I get the same vibe when I go to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. I went to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg for the first time in my life a couple of years ago and never again. Maybe its a sign I am getting older, but I never did Gatlinburg when I was younger. I never did the Beaches that much either for the same reason. Too many people. Besides hanging around a beach for me, is a colossal waste of time. I never had a beach body anyway. I went with friends but was usually bored.

Maybe it's just me, I just dont like the crowds anywhere I go. But if it is your cup of tea then go for it.  No amusement parks for me either. They are good for the economy, but I hate the lines and the crowds. But if you want to go, then I will never stand in your way. 

Even many of the national parks are ruined by crowds. Even when I was in Yosemite I went up in elevation to get away from people.  My remedy there is to charge a lot more to get into those parks to keep the riff raff out. If you live within 200 miles of a national  park you should be charge triple to get in, but parks like the Smokey's cant charge entrance fees because of the way they were chartered. 

I love your first line - "I think its different stroke for different folks! "

However, I'll never understand this new trend for what appears to be a lot of people:  I don't like it, so burn it down....

 

[DDIG]

4 hours ago, Jarno said:

I love your first line - "I think its different stroke for different folks! "

However, I'll never understand this new trend for what appears to be a lot of people:  I don't like it, so burn it down....

 

Social media group think destroying the world. 100% gratification for each of my opinions, and if you don't agree on any one point you should be deplatformed. 

[ruraljuror]

1 hour ago, DDIG said:

Social media group think destroying the world. 100% gratification for each of my opinions, and if you don't agree on any one point you should be deplatformed. 

Has someone tried to 'deplatform' you? If so, what was your opinion that they found to be problematic? Or are you referring to calls for deplatforming that were targeting  other people -  in which case what were those target's opinions that were supposedly so objectionable? 

I'm genuinely curious here if you don't mind sharing.   I agree with you that there is certainly plenty of unreasonable group think on social media, so there's not much that could surprise me here. Then again, there's plenty of just about everything else on social media too, so maybe there's more room for surprise than I recognize...

Edited July 23, 2020 by ruraljuror

[satalac]

9 hours ago, DDIG said:

Social media group think destroying the world. 100% gratification for each of my opinions, and if you don't agree on any one point you should be deplatformed. 

It's sad that this happens so often. People find their echo chamber, then attack anyone that has a different thought than them, oftentimes making it personal. It's so depersonalized and people don't think that they could possibly agree on more stuff than not, because they're so willing to attack to feel vindicated in their own thoughts. I wish more people would take a step back, and think about how they'd have this discussion if the other person was standing right in front of them. Anonymity can cause people to irrational.

[markhollin]

Dr. Deborah Birx, a leader of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, told Tennessee and Nashville officials on a call Wednesday that they should take quick action to increase testing and curb the spread of COVID-19. There were 10 other metro areas around the country focused-upon as well.

More at The Tennessean here:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2020/07/22/white-house-says-nashville-needs-aggressive-covid-19-response/5490883002/

[DDIG]

9 hours ago, ruraljuror said:

Has someone tried to 'deplatform' you? If so, what was your opinion that they found to be problematic? Or are you referring to calls for deplatforming that were targeting  other people -  in which case what were those target's opinions that were supposedly so objectionable? 

I'm genuinely curious here if you don't mind sharing.   I agree with you that there is certainly plenty of unreasonable group think on social media, so there's not much that could surprise me here. Then again, there's plenty of just about everything else on social media too, so maybe there's more room for surprise than I recognize...

Ha I have not been deplatformed! I probably do spend too much time on social media and I see every debate devolve quickly. Nobody can casually agree to disagree on any one subject and find common ground elsewhere. It seems to me to be all or nothing.  I also realize social media isn't the real world.

[smeagolsfree]

That's the problem here and everywhere else now in this country. Any and all discussion quickly turn into a political or ideological debate and go to name calling, shredding, flaming, and the list goes on. 

It has gotten worse simply because of our idiotic leadership on both sides of the political spectrum behaving like spoiled little children and that behavior has spread through the populous. 

We are a divided nation and we may never recover now simply because of the antics of our so called childish leader leadership calling each other names and further dividing the nation. Abraham Lincoln said "A nation divided against itself cannot stand."  We cannot even come together over a common sense question about wearing a mask. Folks, his is not a civil rights issue, this is a common sense issue. During the pandemic of 1918 , many place required people to wear a mask and like today history shows that many that did not heed that advice paid the price with their lives. So if wearing a mask is against your rights, then not wearing one in my presence is against my rights as well. So your rights by not wearing one is infringing on my rights of safety and health which has been shown time and time again to be trumped by the law. Ones religious freedom can only be taken so far such as polygamy or human sacrifice. Or in the case of the Florida church selling bleach as a cure all for the Coronavirus. They were shut down pretty quickly. Freedoms can only go so far in this or any other country. Anything can be taken too far.

If we can't come together over an issue as simple as this and the other problems that face this nation, then I am afraid we are doomed as a nation. I say this because people cannot come together and have a civil conversation without yelling and losing their tempers. A lot of this stems form the division of the far right and the far left.  Both of those faction are big groups of cry babies because they want things to go their way with no middle ground. This country has been able to compromise until the last two presidents. If it were really up to me I would line the far twenty percent on the left and the far twenty percent on the right and send them to Siberia and let Russia deal with them and see what it is really like in a country where you have no freedoms or to Mainland China where they have no problem putting entire people groups into reeducation camps. Russia may be a stretch, but the old USSR is maybe more accurate, but they are still lacking in liberties there.

These fringe groups which I will call them have no idea how good they have it in this country. A vast majority have never ventured outside their comfort zone to see how the rest of the world actually lives. To hear other peoples of the world describe American tourist is somewhat appalling as a group we are a bunch of spoiled little children. We as a nation of people are arrogant, rude, self centered, bombastic, with a holier than thou mentality that think we are the saviors of the world.

If things continue as they are, this country is going to be in for a rude awakening and will pay a terrible price for the stupidity we have allowed to take over our government on the right and left. I am sure I will get hit from all side with this post as I dont like the right or the left. This is the truth and many of you folks in these groups are too blind to see where the country is headed. It is a train going full throttle toward a blown up bridge into a 1000' gorge and everyone is on the same train and knows that the bridge is out, yet know one has the guts to pull the emergency brake.

[titanhog]

38 minutes ago, smeagolsfree said:

That's the problem here and everywhere else now in this country. Any and all discussion quickly turn into a political or ideological debate and go to name calling, shredding, flaming, and the list goes on. 

It has gotten worse simply because of our idiotic leadership on both sides of the political spectrum behaving like spoiled little children and that behavior has spread through the populous. 

We are a divided nation and we may never recover now simply because of the antics of our so called childish leader leadership calling each other names and further dividing the nation. Abraham Lincoln said "A nation divided against itself cannot stand."  We cannot even come together over a common sense question about wearing a mask. Folks, his is not a civil rights issue, this is a common sense issue. During the pandemic of 1918 , many place required people to wear a mask and like today history shows that many that did not heed that advice paid the price with their lives. So if wearing a mask is against your rights, then not wearing one in my presence is against my rights as well. So your rights by not wearing one is infringing on my rights of safety and health which has been shown time and time again to be trumped by the law. Ones religious freedom can only be taken so far such as polygamy or human sacrifice. Or in the case of the Florida church selling bleach as a cure all for the Coronavirus. They were shut down pretty quickly. Freedoms can only go so far in this or any other country. Anything can be taken too far.

If we can't come together over an issue as simple as this and the other problems that face this nation, then I am afraid we are doomed as a nation. I say this because people cannot come together and have a civil conversation without yelling and losing their tempers. A lot of this stems form the division of the far right and the far left.  Both of those faction are big groups of cry babies because they want things to go their way with no middle ground. This country has been able to compromise until the last two presidents. If it were really up to me I would line the far twenty percent on the left and the far twenty percent on the right and send them to Siberia and let Russia deal with them and see what it is really like in a country where you have no freedoms or to Mainland China where they have no problem putting entire people groups into reeducation camps. Russia may be a stretch, but the old USSR is maybe more accurate, but they are still lacking in liberties there.

These fringe groups which I will call them have no idea how good they have it in this country. A vast majority have never ventured outside their comfort zone to see how the rest of the world actually lives. To hear other peoples of the world describe American tourist is somewhat appalling as a group we are a bunch of spoiled little children. We as a nation of people are arrogant, rude, self centered, bombastic, with a holier than thou mentality that think we are the saviors of the world.

If things continue as they are, this country is going to be in for a rude awakening and will pay a terrible price for the stupidity we have allowed to take over our government on the right and left. I am sure I will get hit from all side with this post as I dont like the right or the left. This is the truth and many of you folks in these groups are too blind to see where the country is headed. It is a train going full throttle toward a blown up bridge into a 1000' gorge and everyone is on the same train and knows that the bridge is out, yet know one has the guts to pull the emergency brake.

Yes.

[BnaBreaker]

To tie this discussion in with the over-arching theme of this message board, this is one of the many reasons that I, personally, am so passionate about quality urban planning, and such a big believer in it.  Beyond the more superficial benefits of building proper connected, walkable, mixed-use, mixed-income urban communities, I truly believe that the fact that we've strayed away from that framework over the last six or seven decades is one of the major reasons you see such strong division these days amongst the populace in this country specifically.  So many of us now live in places that are built with the expressed intention of being as insular and exclusionary as possible, where the only time most of us ever get out is for our one trip to the closest big box store to stock up on supplies for the week, and then back to our mini-castles we all retreat.  High quality urban design that fosters true community enables us to interact with more people, often times people who are from different walks of life than us, and that makes it more difficult to have extreme opinions about them.  Even if you don't interact on a personal level with someone, it's hard to see a person as 'the other' when you're riding the same bus or standing in line at the same bakery, and so this existence naturally has a tendency to, over time, break down the psychological barriers that might keep us from seeing everyone as AMERICANS who are a part of the same community, even though they might have differing opinions.

Edited July 23, 2020 by BnaBreaker

[titanhog]

1 minute ago, BnaBreaker said:

To tie this discussion in with the over-arching theme of this message board, this is one of the reasons I, personally, am so passionate about quality urban planning.  Beyond the more superficial benefits of building proper connected, walkable, mixed-use, mixed-income urban communities, I truly believe that the fact that we've strayed away from that framework over the last six or seven decades is one of the major reasons you see such strong division these days.  So many of us now live in places that are built with the expressed intention of being as insular and exclusionary as possible, where the only time most of us ever get out is for our one trip to the closest big box store to stock up on supplies for the week, and then back to our mini-castles we all retreat.  High quality urban design that fosters true community enables us to interact with more people, often times people who are from different walks of life than us, and that makes it more difficult to have extreme opinions about them.  Even if you don't interact on a personal level with someone, it's hard to see a person as 'the other' when you're riding the same bus or standing in line at the same bakery.

I'd say the internet (and Facebook, Twitter, etc) is the biggest reason for the downfall.  We've given a voice to "everyman"...which at first seems like a good thing...but we're realizing some people can not handle that.  Then when you get leaders, nations, armies, etc using the internet to divide and conquer...and we no longer know what's true of fake (like being able to actually use "face" technology to show someone saying something they never actually said)...wow.  It's just a confusing time for many...and that echo chamber gets louder and louder.

[BnaBreaker]

10 minutes ago, titanhog said:

I'd say the internet (and Facebook, Twitter, etc) is the biggest reason for the downfall.  We've given a voice to "everyman"...which at first seems like a good thing...but we're realizing some people can not handle that.  Then when you get leaders, nations, armies, etc using the internet to divide and conquer...and we no longer know what's true of fake (like being able to actually use "face" technology to show someone saying something they never actually said)...wow.  It's just a confusing time for many...and that echo chamber gets louder and louder.

You're right that the internet is definitely a major factor, but I also think that the only reason it is such a major factor is that most of us don't have an actual physical community to fall back on.  I don't think social media and the like would hold such heavy sway on our opinions if that weren't the only place so many people actually had a chance to interact with people outside of their immediate sphere of influence.  In other words, I don't think we'd be nearly as susceptible to believe something we saw on social media about a certain group if we had actual confirmation to the contrary in the form of real world experience with said group.  Such is the double edged sword, I suppose, of social media.  It's true that it opens up connections with people you wouldn't otherwise have a chance to interact with, and that's good, but at the same time, how much of a real, authentic "connection" can there even be when that person is just represented by words on a screen.  

Edited July 23, 2020 by BnaBreaker

[Nashvillain]

21 minutes ago, BnaBreaker said:

You're right that the internet is definitely a major factor, but I also think that the only reason it is such a major factor is that most of us don't have an actual physical community to fall back on.  I don't think social media and the like would hold such heavy sway on our opinions if that weren't the only place so many people actually had a chance to interact with people outside of their immediate sphere of influence.  In other words, I don't think we'd be nearly as susceptible to believe something we saw on social media about a certain group if we had actual confirmation to the contrary in the form of real world experience with said group.  Such is the double edged sword, I suppose, of social media.  It's true that it opens up connections with people you wouldn't otherwise have a chance to interact with, and that's good, but at the same time, how much of a real, authentic "connection" can there even be when that person is just represented by words on a screen.  

I agree with this 100%. I would also add that the consolidation of news media is a major factor. Local news has been replaced by national vitriol, constant editorializing to fill air time, and outright propaganda. Our winner take all elections are a factor and so is our two party system. Bottom line, we're f'd. 

[MLBrumby]

The COVID shutdown and riots in larger cities will take a toll on their commercial office space and residential markets. As per the WSJ article I posted yesterday and other news reports, this is already happening in NYC, SF, Chicago and Seattle. Taxes will be shooting up soon.

From the NBJ: https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2020/07/23/colliers-covid-office-sublease-analysis.html

"San Francisco has more sublease space on the market than they've seen in decades. Rents in New York are projected to plunge 20% to 40%, potentially. We’re not seeing that," added Shane Douglas, who like Sterchi is a partner and executive vice president at Nashville's Colliers affiliate.

Edited July 23, 2020 by MLBrumby

[DDIG]

1 hour ago, BnaBreaker said:

You're right that the internet is definitely a major factor, but I also think that the only reason it is such a major factor is that most of us don't have an actual physical community to fall back on.  I don't think social media and the like would hold such heavy sway on our opinions if that weren't the only place so many people actually had a chance to interact with people outside of their immediate sphere of influence.  In other words, I don't think we'd be nearly as susceptible to believe something we saw on social media about a certain group if we had actual confirmation to the contrary in the form of real world experience with said group.  Such is the double edged sword, I suppose, of social media.  It's true that it opens up connections with people you wouldn't otherwise have a chance to interact with, and that's good, but at the same time, how much of a real, authentic "connection" can there even be when that person is just represented by words on a screen.  

This is true. And it is exacerbated by politicians (at all levels) who seem to be only interested / motivated in tweeting stuff that will make the fringe of their base froth at the moth. On the flipside of course, when they tweet something benign or moderate and you look at the comments that same fringe is usually tearing them apart for not saying exactly what they want them to say.

[satalac]

1 hour ago, DDIG said:

This is true. And it is exacerbated by politicians (at all levels) who seem to be only interested / motivated in tweeting stuff that will make the fringe of their base froth at the moth. On the flipside of course, when they tweet something benign or moderate and you look at the comments that same fringe is usually tearing them apart for not saying exactly what they want them to say.

As much as I don't really care for politicians, I definitely don't envy their jobs. Can you imagine that everything you do at work is broadcast to a public that's ready to tear you apart? No thanks. 

[markhollin]

Nashville party buses and larger 'transportainment' vehicles must close due to Covid-19, city says:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2020/07/24/nashville-party-buses-larger-transpotainment-vehicles-must-close/5506378002/

[Nash_12South]

The mayor announced this morning that we will stay at a modified Phase 2 reopening until at least August 16th. Our metrics are improving but not where the city wants them.

[DDIG]

1 hour ago, Nash_12South said:

The mayor announced this morning that we will stay at a modified Phase 2 reopening until at least August 16th. Our metrics are improving but not where the city wants them.

Transmission rate is back in the green for the first time in awhile.

I think we are close to breaking point for small businesses. Permanent closures are imminent. 

[markhollin]

Nashville's health director plans to further amend a public health order Thursday that would ban all "transpotainment" operations, even if no alcohol is on board:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2020/07/30/nashville-ban-transpotainment-operations-regardless-alcohol/5545791002/

 

[DDIG]

2 hours ago, markhollin said:

Nashville's health director plans to further amend a public health order Thursday that would ban all "transpotainment" operations, even if no alcohol is on board:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2020/07/30/nashville-ban-transpotainment-operations-regardless-alcohol/5545791002/

 

Can we keep this permanent?

Also who in the hell would want to get on one of those things without alcohol?

[JoeyX]

1 hour ago, DDIG said:

Can we keep this permanent?

Also who in the hell would want to get on one of those things without alcohol?

 

Anyone who's not a stick in the mud grouch.

Edited July 31, 2020 by JoeyX

[dxfret]

I’d like to see them permanently banned from Nashville. They are a safety hazard and simply tacky.

[DDIG]

1 hour ago, dxfret said:

I’d like to see them permanently banned from Nashville. They are a safety hazard and simply tacky.

I think 99% of Nashville (minus the operators of them) would agree with this. I am totally fine with the bars of Broadway, but am embarrassed by the giant tractors and rolling hot tubs.

[smeagolsfree]

I am good with banning all transpotainment including the rolling drunk bicycle taverns and the golf carts. 

The only thing I am good with are the large touring buses that you see in NYC and other cities. 

The horse drawn carriages need to go to Centennial Park. There are no good areas on the streets for those now. I saw one get away in Chattanooga one time and it didnt stop until the horse hit a chain link fence and destoyed the carriage. 

The owners of the bars and businesses downtown seem not to want to ban traffic on Broadway and that would be the only way they would allowed but limited to a small area downtown and NO where else. 

But unfortunately I am afraid this crap on wheels is here to stay.