New Construction and Renovations in the Heartside District

[GRDadof3]

I think this is actually not a bad idea. Since the city and many community leaders are not willing to address the root causes, what other choices are there? Make Mel Trotter, Degage and the other pitch in for maintenance and security. If they weren't there, neither would the homeless be. 

[Allison Slater]

I think the restrooms are a good idea, but there better be security for them.

[BLUESCRUBS]

Waldron House to become a tiki bar with Airbnbs above. 

 

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2019/04/sprawling-tiki-bar-featuring-third-floor-lodging-planned-for-downtown-grand-rapids.html

[egrguy]

That actually seems pretty cool. Interesting that there's a Tiki restaurant tourism industry?

[mpchicago]

25 minutes ago, BLUESCRUBS said:

Waldron House to become a tiki bar with Airbnbs above. 

 

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2019/04/sprawling-tiki-bar-featuring-third-floor-lodging-planned-for-downtown-grand-rapids.html

Smart move to take advantage of the burgeoning entertainment district.   I know that Sellers has been wanting to do this Tiki theme for a while, first at 59 Commerce.   Bring it on.

[mgreven]

This sounds great - it'll be great to have that space as a public space again.  How can he do AirBNB's there?   Doesn't the city not allow that unless it's owner occupied?

[organsnyder]

1 minute ago, mgreven said:

This sounds great - it'll be great to have that space as a public space again.  How can he do AirBNB's there?   Doesn't the city not allow that unless it's owner occupied? 

The article does mention that the AirBnB units would be "pending city approval". So it sounds like they need some kind of permission. AirBnB is controversial mainly because of its effects on residential areas (and, to a lesser extent, its effects on the hotel industry). Since it sounds like they'd basically be using AirBnB mainly for its booking platform, perhaps the rules would be different. Thinking about it, as long as a traditional hotel would be allowed there, I'd think AirBnB would also be allowed—in the ADU regs, for instance, AirBnB is disallowed under "short-term rental" prohibitions, which would apply to any hotel/BnB offering.

[Sparty97]

1 hour ago, egrguy said:

That actually seems pretty cool. Interesting that there's a Tiki restaurant tourism industry?

The rum industry, and Tiki in general, is really growing at a fast clip.  This is going to be a success.  This really seems like a labor of love from Mark Sellers and with all the big name partners he is bringing aboard for this project, it is looks like it is going to be awesome! 

I could totally see the wife and I booking one of the Airbnb's some weekend for a date night(s).  That would be a lot more fun than just a normal hotel.

Edited April 30, 2019 by Sparty97

[GRDadof3]

The Tiki Cat that he owns in Kansas City looks pretty crazy:

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1ZKTG_enUS782US782&tbm=isch&q=tiki+cat+kansas+city&spell=1&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjPyqDAm_jhAhURWK0KHdgtDy0QBQg2KAA&biw=1536&bih=722&dpr=1.25

[Pattmost20]

I'm so excited for this to happen. Lost Lake in Chicago (of which Martin Cate is partner) is one of my all time favorite bars. Their drinks are world class and they have been nominated for a James Beard award (huge deal in the food/beverage industry for those who aren't familiar). Also the fact they are putting $2.5 million into it sounds like they are going to do it right.

[mpchicago]

13 minutes ago, Pattmost20 said:

I'm so excited for this to happen. Lost Lake in Chicago (of which Martin Cate is partner) is one of my all time favorite bars. Their drinks are world class and they have been nominated for a James Beard award (huge deal in the food/beverage industry for those who aren't familiar). Also the fact they are putting $2.5 million into it sounds like they are going to do it right.

Yes!  Great spot.   Here is the website for Max's South Seas Hideaway

[ctpgr34]

2 hours ago, mpchicago said:

Yes!  Great spot.   Here is the website for Max's South Seas Hideaway

It was a Tiki place years back, Tiki Bob's???

[joeDowntown]

Love it. Glad to see this place be brought back to public use. It should be MUCH better than Tiki Bobs. That place was terrible. Total bro bar. 

Joe

[GRain]

Good news!   Though it's had its ups and downs, South of Fulton continues its upward trajectory.

[MJLO]

1 hour ago, joeDowntown said:

Love it. Glad to see this place be brought back to public use. It should be MUCH better than Tiki Bobs. That place was terrible. Total bro bar. 

Joe

Back then Ionia was full of clubs/bars.  Now it's pretty much just bars. The other day I was walking past the space that used to house "Rags to Riches" wondering how many single moms that place must have created and it hit me...GR doesn't have a night club scene at all.  Back when I was college age (which is closing in on 20 years) GR had a decent bar/club scene.  It seems to have all but vanished and been replaced by the brewery scene.  You have your tech/woke/hipster bro's in Eastown/East Hills/Cherry Hill, and you have your regular bro's on Bridge St.   Is Ionia still considered the bar/entertainment district?  Outside of the Back Forty I don't think there's a place where people dance.  Should it be concerning that GR has lost it's club scene?  Or have I just gotten to old to know how the kids do things these days?

[Pattmost20]

20 minutes ago, MJLO said:

Back then Ionia was full of clubs/bars.  Now it's pretty much just bars. The other day I was walking past the space that used to house "Rags to Riches" wondering how many single moms that place must have created and it hit me...GR doesn't have a night club scene at all.  Back when I was college age (which is closing in on 20 years) GR had a decent bar/club scene.  It seems to have all but vanished and been replaced by the brewery scene.  You have your tech/woke/hipster bro's in Eastown/East Hills/Cherry Hill, and you have your regular bro's on Bridge St.   Is Ionia still considered the bar/entertainment district?  Outside of the Back Forty I don't think there's a place where people dance.  Should it be concerning that GR has lost it's club scene?  Or have I just gotten to old to know how the kids do things these days?

I've never been into the club scene, none of my friends were either. 8-9 years ago when I moved back from college there were a few clubby places still around (Rags, Montes, Margarita Grill might have still been there, tap house or whatever it was called where buffalo wild wings is now). I'll allow my generation to take the blame for killing the club scene in GR. I'd just rather drink a good beer and hang out. 

[Allison Slater]

8 hours ago, MJLO said:

Back then Ionia was full of clubs/bars.  Now it's pretty much just bars. The other day I was walking past the space that used to house "Rags to Riches" wondering how many single moms that place must have created and it hit me...GR doesn't have a night club scene at all.  Back when I was college age (which is closing in on 20 years) GR had a decent bar/club scene.  It seems to have all but vanished and been replaced by the brewery scene.  You have your tech/woke/hipster bro's in Eastown/East Hills/Cherry Hill, and you have your regular bro's on Bridge St.   Is Ionia still considered the bar/entertainment district?  Outside of the Back Forty I don't think there's a place where people dance.  Should it be concerning that GR has lost it's club scene?  Or have I just gotten to old to know how the kids do things these days?

Club scene in GR is extremely weak. It's one of several reasons I don't bother to pursue DJing anymore. That said, there are still a few clubs and they do fairly well. Billy's in Eastown has "Bassbin" on Mondays and live acts throughout the rest of the week. Rumors is still quite lively (it's a gay club but that doesn't stop straight people from going there.) I know there's a few more scattered about the edges of the city. I know Franklin Square used to have DJs, not sure if it still does. And there's a place in North Monroe yet. Many of them are more like bars with a dance floor though, rather than a focus on being a club (except for Billy's and Rumors.)

Edited May 1, 2019 by tSlater

[GRDadof3]

10 hours ago, MJLO said:

Back then Ionia was full of clubs/bars.  Now it's pretty much just bars. The other day I was walking past the space that used to house "Rags to Riches" wondering how many single moms that place must have created and it hit me...GR doesn't have a night club scene at all.  Back when I was college age (which is closing in on 20 years) GR had a decent bar/club scene.  It seems to have all but vanished and been replaced by the brewery scene.  You have your tech/woke/hipster bro's in Eastown/East Hills/Cherry Hill, and you have your regular bro's on Bridge St.   Is Ionia still considered the bar/entertainment district?  Outside of the Back Forty I don't think there's a place where people dance.  Should it be concerning that GR has lost it's club scene?  Or have I just gotten to old to know how the kids do things these days?

The young lady who cuts my hair and I were talking about this a few months ago. She used to go to dance clubs all the time, but doesn't much anymore. There's Eve in the BOB on the top floor, and the 2nd floor of Mojo's apparently has a DJ and dancing on certain nights. She said the dance club scene really went downhill with Margarita Grill and Monte's and a lot of rumors of girls getting drugged. She called them "rapey." And everybody waits until after Midnight to go, and then most close at 2:00. Eve is open until 3 but they stop serving alcohol at 2:00, which makes it weird watching everyone sober up. 

That's her description anyway, lol. 

I think the new place taking over Raggs to Riches will have dancing but it's going to be live music dancing and not DJ dancing. 

A lot of people go to Pyramid Scheme to dance but it's to live music mostly. I think they occasionally have a DJ. I think I also saw someone post an event above Creston Brewery that had a DJ recently. May have been a private event. 

[thebeerqueer]

16 hours ago, ctpgr34 said:

It was a Tiki place years back, Tiki Bob's???

You're right!!! It was more of a Coyote Ugly vibe though. 

[thebeerqueer]

2 hours ago, tSlater said:

Club scene in GR is extremely weak. It's one of several reasons I don't bother to pursue DJing anymore. That said, there are still a few clubs and they do fairly well. Billy's in Eastown has "Bassbin" on Mondays and live acts throughout the rest of the week. Rumors is still quite lively (it's a gay club but that doesn't stop straight people from going there.) I know there's a few more scattered about the edges of the city. I know Franklin Square used to have DJs, not sure if it still does. And there's a place in North Monroe yet. Many of them are more like bars with a dance floor though, rather than a focus on being a club (except for Billy's and Rumors.)

I feel like the club/DJ scene in GR has become much more mobile and underground. Besides Billy's, Pyramid Scheme, Rumors and Rocky's upstairs, there's not many established places for DJ/club/dancing. That being said, there's plenty of DJ groups in town (Soul Club, Modul8, FourbyFour, etc ...) that don't rely on a single venue but do nights at bars, clubs, warehouses around town. It seems like the younger generations, millennials and Gen Zers, would rather just bar/brewery hop instead of club dance. Or maybe I just became that salty old man that misses the club scene 

[GRDadof3]

5 minutes ago, thebeerqueer said:

You're right!!! It was more of a Coyote Ugly vibe though. 

Didn't they actually do dancing on the counters, Coyote Ugly style? 

I heard that the male managers used to grope the waitresses there. If you really want to hear some ugly stories about the local bar scene, talk to some female millennials in this town who work in the restaurant/bar industry. A lot of them jump from one place to another and it's a pretty tight-knit community, surprisingly. 

Not to get all negative, lol. 

 

[Raildude's dad]

On 4/26/2019 at 7:43 PM, tSlater said:

I think the restrooms are a good idea, but there better be security for them.

It will need more than security. Why do you think the Highway Rest Areas have attendants? The rest area bathrooms would be a disgusting mess with out frequent cleaning. The "customers" here  would be even worse.  I wouldn't be surprised if these bathrooms would need to be locked and an attendant opening them.

I stopped at a McDonald's on I-75  south side of Detroit two years ago. (One of those, no I can't hold it for 40 minutes, yes this a a crappy neighborhood but the car will become crappy before we get to the NW burb's . They tell me to put my hands up, I'll crap on them - literally) LOL The staff had to unlock the bathroom for me since so many "street people"  would shoot up in the bathroom and pass out.

This is NOT a good idea if 24 / 7 security and attendants are not part of the plan. .

[54equalsunity]

Reading all of these comments, I can't help but think, "Hasn't *someone*, *anyone* done this before? Could there already be a right way to do this?"

What if we did them Portland Loo style? No running water, no mirrors, openings at the top and bottom, a graffiti-proof coating, and made of steel?

https://www.citylab.com/design/2012/01/why-portlands-public-toilets-succeeded-where-others-failed/1020/

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[ProtoSapien]

Who takes care of the restrooms at Rosa Parks Circle?  While they aren't five star clean, they usually aren't terrible and there is often quite a diverse crowd in that area.

[mpchicago]

DDA paying for Natalia Rak mural on the Richmond Stamp Building on Ionia.   Here is some of her work

Edited May 8, 2019 by mpchicago