Article on new restaurants in Lexington

[LexKY]

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Finally, Lexington is getting some of the chains that Louisville and Nashville have had for a few years. P.F. Changs is really good as far as chains go. Clearly, new chain restaurants are not what being a good city is about, but it is nice to no longer have to hear friends from surrounding cities talk about how much better they are because there is a P.F. Changs or Porsche dealership or whatever in one of their suburbs. Atleast here, all of the development is in the city itself instead of in some far off exurb like Franklin, TN or Kenwood, OH.

[502ky]

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Finally, Lexington is getting some of the chains that Louisville and Nashville have had for a few years. P.F. Changs is really good as far as chains go. Clearly, new chain restaurants are not what being a good city is about, but it is nice to no longer have to hear friends from surrounding cities talk about how much better they are because there is a P.F. Changs or Porsche dealership or whatever in one of their suburbs. Atleast here, all of the development is in the city itself instead of in some far off exurb like Franklin, TN or Kenwood, OH.

Wow, i'm definitly impressed for those who haven't been to PF changs before you will love it. Of course i've been to the one here in Louisville, but my first experience at PF Changs was in Atlanta and its one of my favorite restaurants. Upscale dining is what Lex needs, all the Ol Charlies and Applebee's is crap, i'm not a big fan of chain restaraunts but PF Changs is definitly one I can't hate on. Once you start getting restaraunts like the Cheese Cake factory, Flemmings Stake house, Stoney River steak house, Ruth Chris and others; its a much much different restaraunt experience. Don't get me wrong the apple bee's of the world are cool and cheap, but if you are going to chain route, then those places I just mentioned are excellent.

I hear what you are saying Lex about eateries in far exurbs. Our PF.Changs is located basically right down the street from Oxmoor mall, which is still in the suburbs but its much more urban than a Franklin, TN. The closer these places our to the city the better in my opinion. We have a lot of nice fancy dinning places downtown and in the suburbs, but I want the state to start pulling in some big time retailers. I know Crate and Barrel is finally moving to Louisville, but we struck out on Nordstrom once and we don't have a Parisians or a Saks 5th Avenue either. This is what I want to see in Louisville or Lexington. The thing that worries me is the fact that they are now starting to build these huge life style centers ala Franklin, TN and Carmel, IN in the Louisville metro. I hate to see the city lose out on the big Retailers to the suburbs in Indiana and to Oldham County. I don't want the Louisville area to turn into a Charlotte or a Nashville. I love the unique urban feel we have here and I want to keep that. The more they build these huge life style centers and McMansions the more cookie cutterish this city will become. For the sake of Lexington, I hope they don't start building the same crap in Scott Co and Jessamine. When you start doing that it drains money out of the population center. This is why folks in the more surburban cities have to drive an hour just to go to a good shopping destination. I don't want to have to drive across the bridge to Indiana or to Oldham Co to shop and eat at a place like PF Changs. I'm glad they are keeping things like this inside Fayette Co.

[LexKY]

Wow, i'm definitly impressed for those who haven't been to PF changs before you will love it. Of course i've been to the one here in Louisville, but my first experience at PF Changs was in Atlanta and its one of my favorite restaurants. Upscale dining is what Lex needs, all the Ol Charlies and Applebee's is crap, i'm not a big fan of chain restaraunts but PF Changs is definitly one I can't hate on. Once you start getting restaraunts like the Cheese Cake factory, Flemmings Stake house, Stoney River steak house, Ruth Chris and others; its a much much different restaraunt experience. Don't get me wrong the apple bee's of the world are cool and cheap, but if you are going to chain route, then those places I just mentioned are excellent.

I hear what you are saying Lex about eateries in far exurbs. Our PF.Changs is located basically right down the street from Oxmoor mall, which is still in the suburbs but its much more urban than a Franklin, TN. The closer these places our to the city the better in my opinion. We have a lot of nice fancy dinning places downtown and in the suburbs, but I want the state to start pulling in some big time retailers. I know Crate and Barrel is finally moving to Louisville, but we struck out on Nordstrom once and we don't have a Parisians or a Saks 5th Avenue either. This is what I want to see in Louisville or Lexington. The thing that worries me is the fact that they are now starting to build these huge life style centers ala Franklin, TN and Carmel, IN in the Louisville metro. I hate to see the city lose out on the big Retailers to the suburbs in Indiana and to Oldham County. I don't want the Louisville area to turn into a Charlotte or a Nashville. I love the unique urban feel we have here and I want to keep that. The more they build these huge life style centers and McMansions the more cookie cutterish this city will become. For the sake of Lexington, I hope they don't start building the same crap in Scott Co and Jessamine. When you start doing that it drains money out of the population center. This is why folks in the more surburban cities have to drive an hour just to go to a good shopping destination. I don't want to have to drive across the bridge to Indiana or to Oldham Co to shop and eat at a place like PF Changs. I'm glad they are keeping things like this inside Fayette Co.

You have some great insights.

Lexington and its surrounding towns are very different from Louisville in one way that, I think, ensures that all of the good development (the upmarket chain stores) will be built in Fayette county for a long time to come and not in Scott/Jessamine or any other surrounding county.

Unlike Oldham county, the counties that surround Fayette do not hit the median income levels required by the upmarket chains for placing a location in a county (we have to ignore Woodford, my hometown, because while the median income is 1st or 2nd in the state, it has an extremely small poplulation of maybe 20,000 in the county). To a much greater extent than any other city I know of in the south, besides maybe Charleston, the vast majority of wealthy individuals that live in central Kentucky move to and live within the city/county borders of Lexington/Fayette County (merged county/city as you know) instead of in exurbs.

There is no doubt that Louisville has a great many wealthy neighborhoods (more than Lexington I am sure), but on the average, Oldham probably has a higher median income than Jefferson (as opposed to Fayette having a higher median income than its surrouding countis) and that is why many of the fancy new chains are moving to the Summit (?) and other developments in, or very near to, Oldham county (maybe Bullitt and So. Indiana will be the same way in a couple of decades).

Why is Lexington where most of the wealthy central Kentuckians live? The answer is simple. No quick way to get to the high paying jobs in and around downtown (finance, legal, medical and scholastic jobs) from way out in the exurbs. Unlike Louisville and all other big cities, which possess great highways, Lexington has no lmited access roads or highways which run anywhere near downtown. This is good because it means Lexington never had much in the way of urban flight because it is too hard to commute long distances in Lexington. Because many "important" (i.e. rich) folks never moved from the city core, our city is incredibly safe and livable, with many cool things are located at or coming to the core of the city (areas within New Circle Road). On the other hand, an interstate or expressway running near or to downtown would undoubtedly have made Lexington grow more quickly, so there is a trade off.

I love Louisville and I am definitely envious of the skyline, bars and industry. But, while our commuting times are probably the same or worse than Louisville's I only drive a few miles to work instead of 10 or more. I use maybe a gallon of gas a week, which at this point makes Lexington, while smaller and with less options that Louisville, a pretty great place to live with gas so expensive.

[Lexy]

Hey gang, there is more going on in downtown Nashville than in the 'burbs. That's a fact right now (thankfully!). LOL!!!

[502ky]

You have some great insights.

Lexington and its surrounding towns are very different from Louisville in one way that, I think, ensures that all of the good development (the upmarket chain stores) will be built in Fayette county for a long time to come and not in Scott/Jessamine or any other surrounding county.

Unlike Oldham county, the counties that surround Fayette do not hit the median income levels required by the upmarket chains for placing a location in a county (we have to ignore Woodford, my hometown, because while the median income is 1st or 2nd in the state, it has an extremely small poplulation of maybe 20,000 in the county). To a much greater extent than any other city I know of in the south, besides maybe Charleston, the vast majority of wealthy individuals that live in central Kentucky move to and live within the city/county borders of Lexington/Fayette County (merged county/city as you know) instead of in exurbs.

There is no doubt that Louisville has a great many wealthy neighborhoods (more than Lexington I am sure), but on the average, Oldham probably has a higher median income than Jefferson (as opposed to Fayette having a higher median income than its surrouding countis) and that is why many of the fancy new chains are moving to the Summit (?) and other developments in, or very near to, Oldham county (maybe Bullitt and So. Indiana will be the same way in a couple of decades).

Why is Lexington where most of the wealthy central Kentuckians live? The answer is simple. No quick way to get to the high paying jobs in and around downtown (finance, legal, medical and scholastic jobs) from way out in the exurbs. Unlike Louisville and all other big cities, which possess great highways, Lexington has no lmited access roads or highways which run anywhere near downtown. This is good because it means Lexington never had much in the way of urban flight because it is too hard to commute long distances in Lexington. Because many "important" (i.e. rich) folks never moved from the city core, our city is incredibly safe and livable, with many cool things are located at or coming to the core of the city (areas within New Circle Road). On the other hand, an interstate or expressway running near or to downtown would undoubtedly have made Lexington grow more quickly, so there is a trade off.

I love Louisville and I am definitely envious of the skyline, bars and industry. But, while our commuting times are probably the same or worse than Louisville's I only drive a few miles to work instead of 10 or more. I use maybe a gallon of gas a week, which at this point makes Lexington, while smaller and with less options that Louisville, a pretty great place to live with gas so expensive.

Hey Lex I agree, I loved my experience in Lexington and I often go back to hang out with my college buddies. I love whats going on in Lex-town right now.