The 1 Thing I want to see DT would be?

[Veloise]

I'm pretty sure it's not there, correct me if I'm wrong but I sure have been having a tough time finding it.

[Quercus]

Grocery Store/Meijer move into space close to the center of DT. IMO, the key would be to preserve a current structure.

Bike lanes.

One of the many parking lots converted into a quality, free skate park. I know liability is an issue, but other cities do it quite successfully.

[gvsusean]

Grocery Store/Meijer move into space close to the center of DT. IMO, the key would be to preserve a current structure.

Bike lanes.

One of the many parking lots converted into a quality, free skate park. I know liability is an issue, but other cities do it quite successfully.

[thebeerqueer]

Alright guys, I know there's a Quizno's DT - I was just making a punny joke - Dave got it - thanks Dave!

[suydam]

Blue sky dreams:

1) People walking around, every day all day ...not just lunch time M-F and bar-time on weekends.

2) The new "Organic Meijer" or "Organic D&W" whereby Meijer and/or Spartan recognize the need for Organic/Natural groceries and decide to fill the niche that would otherwise be filled by the faceless corporations from Texas (Whole Foods) or California (Trader Joe's)

3) Global HQ of a Michigan company in a 500+ foot building downtown

[wingbert]

I know that this topic probably has been done before but... If you could build anything you wanted DT, what would it be. (Thing of profitability so museums, zoos, etc. do not count)

[Grandrapidsne]

One thing i would love to see more of downtown is retail. What makes downtown intresting is some of the unique shops that are down there but it would be nice to have a few more national chains so that you dont have to drive out on alpine 28th st exct.

[Sunlover38]

Good retail worth the trip DT AND free, convenient parking. If smaller towns can pull it off (Holland, Saugutuck) why can't gR??!! And I mean both shopping & parking!

[pr sc]

Re parking, seems to me that waaaaaay back, Herps and / or Wurzburgs would give you vouchers for parking in the garage that is (was?) behind the Herps building (I guess that is now GRPD?). Do parking vouchers exist at all these days? If not, someone needs to get that going.

[tamias6]

Instead of free parking in DT how about using the tax revenues, needed to find such an endeavor, in creating a mass transit system to connect the 'burbs to DT. Why give more incentives to the automobile?

[Veloise]

Bookstore.

Open Sundays.

[Quercus]

[Veloise]

...

[Grandrapidsne]

Vouchers for free parking would be a great idea mass transit is not going to be coming anytime soon so I think for now that would be an excellent idea. Alot of people i know wont go downtown because it takes so long to find a parking space.

[gvsusean]

Vouchers for free parking would be a great idea mass transit is not going to be coming anytime soon so I think for now that would be an excellent idea. Alot of people i know wont go downtown because it takes so long to find a parking space.

[jbr12]

If you don't know where the parking garages are, it can take a couple of loops before you find the entrances... The problem is people either don't know where to park downtown or just assume its not easy to do without actually trying to do it

[Quercus]

? I dont get it. it takes no time whatsoever to find a place DT... (barring festivals and the such)

[highwayguy]

especially if you don't mind walking a couple of blocks

[Weallneedhistory]

Since this is a "wish list" thread, I would like to see No Vehical days in downtown GR. This would mean that there would be no traffic from about Monroe through Ransom, or maybe College. And from, oh, 6th St. through Fulton. People would have to walk, or bike, or rollerblade to and from their destinations. Just to see what it would like to be dt with no traffic backed up anywhere, and no cars all over the place. It might slow us down a little bit too - realize we don't have to be in such a hurry.

I also like to eat at Weber Grill in Chicago, so that would work for me too.

[wingbert]

I don't know where you'd put them, but I'd like to see some bars/restaurants right along the river bank. Nothing more relaxing than sitting on a deck and watching the river pass as you tip a cold one or two on a sunny day. Make sure they are all connected along a river walk and it would be beautiful.

[Yankee Fan]

I would love to see a dedicated cyber cafe. I realize that most places offer wi-fi but a real, true to form cyber cafe would be great.

[pr sc]

I don't know where you'd put them, but I'd like to see some bars/restaurants right along the river bank. Nothing more relaxing than sitting on a deck and watching the river pass as you tip a cold one or two on a sunny day. Make sure they are all connected along a river walk and it would be beautiful.

[rivegauche]

I would love to see a dedicated cyber cafe. I realize that most places offer wi-fi but a real, true to form cyber cafe would be great.

[Yankee Fan]

What can one find in a cyber cafe? I have never been to one. Please describe.

[PetersJH]

When I visited San Diego last year, my friends and I took a really cool almost self-guided trolley tour from Coronado Island to Old San Diego for the day, and had a really cool tour of the city. Alhough I know that the differences between San Diego and GR are many, I still think that it would really be cool if GR could have something like that, someday.

Also, in DT San Diego, there was this large outdoor mall with every store imaginable, which seemed to be center of everything and brought a lot of tourists as well as locals to shop (the trolley stopped by there). I had a great time and it was awesome to shopping outside surrounded by tall buildings. I even have a postcard of it in my cubicle at work.