Nashville Bits and Pieces

[grilled_cheese]

The non-stop to AC would have helped me a few years ago but that place is dying.  Since I was last there three of the major casinos have closed and the city has only been seeing a downward trend for the last decade+.

Edited March 27, 2015 by grilled_cheese

[rookzie]

The non-stop to AC would have helped me a few years ago but that place is dying.  Since I was last there three of the major casinos have closed and the city has only been seeing a downward trend for the last decade+.

 

That's what I had been thinking also about Atlantic City, for some years now after reading and hearing documentaries.  It was even languishing, when I used to live in Tidewater Va. and used to head up there on US-13, US-40, back in the '80s and early '90s.  That's the main reason that I only hope that it can be sustainable (for business' sake).  I don't necessarily see it as a "congestion" alternative to Philly, in considering that A-C is off the beaten path,

 

And even with about an hour and a half ride on the NJTransit rail line between Philly 30st Street Station and A-C, unless one is ultimately headed to the South Jersey 'burbs, it still would require a shuttle to the nearest station.  So, I can't see any advantage with the non-stop flights, unless one specifically is headed to A-C or South Jersey in general for work or residence.  I guess I am just unaware of any market demand for Nashville-AC non-stop air, for which Choice Aire claims to meet "the needs of [its] business and leisure travelers."

 

Maybe Nathan_in_DC (if he's listening) can chime in and interject for a better rationale, than what I can come up with.

-==-

Edited March 28, 2015 by rookzie

[Hey_Hey]

It sounds like this is a new charter airline company.  Odds are they won't even be flying a year from now.  There are a few success stories out there (Southwest and Allegiant) of charter companies making it long term, bout most fall by the wayside a year or two in.

[Nathan_in_DC]

That's what I had been thinking also about Atlantic City, for some years now after reading and hearing documentaries.  It was even languishing, when I used to live in Tidewater Va. and used to head up there on US-13, US-40, back in the '80s and early '90s.  That's the main reason that I only hope that it can be sustainable (for business' sake).  I don't necessarily see it as a "congestion" alternative to Philly, in considering that A-C is off the beaten path,

 

And even with about an hour and a half ride on the NJTransit rail line between Philly 30st Street Station and A-C, unless one is ultimately headed to the South Jersey 'burbs, it still would require a shuttle to the nearest station.  So, I can't see any advantage with the non-stop flights, unless one specifically is headed to A-C or South Jersey in general for work or residence.  I guess I am just unaware of any market demand for Nashville-AC non-stop air, for which Choice Aire claims to meet "the needs of [its] business and leisure travelers."

 

Maybe Nathan_in_DC (if he's listening) can chime in and interject for a better rationale, than what I can come up with.

-==-

 

PHL is pretty packed at the moment, and I know a few airlines have been looking at trying to find alternate service in the region. Trenton (or even renewing service to Northeast Philadelphia Airport) would make much more sense than using ACY as a reliever airport. As rookzie said, the NJT train from 30th Street (Philadelphia's main rail hub) to AC is not a short trip, the nearest stop in Absecon would require a 20 minute shuttle ride, and the train doesn't run quite often enough to be a true shuttle service back and forth. It's more for scheduled trips or commuters than a late-night or midday flyer who wants to get in to Philadelphia. If I wanted to fly to PHL and couldn't get a flight around when I wanted, I'd fly to EWR before I flew to AC. There are Amtrak trains that go by every 30 minutes to an hour through there, and if you want the cheap-o slow train (NJT to a SEPTA connection in Trenton), it can be made for around $20 and 3 hours of your time between the train ride and transfers if you catch an express.

 

I really don't see the rationale, myself. As everyone has said, AC is dying a long, slow death due to outside competition, high crime, and rampant corruption. It just isn't seen as a place people in Philadelphia and New York really want to go to anymore. Don't get me wrong, a LOT of people still make the trip, but it just isn't like it was in the heyday of AC from the 1920s to 1960s by any means.

 

The only reason I can see for establishing this service would be to benefit AC by attracting visitors from a region that isn't their normal customer base. After all, people here will be more immune to the bad press AC gets, and possibly more susceptible to advertising praising the city.

[Hey_Hey]

 

The only reason I can see for establishing this service would be to benefit AC by attracting visitors from a region that isn't their normal customer base. After all, people here will be more immune to the bad press AC gets, and possibly more susceptible to advertising praising the city.

Looking at the airline's website (www.choiceairemiami.com), they aren't targeting Nashville to Atlantic City. They are targeting Atlantic City to Nashville. There's not a single advertisement for AC to Nashville, but there are mentions of AC to Nashville, Miami or Havana. For Nashville there is only mention of travel to Miami or Havana. Clearly someone could take a flight to AC from Nasvhille, but it's almost like the airline is saying "who in their right mind would go to Atlantic City from Nashville?"

[Nathan_in_DC]

That just leaves me scratching my head. I can't imagine there's enough traffic to warrant marketing that as such, considering that South Jersey is rather sparsely populated. It'd have to be a super cheap flight to attract business from the population centers around Philadelphia/Trenton and New York.

 

EDIT: Okay, just checked fares for a random flight in May. Looks like they run $91 each way. That's pretty darned cheap...

Edited March 28, 2015 by Nathan_in_DC

[rookzie]

PHL is pretty packed at the moment, and I know a few airlines have been looking at trying to find alternate service in the region. Trenton (or even renewing service to Northeast Philadelphia Airport) would make much more sense than using ACY as a reliever airport. As rookzie said, the NJT train from 30th Street (Philadelphia's main rail hub) to AC is not a short trip, the nearest stop in Absecon would require a 20 minute shuttle ride, and the train doesn't run quite often enough to be a true shuttle service back and forth. It's more for scheduled trips or commuters than a late-night or midday flyer who wants to get in to Philadelphia. If I wanted to fly to PHL and couldn't get a flight around when I wanted, I'd fly to EWR before I flew to AC. There are Amtrak trains that go by every 30 minutes to an hour through there, and if you want the cheap-o slow train (NJT to a SEPTA connection in Trenton), it can be made for around $20 and 3 hours of your time between the train ride and transfers if you catch an express.

 

I really don't see the rationale, myself. As everyone has said, AC is dying a long, slow death due to outside competition, high crime, and rampant corruption. It just isn't seen as a place people in Philadelphia and New York really want to go to anymore. Don't get me wrong, a LOT of people still make the trip, but it just isn't like it was in the heyday of AC from the 1920s to 1960s by any means.

 

The only reason I can see for establishing this service would be to benefit AC by attracting visitors from a region that isn't their normal customer base. After all, people here will be more immune to the bad press AC gets, and possibly more susceptible to advertising praising the city.

 

...just had no doubt you could do it.

-==-

[NashvilleTaylor]

I skimmed a lot of the nashville next stuff but what interested me most were a few things:

 

-a proposal for a pedestrian bridge connecting west Nashville with the park across the cumberland

- a proposal to transform the NW intersection of Nolensville Rd and Harding pike, converting the large parking lot and vacant kmart into an office park with a large greenspace lining harding up to the intersection

-several proposals for new road connectors including:

*many south of OHB near lennox villiage, turning rural countryside into urban development.  this includes the widening of Nolensville pike south of OHB

*a connector not unlike my own proposal I made on this site that connects Walsh rd to Murfreesboro pike (mine went even past that and over the river, maybe a bit too ambitious)

*fixing the annoying ass Eastland intersection, making it connect properly, which is something I have been hoping they'd do for a long time.

*a proposal to make the gallatin/11th intersection into a roundabout.  That intersection is so annoying but I think a roundabout would turn into a nightmare.  Most people in nashville don't know how to drive on them and putting one on such a main throughfare like Gallatin is just asking for trouble.  If it was there it would have to be enormous, and would be a bit tricky to construct, considering it's on a hill.

*a connector avenue that bypasses the white bridge pike & west end intersection

Edited March 30, 2015 by NashvilleTaylor

[Nashville Cliff]

Census numbers for 2014 out for counties and MSAs. Davidson county up another 9,000 since 2013 to 668,347; Nashville MSA up 34,000 to 1,792,649.

[Paramount747]

Nice video of Nashville:

 

http://globalflare.com/this-stunning-video-of-nashville-will-make-everyone-want-to-move-here/

[Hey_Hey]

Census numbers for 2014 out for counties and MSAs. Davidson county up another 9,000 since 2013 to 668,347; Nashville MSA up 34,000 to 1,792,649.

Davidson should top 700,000 pretty easily by the official 2020 census. The big question will be whether the MSA tops 2 million or not. I hope it does, and if current estimates and rates of growth continue then I believe we'll see it happen. It will get us in the next tier of metros in terms of analysis, and it is also possible that we could pass Cleveland in total population.

[NashRugger]

When it's a list of those over 1mil though, Nashville is 3rd in percentage for domestic migration, right behind Austin and Raleigh. We're 8th for overall growth among major metros in percentage as well. In that list, it was Austin, Houston, Raleigh, Orlando, San Antonio, Denver, & Las Vegas ahead of us. Make no mistake, it hasn't slowed a single bit.

[nashmoney]

10 Secret Places You Didn't Know Existed in Nashville               

 

http://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nashville/secret-places-you-didn-t-know-existed-in-nashville?utm_content=feature&utm_term=Memphis&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20150331:%2010%20Nashville%20Secrets%20You%20Didn’t%20Know%20Existed

[UTgrad09]

10 Secret Places You Didn't Know Existed in Nashville               

 

http://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nashville/secret-places-you-didn-t-know-existed-in-nashville?utm_content=feature&utm_term=Memphis&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20150331:%2010%20Nashville%20Secrets%20You%20Didn’t%20Know%20Existed

Yeah, 10 secret places transplants didn't know about.

[ariesjow]

When it's a list of those over 1mil though, Nashville is 3rd in percentage for domestic migration, right behind Austin and Raleigh. We're 8th for overall growth among major metros in percentage as well. In that list, it was Austin, Houston, Raleigh, Orlando, San Antonio, Denver, & Las Vegas ahead of us. Make no mistake, it hasn't slowed a single bit.

 

Here's an article that further breaks down the latest estimates with a full list for all major metros. Third in domestic migration percentage growth is quite impressive. It's perplexing that some people still don't want believe that Nashville is booming just because we're not putting up Austin's crazy numbers. Those people obviously haven't visited recently. 

 

http://www.newgeography.com/content/004882-still-moving-texas-the-2014-metropolitan-population-estimates

Edited March 31, 2015 by ariesjow

[Nashville Cliff]

Yeah, 10 secret places transplants didn't know about.

 

And the author doesn't realize the Nun Bun was discovered at the original Bongo Java, not Bongo East. Newbies.

[NashRugger]

Nobody wants to boom like Austin, not even Austin natives because their infrastructure will never be able to keep up when adding 200k in 10 years. Them, Fort Worth, & Charlotte are your next cities to cross the 1mil mark, besides potentially San Jose, and none can keep up because it's virtually runaway growth. We at least have some geographical barriers to keep it in check, somewhat.

[rookzie]

And the author doesn't realize the Nun Bun was discovered at the original Bongo Java, not Bongo East. Newbies.

..as I can recall, circa 1994/95 of something, at Bongo on Belmont (back when you could still smoke).  I think they even had that thing behind glass in the counter.

-==-

[CenterHill]

..as I can recall, circa 1994/95 of something, at Bongo on Belmont (back when you could still smoke).  I think they even had that thing behind glass in the counter.

-==-

 

they sure did.   it was right there behind the glass for all to admire and be inspired.   the Immaculate Confection. 

[donNdonelson2]

Yes...THE NUN BUN! In the display case with the famous sweet roll there was a letter from Mother Teresa's lawyers requesting that they stop using the term "immaculate confection." I only saw the sugar coated miracle one time--shortly before somebody broke into the business in the dark of night, stealing only the saintly sweet bread. They even left the tip jar, filled with tips, on the counter. Some speculated that it would be held for ransom, but no ransom demands were ever to emerge.

[Bezoar]

Haslam proposes $120M for new state museum in Nashville.  To be beside the baseball stadium.  

[Nathan_in_DC]

Haslam proposes $120M for new state museum in Nashville.  To be beside the baseball stadium.  

 

Huzzah! I've not been to the state museum in years. To the best of my recollection, last time I was in it looked like it hadn't really been updated since the 70s.

[CenterHill]

Haslam proposes $120M for new state museum in Nashville.  To be beside the baseball stadium.  

 

Good.    Seems like there was a rendering of the museum years ago, possibly around the time Bicentennial Mall came to be.  

 

Edit:  Found it.    Very grand, indeed.    Can this be built for $120M?  

 

 

The fine print:

 

"To become a reality, the new museum would also require $40 million in private funds from the museum's ongoing fundraising efforts."

Edited March 31, 2015 by CenterHill

[MidTenn1]

Haslam proposes $120M for new state museum in Nashville.  To be beside the baseball stadium.  

 

Original rendering.....

 

 

The drawing in the lower left may have been a concept drawing for the original mall proposal.

Edited March 31, 2015 by PHofKS

[CenterHill]

I sort of prefer the Acropolis replica version, but the modern design is a better fit with the bland and beige First TN Park.