There an artical in LSJ.com about the new hotels and restaurant opening soon. Is Lansing ready for a $125 steak! The hotels look nice and now I understand that they are marketing one for extended stays, and one for more first-class business travelers. The two will share amenities like a pool and a gym. The two could have been more interesting in design but at least they are finally standing and look not so bad!
I doubt it. I love the area, but a lot of the people here have a small town mindset and don't/can't appreciate fine food.
For example, I heard so much bitching about Buddy's Pizza being too expensive, and sure enough they had to close in Delta Twp. If I go to any of their other locations it's always packed. I was so annoyed about this when it happened. No, Buddy's isn't fine food, but it is emblematic of the mindset that is pervasive here. Tannin closes, but Olive Garden is packed, etc.
Capitol Prime already sells their tomahawk for $125 and Bowdies is right there at $115, it is a steak for two to be fair. I do hate how much business the corporate or fast food places get, they make themselves too convenient to avoid, I kick myself every time I end up in a drive-thru. As for "fine dining" I don't find any value in it myself and I don't think there's enough of a socialite class around here to keep many of them in business. I'd always love to see more locally owned restaurants with great food though, I just won't be excited when they start having dress codes.
I do think Buddy's is a bad example, I never went but I heard consistently mediocre things about it. If there's one thing this area is competitive in it's pizza, for me there's no love lost seeing an overpriced chain pizza place fail.
I forgot about Bowdies! I do like that place and the steaks are good, there is always more than enough so I can have another meal with the leftovers, if you think of it as the price for two meals it feels a little better. It is fun and rather cheap to get out for a meal around here, which was a nice change from Cape Cod where even hot dogs are expensive a [not very good] large pizza goes for $27 to $30 bucks! There were no chain restaurants where I lived, all the local restaurants included the tourist town "up charge" so locals paid the same prices. I worked in the industry for many years and I would say fine dining to me can be worth the price, I like a table cloth and napkins, flat wear that doesn't look like prison issue and actually works,[ a fork that can handle a salad, a knife you can cut your food with] a server that comes to the table within moments of seating offering water and taking drinks order, a server or bus person lifting empty plates [ so many places they just drop a check without clearing anything from the table], and good hot thoughtfully prepared food. I can say that one thing I like to see in a nice restaurant are no TV screens in the dining room. Places like Beggar's {I do love Beggars} have so many screens in one room it is hard to look away, Hop Cat has a screen over the sidewalk dining area, and the Old Bag of Nails has TV screens at each booth. I know I'm an oldie but geez can't people look away from a screen long enough to eat a meal. You may be right about local folks and fine dining, perhaps if more restaurants offered a better class of service more people would have enjoyed their experience and then patronize the places with good service [fine dining] as well as good food!
Looks like we're nearing an end to the drain project portion of this development. Drain commissioner website is saying they are installing new sewers under west-bound Michigan Avenue and part of Homer Street between Michigan and just north of Vine, which will result in some lane reductions for the next few months. Along with storm and sanitary sewers along Homer, they also mention some catch basin structures, though which side of the street, I'm not sure.
It appears they hope they have everything finally done by April.
I was so happy to drive by the site and find the repaving of Michigan Ave after long last had begun. I think the street will look so great with the water features new plantings and smooth pavement! I am wondering if more is going to done in the Frandor parking lots. Maybe I was expecting too much for that area, I was thinking there would be more green space. The park is looking really interesting, hills streams ponds waterfalls, can't wait for spring!
I noticed a new business next to the Gate Way Lofts on Michigan Ave. The old paint store in the steel frame building across the street has been renovated into a pet wash and supply store. Looks better than before. I am hoping the road work will finish soon and the water works start flowing. I am sure it will be better for the businesses that are now open in the area.
Oh yeah, it will be very nice to see those water features working. The paths through Ranney Park are finally officially open, it looks like there's still some work to do on and around the big water feature.
Quite excited to see this all wrapping up and thinking about how much cleaner it's going to make the Red Cedar (and thus the Grand) downstream of the drain outlet. The decade's long sewer separations in the city are also helping the Grand in particular.
This is so cool. This park will really attract people towards Ranney and Frandor. Great to see how much more use the park will get compared to what it was like 10 years ago.
Comments
For example, I heard so much bitching about Buddy's Pizza being too expensive, and sure enough they had to close in Delta Twp. If I go to any of their other locations it's always packed. I was so annoyed about this when it happened. No, Buddy's isn't fine food, but it is emblematic of the mindset that is pervasive here. Tannin closes, but Olive Garden is packed, etc.
I do think Buddy's is a bad example, I never went but I heard consistently mediocre things about it. If there's one thing this area is competitive in it's pizza, for me there's no love lost seeing an overpriced chain pizza place fail.
It appears they hope they have everything finally done by April.
The drain commissioner has this all done by next month sometime. New storm sewers are currently being installed under Michigan and Homer.
BTW, lots of new photos on the project's website. Apparently, they've already been testing the aeration wall at the top of Ranney Park.
https://montgomerydrain.org/
Quite excited to see this all wrapping up and thinking about how much cleaner it's going to make the Red Cedar (and thus the Grand) downstream of the drain outlet. The decade's long sewer separations in the city are also helping the Grand in particular.