Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Getting Better All the Time - but There's Still Room for Improvement

I enjoy living here in Rocket City, but I am sometimes frustrated at the things we lack here. I grew up in a fairly small town, and Rocket City is certainly larger than Cookeville. However, I spent two years in Tucson which is much larger than Rocket City.

There are several stores and restaurants that I really miss from Tucson. Plus, we have our favorite places in Atlanta and Orlando that I always wish were closer. Thanks to BRAC we have a large number of new people moving to our city in the next few years, and many of them are used to the shopping/dining/recreation options found in larger cities. That means good news for Rocket City - more and more businesses are realizing that Rocket City is a great place to be.

A new area called Bridge Street opened recently. So far there are already many new places: P F Changs, Dolce, Anthropologie, Kate Spade, and others. Still to come are Ulta and the Apple Store and many more. And of course, there's the new Westin, which will also have condos.

Other areas of town are also growning. Our end of town is almost perfect now. Fresh Market, Five Guys Burgers, Nothing But Noodles, Super Target are all here. Plus great local places. We barely ever need to leave the area.

I am especially excited today, because they have finally officially announced that we will be getting a Mellow Mushroom in August. Rumors have circulated for years that we would get one, but this is the first confirmation that we really are.

So Rocket City is really improving, but there are still a few things that we need.

*Sweet Tomatoes - A great soup and salad place. They also have pasta and muffins. We used to go there at least once a week in Tucson. Now we only go when we're in Atlanta or Orlando.

*Cost Plus World Market - There are some in Birmingham but we need one here, too. A great source for food, wine, and other items from around the world.

*Whole Foods - We stock up on stuff at Whole Foods every time we're near one, but I'd love to be able to do more of our shopping there.

*Trader Joe's - A much smaller grocery, specializing in their own house brand. They have a great selection of some hard to find ingredients, and they're the only place in the Southeast (other than Cheesecake Factory) that has my favorite Paradise Tropical Tea. They have finally opened around Atlanta. I know they would do really well in Rocket City.

*Sephora - The best place for cosmetics. Doubtful that we'll get one any time soon, since we're getting an Ulta. At least they have stores in Birmingham and Nashville now, but again I would love to be able to run by there whenever I wanted - you never know when you'll have a perfume emergency!

*Caribou Coffee - I'm not usually a coffee fan, but I love Caribou. They don't over roast their beans like SOME places (I'm looking at you, Starbucks) and they have a great variety of espresso drinks. Including the best one ever, the Campfire Mocha.

*MINI dealer - You can buy almost any car here, but not a MINI. I keep hoping our BMW dealer will add MINIs, but no luck yet. If we want a Porsche we can run across town to get one, but for our MINI Cooper we'll have to go to Nashville or Atlanta. Which is silly, because they are hugely popular here.

*Macys - I rarely shop in department stores now, but I do like Macys. And now that the evil Belk closed our Parisian stores we do have space for a Macys.

I would love to think that we'd eventually get places like Tiffany and Co., In-n-Out Burger, or Cheesecake Factory, but I don't think that's too realistic. Still, I think that the other places I listed would do really well in Rocket City. Especially since many of our new residents are already addicted to one or more of them.

Monday, February 18, 2008

The Night Kingdom?!

(I posted this on my other blog on Friday, but I feel so strongly about it that I decided to bring it over here, too.)

I love Disney's Adventurers Club. With the recent changes at Pleasure Island, the future of the Club has been in question. Recently an interesting new rumor has surfaced on Jim Hill's site, and I'm not sure what to think about it.

Apparently Disney wants to open a new "park" to compete with Seaworld's Discovery Cove. Admission will be more expensive than the other parks, and it will not feature any rides or other traditional attractions. Instead, it will have a gourmet restaurant, broadway style show, and special experiences like a bat cave, hippo feeding encounter, and night vision animal watching. I think it sounds like a great after-hours idea for Animal Kingdom, but weak as a stand-alone park.

The problem is that supposedly The Adventurers Club would be relocated to act as the portal into this park. From the sound of it, it would no longer be a separate club, which means that unless you want to pay the $300 entry fee for the park you won't get into the Club either. I think this is a horrible idea. Having the Club characters appear at this new park could be good, and I wouldn't mind ANOTHER club popping up elsewhere - but they need to leave the real Club alone. If they really want to move or expand it, they still need to make it accessable to everyone, not just those who are on their way into the Night Kingdom.

The Club is much more than a glorified lobby, and it shouldn't be treated as such! We have planned trips to Orlando for the specific purpose of going to the Club. It is a large part of all of our WDW trips, and I would be sad to lose that. The Club has engaging characters and a gifted cast that ensures that no two visits are the same. It is one of the hidden gems of Walt Disney World, one of the most unique experiences on Disney property. The Club is a destination in and of itself; it shouldn't be reduced to a waystation on the way through to your next Adventure.
Over the weekend I did quite a bit of thinking about the future of the Club. The more I think about it, the more ridiculous I find the concept that they would close the Club to everyone but visitors to the Night Kingdom. I must admit, though, that using the Club as the departure point for the Night Kingdom guests does make some sense.

I still would prefer that they leave the Club as it is, but as long as they keep the same wonderful theming and characters I would certainly still go, even if it was in a different location.

Screamscape has posted their thoughts on the Jim Hill rumor, and they seem to have come to the same conclusion that I have. The concept seems much more likely as an after hours high end tour rather than a stand alone park. They could use the existing resort facilties with very few changes, and offer quests unusual adventures that other park goers never experience. For Disney, there wouldn't be a high investment to start the program, and they could charge a high ticket price for such a personalized experience. I know that Caradorn and I would have to try it at least once!

And honestly, if they used the Club as a jumping off point while still keeping it open for Club guests as well, that would be a good thing. So many people overlook the Club, and this would be a great way to make more people aware of it.

I always worry when I hear rumors of change at WDW. Still, not all change has been for the worse. We'll just have to wait and see, I suppose - though in the mean time we'll be going to the Club as often as possible!