Comments by getalifenatchez
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Posted on October 24 at 12:36 a.m.
Bigfish: How could Natchez support big box retailers like Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, etc... especially in a downtown setting??? We have 15,000 people and falling, plus most of those are on government assistance.... Maybe Obama and HUD could turn the Eola into public housing...
All joking aside, It's going to take someone w/ deep pockets who loves the Eola to keep it going.... The rooms are small and dated, no roof top pool, no health club.... many drawbacks.... Many happy memories in that hotel, w/ several family members having wedding receptions in the ballroom.... It would be a sin to have our largest landmark downtown fold up------- but look @ Main Street over the last few years----most windows are papered up..... SAD....
Posted on October 19 at 6:14 p.m.
Gottabehappy has a smart a_ _ attitude that I just don't like...
Christian my foot! The way you respond to everyones suggestions/ opinions shows that you are a childish, selfish, you know what.... Natchez could do a lot better without your kind! I can tolerate a lot, but not someone w/ a pretentious, nasty, condesending attitude like yours! God help Natchez.... Old Grand dad, do we just turn the other cheek??? Gottabehappy can't be for real!
Posted on October 18 at 9:25 p.m.
Not only do we need traveled and educated elected officials, we need our citizens to be the same---and from the way things looks--- whewwww, we have our work cut out for us.... People in charge of things tourist related around here think they wrote the book on tourism....Au Contraire! We are fooling ourselves if that is the case.... Natchez could be another Williamsburg, Charleston, Savanah---but our lack of vision and poorly educated populace is whats killing us who have no idea what a REAL tourist town is like..... It starts with the cashier @ the gas station that can't tell you what road you are on, the waiter / waitress @ the local restaurant that doesn't have a clue about the menu, and doesn't even greet you, the lack of signs to direct you around the city, The white brick 2 story structure on a main throughfare that should have been condemed years ago and torn down, but is left standing, with a gaping hole in its side and a balcony ready to plummet and injure/ destroy an innocent bystander/ vehicle... Stores in the downtown district closed on Sundays (So much for that long weekend in Natchez and hoping to catch up on some Christmas shopping).... The streets roll up @ dusk.... and God forbid if you come into town late @ night and are hungry for something other than fast food.... No IHOP, No waffle House, etc... SO, If we want to come across as a tourist town, we have A LOT of work to DO!!!! Yes tourism is going to be our main source of income if we play our cards right.... What else do we have???? I love Natchez, and see what it could be---- but it's citizens don't have a clue, and it reminds me of a dog chasing it's tail.... We keep doing the same ole song and dance, and where does it get us????
Posted on October 18 at 9:24 a.m.
Folks--- we will be having this same debate next week, next month, next year, next decade.... I've lived here for years, and things NEVER change... The only thing that has changed is all of our blue collar jobs flew the coop, and they are not coming back to Natchez! Face reality! The probability that a new large factory is coming to this area are slim and none, and the chances of meteorite striking Natchez are much higher.... We are not the only town in America with a deplorable school system, and we have battled that topic for years to, only to see it continue to get worse.... The brain drain continues to esculate, with our youngest and brightest leaving for college and to never return------ Maybe when they are 70+ and can afford to retire back to our sleepy little hamlet, they then can come back home.... Greg hit the nail on the head, and it might hurt for some of us to have to face reality. We are on a downward spiral, and have been for many years. I'm willing to bet that the 2010 census will show further decreases in our population. We can sit here and point fingers till we are blue in the face, and continue living in a fantasy world that IP and Armstrong are coming back.... It just isn't going to happen... Everything has gone to China or Mexico. Our lousy schools will continue to turn out kids that will sooner or later end up on some form of welfare, and the educated ones will continue to move on with their lives and relocate to areas where they have opportunities and make decent salaries. We will continue to decline and sail adrift as long as our public schools are the pits, and the race card is continued to be played... Mr. Braswell, you are the one, my friend, living in a "fictional world"--- one in which Natchez is dominated by "smoke stacks".... I'm not a gambling man, but I would bet all my money on this one... Tourism, with all of it's low paying jobs as some might say, is our bread and butter---- like it or not.... We either cultivate what we have to work with, and do a MUCH better job at doing it, or Natchez is going to go the way of Rodney, MS. (near Alcorn) and just disappear.....
Posted on October 17 at 7:06 p.m.
Since we are supposedly an international tourist draw, how about "Welcome to Natchez" signs @ each entrance, also in other languages--- French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, etc... and a nice touch would be flags representing each of the countries that used to rule over Natchez---- with efficient lighting and maintained landscaping... a low frequency AM station could be operated to give out tourist friendly info, driving directions, etc... something that reflects a new/old Natchez. (Do you hear this any of you local radio station owners???)... A lot could be done if people would just donate their time here and there..... we just need a ring leader to get the ball rolling!
Posted on October 17 at 6:56 p.m.
OGD: Yes, I have been out of Adams Cty. plenty of times. I am not originally from here (which might be a plus).... Travel does broaden ones horizons, and it makes you realize how far we are behind other "tourist" destinations... Yes, we can't even attempt to do the basics--- no signage, other than what MDOT puts up on major highways passing through town.... The few signs we do have in the "inner" city are vague and spotty.... What ever happened to our "trolley's"----that was poorly managed from the get go... Go to Charleston, Savanah, even other parts of the country, like Gettysburg, and see how tourism is done! Everything is clearly marked, landscaped, and the people are able to communicate clearly and make you feel welcomed.... I mentioned the other night we need to definitely improve our entrances into town..... I go to towns 1/2 our size that have much prettier entrances that are lighted @ night, and landscaped.... I always thought before MDOT wrecked the 61/84 intersection that a nice big fountain (bigger than downtown) w/ landscaping would have made a nice statement for Natchez---even for those just passing through and not staying for a visit.... Banners flags, and hanging baskets are found affixed to light poles in other tourist cities---- but not ours! Hell, we can't even keep the grass mowed on the right aways! We also need a 24 hour IHOP/ Waffle House. Where do you go for a late night meal when rolling into town after normal business hours???? I could make a list a mile long on things I see need changing---- Yes, money is always an issue, and w/ the current economic climate, it will be for the foreseeable future, but when times were good, we still didn't seize the moment.... To bad eminent domain can't be used to reclaim "our" under-the-hill!!!! I love Natchez, but the vibe here is suppressive and there is a negative energy that pervades this place.... Post Katrina kind of gave me hope, but it seems everyone who came, got fed up and left, and we are back to being that little sleepy hamlet mildewing high up on the bluffs overlooking the mighty muddy Mississippi..... We need to create some excitement, and re-invent the wheel so to speak on the way we have always done things.... Cherishing our past is one thing, but trying to make it way of life is another! Wake up Natchez, and smell the coffee.... We are withering away, and Greg did his best to give us a swift kick in the pants---and I hoped he kicked hard enough!
Posted on October 17 at 5:39 p.m.
Gottabehappy makes me want to hurl.... SO NATCHEZ!
Posted on October 17 at 5:37 p.m.
Most cities with a water front like ours would have restaurants with outside seating on the water to take in the views, not to mention shops, coffee houses, art galleries, cobblestone/brick streets, beautiful lighting/landscaping---what do we HAVE??????? We should be shot in the head for not cultivating what God has given us! We could draw people from all over if we could just get our heads out of the sand, and hopefully the banks and investors will still be able to do something in the future..... I see so much more for Natchez than most who live here..... SAD....
Posted on October 17 at 5:31 p.m.
Oh yeh---we need a parking garage on main street coming into downtown... what a beautful sight to behold! I'd rather see another park/ fountain in that spot (more green space for downtown) instead of an ugly old multi story parking garage! We do have other areas downtown that a parking garage would not stand out so much behind the Eola on Franklin---that way the convention center/community center could also patronize it... Anyway, in a town that no progress occurs, I'll have to see the old FBC leveled before I believe it, and then hope it doesn't turn into an overgrown weeded plot of land (just what we need is another eyesore).....
Grungebob: Kuddos! We do have land owners under the hill that only think of themselves and not whats best for the community.... It should have been developed YEARS ago---and the way the pendulum is swinging, it will never be developed until I am long gone... Do I come across negative???? Hmmmmm, years of living here and seeing what kind of hoops people have to jump through to make a go of anything does that to a person.... Natchez could be more than a cute little southern tourist spot.... Hell, I'd go to Charleston, or Savanah before picking Natchez if I wanted a "cute little southern tourist spot"..... Natchez can be SO much more, but the stupid people who live here and run it are content with it being on "life support" and clinging to life.... Pathetic....... No vision, and a bunch of rednecks that don't give a flip about anything other than "huntin' "........ Our loss, and someone elses gain...... I see towns that looks like the pits and have no culture, history, etc.... plowing along and trying to cultivate a tourism base, while we sit on our lazy butts and let the world pass us by...... We have a lot to toot our horns about, but the scale is weighted down by poor leadership, poor civic pride, poor schools, and a poor work ethic..... and a bunch of folks that aren't open to any new ideas and thinking outside of the box.... To all you idiots who are content with "as is"---enjoy it while you got it, because on the route we are headed, it's only going to get worse!
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Posted on October 25 at 9:57 a.m.
Typical Natchez negativeness....... How will we ever prosper??? People here have been brainwashed, and think the worse.... We can't see the forest for the trees... The glass is 1/2 empty... We can't see the light @ the end of the tunnel....
On Do you think a new Natchez recreation complex will attract large tournaments?