Campustown Redevelopment

Wife and I went there last Sunday. We make it a thing to go to a different place in Ames everytime. We got there around noon and there wasn’t anyone else. Our food actually was cold when we finally got it...left a horrible impression on us. Wife had been to one down in Texas and thought it was the best.
 
Maybe it would be different if parking wasn’t a nightmare, but there is a 0% chance of me going to Campustown for food. The odds get worse if kids are coming along or it’s during the school year.
Yep only time we go to campustown to eat is if we find parking which isn’t horrible on sundays or when we park at the MU and it’s nice for a walk.
 
Maybe it would be different if parking wasn’t a nightmare, but there is a 0% chance of me going to Campustown for food. The odds get worse if kids are coming along or it’s during the school year.
This is how I see a lot of non-students viewing it. Fuzzy’s is a great restaurant for foot traffic, but it’s hard with a location like that, where you hope to get more than just students. I’m not even sure if it would’ve done that well on Duff, but maybe I’m wrong..
 
This is how I see a lot of non-students viewing it. Fuzzy’s is a great restaurant for foot traffic, but it’s hard with a location like that, where you hope to get more than just students. I’m not even sure if it would’ve done that well on Duff, but maybe I’m wrong..
I think it would have done better on Duff, but a place like Freddy's seems to do fine in campustown. We'll go out of our way to eat there, because their product is really good. They might do better on Duff as well, but location wasn't fuzzys only problem
 
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Reactions: Angie
Could some sort of sports bar work in the location? Seems like the layout could work...in the back maybe a dart board or shuffle board table. Serve some Fair priced burgers/fries for the college kids in the afternoon or for FAC.
 
So do people view the Ames intermodal parking garage as too far away to use and walk to places in campustown?

It is largely a mindset....a product of what people are used to.

So many individuals living in and and around central Iowa come from small towns and/or suburbia and thus their habit/expectation is that parking needs to either be right in front or an attached flat lot.

If is not, the impression is "there is no parking!"

That said, this is hardly unique to Ames.
 
Wow, that says it all! The city puts up a large parking facility, but people don't even know about it. The name "intermodal" doesn't help.

For some reason I was always under the impression it was additional university parking and not necessarily public parking. City must have whiffed on messaging.
 
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  • Winner
Reactions: Angie and Pat
Could some sort of sports bar work in the location? Seems like the layout could work...in the back maybe a dart board or shuffle board table. Serve some Fair priced burgers/fries for the college kids in the afternoon or for FAC.
A sports bar actually recently opened up called BNC field house. The people who run Aj's runs it. I haven't been to that bar yet but for what I've seen on snapchat, they have a bunch of TV's and good deals on beer. I don't think another sports bar would work.
 
A sports bar actually recently opened up called BNC field house. The people who run Aj's runs it. I haven't been to that bar yet but for what I've seen on snapchat, they have a bunch of TV's and good deals on beer. I don't think another sports bar would work.
Shot that’s right..that place slipped my mind. Haven’t been there might have to put that on the next visit list.
 
A sports bar actually recently opened up called BNC field house. The people who run Aj's runs it. I haven't been to that bar yet but for what I've seen on snapchat, they have a bunch of TV's and good deals on beer. I don't think another sports bar would work.
It’s a cool bar. They recently started serving food but haven’t had a chance to try it yet
 
And Blaze is better, I honestly can't believe Smokin oaks is still open. It's always dead when I walk by. I've only been there once and that was because the line at Blaze was way too long.
I like Smokin' Oak better than Blaze. I didn't at first, but after a couple trips to each Smokin' Oak wins. I was there yesterday and it was as packed as I've ever seen it. It surprised me since students are gone. Usually it's not busy and I worry it won't be able to stay open.
 
It is largely a mindset....a product of what people are used to.

So many individuals living in and and around central Iowa come from small towns and/or suburbia and thus their habit/expectation is that parking needs to either be right in front or an attached flat lot.

If is not, the impression is "there is no parking!"

That said, this is hardly unique to Ames.

Im curious if that is really the expectation. Because while i grew up in the suburbs i remember even when campustown was less dense 10-15 years ago when i was there i still expected to walk a block or two anytime i went down to welch. Though back then even that was a challenge some nights.
 

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