In less than a month, the taxpayer sponsored brew-waste, must change its format to loud and late; so much for the fine dining district. As it joins Croc Rock and other clubs competing for the rockers, the taxpayers can forget being paid back. Inquiring minds will discover in the future that the loans have been forgiven, and applied against future funds for Allentown. Although everybody in the food and bar industry knows $7.1 million is an impossible overhead in the Lehigh Valley, our bureaucrats continue to suggest revival is around the corner.
I don't object to your post's reasoning--even though it is deeply flawed. What I object to is its uncalled-for nastiness. You lose a lot of credibility with open-minded, reasonable people when you spew such vituperative prose.
ReplyDeleteMy own sense is that the Brew Works is going to be a success. It is certainly misleading to say that the always-planned band gigs are a shift in strategy for the Brew Works. That's completely false--late night bands, especially in the downstairs "Silk Room," were always part of the pub's plans. And the place is doing a brisk business, based on my observations from a number of recent visits. It's also going to have a great deal of what economists call positive externalities--changing perceptions of downtown, attracting young professional residents, contributing to what will soon be a critical mass of restaurants around 9th and Hamilton.
In any case, a little more civility would be appreciated.
Jeff Pooley
thanks for posting jeff, i know the moderation enabler takes some fun out of it. as to my slant, there are sites where the glass is always half full. i don't believe or promote city hall press releases. the bayleaf, which is an excellent restaurant, and the hotel, which has had its moments, never "contributed to a critical mass". for what went into the brewpub, dozens of places could have been seeded; not that i would have approved of that either. i believe allentown suffers from a lack of reality. the plan to take bus riders off the corners and place them at 6th and linden will hurt the existing storefronts, so anyway, i think you will have to visit the pub, and visit often.
ReplyDeletethe only glass that was 1/2 empty was the one from which I drank standing at the bar waiting for a table a week ago. And by the time my table was ready, it was completely empty.
ReplyDelete10 years from now, my prediction is that the Brew Works will be to Allentown what the Brew Works was in Bethlehem: a significant tipping point that prompted millions of dollars in private investment. I know you don't agree, but I guess I'll buy you a pint in 10 years if I'm right.
I think it will be great to have a nice new venue for original music in Allentown. They plan on having live jazz music there too. There are many local singer-songwriters and musicians who would love to play at the new Brew Pub. It's a fabulous place. I am in a band that plays melodious, Beatlesque, original pop songs, and we have been invited to play at the Brew Pub.
ReplyDelete