Development in and Around Syracuse Discussion

[Scooch]

That's a very typical SPAC experience.

Well, then that sucks.

I can't believe SPAC wins those awards for best concert venue. I've been to several of those amphitheater-style venues and it was the worst by far.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I was at the Phish show last year, too. IMO, it was disgusting.
SPAC has two ways out, on either side of the park.

IMO The ways out isn't the problem from a walking standpoint. Driving it is. Takes forever. As far as watching a show I think it's terrible. They oversell an already small area to pack as many people in as possible. You literally can't move on the lawn. At Lakeview you are much more free to move around.

 

[Bayside44]

I think these outdoor concert venues have lousy traffic regarldless, they sure stink in suburban DC.

Wegmans is building a smaller shop in Alexandria. Harris Teeter has an aweome place in downtown Alexandria with a Trader Joe's around the corner.

 

[OttoMets]

I think these outdoor concert venues have lousy traffic regarldless, they sure stink in suburban DC.

Wegmans is building a smaller shop in Alexandria. Harris Teeter has an aweome place in downtown Alexandria with a Trader Joe's around the corner.

Teets does a nice job with its urban stores. I was a regular at their Mount Pleasant/Adams Morgan store that they crammed into an old roller rink with parking in the basement in maybe 40,000 square feet. It had everything you'd need, kind of mediocre deli and beer selection, but a really solid store. I would love to see one of those in downtown Syracuse, but they're not coming into this market. Something for others to imitate, though.

 

[721Comstock]

I don't have a dog in this fight, but two comments...

1) Don't (affluent-ish) people in cities just order groceries online for delivery? Literally everyone I know who lives in NYC uses FreshDirect or a similar service. I get the need to run out last-minute or late-night for something, but there doesn't need to be a full blown supermarket for that, does there?

2) I don't know if it was a typical experience, but I went to SPAC for an Imagine Dragons show this summer and it was a disaster. The lawn was so oversold that there was not a blade of grass available an hour before show time. Unless I missed something, the food options absolutely sucked -- there were a handful of food trucks with absurdly long lines. Same for bathroom facilities, just port-o-potties top handle thousands of people. Lastly, getting out was awful. I sat in my car without moving for 90 minutes, then took another 30 to get out of the lot. Thank goodness the show was good, because everything else about the experience was miserable.

My daughter went to this same Imagine Dragons show, and had the identical experience.
Absurdly overcrowded, nightmare to get out.
But an awesome show, and she's an even huger fan of theirs now, in spite of all the other stuff.

 

[Noexcuse]

Grew up with SPAC so the place holds a dear place in my heart. That said, it was never intended to accommodate the large crowds that show up there for rock concerts and the like. It was really meant as a cultural center and Summer home of the Philadelphia Philharmonic and New York City Ballet, catering to the wine and cheese crowd in town for the races. I was at the 1971 Who's Next Tour concert there (I think) when all hell broke loose and remember there was a moratorium on those types of events for a while. I am in Saratoga a lot during the Summer and it seems that the parking and access to the venue issues are no better now than when I was a teenager. Reminds me of SU on a game day.

 

[GoSU96]

My wife went to HS with the owner. This place looks like an awesome place to hit on Football Weekends.

Talisman Taproom

Talisman Tap Room (the former J.Ryan's Pub) now open in Syracuse

Lots of new/newish competition. Hopspot, Pressroom pub, Marriott. While Wolff's is three years old that is a great space.

 

[Scooch]

My daughter went to this same Imagine Dragons show, and had the identical experience.
Absurdly overcrowded, nightmare to get out.
But an awesome show, and she's an even huger fan of theirs now, in spite of all the other stuff.

It was a great show. I went with my son because we were in town for a lacrosse tournament that weekend. Bought lawn tix last minute. The 2 hours of the show itself were fantastic, everything else about it was awful.

I can't believe people say SPAC is a great venue. Even for its kind, it stinks. I've been to many shows at a similar place in Mass (used to be Great Woods, not sure what corporate name is on it now) and everything about it is much better, from traffic to food to facilities.

 

[Noexcuse]

It was a great show. I went with my son because we were in town for a lacrosse tournament that weekend. Bought lawn tix last minute. The 2 hours of the show itself were fantastic, everything else about it was awful.

I can't believe people say SPAC is a great venue. Even for its kind, it stinks. I've been to many shows at a similar place in Mass (used to be Great Woods, not sure what corporate name is on it now) and everything about it is much better, from traffic to food to facilities.

Tanglewood? Bill Graham did a series of concerts there in the early 70's. Great venue, but traffic in and out and parking was horrendous. I remember walking around for about a hour looking for our car.

 

[Scooch]

Tanglewood? Bill Graham did a series of concerts there in the early 70's. Great venue, but traffic in and out and parking was horrendous. I remember walking around for about a hour looking for our car.

Nope that’s in western Mass. The former Great Woods is in Mansfield, half hour south of Boston.

 

[Scooch]

Tanglewood? Bill Graham did a series of concerts there in the early 70's. Great venue, but traffic in and out and parking was horrendous. I remember walking around for about a hour looking for our car.

Nope that’s in western Mass. The former Great Woods is in Mansfield, half hour south of Boston.

 

[KellySyracuse]

SPAC has way better seating, vendors and toilets.
The AMP is a sewer for those on the lawn who have to use port-a-potties that haven't been emptied since five shows ago. Also far, far easier to get in and out of for car traffic.

c'mon, this is not correct. The toilet house is just fine and there are a multitude of blue boys located around the grounds at the Amp. I've been to all of the amphitheaters around upstate, CMAC and the Amp are by far the best of the lot. And if you think the Amp is difficult to get in/out of then you've never been to CMAC. At least you can take a shuttle to the Amp or pony up for the VIP parking.

I think you may have a wild hair up your keester about something else to do with Onondaga County. Are you that guy on the legislature that represents Manlius who hates on everything Joanie Mahoney?

 

[CarolinaCuse]

I think these outdoor concert venues have lousy traffic regarldless, they sure stink in suburban DC.

Wegmans is building a smaller shop in Alexandria. Harris Teeter has an aweome place in downtown Alexandria with a Trader Joe's around the corner.

They're building an "urban" Wegmans in Reston near the new Silver Line expansion. Supposedly it will be similar to the Wegmans in Chestnut Hill (MA)... which is fine. Nothing particularly special. Growing up with Wegmans in Syracuse, I was spoiled. But what made me a huge convert was the seafood bar at the Wegmans in Leesburg (VA). Back in the day... oysters for $1, the best blackened mahi mahi sandwich, and craft beers on draft for wicked cheap.

 

[KellySyracuse]

My wife went to HS with the owner. This place looks like an awesome place to hit on Football Weekends.

Talisman Taproom

Talisman Tap Room (the former J.Ryan's Pub) now open in Syracuse

I was a frequent patron of JRyans, especially before SU games. The staff and the draft lineup could not be beat, it reminded me much of the old Clarks. That said I don't have the inside story of why the owner of the building decided to shut down the place and then lie about his intentions when the story made it to Syracuse.com. There were a lot of great people employed there that got sent to the unemployment line with only a weeks notice, some of which had worked there for 8+ years.

So unless I hear of a few good reasons to patronize this new place knowing that the same guy owns the building, I won't be going back there. The Press Room by the Dinosaur will be the new pregame drinking spot

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[MaxwellCuse]

That's a very typical SPAC experience.

Never could stand SPAC. Even when I still had all my hearing and I worked for the agency that administers it. Tanglewood is my idea of an outdoor music venue. I can still hear classical music, even some jazz, despite the amplification. Best of all, I can bring in my own single malt or beer or wine, along with my own food, to enjoy on the lawn before the concert. If I lived near Syracuse I'd love to give the Lakeview a shot. But as for SPAC, that stuff got tired 20 years ago.

 

[IthacaMatt]

c'mon, this is not correct. The toilet house is just fine and there are a multitude of blue boys located around the grounds at the Amp. I've been to all of the amphitheaters around upstate, CMAC and the Amp are by far the best of the lot. And if you think the Amp is difficult to get in/out of then you've never been to CMAC. At least you can take a shuttle to the Amp or pony up for the VIP parking.

I think you may have a wild hair up your keester about something else to do with Onondaga County. Are you that guy on the legislature that represents Manlius who hates on everything Joanie Mahoney?

I've been to CMAC, Darien Lake, the Amp and SPAC.

I admit that I haven't been to the Amp since last summer's Phish show, but that was a dreadful experience. The Dave Matthews crowd at this summer's show was also an awful mess, although they got the parking lot done a couple weeks before the Fair, but it's been a problem most of the summer.

I went to SPAC for Evanescence with the orchestra this summer - about my third time there. I had seats under the roof each time. SPAC's seated area seems larger than the Amp to me, maybe because it's at more of an angle, and maybe that makes it seem bigger. The Amp is a more gentle slope. I agree that SPAC has insufficient room on the lawn. No question.

But there are 2 ways to drive into the park where SPAC is located, from the Route 9 side or from the Route 50 side. If you use the back way in and out of the park, the traffic is much easier. It's actually harder walking out across those 2 small foot bridges within the park that make leaving the place so tedious; at least that's been my experience.

Darien Lake was easy-peasy. CMAC depends on the show, I guess.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Never could stand SPAC. Even when I still had all my hearing and I worked for the agency that administers it. Tanglewood is my idea of an outdoor music venue. I can still hear classical music, even some jazz, despite the amplification. Best of all, I can bring in my own single malt or beer or wine, along with my own food, to enjoy on the lawn before the concert. If I lived near Syracuse I'd love to give the Lakeview a shot. But as for SPAC, that stuff got tired 20 years ago.

My experiences on the lawn at the Amp have been not that good. Really drunken obnoxious crowds (maybe I'm just getting older), and truly filthy port-a-potties, already full before the show got started, from having been used from who knows how many shows already. One of them tipped over and flowed onto the lawn, too. The stench was freaking disgusting.

 

[KellySyracuse]

I've been to CMAC, Darien Lake, the Amp and SPAC.

I admit that I haven't been to the Amp since last summer's Phish show, but that was a dreadful experience. The Dave Matthews crowd at this summer's show was also an awful mess, although they got the parking lot done a couple weeks before the Fair, but it's been a problem most of the summer.

I went to SPAC for Evanescence with the orchestra this summer - about my third time there. I had seats under the roof each time. SPAC's seated area seems larger than the Amp to me, maybe because it's at more of an angle, and maybe that makes it seem bigger. The Amp is a more gentle slope. I agree that SPAC has insufficient room on the lawn. No question.

But there are 2 ways to drive into the park where SPAC is located, from the Route 9 side or from the Route 50 side. If you use the back way in and out of the park, the traffic is much easier. It's actually harder walking out across those 2 small foot bridges within the park that make leaving the place so tedious; at least that's been my experience.

Darien Lake was easy-peasy. CMAC depends on the show, I guess.

The Amp has parking issues and gate entry issues they need to figure out, totally agree with that. But with all of these venues driving in and out of them is awful. If I recall with Darien Lake as well as SPAC and CMAC the way in and out is a state highway which is not at all close to an interstate or the Thruway.

They all have their pros and cons. The Amp improves Syracuse, I can't believe it took decades to finally get one built here. I do agree they need to figure out the egress after the show situation but until they do I'll take the 10 minute shuttle from downtown right after having drinks/dinner in Armory or Hanover.

Sometimes you have to look for the sunshine through the rain.

 

[upperdeck]

reality is how many venues of any kind have easy exit plans? to go PSU/WV/ go to a bills game/ a mets game. you walk for 1-2 miles to your car and then wait to exit in long lines.

what screws up the Amp is the same long lines getting in. And its not like getting there an hr early helps all that much..

 

[Newhouser]

The Amp should be better than SPAC - it's a ton newer and was built with concerts in mind. As someone posted earlier SPAC was not designed to be a concert venue. That is how things evolved and they make do. I have been to both more than a few times, and both have their strengths and weaknesses. My only gripe with the AMP is as a new venue they should have had fewer issues as there were other venues to study.

 

[shandeezy7]

25 years later, debate resumes: Should CNY build a downtown baseball stadium?

 

[OttoMets]

I was a frequent patron of JRyans, especially before SU games. The staff and the draft lineup could not be beat, it reminded me much of the old Clarks. That said I don't have the inside story of why the owner of the building decided to shut down the place and then lie about his intentions when the story made it to Syracuse.com. There were a lot of great people employed there that got sent to the unemployment line with only a weeks notice, some of which had worked there for 8+ years.

So unless I hear of a few good reasons to patronize this new place knowing that the same guy owns the building, I won't be going back there. The Press Room by the Dinosaur will be the new pregame drinking spot

I get you. J. Ryan's was awesome, that was unfair to the staff, and the new owner comes across as petty at best.

But I'm 0-for-1 at the Press Room (they were out of the first three beers our group asked for, the atmosphere was lame, and service was friendly but clumsy) and Talisman might fill a void down there.

As far as good reasons to patronize the new place, that's kind of flimsy, but it's the best I've got. So I'll probably give it a try. Wonder if any of the old staff will give the guy a second chance.

 

[OttoMets]

25 years later, debate resumes: Should CNY build a downtown baseball stadium?

Now can anyone read that and say that they're comfortable with Ryan McMahon running the proverbial ice cream truck, much less a legislature that governs 450,000 people?

 

[Trueblue25]

25 years later, debate resumes: Should CNY build a downtown baseball stadium?

Saying there’s no proof to point towards further state funding of a downtown, or in proximity, stadium is just lazy.