New NuLu eats

Lots of things I have heard:

1) Tilia at the former Bodega is canceled. There is an architecture firm there now
2) Crush on market is on hold due to the economy and chef problems
3 Three new restaurants are to be open by spring:
Decca
Please and Thank You
and a wood fired pizza joint in the old gas station on clay and market
Also heard a new art gallery and indie record shop will open soon.

When the new grocery store opens in the area, will it finally have the crictical mass it needs to turn into the next urban nabe? Anyone hear anything about these restaurants? These are in addition to the Mozz and the restaurant rumored to be opening in the old Mayan Gypsy spot.

Oh you mean East Market. This stupid new rebranding of the area needs to stop.

[Robin Garr]

Oh you mean East Market. This stupid new rebranding of the area needs to stop.

I've often wondered where "NuLu" came from, in terms of "who thought of that idea and how did it catch on." I guess they're trying to evoke SoHo and Tribeca and Nolita and even Dumbo in Manhattan, but somebody forgot to tell them that those are geographical abbreviations.

The "forced" name seems to match the plan for the area. I'm too young to really understand how living areas develop, but there seems to be something lacking with NuLu. Seems like so many people want it to be "something," except there doesn't seem to be the critical mass necessary to get to that something.

I've said it before on this board. I just think Louisville is too attached to the specifically not-"downtown" neighborhoods to ever make anything-considered-downtown a true living/working neighborhood. People aren't going to focus their lives in NuLu when they can, instead, be five minutes away in Clifton or the Highlands. Like it or not, NuLu is downtown when considered next to these "suburban" areas.

I was fairly disappointed by the NuLu festival. Felt like I was being marketed "yuppie" products and services and not a living community I could actually see, feel, and believe in. Granted, the weather seemed to really dampen the festivities. I was there after the rain and after dark, and it was fairly chilly and uneventful. The beer store was quite popular, but that was about it.

I think I remember reading that Gil Holland coined the name NuLu, I agree forced branding almost never works, it's like using a laugh track.

've said it before on this board. I just think Louisville is too attached to the specifically not-"downtown" neighborhoods to ever make anything-considered-downtown a true living/working neighborhood. People aren't going to focus their lives in NuLu when they can, instead, be five minutes away in Clifton or the Highlands.

I agree but I think the main reason for the suburban attraction is parking. One of the big reasons that other cities can grow their inner city living neighborhoods is that they have an honest to goodness public transportation system. No one in Louisville wants to give up their autos. Without an auto in Louisville you can quickly find your self stranded or extremely limited to your travel circle. Still, parking/ housing/insuring an auto in DT Louisville on a regular basis can be costly. I would love to live in a city that offered better public transport so I could quite driving all together. That chance for Louisville ended when GM bought the trolly lines, did away with them , and effectively made Louisville auto dependent.

I mean wow, Robin, can you change the name of the thread if NuLu offends people? Louisvillians are so pessimistic. The area will never take off if people don't believe in it. What Louisville doesn't get is that major cities have multiple restaurant rows and urban nabes. Louisville can do it....now does anybody know anything about these new places I named?

[Robin Garr]

I mean wow, Robin, can you change the name of the thread if NuLu offends people? Louisvillians are so pessimistic. The area will never take off if people don't believe in it. What Louisville doesn't get is that major cities have multiple restaurant rows and urban nabes. Louisville can do it....now does anybody know anything about these new places I named?

I don't think it's either/or, Michael. We can be excited about the development of a revitalizing section near downtown without being excited about amateurish PR efforts to put a trendy-sounding name on it. Two different issues.

And in case it wasn't clear, we're absolutely grateful to you for bringing info on the new developments. The sub-thread about "NuLu," which strikes me as a lame attempt to sound like a New York neighborhood without really quite getting the idea, is in no way, shape or form a personal attack on you.

I mean wow, Robin, can you change the name of the thread if NuLu offends people? Louisvillians are so pessimistic. The area will never take off if people don't believe in it. What Louisville doesn't get is that major cities have multiple restaurant rows and urban nabes. Louisville can do it....now does anybody know anything about these new places I named?

I'm sorry but of all things to rip off from other cities this is something Louisville should not be doing. We cant tear down building falling in on themselves in areas people want to develop, we cant get light rail and real public transportation, we cant give money to local businesses that want to open up downtown, but crappy hip neo-neighborhood names that make confuse people as to where you are even talking about? LETS GET RIGHT ON IT!

Louisville - Impossibility City.

I mean wow, Robin, can you change the name of the thread if NuLu offends people? Louisvillians are so pessimistic. The area will never take off if people don't believe in it. What Louisville doesn't get is that major cities have multiple restaurant rows and urban nabes. Louisville can do it....now does anybody know anything about these new places I named?

I'm sorry but of all things to rip off from other cities this is something Louisville should not be doing. We cant tear down building falling in on themselves in areas people want to develop, we cant get light rail and real public transportation, we cant give money to local businesses that want to open up downtown, but crappy hip neo-neighborhood names that make confuse people as to where you are even talking about? LETS GET RIGHT ON IT!

Louisville - Impossibility City.

It's not just Louisville that "tags" a neighborhood with a name that doesn't pertain to its historical past or geographic location:
Columbus - "Short North"
Nashville - "The Gulch"
Austin - "SoCo"
Denver - "LoDo"

It's not just us folks
Apparently, folks in Denver, Austin, Nashville and Columbus can still find these neighborhoods and aren't confused about what people are talking about.

Guys, lets get back to the topic. Anybody know anything about all these restaurants I reported? My source is a tipster I know and Brokensidewalk. I am especially excited about the wood fired pizza spot in the old gas station on Market. Does anyone know anything about this or the new businesses planned in the old Wayside buildings? And when does the new Creation Gardens break ground? Frankly, the urban aesthetic on east market is much better than Bardstown Road (which has so many dumpy looking fast food chains) that I think East Market has great potential. Why cant the Highlands extend down Bardstownn/Baxter into east market?

Guys, lets get back to the topic. Anybody know anything about all these restaurants I reported? My source is a tipster I know and Brokensidewalk. I am especially excited about the wood fired pizza spot in the old gas station on Market. Does anyone know anything about this or the new businesses planned in the old Wayside buildings? And when does the new Creation Gardens break ground? Frankly, the urban aesthetic on east market is much better than Bardstown Road (which has so many dumpy looking fast food chains) that I think East Market has great potential. Why cant the Highlands extend down Bardstownn/Baxter into east market?

Wasn't there a previous thread about the chef at Proof on Main being associated with the pizza place in the old gas station?

We have just been hired to do the new Restaurant Decca in the old Wayside Building. I am just getting started on the plan so I can't fill you in with a lot of detail at this time.

Here's that old thread: http://forums.louisvillehotbytes.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9988&p=91476&hilit=Michael+Paley#p91476
It just was about Chef Paley putting a pizza place in an old gas station. I may have jumped the gun by thinking it's the one on Market.

Just coined a new area .... BooHoo , it encompasses Beechmont, Highland Park and Oakdale, let the development dollars flow in !