Post by Soulbrotha on Jun 18, 2004 2:13:49 GMT -5
Coming Alive
Fourth Street Live is Louisville's latest attempt to inject life into downtown. MAISY FERNANDEZ has the rundown on what you can expect.
You know those anti-smoking commercials in which the fish gets loose from its bowl and flops around on the floor, struggling to breathe? Well, a year ago — heck, even four months ago — nightlife in downtown Louisville probably wasn't any better off than that gasping goldfish.
After folks got off work, the sidewalks seemed to roll up behind them, rendering the heart of our city almost a ghost town until 8 a.m. the next day. But Fourth Street Live — which features a wide range of bars, restaurants and entertainment options — seems to have a good shot at resuscitating the area.
On a recent Sunday night around 10:30, when most people are in bed dreading the Monday re-entry to work, Fourth Street Live was alive with people. It's the same situation during a typical lunch hour, when what was once the gloomy Galleria becomes a bustling city street.
"This is my first time seeing it," said Emily Hotstetler, 25, who works downtown. "It looks pretty good so far. And it's nice to have food downtown again, even though it looks like it's all the same kind of restaurants."
Photo by Jamie Rhodes
Fans packed the house to see Flaw and Vince Neil perform at the Hard Rock Cafe. The cafe plans to book local and regional music acts.
Shirley Jones was jazzed about more downtown dining and drinking destinations.
"There are more lunch options, and we like to get together as a group after work," said Jones, who lives in the West End and works downtown. "This is a lot closer than anything else."
With clean, crisp greenery and elaborate lighting and signage, Fourth Street's outdoor common area is paved with cobblestone bricks. A visual feast, the area features huge, stadium-quality big screens that will show things like music performances and basketball games.
And perhaps the best news: If you want to walk around, you can cart your drinks around with you. The common area of Fourth Street Live will have an arena liquor license, so patrons can drink and wander at will.
"I like the way it looks," said Gabe Hampton, 25, of Georgetown, Ind., who usually does his carousing in the Highlands. "I've never hung out downtown, but if there are a bunch of bars here, I'm sure it'll be a place to go."
Photo by Jamie Rhodes
Long lines are already a common sight outside the Hard Rock Cafe.
And that's just what developers are striving for.
At least three years in the making, the $70million project hopes to be "the living room of Louisville," said Kimber Goodwin, director of marketing for the Cordish Co., which is developing the site.
"There are myriad different experiences at one destination," Goodwin said. "It's a convenience, an ease of experience like nothing else in town. You can eat, shop, go to the comedy club and listen to a concert all in one cool, well-lit place with great landscaping and a roof."
Red Star Tavern, the Hard Rock Caf� and T.G.I. Friday's are already open. The Red Cheetah nightclub and Cheetah Lounge open on Thursday, while Rascals comedy club and Parrot Beach open June 24. More openings will follow this summer.
Here's what you can expect when you visit:
Now open
Photo by Matt Stone
The dance area at Red Cheetah.
Hard Rock Caf� — It rocks. It rolls. It serves up salads, burgers and hawks souvenir shot glasses. And while you wait for your chow, the Hard Rock offers various trinkets to peruse, like Elvis' sunglasses (complete with the King's teeth marks), Britney Spears' denim hat or Steven Tyler's mic stand, with its decorative scarves.
Red Star Tavern — With deep red walls, black-and-white photos and cherry-finish furniture, the Red Star Tavern is more of a restaurant than a bar. It feels contemporary and clean, but also seems like the kind of place where you could hunch over the bar for several hours after a rough day at work. And FYI: The barbecued ribs appetizer and fish tacos are absolutely delicious.
T.G.I. Friday's — How would you feel if your 50-year-old mother came over in a pair of low-rise jeans, a halter top and stiletto sandals, but looked really, really good in them? Probably the same way you'll feel when you see old favorite T.G.I. Friday's unveil its contemporary new look, which Louisville is getting before any other city. Those Tiffany lamps have been traded in for red-and-white striped lampshades, and all that junk on the walls has been replaced with newer and cooler junk on the walls.
Photo by Matt Stone
The South entrance to Fourth Street Live.
Opening Thursday
Red Cheetah/Cheetah Lounge — Described as "sophisticated nighttime entertainment," Red Cheetah nightclub sprawls over 20,000 square feet and includes a martini bar called the Cheetah Lounge. With red walls and lamps, cheetah-spotted carpet and numerous mirrors, it looks like a Victoria's Secret store exploded: classy, sexy, swanky. Featuring high-energy dance music, Red Cheetah will boast local and national DJs and competitive thingytail prices. "We didn't come here to be the most expensive; we came here to be the best," General Manager Charles Powell said.
Opening this month
Parrot Beach — You can't bring the ocean to Louisville, but you can bring a 5,500-square-foot island downtown. Decorated with bamboo, brightly painted walls and mosaic countertops, Parrot Beach is a relaxing bar with a tropical theme. You'll also find several TVs, a dance floor and a balcony overlooking Fourth Street. No, you don't have to wear a Hawaiian shirt to get in. In fact, please don't.
Rascals —When you're surrounded by black-and-white paintings of legendary comedians like Chris Rock, Drew Carey, Steve Martin, Jerry Seinfeld, George Carlin and Sam Kinison, it's hard not to get in the mood to laugh. At Rascals, regional and national stand-up comics will take the stage, and food and drinks are also available.
Opening in August
Photo by Matt Stone
Lucky Strike Lanes.
Borders Books & Music — Skim some bestsellers, drink some joe, check out new CDs and pick up some Emily the Strange and Hello Kitty gear? Yep, that sounds like a fantastic way to while away a lunch hour.
Lucky Strike Lanes — The history of bowling can be traced back to Ancient Egypt, but judging from the photos of other Lucky Strike Lanes in Southern California, this is where an age-old game gets a facelift for modern times. Sure, you can make like Lebowski here, but it's also a place to swill some drinks and lounge in curvy, chi-chi furniture or get your grub on.
Opening later this year
Center Bar — Located on the second level, this outdoor watering hole offers a bird's-eye view of the Fourth Street Live fairway. As if that's not enough eye candy, 23 plasma-screen TVs will show a variety of programming, including basketball games during March Madness.
McFadden's Restaurant and Bar — At 25,000 square feet, our McFadden's will be the flagship of this Cordish Co.-owned chain. McFadden's will have chow, booze, a dance floor and a place to watch the telly. Don't forget to scope out the game room, which will have bar games like darts, shuffleboard and pool, always better played after three to five beers.
Live from Fourth Street
While Fourth Street Live serves up a smorgasbord of dining and drinking options, you can also be entertained. For free.
A 10-week country music series, sponsored by WAMZ 97.5-FM, the Seelbach Hotel and Velocity, kicks off at 8 p.m. Wednesday with Dierks Bentley.
These are also planned: Paintin' the Town featuring David Lee Murphy and Lee Roy Parnell, June 23; Artie Dean Harris, June 30; and Kellie Coffey, July 7.
After the country series wraps up, an 11-week rock concert series will go down on Thursday nights.
"We like to have activity at these projects all the time and build on what's considered a nontraditional night to go out," said Kimber Goodwin, director of marketing for the Cordish Co., which is developing Fourth Street Live.
Fourth Street Live will also hold other concerts on random nights. The Violent Femmes will perform a free show under the glass canopy June 25. Gates for Party on the Plaza open at 7 p.m., and while the show is for all ages, people 21 and older can get wristbands to buy some hooch.
www.velocityweekly.com/cover/index.html
Fourth Street Live is Louisville's latest attempt to inject life into downtown. MAISY FERNANDEZ has the rundown on what you can expect.
You know those anti-smoking commercials in which the fish gets loose from its bowl and flops around on the floor, struggling to breathe? Well, a year ago — heck, even four months ago — nightlife in downtown Louisville probably wasn't any better off than that gasping goldfish.
After folks got off work, the sidewalks seemed to roll up behind them, rendering the heart of our city almost a ghost town until 8 a.m. the next day. But Fourth Street Live — which features a wide range of bars, restaurants and entertainment options — seems to have a good shot at resuscitating the area.
On a recent Sunday night around 10:30, when most people are in bed dreading the Monday re-entry to work, Fourth Street Live was alive with people. It's the same situation during a typical lunch hour, when what was once the gloomy Galleria becomes a bustling city street.
"This is my first time seeing it," said Emily Hotstetler, 25, who works downtown. "It looks pretty good so far. And it's nice to have food downtown again, even though it looks like it's all the same kind of restaurants."
Photo by Jamie Rhodes
Fans packed the house to see Flaw and Vince Neil perform at the Hard Rock Cafe. The cafe plans to book local and regional music acts.
Shirley Jones was jazzed about more downtown dining and drinking destinations.
"There are more lunch options, and we like to get together as a group after work," said Jones, who lives in the West End and works downtown. "This is a lot closer than anything else."
With clean, crisp greenery and elaborate lighting and signage, Fourth Street's outdoor common area is paved with cobblestone bricks. A visual feast, the area features huge, stadium-quality big screens that will show things like music performances and basketball games.
And perhaps the best news: If you want to walk around, you can cart your drinks around with you. The common area of Fourth Street Live will have an arena liquor license, so patrons can drink and wander at will.
"I like the way it looks," said Gabe Hampton, 25, of Georgetown, Ind., who usually does his carousing in the Highlands. "I've never hung out downtown, but if there are a bunch of bars here, I'm sure it'll be a place to go."
Photo by Jamie Rhodes
Long lines are already a common sight outside the Hard Rock Cafe.
And that's just what developers are striving for.
At least three years in the making, the $70million project hopes to be "the living room of Louisville," said Kimber Goodwin, director of marketing for the Cordish Co., which is developing the site.
"There are myriad different experiences at one destination," Goodwin said. "It's a convenience, an ease of experience like nothing else in town. You can eat, shop, go to the comedy club and listen to a concert all in one cool, well-lit place with great landscaping and a roof."
Red Star Tavern, the Hard Rock Caf� and T.G.I. Friday's are already open. The Red Cheetah nightclub and Cheetah Lounge open on Thursday, while Rascals comedy club and Parrot Beach open June 24. More openings will follow this summer.
Here's what you can expect when you visit:
Now open
Photo by Matt Stone
The dance area at Red Cheetah.
Hard Rock Caf� — It rocks. It rolls. It serves up salads, burgers and hawks souvenir shot glasses. And while you wait for your chow, the Hard Rock offers various trinkets to peruse, like Elvis' sunglasses (complete with the King's teeth marks), Britney Spears' denim hat or Steven Tyler's mic stand, with its decorative scarves.
Red Star Tavern — With deep red walls, black-and-white photos and cherry-finish furniture, the Red Star Tavern is more of a restaurant than a bar. It feels contemporary and clean, but also seems like the kind of place where you could hunch over the bar for several hours after a rough day at work. And FYI: The barbecued ribs appetizer and fish tacos are absolutely delicious.
T.G.I. Friday's — How would you feel if your 50-year-old mother came over in a pair of low-rise jeans, a halter top and stiletto sandals, but looked really, really good in them? Probably the same way you'll feel when you see old favorite T.G.I. Friday's unveil its contemporary new look, which Louisville is getting before any other city. Those Tiffany lamps have been traded in for red-and-white striped lampshades, and all that junk on the walls has been replaced with newer and cooler junk on the walls.
Photo by Matt Stone
The South entrance to Fourth Street Live.
Opening Thursday
Red Cheetah/Cheetah Lounge — Described as "sophisticated nighttime entertainment," Red Cheetah nightclub sprawls over 20,000 square feet and includes a martini bar called the Cheetah Lounge. With red walls and lamps, cheetah-spotted carpet and numerous mirrors, it looks like a Victoria's Secret store exploded: classy, sexy, swanky. Featuring high-energy dance music, Red Cheetah will boast local and national DJs and competitive thingytail prices. "We didn't come here to be the most expensive; we came here to be the best," General Manager Charles Powell said.
Opening this month
Parrot Beach — You can't bring the ocean to Louisville, but you can bring a 5,500-square-foot island downtown. Decorated with bamboo, brightly painted walls and mosaic countertops, Parrot Beach is a relaxing bar with a tropical theme. You'll also find several TVs, a dance floor and a balcony overlooking Fourth Street. No, you don't have to wear a Hawaiian shirt to get in. In fact, please don't.
Rascals —When you're surrounded by black-and-white paintings of legendary comedians like Chris Rock, Drew Carey, Steve Martin, Jerry Seinfeld, George Carlin and Sam Kinison, it's hard not to get in the mood to laugh. At Rascals, regional and national stand-up comics will take the stage, and food and drinks are also available.
Opening in August
Photo by Matt Stone
Lucky Strike Lanes.
Borders Books & Music — Skim some bestsellers, drink some joe, check out new CDs and pick up some Emily the Strange and Hello Kitty gear? Yep, that sounds like a fantastic way to while away a lunch hour.
Lucky Strike Lanes — The history of bowling can be traced back to Ancient Egypt, but judging from the photos of other Lucky Strike Lanes in Southern California, this is where an age-old game gets a facelift for modern times. Sure, you can make like Lebowski here, but it's also a place to swill some drinks and lounge in curvy, chi-chi furniture or get your grub on.
Opening later this year
Center Bar — Located on the second level, this outdoor watering hole offers a bird's-eye view of the Fourth Street Live fairway. As if that's not enough eye candy, 23 plasma-screen TVs will show a variety of programming, including basketball games during March Madness.
McFadden's Restaurant and Bar — At 25,000 square feet, our McFadden's will be the flagship of this Cordish Co.-owned chain. McFadden's will have chow, booze, a dance floor and a place to watch the telly. Don't forget to scope out the game room, which will have bar games like darts, shuffleboard and pool, always better played after three to five beers.
Live from Fourth Street
While Fourth Street Live serves up a smorgasbord of dining and drinking options, you can also be entertained. For free.
A 10-week country music series, sponsored by WAMZ 97.5-FM, the Seelbach Hotel and Velocity, kicks off at 8 p.m. Wednesday with Dierks Bentley.
These are also planned: Paintin' the Town featuring David Lee Murphy and Lee Roy Parnell, June 23; Artie Dean Harris, June 30; and Kellie Coffey, July 7.
After the country series wraps up, an 11-week rock concert series will go down on Thursday nights.
"We like to have activity at these projects all the time and build on what's considered a nontraditional night to go out," said Kimber Goodwin, director of marketing for the Cordish Co., which is developing Fourth Street Live.
Fourth Street Live will also hold other concerts on random nights. The Violent Femmes will perform a free show under the glass canopy June 25. Gates for Party on the Plaza open at 7 p.m., and while the show is for all ages, people 21 and older can get wristbands to buy some hooch.
www.velocityweekly.com/cover/index.html