Days like these I do not envy any public officials. I am not going to take sides, I do think there are valid points everywhere and from all sides.
I have no political position on Clark Hotel, other than that I support my fellow downtown merchants. I do think they have a beautiful bar and some very nice bartenders and drink specials. The house wine is quite good, so is $1 Martini on Tuesdays. I do think there is room for a niche hotel devoted to art in downtown Waukesha, perhaps guest decorators from the art community would be nice? Resident artist program like the Pfister's is also a good idea.
The business community in downtown Waukesha are linked and we like to see everyone reach the best potential and raise the standard. Bad PR hurts everyone, and a lot of people had worked very hard to turn the perception of downtown Waukesha around.
We want to be do-ers and we will just continue to do what we do and turn people's head one at a time... :)
P.S. Can one apply for the New Day fund for the West End Tree Project? Better yet, the Bethesda Memorial Dog Park Project!
I think the Clarke needs a hook to get people in and your art idea makes a ton of sense. Have art throughout the place, host art events, and have some local art in the rooms.
ReplyDeleteThey also need to decide what they are going to do with the restaurant...do they want it to remain a middle of the road place or do they want to make it someplace people are talking about? Food doesn't need to be expensive to get people interested. Taylors continues to get acclaim for their food and most everything is under 10 bucks. Find an innovative chef and aim for a sub-20 entree price point. Make it a restaurant people visit a couple times a month instead of a couple times a year.
I think a gastropub concept (great beer, great food) would work as would a California-Italian type place like Louise's or Zin in Delafield.
Steaming Cup was another good example when it took over a failed coffee shop location. When a place has its own identity and culture, it is a fixture in the local scene!
ReplyDeleteDon’t get me wrong, the hotel and restaurant are a spectacular addition to downtown, but let’s be honest, the decor was stale from the get go. Yes, its classy looking but nothing set it apart from any other mid-scale eatery. The fact that the bar (which is very cool looking) is completely sectioned off from the dining room just detracts from the place even more. Open it up and come up with an original design theme. It took them over a year to realize that having curtains that blocked the view from the street was a horrible idea. It drew people’s eyes up to the second story of surrounding buildings; it closed itself off from the street life downtown when it should have embraced it. It was like they were telling visitors that this place is too nice for downtown so we won’t make you look at the surrounding buildings and we’ll also keep the undesirables from peeking in.
ReplyDeleteI do think the proper entrance for the eatery should be right at the tip of the five point, more welcoming and engaging to the people walking by.
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