CINCINNATI -- How can The Banks be livened up?
How about a comedy club, a diner, miniature golf and -- for heaven's sake, please -- free parking?
Those are some of the attractions our readers and viewers mentioned when we asked our What You Said question this week: What would you like to see at The Banks?
The closing of the Howl at the Moon Saloon and its co-tenant Splitsville Luxury Lanes prompted us to ask what you, the people,would like to see at the Downtown entertainment district.
We got plenty of good ideas, starting with that eternal desire of true Cincinnatians:
And there were lots of requests for another Cincinnati specialty: family entertainment:
Then someone suggested something that sounded Straight Outta Colorado:
That probably won't fly, but other suggestions would, especially those that called for something, you know, different:
Heather Moore emailed:
Although I wasn’t thrilled with the layout of Toby Keith’s bar, I was able to see some great up-and-coming performers there in years past in an intimate crowd pleasing atmosphere! I would love to see another concert venue establishment at The Banks, maybe similar to The Madison in Covington?
Nathan Hess emailed:
Perhaps a coffee shop, Irish Pub, interesting shops (kite store, art gallery, souvenir shop) wine tasting bistro, and escape room game business would do better? Is anyone looking into why businesses are having a tough time in that location? As for Howl at the Moon – maybe people didn’t want to pay $10 for a drink in a flimsy plastic cup. Perhaps the managers of the Banks need to lower rent to attract and retain tenants…this is Cincinnati, not NYC.
For our money, the What You Said staff believes that an infusion of Cincinnati cuisine into The Banks would provide just the right, umm, flavor to the district.
So, in our completely unscientific, but still relevant poll, we asked if you'd prefer Skyline, Frisch's, LaRosa's or Graeter's there. Out of 244 votes, 35 percent wanted "all of the above." Skyline was the next favorite, with 24 percent of the votes.
Other folks wanted to see some suburban favorites come Downtown:
K.L. Allen left this comment on our poll:
Smith and Wollensky's, Melting Pot, Sushi Bar, Sullivan's, Fusion, Flemings, Fox and Hound, Del Frisco's, or a jazz bar.
And an attraction that is in a couple hundred other cities around the world, but not here yet, emailed Jason Covell:
Cincy needs a Hard Rock. This seems like ideal location!
Next week, we'll ask your opinion on another topic. In the meantime, you can go to our Facebook page or Twitter and share your thoughts there. You can share your opinions in the form of text, photos, video, drawings or audio recordings.
And take a look at our Feedback Friday pagefor another way to express your what's on your mind.
