re: Why is downtown Baton Rouge so dead?

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Downtown StL was dead on the weekend last time I was there, if the Cards aren't playing. It was kind of eerie.

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cities like St. Louis, Fort Worth, okc, memphis, etc have absolutely dead downtowns

It’s a bummer because from 2010-2018, downtown was really an awesome place.

Good restaurants, a nice strip of bars that you could hop around on, safe-ish feeling.

Broome really nuked that place.

It would be hard to bring it back, because you'd almost have to create a buffer zone around it to attract more interest with paying customers. No one wants to look over their shoulders while trying to have a good time.

Exxon had the money to create such a buffer zone. The City of BR doesn't.

Mayor Holden did a great job bringing that area back. The last Mayor allowed crime to dictate the path, once again. I hope Mayor Edwards can help get us back to those better days, somehow.......

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I lived and worked in downtown Baton Rouge for years and these two things have always been highly exaggerated by this board, especially the notion that it's a high crime area.

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We were walking around downtown area last month around 9 pm on a Thursday as tourists looking for that roof top sushi restaurant. Walking around the block did not feel unsafe, it just felt dead. Walked by a couple of bars and I was wondering how those places were still open for business.

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With that said, most downtown areas of cities are dying off a slow death

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Downtown Miami started having that problem back in the mid-90's. Downtown was dead after 8 pm, total ghost town. I know b/c I used to work there at the time. During the summer it was weird b/c there was still light and nobody on the streets.

But do you know how they fixed it? They started building these high rise buildings with 40+ floors or higher around the open perimeters of downtown.
These new residents need to eat, drink and get entertained. Suddenly all these restaurants, bars and markets started to open.

The challenging part is that in order to do this, there has to be a crazy amount of private investment trying to bring and attract new residents. Miami has the advantage due to location being a hub for Latin American and European inverstors and immigrants. I just don't see B.R. having this advantage due to an existing limited population preferring to live in the suburbs.

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Fifteen years ago it seemed like Delgado had the start of something getting actual nightlife into downtown - from the sound of it that died off.

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Sometime around 2006 Roux House and Happy’s really got 3rd street going. Then places like Boudreaux & Thibodeaux’s, Lucy’s, The Office, City Bar and others opened and they stayed packed most weekends. There was basically a bar for all types of people from 21-35.

You’d have the wrong crowd hanging out on the streets some nights, but for the most part it was a thriving entertainment district. Apartments and stores started popping up.

Delgado opened a few bars but he was dirty and pissed off the wring people and those shut down.

Probably around 2016-17 the 21-35 white crowd left and the wrong crowd started coming. Next thing you know pretty much all bars closed and 3rd street died.

Interesting take. Most of the people I see downtown are white ? There are great happy hour deals to be had especially during week days but to see this is little Haiti is disingenuous. Along with a majority of residents who live down here.

The fear is overblown. Perfectly safe. Nice bars/restaurants. Definitely not as cool as Chilis in Denham but everyone has there thing

We could all do a meet up if everyone is so afraid. Catch me at Ohares or Pete’s grabbing a beer

B&Ts closed last summer. The asking price is insane for the building. Plenty of options though, Ohares does live music Friday and Saturday night. Happys reopened a few months ago with other spots along third. Weekends have drawn nice crowds even with the heat of summer

Houston can be the same way. Sometimes, it is a very odd city for being as big as it is, a lot of people live in the suburbs and drive into workand then after work, it becomes a ghost town.

I know the morning some people can be found in the tunnels, but for being a major city, there are relatively a few people walking around downtown and it is always a surprise to my colleague to visit from our New York office, they are always asking where everybody is. They see all of these tall buildings, but they never see anybody walking around.

No different than any other middle/big city... Always laugh when people ask me about hanging out in downtown ATL.