From Grate to ...

GREAT!

Learn how to make Albuquerque streets great.

New Stadium Name: The Rock

Three-quarter serious idea: Rename University Stadium The Rock. Goes with The Pit. Sounds a hell of a lot cooler than playing at University Stadium. This could even be a salute to Rocky Long for his time as a player and coach. If you did a cool rock/boulder structure out front, it could become iconic (plus it would tie into the Sandias). I can see it now... “Welcome to The Rock for New Mexico Bowl 7 between UNM and Texas.” Maybe, rename a seating section near the field The Rockpile or something like that. You’d have three cool stadiums names: The Lab, The Pit and The Rock.

Full serious idea: Completely renovate the area around the stadiums (landscaping, restaurant and bar with patio seating, hotel, Rail Runner Shuttle, pedestrian improvements) to make it an area where people want to spend time at instead of driving up, parking on decaying asphalt and then getting the hell out.

Houston?

For sure Houston is, to borrow from the title of Thomas Friedman's new book, "Hot, Flat and Crowded (at least on the highway)," but a recent visit revealed a concerted effort by the city to make Houston more attractive and more pedestrian friendly. Two(!) downtown stadiums clustered near the Convention Center, serviced by light rail (slight walk required), represent a model we can only hope ABQ is able to successfully emulate, albeit on a smaller scale. While we blew it with the location of Isotopes Park (my opinion), lets hope we are able to get the vibrant downtown arena area great cities need.

The Pit's New Look

UNM just released drawings for the Pit's $60 million makeover which could begin in January 2009 and is estimated to take two years to complete.

Rail Runner to Santa Fe Images

Service won't begin to Santa Fe for another month (late December) but here are some images from the route (both real and rendered).

South of La Bajada Hill.

599 Station.

New Renderings + Favorable Report for Events Center

ABQ Journal reports today (October 29) that initial consultant report on the proposed downtown events center is favorable: "Albuquerque's young, growing population looks strong enough to support a Downtown event center." Top image is overall design; middle image is of retail; third image is of hotel. For more info see: ABQ Future

New Plan to Market Gold Avenue to Retailers

From the September 12th edition of the New Mexico Business Weekly:

Frustrated by the empty storefronts at 100 Gold Ave. SW, retail tenants in the historic Downtown district are taking marketing matters into their own hands. They have come up with a new leasing campaign called “Slivers of Gold” to entice successful retailers throughout the Duke City to open more stores along Gold Avenue.

Mayor Martin Chávez will host an invitation-only Sept. 30 Slivers of Gold gala that will invite established retailers to see the vacant 14,000 square feet at 100 Gold as well as the entire Gold Avenue shopping district.