Comments on: City leaders destroy Central Avenue, now complain about it

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:12:10 +0000

Leslie Curran is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She just doesn’t get it…that a bohemian art culture is at the forefront of true art, not the decorative bland variety she showcases in her overrated and overpriced gallery. There is a fun and phunky music scene in the area of Crislip and, if anything is needed to help struggling artists, is affordable housing. Ms. Curran is in apparent denial that a vibrant art gallery scene has lots of artists struggling to make ends meet. That is why there is public housing in Manhattan for performing artists…two towers both 40 stories tall. They have avoided more homeless artists on the streets. Ms. Curran is way too suburban for St Pete. She just doesn’t get it. It was too funny to see the opening of the new Crislip art galleries. Valet parking amongst empty beer cans. She is overstating the importance of the new Dali museum and Chihuly collection. The Dali doesn’t have rotating installations, Chihuly had his time in the sun over a decade ago, and the Musuem of Fine Arts in St Pete is, in totality, the size of one wing of a major art museum anywhere in the world. Good luck
embellishing this scene as a major draw for St Pete. Just who would want to come here in the summer and buy art? Most will opt to go to Atlanta or New Orleans for some real cutting edge art, even Orlando and especially Miami. Good luck, Ms. Curran. I suggest that you focus on
upgrading your so called gallery so that your sales increase. You are probably thinking that with a larger art scene, your gallery will flourish. Wrong! Your art is safe and overpriced. I’d rather shop at an art fair anyday than go to your place.

By: City leaders destroy Central Avenue, now complain about it (REDUX) « Will Report for Food: Tales of an unemployed journalist

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 01:50:55 +0000

[...] Please check out my rant on that here. [...]

By: angie

angie — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:14:43 +0000

i miss the old shops and the way downtown used to be. im sick of the rich fucks coming in and destroying the beautiful and unique parts of the city. Starbooty and the record store is pretty much all thats left standing out of all the mom and pop stores that used to be there. Soon enough the whole place will be nothing but a torist attraction and place for rich ppl to live and park their stupid hummers. Its all about $$$ but what about us locals that love the city just the way it is? Very diffrent from what it used to be and does NOT need anymore change. Unless its to bring back what was. Ppl dont like the punk rockers and the homeless ppl who hang around down there because its embarresing? but we are the ones who really love the city for what it is. And we are not the ugly in the
city its the corporations and condos that will go up to replace it all thats ugly.

By: saintpetersblog

saintpetersblog — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:09:02 +0000

And now they want to really fuck with Central Avenue by screwing with the parking. WTF is wrong with this city?

By: Heidi

Heidi — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 02:23:41 +0000

I often ride my bike through this area and wonder WTF happened? Thank you for the back story. Now – can you tell me why o why The Kitchen closed further up the street? I LOVED THAT PLACE. They had a pug mascot and everything. I loved that place so much that I made MAGNETS out of its sub sandwich stickers. (The stickers had pugs on ‘em. I had to craft them into something more permanent.)

By: Ginger

Ginger — Sun, 31 May 2009 20:45:17 +0000

Thanks for helping to keep this issue top-of-mind! I own a business on this block, and have been trying to get Crislip cleaned up for more than a year with no success. It is an eyesore and a haven for some embarrassing activity – particularly when we want to walk to lunch with a client.

Unfortunately, we need help, and some things have to be done by the city. Things like replacing the benches, clearing the trees to allow in more light, and repainting the parking stripes really do help.

No, we can’t go back and change what the former owner (and the city council) did to kick out those businesses. What’s done is done. We can only look ahead and try to make this a lively and attractive part of our city again.

Our fingers are crossed for some progress soon.

By: What will save St. Petersburg’s Central Avenue? « Mediascaper

What will save St. Petersburg’s Central Avenue? « Mediascaper — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:42:06 +0000

[...] 28, 2009 · No Comments Tampa Bay journalist Alex Pickett adds some valuable perspective to the St. Petersburg Times‘ story about attempts by city leaders to address the dilapidated [...]