Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives
Previous Post: A few things for today
Next Post: Party leaders go down swinging and a political round-up
Posted in:
Posted by Barton Lorimor
One thing I miss about living in Springfield is the local scene. Maybe growing up outside of a small farming village in McLean County lowers the expectations, but the ‘field is one of my favorites to regularly visit. (Rich’s posts about the city’s great musicians and local joints makes me feel a bit better about my expectations.)
Perhaps some of the regular Hilton occupants out there are aware, but for the rest of us…
Come autumn, a restaurant will once again operate on the 30th floor of the Hilton Springfield.
The unnamed upscale steakhouse will occupy the spot formerly occupied by the bar JAZZ CENTRAL STATION, said Michael Fear, the hotel’s general manager. It will have 60 seats, including a private dining room for 12.
The last restaurant in the window-rimmed top floor, CAPISCSE?, closed in early 2008. That space now is occupied by the PINNACLE CLUB, which is available for private parties of up to 250. When the steakhouse opens, the adjacent Pinnacle Club will operate as a lounge, offering patrons pre- and post-dinner cocktails.
Question: What, if anything, is Springfield missing from its social scene?
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 5:46 am
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
Previous Post: A few things for today
Next Post: Party leaders go down swinging and a political round-up
WordPress Mobile Edition available at alexking.org.
powered by WordPress.
Two words - The Aloha.
Comment by Sherman Citizen Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 8:34 am
The return of minor league baseball would add a socially acceptable reason to drink cold beer outdoors in public on those oppressively hot Springfield nights.
Also, the Capitol area lacks a decent public park. I’d suggest dozing the money-pit, underused governor’s mansion and creating a state historic park, a la Bicentennial Park in Nashville.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 8:36 am
Nothing. Springfield residents don’t support anything for more than a blink of an eye.
Word, we HAD a AAA team that left due to lack of support.
Bring LincolnFest back. People in Springfield like to drink, that’s for sure.
Comment by PaGo Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 9:01 am
A restaurant/bar with good outdoor seating. Everything we currently have faces a parking lot or busy street. I still have no idea why anyone would pay to eat at Ross Isaac and sit outside on MacArthur.
Comment by November Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 9:15 am
A portillos
Comment by Miss Marie Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 9:24 am
AAA baseball is gone, high schoold rodeos are gone and State Farm announced they are pulling out of the LPGA. No wonder we need high speed rail, people can’t get out of here quick enough. I wish more people would support the Jr. Blues. I would really hate to see them go.
Comment by Casual Observer Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 9:43 am
We need someplace dowtown to get something to eat later in the evening. Use to have the hot dog place where BarNone is. Also, a Seven-Eleven or an all night Walgreens/CVS would help.
I also agree with Word. It would be great to have a minor league team. It would probably take building a decent stadium to draw crowds.
Hopefully Rich was right about work going on at the old Boones. It would be nice to have that beer garden open the next two months.
Comment by Been There Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 9:45 am
@Been - They are installing new equipment at Boones and plan to re-open. And sure, a professional team of any kind would be great, but the track record is there: no support. Only thing people in Springfield would support in droves is another Olive Garden.
Comment by PaGo Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 10:10 am
Class
Comment by Obamas Puppy Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 10:16 am
I loved the “Top of the Hilton” and hope the new steak joint will have similarities. It was the most romantic space/place in SPI. The cajun joint they opened next was a bust and I’m not a fan of cajun anyway. Love Italian but the set up in Capisce was very open - not intimate.
Agree with Been There that we need a small convenience store downtown - miss the old Osco’s for that purpose.
What else is missing? PRIDE Take care of what we have, make the best with it, support the LOCAL businesses (Olive Garden is a chain) and enjoy what is uniquely Springfield!
Comment by Both Sides Now Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 10:38 am
Perhaps a Newspaper that really Is.
Comment by Bemused Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 11:05 am
Boones
Comment by The Captain Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 11:14 am
Intelligence
Comment by Bill Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 11:36 am
A riverwalk. Of course, we’d have to get the river first…
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 12:08 pm
Two words….Chick Fil-A
Comment by Moderate REpub Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 12:17 pm
Been There and Both Sides Now -
There is a pharmacy / convenience store downtown - Complete Care Pharmacy. As was discovered when Osco closed, however, they don’t sell cigarettes / liquor / lottery. Selling those downtown you get a “unique” clientele which is not always conducive to attracting other customers.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 12:27 pm
an Indoor waterpark.
Comment by Ghost Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 12:36 pm
I am glad to hear that a new, high priced steakhouse is opening so that legislators will have a wider variety of places to be wined and dined by lobbyists. Great News!
Comment by Cincinnatus Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 12:45 pm
Bauers.
Comment by Easily Entertained Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 1:18 pm
White Sox Park
Comment by mokenavince Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 1:28 pm
A Gastropub with decent microbrew and high quality food.
Comment by uwaga Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 1:34 pm
I second a vote for The Aloha!! Most of you probably don’t remember it, but it was an experience not to be missed. Someone, please bring it back intact - including the piano bar, the older “ladies” with the giant hair, and some drinks that glowed in the dark. Loved it!
Comment by Former State Employee Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 2:02 pm
While they’re not technically a “minor league” team, Springfield does have the Sliders (http://www.springfieldsliders.com/), which would serve the same purpose for Wordslinger.
Springfield needs a grocery store downtown to give people a better reason to LIVE downtown. If there were more traffic from residents in the evenings and on weekends, more restaurants and downtown-based businesses and activities would sprout up.
Right now, the bulk of Springfield’s populations lives at least a couple of miles west or south of downtown. To change that takes considerable effort and time. They attempted to start on that with quite a few newly refurbished higher end loft-type condos over downtown businesses, but they still face a similar problem without appropriate shops.
Comment by Amuzing Myself Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 2:06 pm
–I second a vote for The Aloha!–
Was that the after-hours joint south of town? I vaguely remember being in such a place with a Polynesian theme a few times long ago.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 2:06 pm
@Word- Yep. There’s a bank and McDonalds there now. Progress, eh? Not so much.
Comment by PaGo Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 2:16 pm
“Also, the Capitol area lacks a decent public park.”
Check out Washington Park which has one of the top 10 carillons in the world and the Jens Jensen designed Lincoln Memorial Gardens. The Lincoln home area, although not a traditional park, is very nicely restored and is run by the National Park Service.
“A restaurant/bar with good outdoor seating.”
Half the fun to eating outdoors downtown is the fact that it’s on the street and you can people watch. Try Robbie’s for an outdoor dining alternative. It’s across from the old state capitol and overlooks that historic building.
“Was that [The Aloha] the after-hours joint south of town?”
Yes. It sat about where the McDonald’s is at 6th and Stevenson…tiny dance floor, big hair and blue drinks.
“What, if anything, is Springfield missing from its social scene?”
We lack a destination restaurant. We have wonderful diners like Charlie Parker’s and the D&J, and the Cozy Dog, Norb Andy’s, the Maid-Rite and the horseshoe are national treasures. But the locally owned higher end restaurants lack some culinary creativity and are years behind national trends.
*Springfield was originally called Calhoun.
Comment by Calhoun Native Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 2:24 pm
Springfield needs a high speed rail line linking Chatham, and Rochester to the Capitol.
Comment by Cincinnatus Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 2:35 pm
–Check out Washington Park which has one of the top 10 carillons in the world and the Jens Jensen designed Lincoln Memorial Gardens. The Lincoln home area, although not a traditional park, is very nicely restored and is run by the National Park Service.–
Both very nice. By Capitol, I was thinking of something closer between the Dome/downtown.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 2:55 pm
===There is a pharmacy / convenience store downtown - Complete Care Pharmacy====
Now that you mention this place I remember seeing it last time I came down Jefferson. Thanks.
Comment by Been There Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 3:10 pm
A good hot dog, A really nice hotel.
Comment by mokenavince Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 3:31 pm
“By Capitol, I was thinking of something closer between the Dome/downtown.”
Agreed. The restored train station with its adjacent open spaces across from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is getting there, but it needs to mature a bit. The Capitol grounds themselves are the closest thing to a real park downtown. It has a nice urban park feel with statues and mature trees. Where else other than Pekin will you find an Everett Dirksen statue?
Comment by Calhoun Native Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 3:39 pm
But would we want the Aloha without Miles?
Comment by steve schnorf Monday, Mar 28, 11 @ 4:53 pm