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Cancel some LTD Routes?

FLASH!!!

LTD plans to shut down service to some bus routes because they are too busy, and the price of fuel is too high. Here's a thought. Stop giving free service to every lowlife that wants to go the the country fair, or ride back and forth between Eugene and Springfield.

Maybe if the routes are busy and losing money, it could be that the rates need to be raised.

Another Stupid Idea from Our City Leaders !!!!

The latest idea from the idiots is to ban undesirables from downtown. At first glance it sounds OK. I think in reality that is the purpose of the idea, to make it seem as if the council, and mayor are coming up with positive solutions to the downtown problem. Here's an idea, lets just ban undesirables from the whole state, that way we can just do away with the police altogether.

First of all, it's probably unconstitutional to enact such a ban. That in itself should keep the ACLU and the city attorneys busy for several years, and cost us all plenty of bucks. Then we have the problem of jail space...When these undesirable people don't appear in court after they have been ticketed, what will the city do with them? Hell, we can't even put car thieves in jail. There is no money to provide the space!!!

Then, a little known fact is that the police have a hard time giving tickets to minorities as it is. (Racial profiling) Can you imagine the stink it would raise among the "Eugene do-gooders" the first time some poor cop tries enforcing that law on some scumbag of a different ethnicity ? After all, he is only trying to survive the pitfalls of being different. Even worse if he's an illegal just trying to get by.

The mayor did say one thing that was true. (Paraphrasing): " If the downtown becomes active and vital again, the undesirables will leave" Here's a revelation mayor....as long as you continue to clutter the streets with benches, trees, artwork, and such, you will prevent the traffic and parking, that will make the downtown vital, and provide places for the "undesirables" to live and thrive.

Please go look at downtown Salem, and Corvallis. Open streets, with head in parking.

UPDATE (10-23-08) The city announced today that they would implement ban on "undesirables" in the downtown area. People caught breaking the law (dealing drugs, doing graffiti, etc.) would first be banned from the area for 90 days, and if caught again, would be banned for a year. What next? If caught a third time 5 years? and then for life? IDIOTS, IDIOTS, IDIOTS...There are already laws against these behaviors that are impossible to inforce , why the hell will these bums care about being banned from downtown any more than they care about the existing laws???

Check out this youtube link before you read the rest of the blog,

The youtube link is just below the mayor's picture. Scroll down and click on it to see the video from FOX news, that prompted me to do this blog.

Downtown plans gain traction ???

I just read the article in The Register Guard (A business that has also moved from downtown) RE: the sale of the Centre Court building and some adjacent properties by our "Idiot" city leaders. Our grinning mayor was quoted as saying “an important turning point in the redevelopment of our downtown.” YA RIGHT!!! The city bought the property for exactly what they sold it to the guy for. ($3.6 million, with only $50,000 down)..To help the developer, the city will lend the firm $6.5 million for the construction work on the pit and in the Centre Court. Under the deal, if the developer cannot find enough tenants to occupy the new building, and the renovated Centre Court, the city has agreed to lease back up to 50,000 square feet for five years.

Now, get out your calculator....50,000 Sq. Ft. at even $1.00 a Sq. Ft. = $50,000.00 a month. $50,000.00 times 12 months in the year = $600,000.00 per year. Times that by 5 years and you get $3 million dollars. (and we're going to lend the guy $6.5 million, at low interest, on top of this.

What a deal. Lets see...Maybe we can invest the $50,000 down payment in bicycle stock.

Here's another quote from one of the city fools.“We have to make something happen in downtown,” You fools have been making something happen for 30 years, and look at the results. Lets give away some more buildings.

This whole thing was done in a very appropriate place, "Ken Kesey Square" I wonder if they smoked a little grass, and huffed the nitrous oxide before or after the ceremony?........ "One flew over the cuckoo's nest?"

Here are some ideas for businesses that would go well in the newly remodeled building, and the hole next door:

A skateboard museum. An all transsexual tofu bagel shop. A drug overdose clinic combined with a free methadone and clean needle giveaway. An all organic hemp walking shoe store. A city sponsored "Please give me your change" sign shop. A bicycle repair business...(oh, that won't work, if your bike is broken you need to take it to be repaired in a car)

I'm thinking they might cover that big hole where Woolworth’s once stood with a tarp, and have a nonstop Country Fair in it. (The free buses wouldn't have to go so far, and the old hippies could just stay here all year. Or here's an idea, take a bulldozer and fill it with all those ugly artworks, benches, cobblestones and anything else that's making it impossible to get a car downtown. While you're at it, toss in the mayor and city council.

I have a message for you Mr. Developer....YOU CAN'T GET A CAR DOWNTOWN..and if you do...THERE'S NO PLACE TO PARK. But why would you care? You don't have to do anything. You can pay the 3% interest out of the $6.5 million loan, and wait for the city to pay off what you owe us with the rent they will pay you. This is a little over simplistic, but I hope you get the idea.

It looks to me like the investor hasn't agreed that he will anything for sure. The article said that he "might" start work early next year, and he "might" invest money of his own.

OPEN UP THE STREETS FOOLS, and people will move back downtown
without giving the city away!!!!

Meanwhile, Back at the ranch....The Eugene police still have an outdated and unsafe building to work out of, and these grinning fools don't seem to care..

1969 Register Guard

Some general thoughts about our city:

When I moved here in 1968, we still had wigwam burners inside the city limits, and log trucks outnumbered bicycles on the city streets. The logging conference was a giant affair, with worldwide attention. The downtown area was bustling, with great places to shop, eat, and drink. It was a treat to go downtown, shop, have lunch or dinner, and maybe stop in at Foo's for a drink.

It was a friendly, hometown kind of place. We had a Sears store, Woolworths, Penny's and other national chain stores, all within walking distance of each other. Mixed with great locally owned stores like Quackenbushes, and John Warren's, Pope's Donuts. They were staffed with hometown people that actually smiled when you came in, and made a real effort to help you.

Panhandlers, and homeless kids were practically non-existent. That big hole in the ground was filled with the sounds of people shopping, and the smell of popcorn. (remember Brownies outside of Sears?)

Eugene was a different place then. I think that part of the problem today has to do with the decline of importance of the lumber industry. The lumber people had old time conservative values, and those values helped to balance the political arena in the city. The city was able to find local talent to run things, and didn't have to make worldwide searches to find such as city managers, chiefs of police etc. Now they stay here just long enough to fatten their resume, and then move on, having done nothing.

The mayor (remember Jess Miller?) knew the people, and would actually join them at the local places,for a cup of coffee or a beer, along with some constructive conversation. The conservative element was involved, and didn't just sit back and complain. The people running the city had lived here for years and weren't trying to import the policies from other cities that they had helped to spoil before leaving them.

Please add your thoughts to this blog. eugenecitylimits@mail.com

This is typical of how the city fathers (mothers?) think. Go to this youtube link, and see the latest embarrassment.

This was run on FOX TV:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTgCk9h_UX0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTgCk9h_UX0

The city council (Hereafter to be known as "The Grinning Fools") greets athletes

Typical of the way most of these people think, someone has decided that the people involved with the Olympic trails must treat the Afro-American athletes differently than the rest. This made the national news, and made us look like idiots.

Click on the youtube link below the mayor's picture, to see the report as it appeared on FOX news.

Corvallis and Salem (Compare!)

I just spent a day in Corvallis. The downtown there is vital alive and bustling with people. The times that I've visited Salem I've found it to be the same. Happy people, able to park in one spot, and walk to many shops and restaurants. A nice mix of local business, national chains, as well as offices. We have areas near our downtown that function the same way. Look at the 5th St. Market, and Oakway mall, and Southtown Shops. The difference? Easy access for automobiles, and lots of on street parking. People drive there, park, and spend hours.

I'm tired of streets that have been narrowed with planters, benches, unnecessary trees, and silly artwork. As long as we treat the downtown like it's a park, rather than a place to do business, it will never attract anything that's stable and useful, and will remain stagnant.

Now we even have a free bus service to transport the street people, back and forth, between downtown Eugene and Springfield.

Some places and things that we remember

These are in no logical order. Just listed as they come to mind. Help me with these, I may not have everything just right. You'll probably have to be over 50 to remember any of these places, but trust me, they were better than what we have today. A lot of these include bars and taverns, but they were used just as much as meeting places, and to conduct business as they were to have a drink. Most had owners that work in their business, and knew the people.


Foo's - Downtown. Later moved out on Centennial Blvd. If I remember right it was started about 1960. The owner was Frank Yuk. He loved the place, and loved his customers. Remember the DJ bar? It was well known even up in Portland before I moved down here. Every salesman that came to Eugene knew about Foo's. Remember Ineze, Lee Baity, Dee Autoburn, and Whalen?

The Hunter Room - and Ed's pit Barbecue. Downtown on Pearl St. Later became Perry's. I think every one of the oldtime bartenders worked there at least once. Remember the back lit pictures of dead animals on the walls? (The Hunter Room!) Great B-B-Q ribs. The Trailways depot was in back, Greyhound next door.

The Eugene Hotel - Broadway and Pearl. Had at least three restaurants and bars. One was "The Bib and Tucker", known for it's prime rib. Remember the sign on the top of the building that flashed the news headlines as they happened? There were enough people downtown then that a news crawler was actually looked at.

Remember the chili dogs at the lunch counter, at (was it Woolworth's,?)..It's now the other big hole downtown. They were .35 cents.

The downtown Imporium - Great clothing and friendly people.

The Gay Blade - Downtown at Broadway and Willamette. Men's clothing, when "Gay" had a different meaning.

The "Old" Luckey's. Not where it is now, It was on Willamette St. There was no women's bathroom. Women weren't encouraged to come in. There was a shoeshine stand right inside the front door. When urban renewal helped ruin the downtown area, they paid money to move it to it's present location, water spots and all. They also added a women's toilet.

Brownies Popcorn stand - It was outside of Sears (Now known as That Big Hole).

Jack's Tavern - I think it was on about 8th and Willamette. The smallest tavern you ever saw. I think the bar would seat about 8 people and there were 2 or 3 tables. Small, but friendly.

Ron and Mattie's Caravel - Between Park and Broadway, just West of Willamette. Later became, The Spot, and The Lone Star, maybe something in between. They knew how to run a place.

Ming's restaurant - Chinese food and a lounge. It was on either 8th, or Broadway I think. I remember that my wife and I had lunch there about 1969, and were rewarded with a big cockroach in out salad. Check out the picture of the old Ming's ashtray here.

Archie,s Surplus Store (That wasn't the name) - North end of Willamette St. Archie Weinstein was a real character, and was also County Commissioner for a while.

George's Hamburger Heaven - near 13th on Willamette. Great lounge, and good food. Always had a Monte Christo sandwich on the menu. Old George was a good guy that knew how to run a restaurant, and he loved sailboats.

The Branding Iron - Franklin Blvd.

Pope's Donuts - North Willamette. Had that old automatic donut machine in the window. Was next to the Hielig Theater. (SP)

Bev's - 6th Ave. Everybody had a tab here. In fact, most places in town would give you a tab if you had a local business card. Good steaks, and good people.

Allison's Restaurant - Willamette St. A great place for breakfast on Sunday.

The Del Ray - Behind Allison's on the Park Blocks.

Snappy Service Restaurants, 1 and 2. There was a 3 and 4 in other cities. There was one on Main St. in Springfield that later became Larry and Cathy's.

Shulkie's Steak House - 11th and Conger. Later became Blisses

The Friendly Tavern - Out on W.6th Ave. Had great broasted chicken and a shuffle board.

Sam's place - Wilson St. Sam McKenzie owned The Cozmo Tavern (Cosmopolitan), downtown on Willamette. Urban renewal gave him the money to build Sam's Place. Maybe the only good thing they were responsible for. One of the first new taverns. Sam was a good guy, and played a good game of pool.

The Quarter Deck. Willamette St. near 29th. Built by Stan Daugherty. Another one of the good guys.

The Cooler - Off Centennial, Remember Bob Able? Maybe the first of the "new" taverns. It's still there, but nothing like it was then. Remember the dog food eating contests?

Zeke's - River road. Originally an old house and made into a tavern. There was another like it, can't remember the name, it was on the east side of River Rd. near the R.R. tracks.

The Pier (The Sire, The Steakhouse of the Kabuki, and ???) Changed hands many times. A bar upstairs and down.

The Black Angus - Franklin Blvd. Remember the stainless steel dance floor? Steak and lobster for $6.95. Alfreda,a great waitress, and Diane Young behind the bar. Many Black Angus Mgrs. started at this location, and went to manage others all over the West Coast.
Super waitresses, and good food. Bands that you could become friends with, playing music you could dance to.

The Office 290 - 290 River Road. Kurt Falkenstein and Bob Able. When I first moved here, I heard they were pumping more beer than anyone. It was THE place to go about 1969. Remember you could cook your own steaks on the grill in the front part of the tavern.

The Golden Canary - (The Dirty Bird) 11th at about Garfield. Bud Nixon owned it. The first topless place. Bud Nixon spent most of his time trying to alienate the liquor Commission, and did a good job of it. It was a good place to play pool, against some really great hustlers, and poker games too.

The Holiday Inn - Coburg Rd. Later became The Ramada Inn, and was torn down to make way for TJ Maxx. Tex Hager was the innkeeper. He promoted local prizefights for a time. It was a great place to go for a late night breakfast.

Hoots - Franklin Blvd. near Broadway. Open 24 hrs. The owner said he didn't lock the doors for all the years Hoot's was open. Remember all the owls on the wall, and the old fashioned juke box units in every booth? Great chili burgers, and breakfasts all day.

The Thunderbird - Coburg Rd. The place where all the high rollers met for happy hour. Many business deals were made there. Now it's the Red Lion. Some of the best bartenders and waitresses you could ever find back then. It was always busy with locals mixed with people from all over. Now you could shoot a cannon off in the lounge at 5 pm and not hit a soul. Kind of like our downtown is now.

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Remember the poor bear in the cage at Skinner's Butte Park? Does anyone have a picture, or remember the story behind that?
That could be a whole page in itself.




More when I think of them...Please help with your memories, and my spelling.