Pet Peeves #3

Ok, enough with all that talk about good customer service and all that nicey, nicey stuff. Once again, I'm asking my readers what bugs you?

My pet peeve: people who don't know/care how to navigate parking lots.

I'm sick and tired of driving in parking lots when all of a sudden some vehicle comes out of nowhere and cuts right in front of me. I always go the proper direction in parking lots...it's not even a question for me. However, a good percentage of the populous seems to think it's a really smart idea to just drive any direction they
want to.

For whatever reason, some parking lots are worse then others. THE worst parking lot I've ever seen for bad driving is the Grand Cities Mall lot. At times, I think I'm the only person in town who bothers to drive the proper direction in that lot.

I don't understand the thought process behind this kind of behavior. I guess it boils down to...

Who cares if I'm the only car going kitty-corner through the parking lot? Those idiots going the proper direction will just have to wait for me and my big old pickup truck! My time is the most important thing! Proper driving etiquette and the safety of others be damned!

Street construction update

I took a drive around town this evening and noticed that quite a few street construction projects are either completed, near completion, or at least well underway. This year, there really hasn't been any one huge project. Instead, the projects seem to be relatively small in scope and scattered all over the city. Of course, projects like these are often inconvenient and there are certainly more than enough people in town who like to grumble about street construction projects, but I for one am always happy to see projects like these take place. Some of these projects have been needed for far to long and others are essential if we want to continue to grow as a city. Street construction may be a bit of a pain, but it is a pain that I gladly endure!

Here's an update on where city street projects stand right now:

Columbia Road overpass - The reconstruction/repair of a portion of the overpass' south side is now complete (press release). The project's purpose was to repair a "finger joint" which had shifted a while ago. In light of recent headlines, it's probably a pretty good idea to make certain that bridges and overpasses are in good structural condition. This project reduced traffic on the overpass to two-lane, two-way traffic. A headache, but I'm happy to see the overpass once again in good shape.

University Avenue overpass - This reconstruction project is now complete (press release). The project entirely shut down the University Avenue overpass for much of the summer, requiring some rather long detours for motorists. Before the project, this was one of the bumpiest stretches of roadway in the entire city...you almost felt like you were going to lose your engine or something...literally. Now, I'm happy to say that the approaches to the overpass are nice and smooth. In my opinion, it took way too long for this necessary reconstruction project to take place. I'm just happy that it finally did take place after many years of bumpy rides. My only problem is the fact that there is now a short stretch of University Avenue between 42nd Street and the overpass that is still all broken up and bumpy; I wish the city would at least mill and overlay that section so the entire corridor would be nice and smooth.

Columbia Road/24th Avenue - This busy intersection has always been one of the most confusing and dangerous in the city. This is probably the biggest street construction projects of the year and I'm guessing it still has a ways to go. By the way, am I the only one who is frustrated that all of the street lights around this intersection have been turned off all summer long? Do they really have to turn off the lights just because they are reconstructing the intersection?

40th Avenue South - It looks like this project still has a ways to go. When completed, motorists will be able to drive on 40th Avenue from Belmont Road all the way west to Ruemmele Road (south of Kohl's).

62nd Avenue South - Residents who haven't ventured into the far reaches of southern Grand Forks probably haven't realized that a future major arterial for the city, 62nd Avenue South, has been under construction this summer. The avenue received an overlay from Columbia Road all the way east to South Washington Street. I drove on 62nd Avenue this evening...nice and smooth. It is still just a two-lane road and will have to be fully "urbanized" in the near future, but it is in much better shape now then it was this time last year.

I think that's a pretty decent update on most of the larger street projects around the city. Any others?

Open Thread #37

Air your thoughts and opinions.

New hotel coming to town

The Canad Inn complex may have just opened, but now comes word that South 42nd Street will soon be home to yet another hotel. A sign has just gone up on the property between All Reasons Storage and Amundson's Funeral Home announcing that the site will be home to a Country Inn and Suites. The sign says the hotel, which is set to open in 2008, will be designed by Icon Architects and financed by Bank Forward. The County Inn and Suites hotel chain used to have a location in Grand Forks. That location, near Columbia Mall, became the Lakeview Inn a few years back.

Thanks to the Open Thread tipster who let me know about the sign. I just drove by the property an hour ago and I saw the sign myself. I hadn't heard anything about this hotel before. Very interesting to see yet another hotel coming to town. Personally, I think that there seems to be enough business to go around...especially in the busy south side shopping district.

I'm sure we'll be hearing about this soon in the Herald and on WDAZ. I'll be interested to know how many rooms the property will have.

Update - 8/7/2007 - 8:40 PM
I drove by the property again this evening and there was nobody behind me so I slowed down for a couple of seconds to look at the sign. The hotel that is pictured could be a prototype County Inn and Suites, but given the fact that the rendering looks very, very similar to other renderings that Icon Architects has put out, I'm going to assume that the hotel in the picture is the hotel that will be built here. The building appears to be four stories and looks quite nice. Again, I'm not sure how many rooms this hotel will have, but it seems like a four story hotel would have quite a few rooms, doesn't it?

Update - 8/8/2007 - 12:35 AM
It looks like the new hotel will have 100 rooms. At least that's what this ad for a general manager of a "high end nationally recognized hotel" states. The company who put out the ad is called "Yellowstone Management". That company currently owns several properties in Grand Forks including the Holiday Inn Express and several older strip malls.

Tragedy in Minneapolis

The thoughts and prayers of those in Grand Forks are with our friends and family in the Minneapolis area.

How you can help out.

Where you come from

Using good old Google Analytics, I looked up where Grand Forks Life readers come from. I thought you might find the data interesting. Keep in mind that not everyone necessarily lives in the city that the IP address associated with their visit originates from.

Top Ten Cities
•Grand Forks, ND (25.34%)
•Sioux Falls, SD (16.64%)
•Fargo, ND (9.65%)
•Minneapolis, MN (3.29%)
•Cheyenne, WY (2.99%)
•Winnipeg, MB (2.93%)
•Rapid City, SD (2.58%)
•Crookston, MN (2.55%)
•Warren, MN (2.17%)
•Prior Lake, MN (1.78%)

Top Ten States
•North Dakota (41.14%)
•South Dakota (20.89%)
•Minnesota (15.29%)
•Wyoming (3.16%)
•Colorado (2.69%)
•Florida (1.87%)
•California (1.61%)
•Illinois (1.28%)
•Missouri (1.00%)
•District of Columbia (0.96%)

Open Thread #36

I'm sure it will be another busy week so I better start a fresh open thread.

Furniture Row now open

Furniture Row, Grand Forks' newest furniture store, officially opened on Saturday. I'm thinking there still has to be a group of people who don't even realize there is a huge new store just behind Lowe's...it's very "cleverly hidden"...at least for now.

I walked into the store a few days ago (stupidly) thinking it was already open. Although I was made to feel very welcome, I only stayed for a couple of minutes. What I saw looked very nice. With this new store and the opening of Ashley Furniture a couple of months ago, Grand Forks seems to now have lots of choices when it comes to furniture.

I also can't help but wonder what other new businesses might line those streets leading to the Furniture Row development. Any rumors, ideas, or suggestions?

IHOP land for sale

It looks like we shouldn't be holding our collective breath for that IHOP restaurant that has been "coming soon" on 32nd Avenue South for years now. The land that the restaurant was supposed to be built on, between Arby's and the Village Inn, just had a "For Sale" sign put up the other day.

IHOP used to own land in Bismarck, but eventually sold it and seemingly forgot about their restaurant plans there. I believe they couldn't find anyone willing to buy into the local franchise. From what I had heard in the past, I thought the Fargo franchise people were going to be the same group who was going to open the Grand Forks location. I even spoke with the Fargo franchisee a couple of years ago and they said they were actively working on the plans for the new Grand Forks location. I wonder what went wrong?

I'm sure the plot of land in question costs a pretty penny, but it certainly would be an ideal location for another restaurant. Perhaps Denny's? I know they are searching for a spot on 32nd Avenue near I-29.

Poll: EGF movie theater

The new poll question is "In your opinion, will the new EGF movie theater be a success?" Please vote and then share your opinions in this post's comment section.