So last night, we decided to eat dinner at the new Uptown: A Finer Diner on Upper King near Marion Square. From Calhoun, we took a right on King and as we reached the old library we came upon — gasp — a parking space! I looked around and noticed several available spots — RIGHT OUTSIDE OUR DESTINATION! Huh? I figured it must be a fluke. The timing was right — everyone was leaving downtown, so the streets were empty.
But then, today for lunch, we wanted to eat at Basil, so we took a right from Calhoun Street again and as we reached the American Theater we found a spot RIGHT OUTSIDE OUR DESTINATION! Huh? I looked around and noticed more empty parking spaces — at lunchtime — on King Street. Weird, I know.
But then we started thinking a bit more about this phenomenon and decided that the crowds had long ago abandoned Upper King because of the Streetscape mess.
I know I did. For months, I’ve avoided Basil and Beerworks and Rue and every other spot I once frequented regularly. It was that bad. But then, a few weeks ago, Streetscape came to completion and Upper King Street revealed its true nature — wide streets, easy parking, and tons of shops, restaurants, and bars. And no crowds! Shhhh. Don’t tell anyone, but there’s this great up-and-coming district downtown that no one knows about — yet.
