Service Interruption due to the Special Event "Nob Hill Stroll" - Again

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Permalink Reply by Duane W Bargar on August 23, 2008 at 4:06pm

I've been on the phone with the transit department the better part of the day working to insure that the shuttle service is also servicing the bus stops and getting people to the rerouted stops. As I have more concrete information I will pass it along. It has been on the plan as a crucial component of this, the exact reason that it didn't happen previously I don't know, and quite honestly many of us from the NHBA were upset (I personally am a bus 66 and 10 rider more than half the week.

The rationale for the event being held during the day was to primarily encourage it to be a family event, and not geared exclusively towards adult evening hours, though obviously with the range of restaurants in the Neighborhood offering entertainment it will be that too. I should also mention that many other cities across the country have street festivals during the day in the summer, in climate that can be significantly less hospitable than here. If there is another one before the annual holiday one it will be held in October and should be a bit cooler by then.

Regarding the depiction of Nob Hill and the NHBA as some nefarious organization out to squeeze the last cent out of Albuquerque and to completely disrupt the tranquility of life in the neighborhood, I would invite you to come and actually speak to some of us. I think you might be pleasantly surprised, we're all hear trying to make a living, trying to do something that we enjoy, putting in an enormous amount of effort to create a sense of community and neighborhood, often for monetary returns that are significantly less than what we would make working from someone else at a chain store. Many of live in the neighborhood, certainly we all live in some neighborhood, and we have a genuinely strong sense of community and community involvement, which for most comes well before financial success. Ask just about anyone who owns a business in the neighborhood what they do with their spare time, you'll find out quickly that many of us actively work with, for, or contribute to charitable and social organizations, arts and performance groups, and we tend to put our money into these things as well.

Its beneficial to the city to have a vibrant neighborhood, in fact it’s beneficial to have vibrant neighborhoods, the more the merrier! I understand that not every event is going to satisfy everyone, or perhaps even mean something to everyone. I am completely aware that Nob Hill is not for everyone, however demand for housing in and around the area, features in local, national, and international publications, and the amount of traffic that comes to the neighborhood suggest that Nob Hill is enjoyable for a lot of people.

I'm happy to answer questions, take suggestions and work on implementing them when possible. Two questions, which are not rhetorical;
What would be the suggested best ways to get the word out?
Second, for the bus line diversion what are some suggestions (the shuttle should be providing transport from the normal stops to the diverted stop this time?)
We’re looking to make this a better event and constructive input would be helpful.

Thanks, Duane 505.321.0650

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Permalink Reply by Martini Mike on August 24, 2008 at 9:22am

Not for argument's sake or anything but...
I have been to some great street festivals in some great cities.
This is not one of them. Winter Shop and Stroll is getting there.
Also, the best street festivals I have been to started late in the day or went on into the night. Yah some may be worse- do they have these in Phoenix or Vegas on an August afternoon?!
I AM going to this & I WILL love it.
Street festivals to me are like Vegas (speaking of Vegas)... it's pretty hard not to have a good time no matter how bad a time you have!

I ask myself one question... oh wait, maybe you (Duane) asked it?
What can we do to make this a better street fair?
Well, my first clue is that up until this discussion I never even though of it as a "street fair"! So what makes me think of a street fair? (oops that's two questions)
More entertainment & outside food vendors.
Maybe more music, maybe even little stages.
More grills a grillin'?
Yah,I know the restaurants are in this to make $ too but they are full to capacity during the winter one.

Oh hell, let's just move onto yet a third question!
"What would be the suggested best ways to get the word out?"
Something, anything that is further out than the day or two before.
Look at me... I'm a tech savvy news watching paper reading getting around town sorta guy. I never heard of this until yesterday! Oh, and I live next door and hang out in Nob Hill all the time!!
I'm just gonna dig into my memory banks here for a moment from my days as a musician and promoter...
Posters - #1
Flyers - #2
Something FREE - #3
People you want to see will be there, like the band, or your peers - #4
Print Ads - #5
Radio spots - #6
And let's never underestimate word of mouth. Or random writers. (See #4)
Now not being a professional marketing consultant or anything I have no idea the stats on the various avenues. But I would certainly obtain this info if someone were to retain my services!

The first thing I learned about computers often relays to other parts of life.
K.I.S.S. - "Keep it Simple Stupid"
Oh, I'm not calling anyone stupid so don't get all up in my face.
There was almost a riot in my house the last time some stranger called me stupid! Really. Long story.

OK, hope this helps. You seem like a man of reason and intelligence.
You're doing a great job, keep up the good work.

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Permalink Reply by Duane W Bargar on August 24, 2008 at 9:44am

Mike, Thanks for the suggestions!! I'm heading up to Nob Hill now and am hoping that this will have much more of a street festival feel, as we do have quite a bit of entertainment and activity booked through out the neighborhood. I like the idea of food vendors and grilling!
Thanks Duane

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Permalink Reply by Duane W Bargar on August 23, 2008 at 4:17pm

Your point abut the desity of attendance diminishing is exactly why we decided not to do every Sunday, but to space it out 3 to 4 weeks apart. We didn't see a way to keep the bustle and excitment sustained at that frequency.

I'll pass along the suggestion about the diversion, I think the primary reason that this hasn't happened is because the size and residential nature of both Silver and Campus/Copper - however Lead and Coal may be another closer option - though again those are far more residential than Lomas. I'll look into this when we have our follow up meeting. Thanks, Duane

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Permalink Reply by Duane W Bargar on August 23, 2008 at 7:58pm

Sleazy, really... I’m sorry but I’m reading post after post of fallacies and inaccuracies about the organization that I belong to and my fellow businesses and I feel that at the least I can point out that we are not bad humans. I’m not trying to mitigate anything to do with our “social or legal responsibilities,” simply to say “hey, were not as horrible as some of you think.” Sleazy I think not.

As far as the "Royal We" ...needless to say, if NHBA and the City have to work together to make an event like this happen there is a decision making process that constitutes "We," which does not imply one unit, just groups working together. This is the case if you want to use the city park for a birthday party, build a football stadium, or make a change to your neighborhood organization’s bylaws; if for semantic clarity I should say the “NHBA, City, and other involved parties” to avoid the thought of impropriety I will.

NHBA does thinks of the city as whole unit, not just as the only part or the only part deserving of attention – I personally think its quite foolish to think of any area of the city as a self contained unit that has no effect on areas outside of its immediate boundary (in fact I think this about individual humans, cities, countries, and species. I feel this way about the study of History vs. the study of art, the study of math vs the study of economics etc.) We understand, keenly, that the success of Nob Hill is something that is potentially beneficial to the city as a whole, and I’m not talking the selfish short term – I got a couple bucks out of it version, I’m talking about a long term demonstration of the ability for an area to be successful, try things out that either succeed or fail, but can provide a blue print to use in other areas, an area that is attractive to those who only might know the city for 24 hours a year but could potentially be drawn to the city and ultimately bring jobs etc. (and really, – see some of my other discussions, I’m far far far from being a capitalist piggy – but these are economic realities that all municipalities must deal with.) Cities from small to large look for areas that have a high potential for success that they can work with and promote that can and should be mutually beneficial, they also look to other things like parks, sporting events, arts events, science activities, etc. that not everyone has a vested interest in but contribute to the well being and vitality of the city as a whole.

Unfortunately I think a lot of the negative attitude about this event is a result of people thinking of "their neighborhood" vs. the other neighborhood, and obsessing on this me vs. them mentality. Sunday diversions have the least impact on the transit system for the whole city; it’s the day of the lowest ridership, least frequent service, and the most limited hours.

The perception of the idea of “Snob Hill” and over priced goods; I find to be a bit funny, if you compare any of the local retailers to something outside of the neighborhood you will, probably 90% of the time, find the local owned business to offer it for less expensive and with better service – otherwise we could not survive. Now, if you want to compare my shop with home depot’s furnishings, sure they are cheaper – quality comparison, not close, you want to compare Zinc to Frontier.. yep Frontier is cheaper – but try going to a national chain restaurant for a nice night out and you’ll find the experience at a Nob Hill restaurant to be comparable in price and far better in service and quality. Just about every mid to large sized city has an area that has boutique stores – there is no sense in comparing this to the discount stores - its a completely different thing. Yes, Nob Hill has a store that specializes in paper goods, the owner has a passion for this as art, so do many other people, but really their stationary is no more expensive than going to get a fancy Halmark card – Nob Hill has many top quality tattoo shops that are n

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Permalink Reply by Duane W Bargar on August 23, 2008 at 9:50pm

... nationally recognized and have a passion for their art, if that’s not your thing don’t bother with it, don’t disparage them it, and realize that they aren’t any more expensive than tattoo studios that offer their quality of service and art anywhere else.

And regarding the snarkiness of "your friends in city hall" -- i think it might be worth noting that this in one of the few events or projects in Nob Hill, the second only this summer... I’m pretty sure that they are forced to look at the city as a whole as well. It’s just so happens that Nob Hill is one of the older neighborhoods that has a revitalized sense of vibrancy - Its naive at best to say that the city being part of 2 events over the course of the summer amounts to ignoring the rest of the city.

As far as organizing an event along Louisiana between Menaul and Indian School ... great!! That would be awesome, I'd be all for it -- just organize it. I've tried to dash across those streets a couple times and can vouch for the hostile nature of traffic there, not to mention when driving that corridor too. I obviously have a vested interest in Nob Hill, but I am all for any neighborhood or area being able to pull together with a genuine sense of community, having an event that is fun and enjoyable, and leaving with a better feeling about your neighbors and fellow city residents.

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Permalink Reply by CB on August 24, 2008 at 9:45am

Wow, you have a thankless job.

I, for one, am happy to see the city try to incorporate different family events. I do, however, understand and agree, with the problems of keeping the buses running. I also believe that you and your group are working on this issue and the many other ones that are coming up.

Having lived in California (yes that dreaded state that people come from) and attended festivals their most weekends in the summer, I can say that they were not at night but usually ran from morning until early evening. They were usually crowded all day long no matter how hot it was, and it was hot. The difference is that there are many large cities close together so these festivals were always held somewhere different - it seemed that every city had one once or twice a year - so the disruption was only one weekend in each location. Obviously that doesn't work as well in NM. I am sure your committee is working on all of these issues.

Good luck and thank you again for trying to improve the and broaden the activities and events the city has.

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Permalink Reply by Brendan on August 23, 2008 at 8:09pm

I'm only guessing, but any group of shops should be able to come together and petition the city for this sort of event. For that matter, any group of citizens should be able to come together and do the same thing. This is happening in Nob Hill because business owners in Nob Hill sought it.

Diverting buses is certainly necessary. I bet a few golf carts servicing those diverted stops might take care of the outstanding bus issue. Just a thought.

We'll be out tomorrow to see how it goes- looking forward to the event.

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Permalink Reply by Phil_0 on August 24, 2008 at 8:40pm

The city is working with a private group of local businesses to enhance the pedestrian experience in an area with a budding pedestrian culture and a commercial streetscape that is open to pedestrian traffic. I don't see how that's nefarious in any way. The city does the same for many similar events downtown. They close roads in Wells Park and Old Town for neighborhood festivals and events several times a year. There are also occasional street closures (and bus diversions) at several spots in the North and South valleys at least a few times a year. Check out the web a little - just next month alone, the City is diverting 5 bus routes downtown for the Go Arts Festival and closing Mountain Road for the Carnuel Road Parade and Fiesta in Wells Park/Sawmill. If you bother to dig a little, it becomes pretty clear that the City is more than amenable to closing roads and diverting busses at the request of neighborhoods, local business organizations, or community organizations...they do it all the time, in neighborhoods rich and poor.

If there's no "stroll" along Louisiana, I'd guess that's because the area merchants see no benefit to it. And why would they? A pedestrian shop'n'stroll is hardly much use for an enclosed indoor shopping mall surrounded by miles of parking lots or an upscale, auto-oriented shopping plaza with ample parking and nothing facing Louisiana but blank walls and landscaping.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Goldbarg on August 24, 2008 at 7:01pm

Why don't we all make phone calls to the appropriate people asking about bus changes, rather than complaining about the lack of bussing? I agree it needs to be dealt with - but let's be active rather than just cursing this event which is trying to bring people together...just a thought...

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Permalink Reply by Julian the Bike Pirate on August 24, 2008 at 1:41am

I got orders from above that I'll be doing a bike rodeo there tomorrow. (Orders from above, that sounds ominous doesn't it?) If you would like your kiddos to learn bicycle safety the city will be providing bicycle and pedestrian safety from 1ish to 8ish. The rock walls will be there too.

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Permalink Reply by Duane W Bargar on August 24, 2008 at 9:40am

The buses aren't stopping, i'm not sure how much more clear this can be, there is no fear that if you were taking a bus at its regularly scheduled time, you won't get to where you were going.
If there are any genuine issues that arise during the event related to transportation we will immediately be dealing with it, believe me, it the top of our list of concerns to deal with.

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