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| Downtown Entertainment District | ||||||||||||
| Moving west down Market Street, one quickly arrives in the Downtown Entertainment District: bordered by Floyd Street and 9th Street. A focal point of tourist and outside development for city officials and state officials, this area has seen tremendous growth, failures and regeneration over the past 20 years, highlighted by huge multi-million dollar projects and an appeal to the masses: middle class and upper-middle class alike. | ||||||||||||
| The difference in atmosphere between NuLu and the Downtown District is dramatically evident and indicative of the different purposes they serve. While NuLu caters to the arts & culture and a more affluent audience, the Downtown District seeks to entertain a middle-class crowd and--especially--tourists. Sports bars, chain sit-down restauraunts and tourist activities such as horse-and-buggy rides define this area socially, as well as expansive projects that define the atmosphere of the area like 4th Street Live. | ||||||||||||
| 4th Street Live was spearheaded by the Downtown Development Corperation as a way to bring the masses to the downtown area and to serve as an entertainment focal point in the urban center. The area is a playground sights and sounds appealing to college students, tourists seeking the "big city" lights as well as families looking for a meal. Chains like Hard Rock Cafe & TGIFriday's give a suburban, generic familiarity to those who would otherwise feel uncomfortable in a downtown area. | ||||||||||||
| Another example of the Downtown Entertainment District's appeal to the masses is the construction of the new University of Louisville basketball arena in the area. This construction will draw hundreds of thousands of sports fans and guests to downtown, which will in turn spur even greater development of businesses that cater to this sports-loving demographic. Major chain hotels--such as the Marriott--and the Louisville International Convention Center also make this area a hotbed of tourist activity, supplying plenty of recreational options without the unique artistic requirements of NuLu. | ||||||||||||
| Next: Portland | ||||||||||||