'Bustling' not the word that comes to mind for downtown Toledo

7/24/2005

Five super-size Lemmon Drops:

  • I'm thinking the person responsible for writing the descriptions of hotel properties on Wyndham's corporate Web site has never set foot in Toledo.

    If I'm wrong, and he or she has been to Toledo, then Wyndham might want to consider giving random drug tests to employees in that department. It's obvious the writer's observational skills were impaired on the visit here.

    While I consider Wyndham's 14-story hotel to be one of downtown's jewels, the description on the Web site is sure to generate a chuckle.

    "On the shore of the Maumee River, the Wyndham Toledo hotel is an oasis of tranquility in the center of Toledo's bustling downtown."

    Given that a river flows through it, one might assume that Toledo's downtown is bustling. After all, numerous cities Chicago, St. Louis, and San Antonio come to mind proudly link their identities to rivers. Toledo, however, isn't one of them. (In Toledo, the river is central to the provincialism that stifles progress in the region.)

    I'm willing to give Wyndham's writer a wink and a nod for the supposed assumption, but what's travelocity.com's excuse? Below is how the popular travel Web site describes a different hotel.

    "The Radisson ... sits a block from the waterfront in the heart of bustling downtown Toledo."

    There's that word again.

    I don't know whether travelocity.com "borrowed" an adjective from wyndham.com or if it was just a coincidence, but the last time "bustling" accurately described downtown Toledo was during Tiedtke's heyday. The department store closed 32 years ago.

  • I'm glad I didn't take a sip of coffee right before reading the "Work begins on Fallen Timbers shopping site" headline in Thursday's paper. Otherwise, the spray might have hit those in the neighboring booth at the restaurant.

  • In observing the Toledo mayoral race from afar, I sense things are going to get ugly in the weeks leading up to the Sept. 13 primary. I guess that's to be expected when a $136,000-a-year job is at stake.

    Toledo Mayor Jack Ford and Toledo City Councilman Rob Ludeman are intent on reminding voters of former mayor Carty Finkbeiner's "Bad Carty" persona. My guess is that they will be successful in drawing "Bad Carty" out of his shell.

    Here's what I find interesting: Although they seem to have similar strategies against the former two-term mayor, Mr. Ford and Mr. Ludeman have been sharply critical of each other for their lack of leadership regarding Southwyck Shopping Center. Somebody should tell them how silly they look pointing fingers at each other for Southwyck's troubles. Both have failed miserably.

  • A headline for those skeptical of the potential economic impact that casinos can have on cities: "Casino Aztar will invest $40 million in downtown."

    That was from Tuesday's on-line edition of The Evansville (Ind.) Courier.

    Having grown up 50 miles from Evansville, I can vouch for the casino's positive standing in the community. It has been open for more than nine years.

  • Tell me again why the Catholic Diocese of Toledo would allow any registered sexually oriented offender particularly a priest who spent 21 months in prison following a child-pornography conviction to live in a church-owned apartment.