Boxing Day-Kwanzaa water cooler

Who am I kidding? No one's reading blogs this week! Still, here's a roundup of some interesting stuff I've seen and read in these last 48 hours:

Randy Stapilus has a roundup of 10 influential books he read this past year.

As Sharon noted on an earlier thread, the Christmas Eve morning edition of Meet the Press offered a fascinating look at the past and present role of faith in American politics. Dr. Rick Warren - one of our most enlightened evangelicals - and Jon Meacham of Newsweek magazine were the guests. I came away with a feeling that it may be possible for Americans to stop using faith as a bludgeon and start employing religious faith (and secular moral values) as a force for good. Read the transcript and see what you think.

Today's Idaho Statesman named BoDo developer Mark Rivers the Treasure Valley's most visionary person. In its first full year, BoDo emerged as a cool blend of locally owned shops and big-name retailers, with a chain multiplex theater (the Edwards 9) that - I'm sorry to say - is far more comfortable (if not as cool)  than either the Flicks or the Egyptian. I'm eager to see how Rivers does with his next big idea: the Library Blocks, extending south from BoDo to the Boise River and including a "green library" and housing at all price points. If Rivers is able to help people of all income levels move downtown and stop driving as much, that would be  visionary indeed.

It's the 40th anniversary of Kwanzaa, which starts today. Dig the Nguzo Saba, or seven principles, of this holiday: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and culture. To my friends, colleagues, and neighbors of African heritage, thanks for your resilience and Happy Kwanzaa.

If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth. ~ Roberto Clemente

Comments

[sharon fisher]

I'm reading blogs!

Rick Warren is an interesting character, to be sure.

I'm torn about BoDo. It's nice. On the other hand, chains. And chains that are directly competing with local business.

[Julie in Boise]

Sharon,

I am torn about chains, too. I mean, the lettuce wraps at P.F. Changs are great! But we've only gone once in the year since it opened.

The Edwards, on the other hand, presents a more difficult (for me) dilemma. The endless trailers are annoying to be sure, but the seats are more comfortable than at the local art houses *and* the prints are generally better, too ... much better, in some cases. (As noted in another thread, "Babel" at the Flicks was just embarrassing)

I try to follow an informal rule of thumb for shopping and dining: Spend at least twice as much at locally owned stores as I do at national chains. In principle, I'd like to buy all local all the time, but the chains frankly do some things better.

[Jessica]

I'm reading too!

[bernard]

Stapilus also comments on Mark Rivers and says "But does it say something about Boise, about Idaho and about its leading newspaper that its most visionary person in the state this year is thought to be the developer of a shopping center?" Well...yes. But I think it says more about the newspaper, which in the past three years has become more obsessed with coverage of local news to the exclusion of state news and coverage of real estate development lacking any perspective or long view about what it means. It's really too bad that the paper does little reporting beyond the blow by blow of the developers and the local agencies, and not step back with a big picture view.

[Shane]

(I'm still reading!)

[Julie Fanselow]

Thank you ALL for reading, even during the holidays.

Bernard, if all Rivers had done was develop BoDo, I'd question his selection, too. But the Library Blocks project goes way beyond shopping to incorporate a new landmark library (badly needed to replace the current warehouse) and a wide range of downtown housing. I'd say it qualifies as "big picture" thinking. But to be fair to Randy, the Statesman didn't really write much about the Library Blocks concept in yesterday's profile, instead choosing to quote marketing flacks from Levi-Strauss. Bah.

[nextdoor]

Hi there, I am reading too :)

One thing on my mind this week is Otter planning on a behind closed doors swearing in to office...

t

[The Nickel-Plated JA]

What is a chain though? Is Louie's? I'd much prefer Louie's to the over-corporate pseudo-Italian going in next door to it, but at 3-4 locations throughout the state they're not exactly a non-chain.

And can you honestly say that the now-defunct Jay Jacobs, or Ishi, are more desirably shopping experiences than Macy's, Dillard's, or *hoping against hope* Nordstrom? There are consumer advantages to chains and their large buying power; they also tend to create jobs in *chunks* and drive up wages thanks to company-wide compensation schemes. And some of them (OfficeMax, Albertson's) are even based *here*.

I know there are downsides: badly run chains err regarding local tastes; loss of some unique local experiences; and nostalgia. While I never had the opportunity to shop at C.C. Anderson's before it gave way first to the Bon and now Macy's, I did live in the dorm that bears his name.

However, here's my short-list of chains I'd love to see in Boise:

* Apple Store
* Bennigan's
* Carvel
* Central Market (H.E.B)
* Christmas Tree Shops
* Einstein Bagels
* Fry's Electronics
* Maggiano's
* Nobu
* Sharper Image
* Steak n' Shake
* Steve and Barry's

[The Nickel-Plated JA]

Oh, I left out Bass Pro Shops. They have a better shoe department than Cabela's. And it's not like there's a shortage of their customer base here either....

[sharon fisher]

How could you leave out Trader Joe's?

We recently had a very bad experience at Louie's and I'll never go there again. I prefer Asiago's.

"What is a chain" is a question I run into as well. We recently got a Hollywood Video in Kuna, and I still patronize Kuna Video sometimes, but Hollywood Video is closer and larger and, as he points out, it's a franchise but he's a local guy.

[Julie Fanselow]

I'll come to Louie's rescue, having had many good experiences at the downtown one (though we haven't been there recently, so perhaps it is slipping). But I definitely like Asiago's, too, and would say it's a cut above Louie's.

Still, I'd rather eat at either one than Olive Garden or Johnny Carrino's.

Speaking of good local chains, can I hear some love for El Gallo Giro? Flying Pie? Zamzows?

It's true that national chains produce local jobs and lots of 'em. But it's also true locally owned companies keep a higher percentage of earnings in the community. So it may be a wash in many cases.

If getting some more of these stores in Boise means developing yet more strip malls and adding suburban sprawl, forget it. But if we can get a few more of 'em to fill existing spaces, I'm OK with it.

[The Nickel-Plated JA]

I *love* Flying Pie and Zamzow's -- that shouldn't surprise anyone considering the part of town I'm in (NW). I'm also going to defend Louie's, in part because I had Louie Jr. as a student in one of the classes I taught at U of I; also, realize the Downtown Louie's is about to get serious "chain" competition literally next-door: the old Capitol Litho is soon to become a (groan) Spaghetti Warehouse.

That said, I'm also *very* fond of Johnny Carino's, particularly their chicken marsala (which is saying something, because I'm none-too-fond of chicken). Olive Garden, on the other hand, I could *really* do without. Same for Macaroni Grill, but purely for personal-experience reasons (I had a really bad allergy surprise there one day).

I can't believe I forgot Ikea! Eating swedish meatballs for lunch reminded me. We need an Ikea perhaps most of all; this is the ideal place for furnishing a lot of people in little space for not very much money.

As for Trader Joe's, I have no personal experience with it. Similarly, I've never been to Asiago's or El Gallo Giro. However, I do know El Gallo Giro isn't local -- they're based in OC.

As far as the *type* of development, Bodo is the future -- though, hopefully, not all right there. The cure for strip malls is rising land prices: they no longer become feasible; witness the Fred Meyer on Franklin and what it replaced. I'm going to leave "sprawl" alone for now -- a lot of what passes for sprawl is inevitable, and the rest is a *huge* topic I could go into for hours.

[sharon fisher]

El Gallo Giro isn't local? What's OC? That's certainly news to me. Enrique is very involved in the Kuna community and he's just expanded for the *second* time here.

Plenty of love for Zamzow's; I go there even though some things might be cheaper elsewhere because I like going to a local store, and because they're nice to me. They let me know when cat food is going on sale; they gave me one of the free catnip mats that goes with enough cat food sales, even though I hadn't bought any yet, because they knew I would and they were running out of them; they gave me a tree for cheap because all their trees were big and this one was kinda busted; I could go on and on.

Haven't been to Flying Pie because they don't deliver to Kuna.

[The Nickel-Plated JA]

Ok, maybe *this* El Gallo Giro is local and I'm confusing it with the Southern California chain of the same name -- it's certainly possible, neither has a location outside its own state. OC is Orange County -- though apparently I was mistaken and they're based in Huntington Park (LA County) not Huntington Beach (Orange County) like I originally thought. A quick Google search also turns up *another* apparently unrelated El Gallo Giro in NYC. It wouldn't be the first time name duplication like this has occurred -- there's an El Torito (Mexican market) in Garden City that has nothing to do with El Torito, the Mexican restaurant chain in the Bay Area.

And for the record, I don't think I've been to Kuna since 1989; certainly not since 1992. Conveniently, however, El Gallo Giro built a location in Garden City at Chinden and Glenwood (that same strip mall where D'Alessandro's used to be that was discussed a few posts back), so I don't have to go all the way to Kuna to try it; for me, Kuna would basically be driving across the entire populated part of Ada County... of course, that might make a fun weekend project since I haven't been out that way in at least a decade-and-a-half!

[Julie Fanselow]

NPJA, you must drive to Kuna simply to be amazed at the growth there. Seriously. It's one of the fastest-growing towns in Idaho. Drive on down to Celebration Park (very cool rock art, with guided tours) on the Snake River and make a day of it.
http://www.canyoncounty.org/parks_recreation.php

And Sharon, you must go to Flying Pie. Just phone in an order to the store on Fairview at 345-0000 and pick it up on your way out of Boise sometime (or you can eat it right there - it's a great place for kids if your daughter is along). Order a Zerto Magnifico. Trust me: You will not be disappointed.

[sharon fisher]

what's on it, Julie?

Celebration Park is actually in Melba but it's all on the Western Heritage National Scenic Byway. When it warms up a little you can hit the Birds of Prey National Recreation Area.

"All the way to Kuna" -- well, I can get from Kuna to downtown Boise in 20 minutes flat so it doesn't seem that far to me.

[Julie Fanselow]

Here's the Zerto blurb direct from the Flying Pie website:

Warning: the intense Zerto experience is addictive! Fresh Spinach is blended with Provolone & Italian Pecorino Romano cheeses, atop an Olive Oil glaze. Next it’s covered with sliced Roma Tomatoes and exquisite Linguica, then a light dash of chopped Garlic is added on top. We guarantee after two bites you’ll think you’re in Italy!

[IdahoRocks]

We have a Subway. We used to have Taco Bell but they went out of business. We also have a Safeway. That's it. So all our wonderful eateries are privately owned. It's wonderful! Unfortunately, not all of them are equal to the intense Zerto experience.... However, fifty minutes away we can go to Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and MacDonalds. And up in Creston, B.C., they still have an A & W as well as a Dairy Queen. I'll have to put Boise on my list.... the Zerto Magnifico is much cheaper than flying to Italy....