A Downtown Circulator idea from a blogreader

Photo from BeyondDC.

Unfortunately, while I have this blog configured to email reader comments to my email address, it doesn't work, and I can't figure out how to get it to work... So sometimes I miss good comments, except when I troll back through stuff for citation purposes.

So I missed a good comment by "Thom" in response to a blog entry on the Downtown Circulator--"Tuesday, June 28, 2005: Downtown Circulator imminent" (now in the June archives).

Thom, "Nomadic in Near Northeast," wrote "I just wish it would run on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights."

Photo from BeyondDC.
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He's right.

There is an opportunity here to better serve night time transportation, particularly on Thursday nights, when the subway system doesn't run late. This would be great for encouraging "arts and entertainment" type "economic development" around the city.

It takes me back to an idea I've had for about 8 years.

Devote some of the tourist taxes (hotel, rental car, restaurant, etc.) to keeping the museums on the mall open late (maybe not in January-March), get the theaters downtown (Regal, Landmark) to have late night "matinee" showings around 9:45 pm. (just like how Old Ebbit has a late night happy hour from 11 pm - 1 am -- a great time to get 1/2 off oysters and clams...), to keep people around, and spending money in the city.

But getting around easy and simply is a big part of this.

So is having an overall arts and cultural development and management plan for the city, something we don't really have.