I was having breakfast at the Benton Airpark Cafe (a fine spot for home-style food with a terrific view), when an interesting conversation began between myself, cafe manager Ezra Herback and Chun Lee, a friend who owns Code Red, the fairly new pizza and chicken wings restaurant at Cascade Square (corner of Placer and California Streets).
What is Redding’s aversion to parking and walking just a short distance to shops and restaurants downtown?
Redding blows away any sizable city in terms of easy free parking within a short walking distance of shops and restaurants. The Maritime Seafood and Grill is a good example of Redding’s hangup on parking and walking.
Herback is also the head waiter at Maritime, which I’d call the top restaurant in town in terms of high-end food and presentation. He hears from people quite often that it’s a hassle to park and get to Maritime. I know that this is true about Redding.
How hard is it to park in the downtown mall lot and walk across the street to Maritime? It’s amazingly easy. And get this, it’s a tiny bit of exercise. This is one of the best restaurants in the region.
And yet, for years I’ve seen downtown Redding businesses struggle because people refuse to park and walk a short distance. The idea that people would navigate hectic traffic scenarios just for the “ease” of parking at corporate restaurants on the east side just kills me.
There’s probably more at work here. A lot of people just feel more comfortable eating at well-known chain restaurants. I guess they like the feeling that every Applebee’s in the U.S. looks almost exactly the same. To me (and I don’t mean to attack anyone), the experience of eating in most chain restaurants is somewhat of a soul-sucking downer.
I still eat at chains. I’ve got a few favorites. But the older I get, the more I opt for individually owned, non-chain restaurants. I like the personal feel of them, the food’s often much better, and I love the idea that my money’s going more directly to all the people working right there. (I tell you, when you work at a corporate entity and see the percentage of money that shoots right out of your office and right out of your town, it can make you bitter. There’s so much pressure to hit a number, and when you don’t, you quickly learn how much you’re valued in that system.)
Wow, long digression. But, to get back to the point: There are plenty of unique and quality businesses happening downtown. I love the feeling of supporting them. I actually love to park and walk a bit. I like to pretend that Redding has an active, vibrant downtown.
I love the idea that Code Red stays open until 3 a.m. on Wednesday through Saturday as a late-night alternative to Denny’s.
By the way, both Code Red and the Benton Airpark Cafe offer free wireless Internet. I’m going to frequent them just for that. It really irks me that places like Starbucks (which I like otherwise) and Barnes & Noble don’t provide free wireless. EVERYONE should provide free wireless. But that’s a rant for another time.
For now, tell me, why can’t we park and walk like every other city?
