artto Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I don't get out much anymore (LOL). Wednesday my wife and I took a day off, went downtown to the Museum. I was kind of surprised at the traffic volume, especially trucks. It was quite heavy for outside of regular rush hour traffic times. Both inbound and outbound time was about 1.5 hours. Even more interesting, is when got home we decided to go out for dinner. We decided on a local place only about 5 minutes from our home. Being the day after Valentine's Day and the middle of the week, I expected to just roll up and easily find a parking spot in the side lot. Boy, was I surprised! Not a single space. Cars were even parked in the driveway areas. I went around to the main lot in front and found the same thing. It was packed! Luckly there was still some seating when we went in but I'm still impressed by how crowded it was. What's it been like around your area? I thought we were still in the back half of a financial crisis. Makes me wonder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiet_Hollow Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 It's Spring in Winter. Everyone's out doing stuff because it's so mild out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 My brother is a carpenter and he said the last two years were the worse he has seen in 30 years. Last month he mentioned he is started to land bigger jobs instead of lots of small ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Things don't seem too slow around here, but I know that houses have stayed on the market for a long time. Still a lot of new construction popping up.The husband of a woman who works in my office builds houses. He was working on a couple new houses last year, when the tornados hit here (including damage to their own house). He's been swamped with work. Seems like all the stores and restos have been busy, busy, busy... Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Around here the restaurants are booming. New houses going up ($312,000.00). Traffic in the morning rushour too much. Stores are about average. (Lowes, Home Depot) I don't know how Walmart stays in business---1 cash register open in a line of 22 registers and even that's too much. Chrysler plant removed and land sold for $11,000,000.00 for new industrial park. Old presses sold to India, China, Japan, and somebody else. New Cleveland Clinic built for $93,000,000.00 with choppers and everything else. Many roads repaved. New Kent State College building almost done for about $35,000,000.00. New railroad bridges and gates. City breaking even on (5.2 million) golf course and (12 million) recreation center. Added new metropark for $320,000.00 adjacent to 11.5 million 900 acre metropark. New library addition upgrade for $3.5 million rated $1 in USA. Some road widenings in the works with federal grants (about 5 million) Hilton garden Inn remodeling and rated #1 in USA. Get the fuel perks at Giant Eagle. Damons (great food) and Donatos Pizza went out of bussiness. Regency Windows went out of bussiness.Sewer Plant expanding for adjacent community. Uses tertiary treatment. Supposed to be a big deal as you can drink the sewage water after treatment. Fracking for natural gas booming. Tree limb collection by city trimmed to twice per year. Leaf pickup OK. Both are free. Now charging $30.00 per season for city to snow plow your driveway if you are 60 or over. Other than that the interest rates suck for CD's but great for mortgages. Banks aggressively expanding. Savings and loans just crusiing along. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 This is the worst since the late 70's for me, my people and pretty much everyone I know.If I go out to eat everything's crowded, when they pay it's always with a card, everywhere I go.I use cash 90% of the time.I think everyone is living on credit, well not everyone but many.When gas hits $4 + ($5 predicted) again the poopoo will hit the fan and kill what little chance we had of a recovery. The people I know with money won't spend it like they always have, they are unsure whats happening but have little confidence looking at the economy and Government out of control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LHF63 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Places are often crowded here too, but I attribute that to the number of places that have shut down in the last few years. Housing prices are still dismal and showing little if any upward trend. Employment prospects are bleak, even for the min-wage service jobs that dominate the metro-Orlando economy. Federal Income Tax looks several kilobucks higher for 2011 even though I made and gave away pretty much the same as in 2010. I make good money, but I'm still looking at used Heresies, Quartets, Fortes, and not new La Scalas for a reason. Lou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted February 17, 2012 Moderators Share Posted February 17, 2012 Well from what you said Mr Artto, my observations would be........you picked a very good restaurant ! [Y] Things are still slow here with maby a slight view of things picking up a little, very little. I have also noticed restaurants doing well and have been all along, other business also seem to be as before ? Many people are without work but overall it seems the biggest fear is distrust with government policy and spending, Business seems to doing Ok but they are not willing to expand or hire, they seem to be just holding on to see what happens ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Traveler Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 ...The people I know with money won't spend it like they always have, they are unsure whats happening but have little confidence looking at the economy and Government out of control. If anyone is worrying about Government coming and taking their "wealth" then they need to watch what they are spending their money on.[:|] Otoh, the people with real wealth are seeing their investments grow in the stock market and in home equity if they didn't make stupid decisions prior to the Credit Default Swap Fiasco that came to light prior to the 2008 election. Fwiw, I think, "the media," makes it sound like things aren't going as well as they are {EDIT: for most people}. [:S] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiet_Hollow Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 ....when they pay it's always with a card, everywhere I go.I use cash 90% of the time.I think everyone is living on credit, well not everyone but many. Lot's of people use debit cards instead of cash these days. Not all plastic you see is a credit card, and not everyone using a credit card is insolvent. The people I know with money are savvy enough to generate income, trade, and recognize value regardless of situation..from trading cigarettes to real estate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Traveler Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 ...The people I know with money are savvy enough to generate income, trade, and recognize value regardless of situation..from trading cigarettes to real estate. I agree...Then again, it seems like quite a few folks feel the need to blame someone else for their problems (not meaning Fish)...For those I hope there is a safety net so they don't end up on my doorstep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Housing still killing me. Company transferred me from a house that has lost 2/3s of its 'value' so I can't sell it and moved to a place where the housing costs remain flat so rent costs me 300% of what my old house is rented out for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Still tumbling along the bottom in Las Vegas. Construction is way down and new homes sales are almost stopped. REsales homes set a record for sales last year, but prices are at 1990's levels. We have some new businesses here (Zappos is doing a great job downtown). We have quite a bit of home invenory waiting to hit the market, really inexpensive housing, great weather and realtively inexpensive entertainmnet. We are also located on an east transportation cooridor (interstate and rail). The recipe for retirees and new business. We just hit way too high of a peak in the boom. Need more education here. Too easy for peopel to be caught up in working in casinos. Restaurnats seem really busy. Hotel volume is really busy, but average sales are down. Quite a bargain at the resorts right now. I checked Expedia a month or so ago and last minute rooms at the Mirage (really nice high end resort) were $50 a night and as low as $5 at the Palace Station. This is last minute booking but wow. Even the Wynn was $150 which is a give away for that resort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runninshine Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 It seems like they're building on every single piece of empty land here, houses are selling and restaurants and shopping centers are always busy and everyone I know drives a new car or truck. (except us) My business has really picked up from just a year ago, so that means people are spending money on bigger ticket items. We don't live beyond our means, so the "down" economy hasn't really effected us. I'm glad things seem to be turning around.....I have a couple of good friends with construction related jobs and they are also working full time now, so as Martha would say "it's a good thing" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 This part of NJ is one of the most affluent areas in the country (wish I could say that I fit in, but I'm just one of the old country folk from days gone by.) But, new home construction is virtually dead and resales aren't moving unless they are being given away for far less than the assessed value. The box stores (Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart) are doing so-so. Restaurants, however, are packed to the rafters every day at lunch time and every evening. And I'm talking about every parking spot occupied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audible Nectar Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Our locality (Eastern IA/Western IL) has done OK...in fact, better than most. Our core industries are mostly fully operational; there have been some smaller plant closings and retail issues, but mostly holding steady - and those with good jobs are spending with reasonable regularity. The wealthy are still buying new homes. But most people ARE being selective. For example, this Valentine's Day was quite good for local businesses.....but then the rest of the week fell flat. People are now making more of "hallmark holidays" in leiu of more expensive possibilities. They are "picking their spots" in which to spend. Could be worse.....could be better. But in the overall, better than most, both statistically as well as much anecdotal evidence of "survivability" (low cost of living, avenues of help for people in trouble, etc). I have seen a LOT of people working jobs that would be "beneath them" 10-15 years ago, like 40-50 year old men flipping burgers and so forth, so much evidence of the general overall downgrade of the country resides here, but just not as extreme as it seems in other places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 If anyone is worrying about Government coming and taking their "wealth" then they need to watch what they are spending their money on. That makes no sense.We're 15 Trillion in debt with plans to only spend more(the math is so crazy it's beyond insane, regardless of politics), I have kids that will have to pay the bill but can't. So a few years ago(2008) when I had lotsa work they said it was the worst depression since the great one.Now that most people I know are working for less or not at all things are really looking up????? Yeh, stupid media. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 ....when they pay it's always with a card, everywhere I go.I use cash 90% of the time.I think everyone is living on credit, well not everyone but many. Lot's of people use debit cards instead of cash these days. Not all plastic you see is a credit card, and not everyone using a credit card is insolvent. The people I know with money are savvy enough to generate income, trade, and recognize value regardless of situation..from trading cigarettes to real estate. I'm glad you noticed I said NOT everyone.I'm also hoping your right that people are not living on credit, really hoping but I think they are.I also hope these savy people you know start putting people to work and take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Then again, it seems like quite a few folks feel the need to blame someone else for their problems (not meaning Fish)...For those I hope there is a safety net so they don't end up on my doorstep. Those sorry b#%@tds! I had no idea people in THIS country blamed others for their problems, who would do such a thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Diesel is $4 a gallon. Life sucks.... Here.... Unless I want to drive 100 miles+ round trip, my only eat out option is the local Mex restaurant which, by the way only got 19 violations last month, or Golden Corral, also known as the "trough"..... If things are improving, then I'm surely awaiting the "trickle down" theory to manifest.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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