where ocean breezes blow
My time coming, voices saying, they tell me where to go (Weir/Barlow)
Times have changed since Bobby Ace sang of the pilgrimage west...The Swingin A's are leaving the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum and relocating to the Vegas strip. I stand behind them 100%, but it still hurts. So Many World Series and Great AFC Playoff games on this hallowed piece of land. Catfish, Rudi & Co were the great dynasty of the early 1970's......while The Snake and John Madden were stomping on the sidelines of the NFL. The Reggie Blasts, the Sea of Hands, # straight World Series titles and the roughing the passer penalty, The Green & Gold and the Silver & Black.....The moustaches and facial Hair, the nicknames and all the crazy fans, the A's drum corps, The black hole and the bed sheets painted with slogans to unnerve the opponents. I will miss Oakland games but i can not fault either team for leaving
Truth is the state of California is in trouble.......especially Northern California....the 49ers moved to Santa Clara (approx 45 miles south) the Raiders and now the A's have left the state entirely. The Warriors were on life support before they drafted Steph Curry....once he's gone we will see what kind of support they get. The Sharks are down in San Jose...this year the once proud franchise was bottom of the league in total attendance by volume and by % of capacity. (avg less than 14,000 a game and below80% of the shark Tank). The SF Giants have a beautiful stadium on the water downtown and are surviving in the middle of the pack for MLB attendance.....but as tech layoffs continue and businesses leave , how long will that continue ?
I think their is naive belief that all you have to do in places like manhattan is turn office space into housing to solve the commercial real estate crisis that is looming. I could not disagree more.
A city is only a city because of the business community. If ABC Corp builds a building in the middle of nowhere and hires 10,000 workers at fare salary what happens next?
Housing pops up because the workers want to live as close to the office as possible.
Restaurants, Bars, Coffee shops open in and around the office building to service the 10,000 workers.
Schools are needed for the children of the new 10,000 workers.
Barber Shops, Dry cleaning and retail stores open to keep the professional workforce looking the part.
10,000 people making a fare wage have some disposable income......Movie Theatres, Bowing alleys, Concert Venues, Museums, Sports arenas will follow.
Other businesses see what ABC corp has done and they decide to relocate to the once desolate area.
As more workers pour into the location, housing will expand in all 4 directions..spurring the need for Transit options.
now we have a thriving community.
NOW, take ABC out of the equation.....they move........it's like taking the Heart out of a Giant....it may not drop to its knees over night, but in time it will crumble.....and all the amenities that the Business community supports with shrivel and die on the vine. the Tax base goes away, the bars & restaurants stay closed until the evenings, Transit runs empty trains and busses, and that all important VIBE of living in the city dies too. After a while that thriving Community is nothing more than Starrett City.....a collection of apartment buildings, no nightlife, no buzz.
I think converting a small portion of the buildings into housing is feasible....but in time, the only people that will want to live in Manhattan are the people that Work in Manhattan....and if more and more businesses decide they don't need the crime, high taxes and problems that come with the Big City....well, step by step all the amenities and excitement will go away too.
My time coming, anyday, don't worry bout me, no
It's gonna be just like they say, them voices tell me so
Seems so long I felt this way and time sure passin slow
My time coming, anyday, don't worry about me, no
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