North American Eclipse

[Rusan]

So how crazy was it in your town? Your first post in this thread predicted total mayhem there.

Bri

Other than the gazillion planes flying out of the airport, it's been quite unremarkable. We went for a brief drive about an hour before totality, and the streets were almost completely devoid of traffic, which at that point was of course to be expected. The downtown district, parks and school campuses where the activities and eclipse-related stuff were set up had some fairly big crowds, but NOTHING AT ALL like the insanity they'd projected. Not even close, not even where NASA was set up.

We started seeing a lot of out-of-state plates on Friday evening, but not the deluge of thousands that had had been predicted. We went out to eat lunch on Saturday, and saw by far the lightest noon Saturday traffic I've seen in my almost 34 years here. The only thing I can figure is that the locals were so afraid of the predicted traffic congestion that they stayed at home. It was a ghost town: flea markets, booths, activities, souvenir stands, concession carts, food trailers, portable stages, TV station remote broadcast vans, etc. and hundreds of Porta-Pottys were set up EVERYWHERE, but with nobody around. A live band looked like it was playing to no one but the nearby vendors.

Yesterday was the same; even the normal Sunday morning go-to-church local traffic was noticeably slimmer. At noon, this one certain restaurant is always jam-packed, with cars circling the parking lot waiting for an open space. Yesterday, the parking lot was maybe 1/3 full when we drove past, which was easily the fewest cars I've ever seen there on Sunday, or on any day at noon for that matter.

The downtown district, parks and school campuses were just like the day before, with all the booths, concessions, exhibits and stages manned, but no other people present. The parks themselves were deserted, though all their camping areas were full. We drove around again on Sunday night, and there were finally maybe a little over a hundred people in the downtown district. It looks like the "masses" all waited until today to show up.

All in all, it seems the city government vastly overestimated the number of eclipse tourists, and I'd bet a lot of people who invested big money in hopes of a huge cash influx are quite upset with them right now.

 

[Brian Roth]

Because my location is quite a ways from the totality, it was merely mildly interesting. The sunlight shining on the ground had the appearance of coming through a hazy sky. But, the sky was totally clear and bright blue!

The eclipse of 2017 was really different here since the totality path clipped through eastern Kansas (in the vicinity of KC). It was a bit "scary" <g>.

Bri

 

[pucho812]

This is good as it got out in California

 

[hodad]

All in all, it seems the city government vastly overestimated the number of eclipse tourists, and I'd bet a lot of people who invested big money in hopes of a huge cash influx are quite upset with them right now.

This may be. But in the long term, this past (long) weekend could pay dividends for CLE. The enthusiasm (and implied sigh of relief) I noted on the local news reminded me of Atlanta 2+ decades ago, when proving the ability to host large events seemed paramount (and oh, the disappointment and self-flagellation when things went awry.) Most people mark the '96 Olympics (which our corrupt mayor bungled in numerous ways, and which was marred by a terrorist attack) as a turning point in Atlanta's trajectory. In spite of all the negatives, it seemed to go well enough that people started moving here in droves, and several major corporations moved their headquarters here. The city has grown by leaps and bounds, and it hosts major events without breaking a sweat. But there's more than a few negatives that have accompanied that growth. Us old-timers often lament many of the changes that have happened here.

All of which is to say, the effort Cleveland put into dealing with the NCAAW final, the eclipse, and the Guardians' home opener may pay off in the long run even if it seemed a bit of a fizzle in the near term. And the flip side: be careful what you wish for. I happen to be pretty fond of Cleveland as it is, and as a long-time ATLien I can tell you that a city's "success" can have a significant downside.

 

[JohnRoberts]

I thought rejecting the 2021 MLB all star game was a significant event that harmed local small business. When the Braves won the world series they allowed those World Series games.
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Tax incentives passed in 2002/2008 have attracted $B in film/TV industry business. Turner was already there but Tyler Perry and others have expanded production operations there.

I lived in GA twice (outside Atlanta) over the years but don't keep close track of it since. I ran the Atlanta Marathon the year before the Olympics. At least that race was held in cooler fall weather.

JR