Readers’ views today centre on the city – including the closure of DJs’ Foodhall, traffic management and “vibrancy”.
EWAN CROAL: Brilliant, great, I’m ecstatic, as what we REALLY, REALLY NEED in Rundle Mall is more women’s shoe and knicker shops (DJ’s Foodhall to close, InDaily, 14 January 2014).
At the moment, when I go to the mall with my wife, I visit a couple of newsagents, Dymock’s Bookshop, Pencraft and DJ’s food hall, before I beetle off to the Austral for a beer and some onion rings. This takes about 45 minutes. My wife can spend a couple of hours in one shopping centre looking at clothing retailers, such is their ubiquity.
There is almost nothing in the Mall for myself, nor I would hazard, most other blokes.
The SA Model Centre and Twin St models moved out several years ago, A&R bookshops went bust, the second hand bookshops have closed. I can’t afford to buy something in the Apple shop every visit, however I have been building up a nice collection of condiments, tracklements and other pantry staples such as American pasta sauces and BBQ marinades from the Foodhall. They also provided a little slice of home with their bottle shop and the UK foods. Their deli was also great for picnic essentials such as cheese, pies and nice bread.
You will be sorely missed old friend!
Veni, Vidi, Visa (I came, I saw, I shopped).
BRONWYN LUDLAM: I continue to be disappointed in David Jones Rundle Mall. It is a shadow of its former self in the shopping experience it offers and the impending closure of its Foodhall is just another indicator of this.
David Jones Foodhalls interstate – particularly in Sydney and Melbourne – are stylish, upmarket purveyors of quality food and wine consumable in the comfortable and inviting surroundings. The gloomy basement fast food court outside David Jones Adelaide is just another sign of the once imposing store’s sad state.
MARK COLEMAN: Dear Adelaide City Council, I know you’re very busy digging things up and replacing them with other things, but I’d appreciate it if you’d kindly dip into your budget and employ a traffic engineer.
I ride my motorcycle into work on most days, and my journey is becoming increasingly slow, frustrating and inefficient. Our traffic simply does not flow, and I’m at a loss to understand how you’ve achieved this.
I’ve driven in truly large cities in the UK, USA and France, and those experiences, while sometimes challenging, have been easier than the norm for Adelaide (quite a small city).
I keep reading that we are “world class”. This simply is not true.
There are many great things (WOMAD, Fringe etc) in Adelaide, but they are organised and held by other bodies, not the ACC. Our public transport is poor, but that’s not the ACC’s fault.
Traffic management is, however, the responsibility of the ACC – please fix it.
ANDREW M. GLEESON: Some friends and I decided that with a little time on our hands over the first week or so of January we would explore a few of the exciting new bars that have popped up around town.
We have read the publicity and understood that Adelaide would be transformed by these additions to our otherwise dull and boring suburban lives. Vibrancy is the new catchword. When could be a better time of year to indulge in a little cultural excitement than when the city is relaxed and many people are still on holiday with many visiting from interstate?
Well apparently everyone goes on holiday at the beginning of January including the proprietors of the establishments designed to bring life back into the city. On Thursday 9 January the only new bar we could find open was Cantina Sociale in Sturt Street which appeared to be doing a roaring trade and we were pleased to join the throng and add to their profits.
Unfortunately one interesting little bar does not a vibrant city make. Very disappointing.
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