We’ve spent a lot of time and words here at Tyler TX Directory, discussing old and new businesses and cultural goings on, and giving them our thumbs up and or thumbs down. We’ve covered a lot of territory sometime in triplicate and occasionally disagreeing even amongst ourselves. For instance one of our writers once wrote a positive review of Cici’s Pizza, and I on the other hand expressed a preference for Totino’s frozen pizza over that particular establishment. Point being we’ve offered sometimes numerous opinions on a lot of Tyler area businesses. This got me to thinking, what new type of business / activities do we need here? What are the missing pieces in our socio- economic and cultural lives that would make our community more complete? I think we can eliminate Banks, Churches, Schools and Mexicans restaurants right from the start. So here is my personal wish list of new businesses and things to do in Tyler. These are not in any way scientific, and based simply on conversations and personal preferences.
A new water company: If you’ve visited this site before you may know that I’ve written quite critically about Southern Utilities (SU) in the past. I’d say this company has terrible customer service but that would imply they do have it. SU has been able to operate as a completely unapproachable entity, due to a complete lack of area competition. Not to mention their prices are quite high. Customers immediately outside the Tyler city limits simply have no other options. I have no idea how the infrastructure for water supply works but the Tyler area is certainly ripe pickings for any new water utility company. Big- city delivery Chinese food: One thing I really miss about living in a big city is the ability to have nearly any type of food delivered to my front door. To my knowledge the closest thing we have to delivery Chinese food is Peaking, which is a terrific restaurant, but their delivery area doesn’t cover the entire city of Tyler, at any rate they don’t deliver to west, south west side of town. Fewer buffets and more local take- out and delivery would be great for our area I think.
An authentic Indian food restaurant: Far be it from me to suggest another eatery for this town but so long as it’s not another faceless corporate franchise that we have “got to have,” personally I’m open to greater variety. Indian food would be a great new addition to our restaurant repertoire. While I love Pizza and good mom and pop Mexican food, Indian would add a little spice to our culinary lives. As someone who really digs Indian food I would certainly be a regular.
An Imax movie theater:It seems to take about five to ten years or so for the biggest bad-est movie theater in Tyler to get over run by troubled youth and rowdy teens who turn the parking lot into a meeting place for area police. When that happens a newer safer theater is opened and the process begins all over again. So why not try establishing a more upscale theater, that appealed to a greater cross section of people by carrying both entertaining and educational films, in high def of course, a little farther from the city proper, say perhaps off I- 20 somewhere? Area schools would really benefit and it would add a bit more culture to our area.
Minor league Baseball:We’ve tried this twice, and as I understand it, the sticking point has been the same both times. It seems certain groups with certain religious affiliations objected to beer sales at the ball park. The first time around, the team had some real success and brought in good crowds. But when the fun police caught wind of the fact that beer could be purchased (during the 1997 season), protests ensued. Another attempt was made a few years later but baseball in a dry county didn’t equal as much fun or money and the team folded after a single season. Look I’m a practicing Christian but I’m not concerned that the moral health of my community is going to go into a nose dive if folks have a cold beer at a hot summer ball game. But some people seem to have this paranoid mental image of a drunken orgy erupting after hours of binge drinking, and that’s just not reality. I don’t know too many people who go to the ball park with the intention getting hammered, it’s too expensive. The ball park in Arlington sells beer and it’s arguably one of the most family friendly venues in all of sports. There are leagues that have Tyler in mind if we can just work out this one issue. It would certainly be a great draw for our community. Can we all please observe the maxim “all things in moderation,” and just let people be grown- ups?
So there’s my wish list. It was actually a harder list to compile than I expected it would be. I guess if we sit and think about it, there’s not too much that our area lacks. At the end of the day I’d say we’re blessed to live in a city that has a lot to offer and a lot to do. That’s not to say we can’t improve but we’re doing pretty well.
Over Regulation in the City of Tyler
May 24th, 2010Is it just me or are there any other citizens in Tyler Texas who are beginning to feel… oh overly regulated? Now I grew up in this fair city, and I’m proud to call it my home town, but in the last few years both our state and city are being bombarded with petty new legislation that seems to afford its citizens yet another opportunity to glance over their shoulders in order to see whose watching.
It is well understood that Tylerites like to feel as though they are living in a larger city. The Tyler traffic reports they issue over the radio have always struck me as a silly manifestation of that desire. About two years ago the illustrious Tyler city council enacted its own ban on smoking in restaurants and bars. Yes bars in a city in Texas, are not allowed to permit smoking! Now I gave up that particular vice many years ago, but isn’t this a decision to be made between a man and his bartender, (or bar owner), not between a citizen and his city council? I still maintain the profound belief that this law gathered support on the basis of the fact that “Big fancy cities like New York all have smoking bans!”
In addition to the local regulations there are the new state laws like double fines for using a phone in a school zone, seatbelts in the back seats, etc. Now I understand the desire to encourage safety, but I have a mother! I don’t need the village to look out for my safety! The most annoying thing about these new laws is the condescending ad campaigns that accompany them. The commercials warn the citizenry that local police are now on the lookout for new evil doers! Just this morning I was treated to a reminder that area police are starting their annual “click it or ticket campaign.” Sounds like a fund raising drive to me. Now listen, I “back the blue” as much as any East Texan. I am profoundly grateful for those who pursue criminal threats to our society and help to maintain the peace however I am extremely tired of seeing police cars hiding near the corner of thirty one and the loop hoping to catch drivers five miles over the speed limit. When asked why they were policing the stop so closely, one officer replied “we just really need to get control of traffic on this street.” No you don’t! Its fine! There aren’t any more accidents there than anywhere else. How about getting control of the drug user and meth operator who allegedly lives in my neighborhood!
The most frustrating officers in Tyler are the ones who ride motorcycles. It seems every summer I get a ticket, usually for some petty offence, and it is always written by an officer on a motorcycle. I never ever receive a warning even though my actual driving record is pretty clean. The officer on a bike basically serves one purpose, raise revenue for the city. When was the last time a trooper on a motorcycle, made an arrest, intervened in a domestic dispute or did something other the write a ticket for expired tags?
I don’t want to turn this article into another rant. I recognize that Tylerites do have a propensity to run a red now and again, and I realize that traffic on Broadway and Old Bullard road tends to be tricky to navigate, but from this citizen’s observation, increasing regulation has not helped. Install new medians, build new toll roads, and synchronize the stop lights. These are just new band aids for addressing the fact that our city is growing. But frustrating the citizens is not going to solve these growing pains.
So to any area police who may be reading let me assure you that we who live in this great community support you, but please, cut us a little slack. We’re all just trying to get to work and home without incident. And to the State and local officials, (particularly the city council), remember Pain’s maxim: “The government is best which governs least!”
Tags: Annoying Thing, Bar Owner, Bartender, Citizenry, City Of Tyler, Click It Or Ticket, Criminal Threats, Double Fines, Evil Doers, Lookout, Manifestation, New Laws, New Legislation, Profound Belief, School Zone, Seatbelts, Smoking Bans, State Laws, Tyler City, Tyler Texas, Tyler TX Socio Political Commentary
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