In other mall news, the Dream Aero Flight Simulator ride remains under construction above the Dining Terrace. A wall panel has been punched out near the ceiling above Gusto and Chipotle, and wiring can be seen along the edge of the opening. Dream Aero plans to begin providing the experience of flying a Boeing 737 this fall.
35 comments:
"Dream Aero plans to begin providing the experience of flying a Boeing 737 this fall...as your plane goes inexplicably into a dive from which the auto-pilot cannot be re-set, killing you and all your passengers a few minutes later."
They're hoping someone with a simulator can figure out a fix.
Maybe Dyer can suggest a fix to the Boeing 737 MAX? He seems to be an expert on everything.
If not for BTB, I would forget there is a mall outside the beltway in Bethesda.
If not for BTB nobody would no anything at all. Since he is the only stable big brained genius in the county. Maybe even the world.
Thanks for sharing! Good to know
Almost mile high club!
There are some pretty things in Yvonne Fx's store. I'll have to stop in.
Can you give us an update on the "Moribund" ranking for this mall? Has it gone up or down lately?
9:08AM/10:59AM = the shut-in anti theater crowd weighs in...
To the folks celebrating iPic's difficulty and the closure of Regal Bethesda- we get it. You don't like film, the arts or entertainment. That's fine. But Bethesda can't be a real city without more of an arts & entertainment component.
12:49PM Even worse is the troll (you) obsessed with a local news publisher (Dyer)
And what does it mean when someone jumps to said blogger’s defense every post?
#Dyer'sLittleHelper, July 22:
"AMC Stock Is Soaring as One Analyst Says It Could Climb 87%" (From Barron's on Friday)
"AMC Entertainment rose 9.6% after Credit Suisse initiated the movie theater chain as outperform. Credit Suisse noted its “bottom-up film forecast suggests industry box office growth for the next three quarters” (From CNBC on Friday)"
The reality:
AMC stock on December 23, 2016: $35.30
AMC stock on August 5, 2019: $11.10
3:08PM
Why do you hate theaters, arts and entertainment so much?
We don’t hate theaters, but Dyer’s claim that the developer of the Apex site should be somehow compelled by law to include a cinema is just absurd. Let the free market decide.
Many commenters on this site believe that the cost to include a large 8-12 screen multiplex cinema at the Apex site would have been enormous, and would have forced movie ticket prices to exceed the failing iPic brand. It appears that $27 for a movie ticket with free popcorn, a reclining seat with a blanket of questionable cleanliness, and the chance to purchase expensive food and beverages while disturbing adjacent patrons while watching the film seems to have been a flawed business model. Silverlight at the Montgomery Mall seems to work because it has massive free parking and an adjacent food hall with reasonably priced food.
Large multiplexes in new urban construction are extremely complicated and expensive to build. Huge clear-span construction, massive exiting and parking requirements make this typology very challenging in a market that seems to shrink every year. The advent of 4K HDR TVs, inexpensive surround sound and affordable streaming options really reduces the need for expensive places like iPic. Sure everybody loves to go out for dinner and a movie, but at what cost does this become prohibitive for most folks, and a bad idea for developers.
4:05pm if planners see something that would be beneficial or needed for the good of the community, they can certainly require it. The Stonehall originally had it written in the planning approval that it would have a high quality restaurant. Alas, it was removed later and the community has yet another bank.
Planning board should be trying to get a good deal for residents.
Interesting that the only ArcLight cinema on the East Coast, and the only iPic between New York and Florida, is in moribund Montgomery County.
4:05: In reality, the developer showed a cineplex as part of their sketch plan, placing it in the basement. It turned out to be a ruse, but was indeed viable for them, as stated in their own presentation.
Are you a libertarian or supply-side Republican? Otherwise, you are hypocritical to suggest a free market, lassez-faire approach to theaters while endorsing the socialist command economy tactics of the Council in so many other areas from development to liquor sales.
The cineplex was a key economic driver for the downtown, and it's government's job to step in to protect the economy. The collapse of foot traffic at Bethesda Row has proven my 2014 predictions correct.
"The collapse of foot traffic at Bethesda Row has proven my 2014 predictions correct."
Have you ever objectively measured "foot traffic", then and now?
4:56: Not only are the empty "Barnes & Noble" plaza and clearly less-dense sidewalk traffic obvious, but there are also now hundreds and hundreds of vacant spaces in the two public garages at peak dinner hour. Even outdoor dining has thinned out to an extent.
4:56 Grasping at straws there aren't yah Bobby Conway? Be careful the power of socialism in Btown and MoCo will nuke your pale ass.
So basically anecdotal you’re saying?
7:21: Nope, only as anecdotal as the number of noses on your face. It is obvious to anyone, even a gorilla.
But you don't have any actual numbers? That's not valid statistical analysis.
"number of noses on your face. It is obvious to anyone, even a gorilla."
"placing it in the basement. It turned out to be a ruse"
"while endorsing the socialist command economy tactics of the Council in so many other areas from development to liquor sales"
More conspiracy theories? More rhetoric? Even after seeing how words have consequences? Your actions are sickening.
(Unwritten) SNN Commenting Rule #1,341:
Any and all comments noting the existence of the Landmark Bethesda Row 8 will be promptly deleted.
Looks like iPic stock peaked at their IPO in February 2018 and have fallen steadily ever since then.
February 2, 2018: $14.80
August 6, 2019 (1:20 PM EDT) $0.61
DOWN 96%
10:20AM - added
Anna - {fist-bump} from @ 10:20 AM :)
@ 10:24 AM - $0.59 at the closing bell.
Presumably those who dispute that foot traffic and crowds have thinned out on Bethesda Row didn't spend much time downtown previously. And that's ok. Maybe you grew up going to the Rio or lived in New England (welcome!).
Barnes & Noble was a much greater community draw than the current store.
And the regal was packed inside and out.
No doubt have Barnes and Noble and Regal are better than what’s there now.
So would you want to force a property owner to rent to Barnes and noble instead of Anthropologie? Or force a developer to build a theater? Please explain.
Also I went to that Regal theater once a week. It was dead most of the time.
12:42: Were you at 10 AM matinees on a Tuesday? I can say firsthand that the Regal auditoriums were packed until the very end - it was the only game in town for blockbuster movies. They were making money hand over fist until they were booted by the County Council.
I think there's a clear distinction between Regal and B&N - with the Regal, there was a vested public interest in keeping a mainstream cineplex downtown; the failure to do so has harmed businesses all over town, and most importantly, it was within the Council's right to require a replacement theater in the Minor Master Plan amendment process. But because they are beholden to developers, the Council declined to require a replacement theater.
Fortunately, video of my 2014 testimony before both the Council and Planning Board preserves my warning about the risk of not requiring a replacement cineplex. And now, as with so many other issues, I have been totally vindicated.
Isn't it strange how Robert Dyer is always ahead of the game on the economy, nightlife, the theater, the post office, the Purple Line to Westbard, the cemetery, the River Road black community, the fuel spill having reached the Betco site (and therefore will have leached back under the new townhomes by now - duh!), etc., etc. ad nauseum - - - - and yet, I get no coverage in the Post or other local media.
The media blackout continues because the cartel controls the local media.
With the Barnes & Noble, there was no legal power to force Federal Realty to keep the bookstore. FRIT got greedy, let's admit, and they are now paying the price for that short-sighted move to bring in higher-rent Anthropologie. The plaza was dead all summer, and foot and auto traffic (measurable by garage spaces available) has clearly dropped.
The Council could have strongly lobbied FRIT on the bookstore, but lacked the authority they had (and humiliatingly did not use) with 7272 Wisconsin.
"Were you at 10 AM matinees on a Tuesday? I can say firsthand that the Regal auditoriums were packed until the very end"
No, because I'm working during those hours, as most functioning adults are. Are you hanging out with the kiddies watching the Disney movies? That's creepy.
"Isn't it strange how Robert Dyer is always ahead of the game on etc., etc. ad nauseum"
Isn't it funny how Robert Dyer, Suuuper Genius, expert in all fields, has never held a job in his entire life?
"And yet, I get no coverage in the Post or other local media. The media blackout continues because the cartel controls the local media."
Have you ever written a letter to the editor, or offered to write a guest column in the Washington Post?
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