Urban Nights

Spring 2007 Urban Nights*

Urban Nights was a big success in the Oregon District last night. Please leave a comment with your thoughts about related events anywhere in Downtown Dayton.

Many people came out to see all the great things downtown Dayton has to offer. At Bonnett's Book Store we stayed open until 10 p.m., two hours later than usual, to give Urban Nights visitors a chance to see what we offer during regular hours, Noon - 8 p.m., Monday - Saturday (Closed Sundays).

The streets were bustling with visitors from Hamvention at Hara Arena, A World Affair at the Dayton Convention Center, as well as those who came down just for Urban Nights. I hope the "triple threat" crowd didn't put anyone off by making it seem TOO crowded. Street musicians were out in force, some were regulars while others joined in just for Urban Nights. The street scene is always fascinating on East Fifth. You could almost make a second job of crowd-watching down here on weekends.

I can only speak to what went on in our immediate vicinity since we were manning our store, but what we could see was a pleasure. Dolcessa, one of the newest businesses in the historic Oregon District, did a brisk business with their offerings of gelato, espresso, and panini. At times there was a line out the door waiting to order, and I promise, everyone who did so will tell you it's worth the wait. Sterling Studio looked to be quite busy with their offerings of custom jewelry, incense, and gifts. Derailed Hair Salon had a table out front with a bit of a party going on inside. Derailed is known to host the occasional gallery featuring works by local artists. There is a banner in the storefront next to ours proclaiming "Nail Salon Grand Opening July 2007", so that's something that will be new for the next Urban Nights even in the Fall.

All in all there were many smiling faces enjoying some of the one-of-a-kind offerings of downtown Dayton, Ohio. If you couldn't make it out for Urban Nights I recommend coming downtown Saturday visit these places and many more. On Saturday and Sunday you can take in "A World Affair" at the Convention Center. And, through next weekend, you can take a walk to see the lifelike statues scattered throughout downtown, one of which is Marilyn Monroe in her famous skirt blowing pose from "The Seven Year Itch".

Speaking of Marilyn Monroe, I'm looking forward to attending the Marilyn show at the Dayton Art Institute. I believe that show runs into July, but don't wait until the last few weekends or you'll have trouble finding parking due to large "last chance" crowds.

Some great places I visit whenever I can are The Tumbleweed Connection, Feather's Vintage, 5th Street Wine & Deli, The Oregon Emporium, Jay's Seafood, The Oregon Express, Gem City Records, Smokin' BBQ, The Neon Movies, Goodwill, Da Da Gallery, The Dublin Pub, and my favorite lunch spot The Trolley Stop.

There's much more, like Coco's Restaurant, Urban Krag Indoor Climbing, Jasper Wall Studio featuring Boston Stoker Coffee, Glenn Scott's Oregon District Tattoo featuring 'The Tattoo Team' as seen on "Miami Valley Ink", The Nite Owl, Newcom's Tavern, Pacchia aka The Jazz Room, Pearl Night Club in the old Diner, Cafe Boulevard and their pub Le Monde, Wiley's Comedy Club, Ned Pepper's Bar & Grille, The Look, and Sloopy's.

If that's not enough for you there's more on the way... look for John Henry's opening soon where The Blue Moon used to be and a yet-to-be-named nail salon where Just Fishit Aquatics was at 504 E. 5th St. FYI, Just Fishit is still in operation but business became so brisk that maintaining a storefront was actually slowing it down. Check them out at www.fishit.net.

Finally, here are some fun promotional videos for Urban Nights. We hope to see you all again soon. Bring friends. And don't forget that daytime is pretty awesome downtown, too. Enjoy!

*I began adding links to everything mentioned in this article, but there's just too much great stuff in downtown Dayton and the Oregon District. Please use your favorite search engine to learn more about anything mentioned in this article.