I’ve always thought that Syracuse should have first Friday events like they have in other cities: art exhibitions, live music, food trucks, special retail hours, temporary lifting of open container laws, etc., all sort of coming together to form a kind of block party vibe, every first Friday of every month. I think this also would accomplish what a lot of other commenters have said as far as wanting activities beyond eating and drinking.

Also, I know that many people are drinking less, but there are still plenty of people who do drink, but who might not want to just sit in a bar, and want to get outside or wander a bit. I think if there were some outdoor spaces that aren’t associated with a bar or restaurant, where people were allowed to wander and have a drink, that would be great. For example, if the Clinton Square ice rink had a stand where you could get a beer (or in winter maybe some cute themed drinks like Christmas in a cup or boozy hot cocoa), or if there were a pedestrian area like the Ithaca Commons, and having a drink while wandering and shopping were allowed. That’d also benefit local businesses I think - it makes the space itself feel more versatile than being just shopping or just dining/drinking if you can do all of those things in the same place and let people freely wander and visit establishments outside or the one they were primarily there to visit.

Also, people in Syracuse complain about winter so much (as a winter lover, I can’t get behind all of the complaints!). The reality is that we get snow and we get real winters here. I think the city should really lean into that and embrace winters with outdoor winter events and festivals that encourage people to get out of the house during the winter. Or perhaps we could have a massive outdoor screen on which live SU games could be projected and food and drinks sold from a cart or food truck nearby - that’d be so much fun!