THIS is a plan to save downtown???? Now I am certain downtown is, without a doubt, DOOMED. 'Nuff said.

Great idea! Let's encourage more walking, exercising, and other healthy behaviors.

I am embarrassed! You have got to be kidding me

Are You Kidding,

We need to have a cocktail. This town needs some help! I love this place- we can do better!

Sincerely,
Really

The people who run Menlo Park need to take a"wake up" drive to Burlingame, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Los Altos and see what those city down towns offer. Downtown Menlo has nothing to offer anyone. Here are some tips- let someone build on the car lots on El Camino. Stop courting Rug stores and get actual stores where people want to shop. There can be brand stores and boutiques that can work together.

Odd that this overlaps with the Wednesday night concert series.

Patrick
This Wednesday is the fitness music concert which will also be simulcast to your iPod. Here's a sample Web Link

if the city of menlo park wants to court more people to the downtown area....here are a couple of ideas: don't ticket someone who is one or two minutes over the limit. allow some stores that bring customers there is a limit to the number of rugs any one person needs - no matter what size the home is....i have long felt sorry for the downtown merchants who must suffer at the hands of the "city"..... so foolish.

Would get more folks with free pizza

More people will drive down to Downtown to see what the fuss is about creating more congestion and smog... C'mon man. I agree we should have better quality shops to make people want to shop, dine and walk in our own downtown.

Block off Santa Cruz for "family fitness" night? You gotta wonder who comes up with such lame ideas.
If anything, this will hurt restaurants as diners will head to Palo Alto, etc. since they won't be able to drive or park on Santa Cruz Ave.

People going to MP restaurants can park in the lots behind the restaurants during Wednesday's event. No big deal.

This sounds as if it will keep people away from downtown. Between this street closure & Wednesday food trucks which presumably use downtown parking, what's left for restaurant & retail patrons? I had planned to come downtown tonight but will now go elsewhere. Not everyone enjoys crowd events requiring street closure. This applies to the car show as well. If I can't park for an hour or 2 & stroll sidewalks to take care of my errands, I go elsewhere.

Have a fitness event at Burgess Park. Connoisseurs' Market once a year is enough!

Well, this sort of thing causes me to avoid Menlo Park like the plague. Close the main street to traffic and make it impossible to access the grocery stores and other retail outlets. While you are at it, restrict parking so we can't shop AND eat lunch without moving our cars and put dumpsters in dozens of other parking spots.
Maybe I am an odd duck, but good food and useful shops would draw me to Menlo Park every day. Festivals, art fairs and special events like this do exactly the opposite. When I 'nip' into Menlo Park I am running errands or trying to feed my family. I am very unlikely to spend several hours walking or biking to/from the shops and dry cleaners. If you want to revitalize the town encourage small business and make it easy to get to those businesses.

Yes, its hard for merchants. The city even closes downtown one saturday morning a month, so owners of sports cars can park on Santa Cruz and meet and greet each other.

You all are so brutal. Sit on your couch and count your prop 13 money and send in vicious and lame commentary. Awful and negative and nasty.

Move on to other cities and leave it to us. We don't want you.

@ interested - I have no idea what your point is. After living here for a long time, but post Prop 13, I'm a big fan of our small friendly retail/restaurant/business community.

Anything which closes our tiny main street to traffic for car shows, art fairs, fitness shows & whatever else can be concocted does a disservice to the locals. How many of those people out getting free entertainment actually shop & spend money in our stores? I used to go to those when I was a poor starving early-married days because it was free & I didn't have to spend any money on weekend amusement.

Same for the "art fairs." Does the town get any money from stalls selling handmade trinkets, crafts, & cheap jewelry? The good stuff is in the stores where it won't get mishandled or stolen. Does anyone still buy macrame? People who like it make their own. A good "art" fair charges vendors enough to assure decent quality merchandise & not cheap stuff like the briefcase vendors hanging out on Union Square.

Added to the actual out-of-use time for the event is the set up time the day before - barricades on Chestnut, Crane, Doyle, Evelyn, etc. It's pretty hard to get to a shop or restaurant (or bank) then. Poll all the merchants & see what they want. If they & the restauranteurs think this stuff helps their businesses, then fine. Otherwise, use parks or other places to show off cars & crafts. Anything which impedes my access to businesses I want to visit sends me elsewhere.

Instead of sacrificing Santa Cruz Ave, why not put every event of this nature in the newest parking lot, redone several years ago to accomodate a farmers' market? Security would be better, too, asa well as clean-up.

"Interested" Thanks for your comment

"Downtowner" & "My2bits"
Tonight's event is designed to bring people TO the downtown, and I attend almost all of the street closure events because I love the Menlo Park downtown. I usually stay for dinner at one of the restaurants

BUT NOT TO WORRY: The event won't hurt stores on Santa Cruz because almost all will be closed BEFORE the event starts. Just restaurants and markets will be open.

Off street parking is always available in the lots behind the Santa Cruz stores. The Weds. farmers' market doesn't seem to affect those lots. (The Keplers lot and CaTrain lot accommodate most of those folks on Weds.)

If you must buy something at Trader Joes or Draeger's tonight between 6-9pm, just use Menlo Ave -- it's only one street over.

Most people enjoy these special events and the wonderful community spirit they show.

[Removed. Comment off point.] This is an insane amount of negative comments over a street fair from 6-8 on a Wednesday. Attack everything and everyone that has anything to do with the City in the hopes people will be unhappy and boot out the incumbents.

[portion removed.]

I agree with every one's that has shown disappointment in Menlo Park. It has all kinds of potential...and for some reason, this little town never reaches it. Los Altos, Burlingame, Redwood City have so much more going for them. This is ridiculous ..is it our city council? I hear complaints from shop owners about how hard it is to get support, that the rents are outrageous..we continue to loose restaurants and good shops.

[Post removed. Comment not on point.]

Not directly pertaining to the topic but:

“neighbor, a resident of another community” posted at 2:01 pm:

“The Weds. farmers' market doesn't seem to affect those lots. (The Keplers lot and CaTrain lot accommodate most of those folks on Weds.) “

Our family has shopped at the Sunday Farmers’ Market since it began two decades ago. Do we even have a Farmers’ Market on Wednesday?