THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 15, 1996 TAG: 9609130220
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
SOURCE: Ida Kay Jordan
LENGTH: 54 lines
What's going to happen to Portside?
It's a question asked by many people as they watch construction of the inlet at the foot of High Street. The inlet probably will be open for the Elizabeth River ferry to dock there by next summer. That means the city soon has to make a decision about the future of Portside, which has been the main ferry stop for a number of years.
Some people want to keep Portside open. Others want to close it.
We know there are some Olde Towne residents who wanted it closed a long time ago. They still have that mindset, despite the fact that they have had relatively little to complain about in recent years.
Some High Street merchants also adamantly believe that Portside should be closed because they believe it hurts their business. I would bet it makes little or no difference in their sales.
Most people who go to Portside go there for a variety of reasons.
Some people like to sit outdoors on the waterfront - even when it's hot because they welcome a brief bit of fresh air. Some enjoy the entertainment. Some like Portside because it's a family place, and they can take their children and still have a beer.
Probably the most important aspect of Portside is the feeling of community.
More and more, researchers are documenting the need people have to be places with other people - whether they know them or not. Portside is one place in Portsmouth where strangers can speak and good friends meet to visit. It's a place where all sorts of people are comfortable with each other.
Hundreds of people go to Portside every week to relax. It is a destination. Many people who come to Downtown Portsmouth to go there would not come for any other reason.
That's why I doubt that anybody would benefit from Portside closing. People who want to sit outside and have a sandwich are not the same people who want to go eat or drink indoors.
Portside does not seem overrun with lunch customers who might otherwise go down High Street. Certainly, if you want to eat or even drink a soda between 3 and 5 p.m., you almost have to patronize Portside.
Portside is successful. That's the best reason to keep it open until there is a more profitable use of the space it occupies.
When the time comes that Portside is closed in its present location, we ought to have a place on the water between City Hall and the Navy Yard for a bigger, better version of Portside.
The area south of City Hall is visible and within easy walking distance of the destroyers and frigates now berthed at the Naval Shipyard. Thousands of young sailors live on the ships in the yard and city officials have discussed ways to attract them to spend money in Portsmouth.
A new version of Portside, where free entertainment and reasonably priced food were available, could help Portsmouth and, at the same time, provide a wholesome place for the sailors to spend leisure time. by CNB