Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

ab348

kyfdx said:

@fintail They imploded Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati in 2004, I think. I wanted to see it live, but we had an out of town trip planned. They were building the new stadium directly adjacent, so it was not an altogether easy thing. Riverfront lasted 34 seasons.

Stadiums generally get replaced not due to structural issues but due to poor design (many early domes like the Kingdome, Silverdome, HHH Metrodome were not well-loved) or economics - newer builds have more space for private clubs/boxes, expanded concessions and the like, which make money for the team owners.

snakeweasel

@kyfdx said:
@fintail They imploded Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati in 2004, I think. I wanted to see it live, but we had an out of town trip planned. They were building the new stadium directly adjacent, so it was not an altogether easy thing. Riverfront lasted 34 seasons.

Unfortunately 34 seasons these days seems like a lot. Few sports venues are classics these days.

mjfloyd1

Not a sports arena but still standing after a local medical device maker poured millions into a restoration.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Baden_Springs_Hotel

imidazol97

kyfdx said:

@fintail They imploded Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati in 2004, I think. I wanted to see it live, but we had an out of town trip planned. They were building the new stadium directly adjacent, so it was not an altogether easy thing. Riverfront lasted 34 seasons.

The new stadium nearly overlapped the old. Construction require removing a section of the old stadium while the Reds continued to play in the old stadium.

henryn

ab348 said:

After 30+ years working in government I can tell you that in the case of the one I worked for at least, govts are about the worst when it comes to building design, construction and especially maintenance. Up here, everything was designed to be a cheap as possible to build. That does not lead to robust designs. Then once built - using low-bid contractors of course - maintenance usually was close to nil. Maintenance budgets were always the first to be trimmed or eliminated during tough times. That has the expected long-term consequences.

A lot of what you're saying there applies to computer software systems. No one wants to pay for maintenance. You spend a very large sum developing a new software program or system, and then after the first 2 or 3 years there is no budget for maintenance. Bugs are found, people need help, they come to you because they know you worked on the development and your bosses tell you to not help them because there is no budget.

fintail

An early snark name for the Kingdome replacement was "The House The Taxpayers Built", which oddly enough also applied to the Kingdome. It'll trickle down any day now I know that 70s ideal of a stadium didn't age well, but man, 24 years, and 15 years before it was paid off.

ab348 said:

kyfdx said:

@fintail They imploded Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati in 2004, I think. I wanted to see it live, but we had an out of town trip planned. They were building the new stadium directly adjacent, so it was not an altogether easy thing. Riverfront lasted 34 seasons.

Stadiums generally get replaced not due to structural issues but due to poor design (many early domes like the Kingdome, Silverdome, HHH Metrodome were not well-loved) or economics - newer builds have more space for private clubs/boxes, expanded concessions and the like, which make money for the team owners.

kyfdx

@imidazol97 Yeah, the new football stadium opened in 2001, which turned Riverfront into baseball only for two years. I love it, when they tore down that section and opened up the river views, for the last two seasons.

The new stadium was a lot like PNC, when they first built it. But, they keep adding crap and scoreboards to the outfield, and the views are gone, unless you are up high in the cheap seats.

kyfdx

@fintail The Mariners new stadium is gorgeous. We attended a game there in 2017.

ab348

kyfdx said:

The new stadium was a lot like PNC, when they first built it. But, they keep adding crap and scoreboards to the outfield, and the views are gone, unless you are up high in the cheap seats.

I've never been, but I hear Great American Ballpark isn't such a great place. The various sections of stands are all separate from what I gather, so you cannot easily move around the entire ballpark. As you say, the junk added to the outfield cuts down the views. It has a reputation as a bit of a bandbox as well, though whether that is good or bad depends on your point of view. I don't like it because of the hokey fake riverboat smokestacks beyond the center field fence.

I went to a Reds game in Riverfront in the '80s and it was pretty characterless from what I recall, everything just raw concrete. IIRC I got a seat in the mezzanine level between the lower stands and the upper deck, and it was built at something like a 45 degree slope. I was afraid if I took a tumble going down the steps I would fall onto someone in the lower boxes.

kyfdx

ab348 said:

kyfdx said:

The new stadium was a lot like PNC, when they first built it. But, they keep adding crap and scoreboards to the outfield, and the views are gone, unless you are up high in the cheap seats.

I've never been, but I hear Great American Ballpark isn't such a great place. The various sections of stands are all separate from what I gather, so you cannot easily move around the entire ballpark. As you say, the junk added to the outfield cuts down the views. It has a reputation as a bit of a bandbox as well, though whether that is good or bad depends on your point of view. I don't like it because of the hokey fake riverboat smokestacks beyond the center field fence.

I went to a Reds game in Riverfront in the '80s and it was pretty characterless from what I recall, everything just raw concrete. IIRC I got a seat in the mezzanine level between the lower stands and the upper deck, and it was built at something like a 45 degree slope. I was afraid if I took a tumble going down the steps I would fall onto someone in the lower boxes.

I'll disagree about GABP as far watching a game, and getting around. It's pretty modern, with views of the field from the concourses, which you don't get at some other pretty nice parks (Camden Yards, for example).

But, the stacks are part of the crap I was talking about... plus a riverboat replica, a Tundra mounted up high, plus an extra OF scoreboard they put in for the All-Star game, a few years back. If you sit in the lower bowl (the good seats), it detracts from the atmosphere.

Yeah, Riverfront was a dual-purpose stadium, just like Three Rivers, Veterans, and Busch, all opened about the same time. Not bad for football, but there were some pretty crappy seats for baseball. Of course, the product was pretty good there. The '70s for baseball, and the '80s for football.

houdini1

bwia said:

@snakeweasel said:

Tropical islands in the South Pacific can get awfully old awfully fast. In all but the largest islands you won't be able to get more than 20 miles or so away without getting on an airplane, and there are only so many things you can do.

Not to mention that because of climate change they are slowly disappearing under the sea. Oh well.

Key word is sloooowly. 50,000 years or more.

driver100

Our football stadium, home of the Tiger-Cats cost $145 million and was completed in 2014. I believe it holds 24000, small by U.S. standards, and can be expanded to 40000 fans.
So far there has been almost $5 million spent fixing mistakes, a giant speaker that fell when no fans were sitting under it, drains that don't work, railings that weren't fastened properly, drainage that doesn't work properly, and seats that don't let you see the field. Everyone is suing everyone over who will pay for all the errors. You would think that for $145 million they could make a stadium, and give a 10 year warranty.

fintail

Yeah it'sa nice facility, as it should be I guess, for the money. My prior employer would treat us to a weekday afternoon game there once a year,

One cool thing about the facility where the Kraken will play ("Lemon Pledge Arena", as I call it), the ownership group actually has skin in the game, as it should be.

kyfdx said:

@fintail The Mariners new stadium is gorgeous. We attended a game there in 2017.

mjfloyd1

Driving to Gatlinburg and passed through Versailles KY. Is it pronounced “Versales” like in IN as opposed to “Versigh” en francais?

mjfloyd1

Well, this is awkward

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/954351?src=WNL_bom_210711_MSCPEDIT&uac=141028FG&impID=3496474&faf=1

ronsteve

mjfloyd1 said:

Driving to Gatlinburg and passed through Versailles KY. Is it pronounced “Versales” like in IN as opposed to “Versigh” en francais?

I ran in the Bourbon Chase relay a few years ago, and they had clever titles for each of the 36 legs of the race. The one that took you into downtown Versailles was named "This Ain't France, This is Ver-SALES."

snakeweasel

@kyfdx said:
@imidazol97 Yeah, the new football stadium opened in 2001, which turned Riverfront into baseball only for two years. I love it, when they tore down that section and opened up the river views, for the last two seasons.

The new stadium was a lot like PNC, when they first built it. But, they keep adding crap and scoreboards to the outfield, and the views are gone, unless you are up high in the cheap seats.

Do you go to the ballpark to look at river views or to watch a baseball game?

Now talking about obstructing the view when the current owners first bought the Chicago Cubs the put up some things to block the view through the outfield. However the view they were blocking was the view into the park. There are buildings right across the street from wrigley field and people would watch the games from the rooftops.

Since then things have been worked out and you can watch the games from the rooftops of the buildings across the street.

ab348

It’s the same kind of pronunciation as used for the border town of Calais, ME. The Canadians crossing the border call it “cal-EH”, while the Mainers call it “callus”.

mjfloyd1

@ab348 said:
It’s the same kind of pronunciation as used for the border town of Calais, ME. The Canadians crossing the border call it “cal-EH”, while the Mainers call it “callus”.

Well I’m not “sore eee” that I asked then

driver100

snakeweasel said:

@kyfdx said:
@imidazol97 Yeah, the new football stadium opened in 2001, which turned Riverfront into baseball only for two years. I love it, when they tore down that section and opened up the river views, for the last two seasons.

The new stadium was a lot like PNC, when they first built it. But, they keep adding crap and scoreboards to the outfield, and the views are gone, unless you are up high in the cheap seats.

Do you go to the ballpark to look at river views or to watch a baseball game?

Now talking about obstructing the view when the current owners first bought the Chicago Cubs the put up some things to block the view through the outfield. However the view they were blocking was the view into the park. There are buildings right across the street from wrigley field and people would watch the games from the rooftops.

Since then things have been worked out and you can watch the games from the rooftops of the buildings across the street.

I have been to Wrigley Field and it is a fun place to go. I think a beer inside is $4 but you are allowed to buy them from street vendors for $2 and you are allowed to bring it in (about 6 to 8 years ago) .
This is an interesting article about the rooftop seating. People watched the game from the apartments across the street, and the owners made stands and charged. Legal battles took place and finally the Cubs agreed to be paid 17% of the money collected by the rooftop people. New management isn't happy about that arrangement and has been buying up the surrounding properties.....which aren't doing well so owners have been selling. Wrigley Field was built in 1914 and is still standing.


http://dearsportsfan.com/2015/10/21/who-owns-the-rooftop-seating-near-wrigley-field/

kyfdx

mjfloyd1 said:

Driving to Gatlinburg and passed through Versailles KY. Is it pronounced “Versales” like in IN as opposed to “Versigh” en francais?

No, we are illiterate, just like the Hoosiers..

kyfdx

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

@kyfdx said:
@imidazol97 Yeah, the new football stadium opened in 2001, which turned Riverfront into baseball only for two years. I love it, when they tore down that section and opened up the river views, for the last two seasons.

The new stadium was a lot like PNC, when they first built it. But, they keep adding crap and scoreboards to the outfield, and the views are gone, unless you are up high in the cheap seats.

Do you go to the ballpark to look at river views or to watch a baseball game?

Now talking about obstructing the view when the current owners first bought the Chicago Cubs the put up some things to block the view through the outfield. However the view they were blocking was the view into the park. There are buildings right across the street from wrigley field and people would watch the games from the rooftops.

Since then things have been worked out and you can watch the games from the rooftops of the buildings across the street.

I have been to Wrigley Field and it is a fun place to go. I think a beer inside is $4 but you are allowed to buy them from street vendors for $2 and you are allowed to bring it in (about 6 to 8 years ago) .
This is an interesting article about the rooftop seating. People watched the game from the apartments across the street, and the owners made stands and charged. Legal battles took place and finally the Cubs agreed to be paid 17% of the money collected by the rooftop people. New management isn't happy about that arrangement and has been buying up the surrounding properties.....which aren't doing well so owners have been selling. Wrigley Field was built in 1914 and is still standing.


http://dearsportsfan.com/2015/10/21/who-owns-the-rooftop-seating-near-wrigley-field/



$4 beers? Were you there in 1990?

mjfloyd1

@kyfdx said:
No, we are illiterate, just like the Hoosiers..

What does literacy have to do with pronunciation? That doesn’t even make sense.

Summer teeth?

kyfdx

mjfloyd1 said:

@kyfdx said:

No, we are illiterate, just like the Hoosiers..

What does literacy have to do with pronunciation? That doesn’t even make sense.

Summer teeth?

Have you been to Sorry, IN? (Syria)

I once had a girlfriend from Orleans, IN.

carnaught

@houdini1, left you a PM.

mjfloyd1

@kyfdx said:
Have you been to Sorry, IN? (Syria)

I once had a girlfriend from Orleans, IN.

Never heard of Sorry IN or Syria IN

Orleans has a really good wood fired pizza place now.
Not particularly good to have a girlfriend from there tho. I kid. People are people. Some of the kindest people that I know are from small towns

mjfloyd1

We drove through Purdue University last weekend and saw a “Farmhouse Fraternity “house.

We drove through UK today and saw the same fraternity house.

I assume agricultural fraternity. That was a new one for me

Well I was wrong. It stands for their values in the building of men

FarmHouse is an acronym of our values: Faith, Ambition, Reverence, Morality, Honesty, Obedience, Unity, Service, and Excellence.

sda

After visiting my parents and leaving their neighborhood I glanced down and noticed this.

snakeweasel

mjfloyd1 said:

@kyfdx said:

Have you been to Sorry, IN? (Syria)

I once had a girlfriend from Orleans, IN.

Never heard of Sorry IN or Syria IN

Orleans has a really good wood fired pizza place now.

Not particularly good to have a girlfriend from there tho. I kid. People are people. Some of the kindest people that I know are from small towns

You're not alone. Here is a tip, if you drive through Syria, IN don't blink. If you do you will miss it.

mjfloyd1

Kinda like Carp IN

Don’t mix up the two middle letters…

mjfloyd1

@snakeweasel said:
You're not alone. Here is a tip, if you drive through Syria, IN don't blink. If you do you will miss it.

I had no idea it was down by Paoli, French Lick and West Baden.

Indiana - where South Bend is in the north part of the state and French Lick is not what you think it is…

explorerx4

Went up the street to my friend's house so we could use his foam cannon.

Sandman6472

No leaks since that first one so if clean tomorrow early morning, will cancel the loo see until there's really something to see. Only way we'll go is if there's a leak by 8 am or if they turned away someone else knowing we'd be coming in as it wouldn't be fair to make them lose any income.
Guessing it's probably time to do a coolant swap on the A3 since it's just about to hit 63K or so. With about 68K on the Golf, still running the original coolant but did replace the brake fluid at 36K...probably could stand to do both if it's still in the stable once it hits 70K. With the miles I've been driving lately, that'll turn out to be almost 9 months or so. Will have to look in the manual and find out when these two recommended services are actually due tough. Now that I've found a pretty good mechanic, might as well get the work done especially if I do decide to keep the Golf. And as long as no issues pop up, then that's a very good chance that it'll stay for awhile. Luckily I do like it as much as I do!

snakeweasel

mjfloyd1 said:

@snakeweasel said:

You're not alone. Here is a tip, if you drive through Syria, IN don't blink. If you do you will miss it.

I had no idea it was down by Paoli, French Lick and West Baden.

Indiana - where South Bend is in the north part of the state and French Lick is not what you think it is…

South Bend is named because it is on the St Joseph river where it bends and starts flowing north after flowing south from Michigan. French Lick got it's name because it was French trading post that was near a natural salt lick.

snakeweasel

explorerx4 said:

Went up the street to my friend's house so we could use his foam cannon.

It looks like Mr. Freeze thought it was the Bat Mobile.

mjfloyd1

@snakeweasel said:
South Bend is named because it is on the St Joseph river where it bends and starts flowing north after flowing south from Michigan. French Lick got it's name because it was French trading post that was near a natural salt lick.

Agreed but it’s funny the other way

henryn

explorerx4 said:

Went up the street to my friend's house so we could use his foam cannon.

It looks really neat in the videos, neat enough that I paid about $20 for one to attach to my pressure washer and try it. But it doesn't really do much except look neat. You still have to wash the car.

stickguy

but they are cool. I used mine once at had to fiddle with the nozzle to get it flowing right but I think it did save time and do a better job. I like what it did to the wheels too..

and it looks cool.

tjc78

It does lift the dirt easier, and on dark cars helps prevent swirls.

driver100

It sounds like little kids get water guns, big men get water cannons!

stickguy

Next time I use it I’m going to spray the extra on my garage doors to clean them off.

andres3

mjfloyd1 said:

The good news- Liberty Mutual finally spoke to the bus driver and has accepted 100% liability.

The bad news- my insurance is still at $300 less than auction value and won’t go up. I filed a complaint with the state department insurance this afternoon. I’ll see what happens.

Did you include in the letter that when depreciation is high the Insurance companies are quick to say "all you get is true market value!" However, when depreciation is low (or non-existent), suddenly the market value is meaningless.

I find the hypocrisy of insurance communications to be outlandish. It's like they have no real rules.

Reminds me of a Diminished Value delay tactic used. I think @snakeweasel defended the practice of saying that you don't incur the loss until you sell, and if you don't' sell for years you get an unjustified windfall bonus from a DV claim.

Of course, that excuse is invalid, illogical, and just a delay tactic, for if you tell the insurance company to sign on the dotted line that you will sell the car within 30 days for whatever XXX value you can get, and then they'll IMMEDIATELY pay you the true market value of an unblemished equivalent car less what you sell it for, they will not sign on the dotted line.

What they will do is revert to some other invalid excuse to not pay the claim once you check that box off the list. It's just a delay tactic; selling it won't stop them from lowballing/refusing a DV claim. I could see them accusing you of "giving it away" or some other nonsense.

As I've said before, a DV loss is immediate, and incurred the second your car is wrecked. Before collision you had an asset of XX value, after the collision your asset is worth no more than YY value. The difference should be immediately compensated.

snakeweasel

andres3 said:

mjfloyd1 said:

The good news- Liberty Mutual finally spoke to the bus driver and has accepted 100% liability.

The bad news- my insurance is still at $300 less than auction value and won’t go up. I filed a complaint with the state department insurance this afternoon. I’ll see what happens.

Did you include in the letter that when depreciation is high the Insurance companies are quick to say "all you get is true market value!" However, when depreciation is low (or non-existent), suddenly the market value is meaningless.

I find the hypocrisy of insurance communications to be outlandish. It's like they have no real rules.

Reminds me of a Diminished Value delay tactic used. I think @snakeweasel defended the practice of saying that you don't incur the loss until you sell, and if you don't' sell for years you get an unjustified windfall bonus from a DV claim.

Which is a true statement.

andres3 said:

Of course, that excuse is invalid, illogical, and just a delay tactic, for if you tell the insurance company to sign on the dotted line that you will sell the car within 30 days for whatever XXX value you can get, and then they'll IMMEDIATELY pay you the true market value of an unblemished equivalent car less what you sell it for, they will not sign on the dotted line.

The reality is that it is valid and logical.

andres3 said:

What they will do is revert to some other invalid excuse to not pay the claim once you check that box off the list. It's just a delay tactic; selling it won't stop them from lowballing/refusing a DV claim. I could see them accusing you of "giving it away" or some other nonsense.

As I've said before, a DV loss is immediate, and incurred the second your car is wrecked. Before collision you had an asset of XX value, after the collision your asset is worth no more than YY value. The difference should be immediately compensated.

While the loss is immediate and incurred at the time of the accident it's not realized until the asset is disposed of. Until the asset is disposed of you do not have a true loss in value. Case in point, many many years ago I had an accident in my car that only had around 50K miles. Of course there was a loss in the value of the car due to the accident, but I drove it another 150K + miles and basically junked the car as all the value was gone. At this point the accident had no effect on what I got for the car, so while I did incur a loss I never realized any loss.

Of course I would have realized a loss if I sold the car right after the accident, If I would have sold it at 100K miles I would have incurred a loss but not as much if I would have sold it right after the accident. The longer I kept it the smaller my realized loss got until it vanished.

If I were keeping the books on a company that had a company car in an accident I would not write off the loss until the vehicle was sold and I had some documentation on what the car would have been worth.

andres3

snakeweasel said:

andres3 said:

mjfloyd1 said:

The good news- Liberty Mutual finally spoke to the bus driver and has accepted 100% liability.

The bad news- my insurance is still at $300 less than auction value and won’t go up. I filed a complaint with the state department insurance this afternoon. I’ll see what happens.

Did you include in the letter that when depreciation is high the Insurance companies are quick to say "all you get is true market value!" However, when depreciation is low (or non-existent), suddenly the market value is meaningless.

I find the hypocrisy of insurance communications to be outlandish. It's like they have no real rules.

Reminds me of a Diminished Value delay tactic used. I think @snakeweasel defended the practice of saying that you don't incur the loss until you sell, and if you don't' sell for years you get an unjustified windfall bonus from a DV claim.

Which is a true statement.

andres3 said:

Of course, that excuse is invalid, illogical, and just a delay tactic, for if you tell the insurance company to sign on the dotted line that you will sell the car within 30 days for whatever XXX value you can get, and then they'll IMMEDIATELY pay you the true market value of an unblemished equivalent car less what you sell it for, they will not sign on the dotted line.

The reality is that it is valid and logical.

andres3 said:

What they will do is revert to some other invalid excuse to not pay the claim once you check that box off the list. It's just a delay tactic; selling it won't stop them from lowballing/refusing a DV claim. I could see them accusing you of "giving it away" or some other nonsense.

As I've said before, a DV loss is immediate, and incurred the second your car is wrecked. Before collision you had an asset of XX value, after the collision your asset is worth no more than YY value. The difference should be immediately compensated.

While the loss is immediate and incurred at the time of the accident it's not realized until the asset is disposed of. Until the asset is disposed of you do not have a true loss in value. Case in point, many many years ago I had an accident in my car that only had around 50K miles. Of course there was a loss in the value of the car due to the accident, but I drove it another 150K + miles and basically junked the car as all the value was gone. At this point the accident had no effect on what I got for the car, so while I did incur a loss I never realized any loss.

Of course I would have realized a loss if I sold the car right after the accident, If I would have sold it at 100K miles I would have incurred a loss but not as much if I would have sold it right after the accident. The longer I kept it the smaller my realized loss got until it vanished.

If I were keeping the books on a company that had a company car in an accident I would not write off the loss until the vehicle was sold and I had some documentation on what the car would have been worth.

__________

The loss is that you can't sell your asset for what it was worth prior to the collision. Semantics aside, that's the reality. That loss has to be compensated.

It's the same as when someone buys their own "salvaged" vehicle back from the insurance company. You don't get docked if your salvaged vehicle gives you reliable performance and doesn't happen to kill you for 10 years vs being a lemon or fatality waiting to happen. Why should you be docked for keeping the car or living?

mjfloyd1

Adjuster emailed me that they were re- evaluating value ….

roadburner

mjfloyd1 said:

Adjuster emailed me that they were re- evaluating value ….

That's adjuster-speak for, "We'll keep coming up with excuses to drag this out for as long as possible."

andres3

roadburner said:

mjfloyd1 said:

Adjuster emailed me that they were re- evaluating value ….

That's adjuster-speak for, "We'll keep coming up with excuses to drag this out for as long as possible."

They actually might have caught wind of the Dept. of Insurance complaint; that'll get a reaction. Something probably like "how about we come up $300" to fix the discrepancy with your auction value?" Not mentioning they should pay more then that though.

abacomike

For many years, I have shied away from using Apple CarPlay in my Mercedes Benz vehicles because it was so cumbersome to activate and navigate through.

I decided over the weekend to try it once again, but this time it would be in the Genesis G90 with a completely different vehicle communications interface system. I was taken by surprise and truly awed by the simplicity and dynamics it presented to me in the G90. Where Mercedes provided 8 options with CarPlay, Genesis offers 18 options for audio, phone, messaging, music, and many Apps that appear on my iPhone 📲 . The Lexicon system in the car (speakers, 900+ watts and amplifier) reproduces my music 🎶 with such precision and quality and articulation that I prefer using my music (400+ songs) for listening enjoyment rather than broadcast FM HD stations.

With the updated software from Sirius/XM, their music reproduction is vastly improved over FM HD with great separation for surround sound reproduction. Impressive!

However, I understand the new Mercedes system in the 2021 vehicles is superior to the older system I am familiar with.

ab348

Having all those CarPlay options would seem to make the Genesis implementation more complex, not less. What do you use all that stuff for? I have CarPlay on the ATS but have only used it once, to see if it worked. It did, but I found it rather cumbersome and not particularly useful to me.

stickguy

doesn't make carplay any more complicated to use. Just more apps available on the menu to pick from. Just like on your phone.

I love carplay but really only use it for google maps navigation. Though a few times when that was up I also used the voice function to listen to and respond to texts. that was fun to do.