I usually visit Lincoln Square and Merchant Street at least a couple times a year.  My daughter loves Giggles and what eleven year old girl wouldn’t?  My nose always takes me down to Dell’s Popcorn Shop.  I can’t resist the caramel popcorn nor the caramel apples in the Fall.  Both of my kids  enjoy our trips downtown.  They love the old buildings and are intrigued by the parking meters.  They always fight over who gets to put the quarter in those fascinating machines.  I enjoy sharing stories that I know about  downtown Decatur with them.  They may not appreciate my stories now but someday they probably will.

But there are some things that could be improved at Lincoln Square.   There have been major improvements recently completed to some of the buildings in this area.  Loft apartments, exterior facade work and of course the major improvements to the Lincoln Square Theatre have brought a lot of life and hope back into the area, but there’s still work to be done and potential that isn’t being tapped into, however the potential is limited until something can be done about the traffic.

A walk across Main Street with my children is always  nerve-wracking. The vibrations and noise of the big trucks rumbling down 51, and the multi-lanes of traffic, make it an area any pedestrian would want to leave, as quickly as possible.  The sidewalks, lighting and ambiance surrounding the Lincoln Square Theatre isn’t terribly inviting either.  The sidewalks need replaced, and if 51 could be reduced to less lanes of traffic, it could open up possibilities to sidewalk cafes, and more importantly, a safer experience for pedestrians entering and leaving the theater and other nearby businesses.  It can be argued that the heavy traffic holds back much of the potential in the area, but it can also be looked at as a big plus.  If Decatur could get this area  more inviting to pedestrians, people might just stop and look around.