22 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINE • Late Summer 2018 TheCoastalBend.com F irst time visitors to our fair city are invari- ably enchanted by the beauty and serenity of Corpus Christi Bay, and the wonderful setting that downtown and Ocean Drive provide for outdoor activities, festivals and community gatherings. For many, however, the enchantment fades to bewilderment as to why our bayfront, unlike just about every other urban, water- front setting in the United States, is really quite barren. The most business-minded travelers will become curi- ous as to why this is. Is it by design that our bayfront is so empty; was it all wiped out by a storm and never rebuilt; is this what the community wants; or is it a symptom of a bigger problem? Eight hotels operate in downtown Corpus Christi, all within two blocks of the bayfront. Three are full- service, meaning they have a restaurant and bar: The Omni Corpus Christi Bayfront, the Holiday Inn Marina and the Emerald Beach Hotel. The Radisson is also full service but is located on North Beach. The newest of all properties were built in the early 80’s, over 30 years ago, although a new, extended-stay, Marriott Residence Inn is under construction on Shoreline Blvd. at Kinney St., but will be a limited-service property. Among the others, the Best Western Marina is the largest and features a wonderful, penthouse bar and event venue, but food service is a Blimpie sandwich shop. The Hotel Corpus Christi Bayfront on Water St., once the gem of the La Quinta hotel chain, is today a dilapidated embarrassment that was the star of a Ho- tel Impossible episode on Travel Channel. The Bayfront Inn was located across Water St. for decades until it was demolished this year, following damage it sus- tained from Hurricane Harvey. The centerpiece of downtown San Diego is one of the largest and busiest convention centers in the U.S., located on a vibrant marina across from the Gaslamp Quarter (below), the city’s most popular entertainment district. Piers along the California coast typically house high-end, full service restaurants.