b'F irst time visitors to our fair city are invari- The centerpiece of downtown San Diego is one ably enchanted by the beauty and serenityof the largest and busiest convention centers of Corpus Christi Bay, and the wonderfulin the U.S., located on a vibrant marina across settingthatdowntownandOceanDrivefrom the Gaslamp Quarter (below), the citys provide for outdoor activities, festivals andmost popular entertainment district.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 allPiers along the California coast properties were built in the early 80s, over 30 yearstypically house high-end, full ago, although a new, extended-stay, Marriott Residence Inn is under construction on Shoreline Blvd. at Kinneyservice restaurants.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 wasdemolishedthisyear,followingdamageitsus-tained from Hurricane Harvey.22 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINELate Summer 2018 TheCoastalBend.com98 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINEFEATURED: The Stories that Mattered TheCoastalBend.com'