Harrisburg At Night by Benjy Eisen Downtown has been improving steadily for years, starting with, say, the opening of Strawberry Square and the Hilton. After a short stall, it seems things have finally started to snowball. Thanks to brilliant publicity by the Downtown Improvement District, everybody knows about downtown’s “Restaurant Row,” based loosely along Second Street where new restaurants continue to shape-shift the stretch. Fisaga’s California-style atmosphere has certainly changed the landscape as has the neighboring Neato Burrito, while 5:01 Downtown and The Pub At 202 have also been welcome additions. A newly packaged “Shops On Third” now promises to improve after-work foot traffic for shopping, but what about nightlife? The closing of The Vault this past summer has left a gaping hole in downtown club life, despite 5:01 Downtown’s bid for a dress-code dance option. Before the Vault vaulted its doors for the final time, rumors were already flying about possible replacements. There’s been much speculation as to a jazz club opening up if not on one of the floors previously belonging to the Vault, then perhaps in the space adjacent. Word-of-mouth has Harrisburg believing that the jazz club will offer live entertainment, with a 1000 person capacity venue. Could this be true? If so, the ramifications are huge. A one thousand-person capacity? It’d have to be someplace other than the Vault, which, just a guess, holds well less than 300 per-floor. Next door would be an option, but the rumor there is that a Floridian/Miami Beach/Venetian themed dine-and-drink is opening in that spot, which will offer some sort of entertainment, though not necessarily jazz, per se. Donnie Brown, who has already has spruced up downtown life with The Firehouse, and Fisaga, is planning on opening up the third floor of The Firehouse for the mostly over-30 crowd, with a Top 40 dance format. The idea, says Donnie, is that patrons will be able to “enjoy dinner and then take an elevator ride to the top floor” to cap the night off with some dancing. The space, which will hold about 175, is slated to open by Valentine’s Day and should keep to the fire station theme of the restaurant. Rumor has it that Paul Odom has sold Pol-i-tesse. The rumors are false. “The business is for sale,” says Odom, “either outright or in a capacity where I will stay on and manage it.” Odom went on to say, “There have been talks on the table, but nothing concrete has happened. Whatever the case, please let your readers know that I am not leaving the area, and am considering a smaller, more intimate option off the beaten path, but still downtown.” It’s obvious that center city Harrisburg is on the move. How fast it grows will depend on the public’s willingness to rediscover downtown.