The Inner Harbor is just an unreasonably gorgeous part of the city – and most people only get there getting lost on their way to or from that giant pile of concrete across the street from the giant pile of steel.

The New York State Canal Corp. – a part of the New York State Thruway Authority that is trying to become independent – is responsible for what goes on at the harbor.

What's there, roughly, is a short but beautiful walking path, an amphitheater, a dock, and plenty of space ripe for development &nadsh; development along the lines of Baltimore's Inner Harbor, which has an aquarium, a mix of local and national shopping and food, outdoor ice skating in season, and music.

Syracuse is having music there this summer – a weekly block party, in fact. And hundreds of people are showing up. If hundreds of local residents are showing up for a weekly concert every Thursday, imagine what would happen if it were in use every day, and for multiple purposes! It would even be – are you ready for this? – a tourist destination!

So, what's holding it up? I'll give you one guess. That's right. A few years ago, the Canal Corp. put out a request for proposals, and Destiny USA came back with the winning bid – a $260 million development project. Other than some loose change that may have fallen out of someone's pocket on a tour, the company hasn't dropped a dime on the Inner Harbor.

Back in February, the Canal Corp. sent a letter to Destiny's developers, saying it would seek a new developer for the harbor. That hasn't happened, and no one really knows what the next step is – whether the second developer gets the bid, whether the project can go back out to bid, or whether there is some requirement that Destiny remain on the project.

Dick Case had a great piece on the inner Harbor in yesterday's Post-Standard.

For more on Destiny, including actions you can take, click here.