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Via Mark Evanier’s blog, I discovered two tidbits of interesting news:

• The Riviera Hotel and Casino, one of the oldest on the Vegas Strip, was sold to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for $182.5 Million.
• The  San Diego Convention Center Corporation decided to default on a final payment due of nearly $13.8 million on a 6-acre parcel of land behind the convention center.

Let’s start with San Diego.  Here are the basic facts:

1. The convention center wants to expand, and has developed plans.
2. It would cost $520 Million, increase the size of the Center by a third, and be completed by early 2016.
3. Funding would have come from a special taxation district.  Judicial review approved the funding plan, and the California Coastline Commission approved the design.
4. In August of last year, a California appeals court ruled the taxation scheme unconstitutional.  The City did not appeal, and now must either put the plan on the ballot (unlikely to pass given previous votes, two-thirds majority required) or find a different way to fund the expansion.  (This is a frequent problem with convention centers. Locals refuse to vote for expansion, as they see it as a further tax burden.)
5. Part of the expansion includes land behind the convention center. Fifth Avenue Landing currently leases the land from the Port of San Diego, and has an option to build a 400-room hotel on the property.  The lease expires in nine years.
6. With funding unlikely, the Convention Center defaulted on a final payment to Fifth Avenue Landing, to the surprise of the city council.  Without that 6-acre parcel, a contiguous design is in doubt.
7. The Convention Center has spent $10 Million so far on the plans for expansion.

So… the Convention Center has a budget problem, due to all the paperwork, with some maintenance being deferred. The Center must redesign the original plans if they wish to go forward with the expansion. The City needs to find a source of funding which is legal and attractive to the local populace. Meanwhile, the San Diego Chargers are campaigning for a new stadium downtown, and might skedaddle to Los Angeles if their demands are not met.  There has even been a proposal of a joint stadium-convention center.  Of course, one would ask how the financing would work… perhaps the city fathers appeal to both the pop culture geeks and the sports geeks by building a subterranean convention center beneath a new football stadium to the east of Petco Park.

Otherwise, the San Diego Chargers and/or Comic-Con International could leave the city, dealing a blow to the city’s pride.

Okay…  this next one is for you armchair architects.  It doesn’t have much to do with comic cons, but it could…

Currently the Las Vegas Convention Center, located in beautiful Winchester, Nevada, offers over 1.9 Million square feet of exhibition space, placing it third behind Chicago and Orlando.  As with other convention centers (see above), Las Vegas has stated that they have had to turn away roughly 20 shows due to a lack of space.  Other shows are growing and could use more space in Las Vegas.  (It should be noted that Mandalay Bay and Venetian/Sands also have large convention centers nearby.)

The answer?  Buy a casino.  For $182.5 Million. (At $7 Million an acre, that’s a pretty good deal for a property on the Strip.) The Riviera Hotel and Casino, to be precise, one of the original casinos on the Strip, and one with a marginal history. (If you want to grab some memorabilia, or a cheap mattress, the hotel clearance sale starts Thursday!) Located in the superblock west of the current North Hall, the 26-acre lot will be used to expand the convention center further, as well as create the Las Vegas Global Business District.

This is not the first casino the LVCVA has purchased.  The Landmark Hotel and Casino (seen being destroyed in Mars Attacks) was purchased for $16.7 Million in 1993, and turned into a parking lot.

The highlights:

• Cost: $2.3 Billion.  (Immediate funds come from the bank credit facility with JPMorgan, long-term bonds to be issued within the next two years.)
• How will they pay off the debt?  Via convention center revenue, and a hotel tax on Vegas’ (Clark County’s) 140,000 hotel rooms. (Current estimate, about $150 Million annually from hotel taxes, at a rate of 12% on the Strip.)
• 480,000 new attendees expected.  (Take this with a bit of skepticism.  Many convention centers inflate attendance when announcing expansions.)  The LVCVA states that current annual attendance is approximately 1.2 Million.
• 750,000 square feet of new exhibit space and 187,500 square feet of supporting meeting space will be added as part of the new 1.8-million-square-foot expansion.
• The current convention center will be renovated afterwards, adding 200,000 square feet to the current site, and bringing the total square footage to… 5.7 Million square feet!  (Currently, 3.2 Million)

Here’s a little map I created, via the Clark County GIS. Bright yellow are the lots the LVCVA owns. Muted yellow are the structures on the property. The Riviera site is highlighted, and I’ve tagged each parcel in that block with the prices (if known, in Millions) from the last sale recorded.

The parcels below that block, between Convention Center Drive and Desert Inn Road are mostly hotels, condominiums, and… the Guardian Angel Cathedral, the parish seat of the diocese of Las Vegas.  Which, surprisingly for Catholic cathedrals and Vegas, is rather nondescript and low key.  The big white spaces in the upper right and lower left are golf courses.

Here’s the Google Map of the area:

As you can see, most of that land is underutilized.  I stayed at the Roadway Inn when I attended the American Library Association conference last year, and much of the surrounding real estate is post-apocalyptic.  It doesn’t help that the North Strip has usually been low-rent, smaller and less-competitive than the mega-resorts to the south.

Two big developments, the Fontainebleau Resort Las Vegas (1018 rooms) to the north of the Riviera, and Resorts World Las Vegas (3000 rooms, eventually 6583) to the east, are either in stasis or just getting back to construction, after being halted by the Great Recession and bankruptcy proceedings.  With the Convention Center being on the Strip, it should boost the neighborhood.  I don’t anticipate other hotels being developed nearby, as these two projects will cover most of the demand.  (A third casino at The New Frontier site has yet to be officially announced.)

Looking at the conceptual artwork, it seems that the LVCVA plans to develop the lower half of the block as well, although that could be limited to the parking lot that currently exists.

Having walked from the Strip to the Center, as well as from the shuttle buses and monorail, I do hope they fill in the parking lots in the front of the convention center.  It’s prime real estate, the parking can be sited underground, and the broiling heat can be avoided as one walks from the shuttle buses or monorail.

The big deal?  Like McCormick, all of the buildings will be connected, and offer millions of square feet of both exhibition and meeting space. San Diego currently offers 525,701 square feet of exhibition space (Halls A-H). Hall S could easily accommodate that acreage (908,496 square feet), and still have space left over, along with Halls C and N! Or Sands Expo could host the show, with fans never having to leave the building the entire weekend! (Seriously… 7,000 rooms in the Venetian and Palazzo.)

But we’ve discussed this all before, and will again, as CCI’s contract with San Diego expires in 2016.

Meanwhile, if you’re curious about how Las Vegas could host a media carnival such as Comic-Con, take a look at the Rock in Rio musical festival happening this weekend and last.  It’s taking place on a lot that’s 25 acres in size. (Halls A-H? Half that space.)

Worked on some fun sketches all week and I can’t wait to share the finals with you!

The hubby and I took a quick trip to Vegas last week. Although it was mostly a business trip rather than a pleasure trip, we managed to squeeze in a little bit of fun in between our chaotic schedules.
I’ve never been to Vegas in the fall..I hadn’t realized how enchanting this place can be. If you get a chance to go this fall I highly recommend it. The weather seems great this time of the year.

This is pretty much what I saw all of last week..I’m not complaining!!

HAPPY MONDAY!

It's sunny in Rose City as I type. I just visited the central library to do a little research. Right now I'm sitting in a little cafe across the street for some sustenance. It's amazing how you go, go, go when you travel and then all of a sudden it's 3:30 and you haven't had any lunch.

Joe and I celebrated our birthdays in Vegas. We went to Zumanity, an absolutely mind-blowing show, and then out to Lavo for dinner. We gambled and won a little bit, which is always better than losing it all, opting to gamble at tables by pole dancers. I think they are lucky.

We've been really out of the news cycle. So you can imagine our surprise when we passed a few billboards in Oregon that foretold Judgment Day, which I guess was supposed to happen last Saturday, but didn't. Hmmm. Billboards? Rlly? Which lead to this tragedy.

Heard about the storm in Missouri, though. So sad. So many natural disasters. Kinda crazy. Big prayers for everyone in the south. The storms have been awful this year.

Our first stop in Oregon was Ashland. And it is an enchanting place. Very green and beautiful. We went to the Dragonfly for dinner and it's a great restaurant if you are looking for a good place to dine before doing a little Shakespeare. It's little patio reminded me of restaurants in Carmel.

Big shocker so far? Restaurants in Ashland and the Rose City stop serving at 9!!!!!! Gulp. Hard to get back to regular hours after Vegas time. Didn't hit the hay until 2 or 3 AM every night/morning.

Image via Wikipedia

What’s the most unusual bar you’ve ever been to?

The party continues in Vegas. There's a HUGE picture of KISS posing in front of a Buddha in our room. And, I can't believe it, but I just woke up from like a three hour nap. What? These beds are like giant clouds:):) Well, looks like I'll be ready for the wee hours on the strip. I'll try not to lose my hubby or end up with Mike Tyson's tiger in my bathroom, but it's Vegas baby, sh*t happens. So here's to Sin City and everything that will happen tonight. My favorite games are black jack, craps and roulette. I painted my toe nails my lucky color:)

All week, Beliebers have raged on about Arcade Fire, a band they’ve apparently never heard of. I’d like to introduce them to you. If you don’t have time to take a listen now, don’t worry, they’re going to make a record in the month of May. (That’s a little joke.) [Myspace]

And speaking of Justin Bieber, the young pop star’s remarks in an interview are the subject of widespread anger and controversy. [Rolling Stone]

Mr. Graham discovers the extreme fear of conducting a professional orchestra. [Morning News]

Looking for a totally normal cabinet? Then look elsewhere. [Like Cool]

So what do you do when you’re stuck in a Las Vegas room with nothing to do… [Awesome Robo]

And I thought apartments in New York were small! [GOOD]

Just makes you wanna make a big mess, huh? [Laughing Squid]

I think Finland may have a coffee drinking problem. [Charts Bin]

Some people think Lady Gaga’s new song sounds a lot like Madonna, but at least we got this out of it! [Omar Afuni]

Julian Smith interviews James Cameron in the most awkward way ever. [Crack in the Universe]

And lastly, do you want to see the best picture on the internet?

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By Sharon Zukin

Taking a position on Las Vegas is like taking an option on a company’s stock: if you like the place, you’re betting that free markets, human power over nature and boundless shopping opportunities will continue to rule the world.  If you don’t like it, you’re a killjoy…or a sociologist.

I made my first trip to Las Vegas in early November when the mood in America was sour.  Political candidates’ billboards shouted “Not the Incumbent!” and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was locked in a nasty battle for re-election against a Tea Party candidate, Sharron Angle.  I was prepared to show East Coast tolerance toward libertarians and to be agnostic about the casinos’ glitz and raunch, but I wasn’t prepared for the gigantic scale of the hotels, the almost total absence of a place to stroll along the Strip and the sense that there was no city—no urban “there”–there.

I had expected to find dark romance.  What I found was mega-hotels with 3,000 to 4,000 rooms dominating the skyline, multi-story parking garages for hotel guests and staff taking up a large portion of the “backstage” land and a growing reliance on shopping and dining to compensate for declining gaming revenues.

It was all tawdrier than I had imagined.  I came looking for James Bond but found suburbia.

Locals told me that when the Forum Shops at the Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino opened in 1992, it was the first high-end shopping center on the Strip and attracted residents as well as tourists.  It offers the same luxury brands as any upscale shopping mall, from Gucci and Tumi to 7 for All Mankind and my own New York favorite Scoop (eek!).  Until now it hasn’t had much competition, but since the opening of City Center down the Strip in 2009 the Forum looks even less exclusive.

In contrast to the weird appropriations from imagined landscapes that other newish hotels feature—the imagined Venice of the Bellagio, underscaled Eiffel Tower of the Paris Las Vegas and cockeyed iconic structures of New York New York—City Center offers cutting-edge design by some of the best contemporary architects, from Daniel Libeskind and Rafael Viῆoly to Kohn Pedersen Fox.  Libeskind’s jagged edges are the “point man” for the project as a whole, fronting the Strip and startling anyone who approaches City Center from the kitsch on either side.

More than a work of public art, though, City Center is a private-sector New Deal for Nevadans.  Promoted as a “center of gravity” for a city that has none, this giant construction project contains two luxury hotels (one without a casino, how exclusive is that?), office towers and shopping mall; it cost about $12 billion to build.  When it ran over budget and risked being shut down, Senator Reid stepped in to defend it, saving, it is said, 22,000 jobs.  Typical for all such projects, City Center benefits from large tax abatements from the state.

Though the critic Paul Goldberger has praised the quality of most of City Center’s buildings and its grand interior spaces, domesticating Libeskind’s wild imagination in a shopping center emphasizes how Las Vegas tends to make everything into an accessory of capital accumulation.  More than New York or London or Paris, Vegas is a city shaped by and for economic speculation.  Gambling

To celebrate the holidays we asked some of our favorite people in publishing what their favorite book was. Let us know in the comments what your favorite book is and be sure to check back throughout the week for more “favorites”.

Andrew DeSio is the Director of Publicity at Princeton University Press.

If I had to pick a favorite book I’d go with Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Raoul Duke’s romp, along with his trusty attorney Dr. Gonzo, through the desert in search of that unattainable state of euphoria, all the while experiencing American culture at its best and worst, is as pertinent now as it was in 1972.

Thompson is known for his heroic drug binges but his choppy yet flowing prose is often overlooked by his dirty deeds. The fact that he can remember so vividly his exploits in the book while being under the influence is testament to his great mind. He’s one of America’s eminent satirists and humorists, and will be sorely missed.

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I had used the title (Vegas, baby, Vegas) in the subject line in an email I sent Sachin when we were planning the trip, and weeks later he asked me if it was a line from a movie. Uhh, helloooo? Swingers! But he had never seen it, and thought it a weird coincidence that I used the same exact line as his friend who had sent out an email about his bachelor party a few months earlier. Anyway, Swingers was actually on tv while we were there, but we only caught the end of it. I love that movie.
Just wanted to share some pics from our Vegas trip for, as I mentioned earlier, my brother Felix and his wife Erika's renewal of their wedding vows. The ceremony was sweet and silly and appropriate, and we had a fun dinner afterwards at Quarks, the Star Trek-themed restaurant where we had a little too much to drink and got a bit nauseated afterwards on the ride.




Sachin and I hiked to In-n-Out on our first day there--had to do it (his first trip--to both Vegas and In-n-Out). I didn't think we could walk there, as I had always driven there before, and other people expressed doubt that we could walk there as well, but as we were carless, we took on the challenge. It's hard to walk in a non-pedestrian-designed city, and it proved to be an adventure, but we made it there and back (had to climb up the sides of a freeway overpast to do it), and it was worth it.

Also ventured out with my parents to Old Town/downtown Las Vegas, where I had never been. Pretty cool. Overall, I ate too much, drank too much, sat in the sun too much--in other words, the perfect vacation.

Now on to my birthday festivities!