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Say Yes To Downtown My wife and I recently moved from Denver, Colo., where we witnessed the profound economic and social benefits of having a world-class ballpark downtown. Shops, galleries, restaurants and nightclubs have sprung up and are flourishing in a part of the city that once was inhabited only by indigents. The city has come alive. Parking is scattered around the downtown area and this leads people to walk a short or longer distance, depending on how much they want to pay for parking. Now on the day of a ball game, the streets are alive with families, friends, couples and singles from all walks of life, coming together, talking to each other and sharing in the excitement of a great sporting and social event. San Diego would do well to support the Padres, the Downtown area and the fans. Making baseball a real community event will return more than financial dividends; it will energize downtown and bring the people of San Diego closer together. Gregory A. Aarons, Ph.D. Up To Bat For George Thank you, George (Mitrovich), for warming my insides with your visualization exercise of spending a warm afternoon enjoying a Padres game at a new baseball-only stadium Downtown ("Up To Bat For Down-town," January). As I sit here viewing four inches of snow outside my house near Washington, D.C., the thought did this California girl good! Keep up the great work on the magazine. I look forward to it every month. Brenda Langston Sullivan Toss The Pitch For Housing George S. Mitrovich, whose advice that Downtown San Diego has an imperative to build a new baseball stadium (January), must have been the navigator for Columbus. His advice is misleading, to say the very least, in its flat-world vision for our city. The cost of building a new stadium is $300 million to the taxpayers. The suggested location is "organized gridlock." The only way for a baseball fan to enter the proposed park would be for that person to parachute in. New major sports arenas are built away from major cities; case in point: Meadowlands Sports Complex, New Jersey. Downtown San Diego needs affordable housing. This is its number one priority in order for it to have a future that will be relevant to our economic growth. Our Naval personnel are crying to live in housing that they and their families need, in lieu of the hovels that are the present Naval personnel's lot in life. Building a new sports stadium is a crap shoot. New housing will assure and attract new industry to our city. What is being proposed by Mitrovich is the gentrification of Downtown San Diego, and it means the working poor and homeless San Diegans will be driven out of sight and mind. Dr. Art Salzberg The $200 Fantasy Date George Mitrovich ends his article on a new Downtown baseball stadium (January) with a description of a fantasy date. If you figure the cost of tickets for a new stadium ($30 each, at least, based on other downtown parks), the inflated cost of hot dogs and cotton candy, the dinner at Rainwater's and the train ride home, you’re looking at a $200 date. While this may be OK for young accountants at top-10 firms, it probably will not be in the budget for working-class families. Before we point to Baltimore or Cleveland as examples of success, check the demographics. In a city that can’t support a symphony or a classical radio station, how many people can afford baseball tickets that will cost as much as concert tickets? Football, basketball and hockey have already been priced out of the average person's budget. Before we turn baseball into a rich man's sport, ask yourself how many rich men we have in San Diego. There aren’t enough to buy sky boxes for the Chargers and there won’t be enough to support a new baseball stadium. I, personally, am offended by the concept of my taxes being used to pay for stadiums that I can’t afford to attend. David P. Bishop Good For A Chuckle Was that a typo ("You Should Own A Hotel," January, 1997)... or what? To quote: "The movement for the global spotlight crescendoed with last summer's Republican National Convention." That gave me a good political chuckle. Thanks. Jon Bowes Editor's Note: You’re right, and you’re welcome.
Just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed reading last month's edition. George Kalamaras
Thanks so much for the very nice write up ("San Diego Scene") in Metropolitan Magazine last month. Danielle Laney did an excellent job of explaining exactly what we do and I’ve received a number of very positive comments as a result of your article. Roy A. Warfield, president Correspondence may be sent to Metropolitan Magazine, 1502 Sixth Ave., San Diego, CA 92101; or e-mail us at info@sandiegometro.com. We reserve the right to edit all letters for clarity and length. |
