Seattle Looks to L.A. for Lessons on Creating an Entertainment District From Scratch

"Investor Chris Hansen’s proposal for a new basketball and hockey arena in Sodo has been highly publicized and debated," writes Lynn Thompson. "Less well-known are his plans to create a smaller, Seattle version of L.A. Live, a complementary district of restaurants and bars adjacent to the arena that would draw sports fans and other visitors and create a destination that won’t be deserted when the home teams are out of town."

"The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce recently led a delegation of business and political leaders to Los Angeles. Part of their mission was to experience L.A. Live and consider how such a venture might work in Seattle, a city that Chamber President Maud Daudon characterized as 'more REI than L.A. Live.'”