A Threefold 'Thank You' to Los Angeles
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A Photo Gallery of the Things I am Grateful for This Year
Canter's & Ice Cream Sandwich Could Live in Perfect Harmony
Dear Los Angeles: I'm Thankful For...
I LOVE L.A.! My Thanksgiving Thanks
The Parade is at 11 a.m. on Wednesday | View L.A. Lakers Parade Route in a larger map. Map via Google/abc7.com
Talk of a victory parade for the NBA's Lakers began before the team had even cinched the victory itself, which, if you're in LA and live under a rock, happened last night in Orlando in game 5 of the championship.
The primary concern for many has been the cost of an event; with an estimated price tag of $1.1 million, Angelenos, including City Councilwoman Jan Perry, feel a parade is not the best use of limited--perhaps even nonexistent--City funds. While the Lakers have said they would split the bill with the City, the fact remains that such an event must be designed to, and will likely, draw attention to our city.
Some people's behavior last night post-win notwithstanding, the chosen route of the parade leaves many questioning why the team would journey south from their home court at Staples down Figueroa to the Coliseum. Much like recent scrutiny over the chosen routes of the LA Marathon, it leaves locals, like those at Blogdowntown, wondering: "Are strip malls and car dealerships really the visuals Los Angeles wants to feature in its celebration" and "is that stretch of Figueroa really the right venue for the hundreds of thousands of fans expected for a championship parade?"
In comparison to previous parade routes for Lakers victories, the one established for Wednesday's celebration is longer. It stands to reason that, in a time clouded by budget shortfalls, perhaps this route was also the cheapest, since it is a straight shot from venue to venue, and can accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people expected to participate. So why end at the Coliseum and not Staples? Is it because the LA Live contingency does not want a potentially destructive crowd setting fires in front of the Conga Room and the Ritz Carlton?
What do you think? Is this the right route for us? Should we have a parade at all?
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I think last night's festivities was enough of a celebration.
There's only one legitimate place I've found to watch it live, the rest seem like scams.. You can watch it over here though: http://vostuu.com/watch28015.html
They make you do a little survey but after that it's good to go :)
I actually think we don't need a parade due to last night's rioting. We do not deserve one.
That way when the Lakers win again people won't act like a bunch of idiots and respect people's property.
+1. Save the money from skipping the parade and use some of what's saved for repairing last night's damage. I'm sure the vehicle and store owners would appreciate city assistance in repairing/replacing their property.
Hundreds of thousands of people? At 11am on a Wednesday? What types of jobs do all of these people have? If it is hundreds of thousands, maybe the people participating should pay instead of people that are 1)working at that time 2)have no interest in sports 3)find this to be a waste of money when $1 million of city's money can be used in much more productive ways. How much will it cost to deal with all the destruction from last night?
And to put this into perspective, Kobe made over $21 million this year, over $15 million for Gasol and over $11 million for Odom.
That makes sense, i wish our city ran on intelligence but it seems to run on fake boobs & tequila.
Mmmmm... fake boobs and tequila.
I have a Full-Time job and you better believe I'll be there! It's called "vacation day". You're obviously NOT a Laker fan. BTW..Yes, the Lakers deserve this and there WILL be a parade so hush!
We love you LAKERS !!!!!!! ♥
So right. So NOT a Lakers fan. The riots the last time were enough to turn me way off to this franchise and its destructive followers. Riots again? Gah. Waste of time, waste of money. No parade. In fact, disband the stupid team. Really.
God, *no* we don't need a parade! If the idiots can't even support their ritualized war, why on *earth* should I pay for them to 'celebrate'?
Can't we just set up some shit for them to destroy? I suggest players' cars.
Actually the LA Economic Development corporation estimates the parade will stimulate 4-5 million in downtown spending. A much needed boost to business owners along the route.
With the Lakers picking up half the bill, the city is going to shell out about $550,000. After tax returns of 8 3/4 %, on sells, the city will pay about 100 grand.
100 grand to be the lead on sports center and hundreds of other world wide media outlets. Its like a huge commercial for visiting LA.
But please do not let the facts get in the way of your rants.
And the riots and looting? Also another huge commercial for LA? Great.
Maybe it represents immediate economic gain, but what about the people that are taking vacation days or skipping work to go to the parade? Does that represent economic gain for their employers? You need to consider multiple components before flat out saying something represents economic gain. Consider situations where money exchanges hands when others are hurt, their things are damaged and the resulting fixes to the damages and legal battles. Would we really be better off with those thing even though they represent more economic transactions?
I have spent many hours of my own personal time trying to clean up trash in the LA River and implementing other ideas to make LA a better city for everyone. At some of these publicly announced clean-up events, the total turn out for 50 sites might be a few thousand people. Think about that when compared to the number of people that are planning to go to a parade that consists of watching people that are highly paid to run around and throw balls at baskets. If all of those people watching the parade or games actually put that same time into helping make LA better, I think there might be more of an overall social gain and less of a monetary drain on the cities' resources than spending a few million dollars on a parade.