Quote:
Originally Posted by Baronvonellis
I really like how New Orleans has a casino downtown. It's easily walkable by tourists, and I wasn't planning on going there to gamble but when I saw it nearby I thought why not.
That's why it needs to be downtown or in the south loop at least. It's a huge mistake to locate it where the jobs are needed, the workers can easily take the red line to the casino from the southside.
It would be perfect for the Motor Row entertainment district! Or next to the Sox stadium as was mentioned.
Chicago needs a glamorous casino that can synergize with existing entertainment and dining downtown.
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File under "things NOT to do at the Chicago casino".
Harrah's New Orleans replaced the architecturally significant Rivergate convention center with a piece of horrid zonked-out Postmodernism. Most of the walls are blank, so it creates giant voids at the foot of Canal St AND Poydras St where there should be street life. The parking garages replaced even older, more historic buildings and even though they tried to create an urban streetscape around the garages it's more of a sick joke. It would be like if they tore down the Thompson Center, put in a huge blank-walled box with a bunch of drive-thrus and porte cocheres, and then demolished the adjacent block for good measure.
I will agree that Harrah's does capture pedestrian traffic between CBD/Warehouse District hotels and the French Quarter, and the promise of free, clean restrooms lures many people in to gamble.
Unfortunately there's not much hope for a casino with good urban bones. The Chicago casino will need an experienced operator, and all of those are dead-set on a suburban or at least Vegas-like model. Look at Wynn's Encore in Boston.