Arena's Open, So Where's the Downtown Party?

A half-hour before the start of the very first Lakers game at Staples Center last week, streets surrounding the arena were nearly empty. A few fans rushed from their cars to the game.

Otherwise all was quiet.

That's not the way downtown boosters would like things to be. Backers of the $375 million facility -- home to the Lakers, Clippers and Kings -- consider Staples a cornerstone of any downtown revitalization. They hope it will one day lead to crowded streets and pedestrians eager to dine and shop.

But on this night anyway, most fans who went to the opening Lakers game simply parked in the nearby lots, walked to the new arena -- and left as soon as it was over. Those who did venture downtown didn't exactly hit the streets, either. They parked at nearby restaurants, where they ate and caught shuttles to and from the arena.

It left managers of even the most successful downtown nightspots wondering -- yet again -- how much of a boon Staples will be.

"We expect to get the most business from concerts and the Lakers, but it's too soon to tell," said Ed Kasky, manager of Engine Co. No. 28. "The real test will be whether people want to dine early, before the games. It may be two or three years before we know."

In order to get a better sense of the downtown scene in the new Staples era, the Business Journal spent last Wednesday evening monitoring the fans' comings and goings. I arrived downtown just after 5:30 p.m. -- two hours before game time -- and parked at 888 International Tower near the, intersection of Eighth and Figueroa streets.

It cost $8 -- exactly what the open-air Stapies Center lot was charging. There were only a handful of other cars there, and an employee said the garage might not continue staying open at nights if business didn't pick up.

I walked north along Figueroa toward the Central Library region in search of downtown hot spots like Cafe Pinot, Ciudad and Nick and Stef's steakhouse, the latest entry from Joachim Splichal's Patina Group.

Cafe Pinot was about a third full. Earlier that afternoon, Pamela Mosher, spokeswoman for the Patina Group, maintained that the restaurant was keeping a tight watch on its reservations so as not to overbook and risk making Staples Center patrons late for the game.

At 6 p.m., the dining room at Nick & Stefs at Wells Fargo Center was filling up, but there were some open seats at the bar indoors and on the patio. McCormick & Schmicks was having a busy happy hour, though a Starbucks nearby was deserted except for a cashier talking on the phone.

At Ciudad, the bar and dining area were full with the first of several waves to hit the eatery through the evening. "The summer was slow, so Staples provided a needed shot in the arm," said General Manager Shawn Laughintree.

At 7 p.m., it was back down Figueroa toward Engine Co. No. 28, where the restaurant was full and a line had formed. Kasky, who said business has been booming since the opening of Staples Center, noted that the restaurant did about $25,000 in additional business during the four Bruce Springsteen concerts in October. But he conceded he didn't know if that success would last.

On recent game and concert nights, the restaurant has seen little demand for post-event dining. "We close at 9," he said. "We would stay open later if there were requests for after-game dinners, but we've had none so far."

A few of the toniest eateries haven't quite figured out how to accommodate rowdy basketball, hockey and music fans who have cash to spend and like to eat and run to the arena.

"We try to provide a certain type of dining experience, which often takes from one-and-a-half hours to two-and-a-half hours", said Joachim Sandblichler of the Water Grill. "It's difficult for us to offer the experience our patrons expect when people come to the bar, want to order a beer and an entree and leave within 45 minutes.

"Our bar became kind of a mob scene when Springsteen was in town," he said. "Limos were lined up all along Fifth Street near our entrance. It provided an unattractive atmosphere for our (regular) diners."

Most of the downtown restaurants trying to cash in on Staples are in the area bounded by Third Street, Figueroa, Seventh Street and Grand Avenue, or roughly within a two-block radius of the Central Library. It's a 15- to 20-minute walk from there to the arena, so most of the restaurants offer shuttle service through third parties like Transportation Concepts.

That service is a boon to patrons but also takes thousands of potential pre- and postgame shoppers off the streets, which may further depress the foot traffic needed to support downtown nightlife.

That was evident last Wednesday. Just 10 minutes before game time, the sidewalks were nearly empty. By 7:20 p.m., back at the parking garage, only about a dozen of the 600 available parking spaces had been taken. The sole pedestrians in sight were across the street, where a few folks had just parked their cars and were walking toward the arena.

By the time I reached the Staples entrance at 7:30 p.m., bunches of fans were anxious to get inside, but others were taken by the massive screen on the side of the building, where the game feed was being shown.

After the game, which the Lakers won, people didn't linger. A couple of twenty-something fans from Venice said they had no plans to hang around, even though they were among the few who stayed until the end. "It's a weeknight, and we have to go to work tomorrow," one said. "Besides, there's nothing close, by to do."

"There's no more reason to hang around here than there was at Inglewood," said another fan, who said he occasionally saw games at the Forum.

Pedestrians hustled in the direction of the Blue Line stop at the corner of Pico Boulevard and Flower Street, about a four-minute walk from Staples. It was also busy along Figureroa, as fans headed to their cars.

A few night owls congregated in the surrounding bars and restaurants. At the Holiday Inn City Center across the street from the arena, eight or 10 customers relaxed at the bar and a couple of small parties were seated in the restaurant.

The bar at Le Bella Aviano, next to Figueroa Hotel one block north, was also pretty empty.

For the moment, late-night diners don't have many options if they're coming from the arena -- especially if they're on foot. Only two downtown restaurants are open 24 hours -- the Original Pantry, located less than a block from the arena, is open all night. So is Pacific Dining Car, which is more than a mile from the arena but like other restaurants offers shuttle service.

Driving the streets surrounding the arena after the game revealed few other signs of life, except for the bar at Ciao Trattoria, which was full.

Traffic reports on KFWB and KNX confirmed the lack of activity. Around 10:40 p.m., a mere 20 minutes after the game, traffic in downtown around Staples Center wasn't even mentioned.