How can you lose? The lights are much brighter there...

The Pitch published a story just yesterday, written by David Martin, about beer, Kansas City entertainment districts, festival and open container laws. Interesting reading.

Lots of friends have been talking about whether the entertainment district downtown is sustainable. Is there enough visitor traffic downtown to hold them over when there is no big concert or sporting event? Will the people of KC actually change their habits and spend more time downtown? It's been promising for many of us to see places fill up on week nights and Friday, but sad to go almost anywhere on a Saturday and see everything empty. And even if the P&L district does succeed, what does that mean to areas like Westport? Someone's going to lose in this little game.

Snipped straight from the article:

Cordish, it appears, doesn’t want Waldo, 18th and Vine or Zona Rosa to enjoy the same sorts of privileges it won on an earlier trip to the capitol. Back in 2005, state lawmakers passed legislation making drinks portable in certain entertainment districts. The law was written in such a way that only the Power and Light District would qualify for the exemption.

Cordish’s unwillingness to share relaxed liquor rules is only the latest bit of discouraging news. Originally scheduled to open last October, significant pieces of the Power and Light District will still be dark when the Big 12 basketball tournaments come to town next month. Last November, Cordish announced that it wanted to charge $2 for parking in garages that were supposed to be free (“The Dance,” November 22, 2007).