It had been six years since we visited the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, so weren’t we surprised to see the incredible transformation that has taken place around that arena’s neighborhood.Back in 2001, this glitzy and glamorous venue was surrounded by plenty of vacant parking lots, the adjacent convention center, expressways and off ramps, and a newly opened light rail line with a station a block away. Otherwise it was a pretty barren and windswept scene down there.

Now fast forward to 2007… a new development district called “L.A. Live” is well underway, a $2.5-billion residential and entertainment district covering six blocks. Just opened across from Staples is the NOKIA Theatre, a 7100 seat live venue, and going up is a 54 story Marriott “headquarters” convention hotel. Other hotels, lofts and condominiums are in various stages of construction or completion. New broadcast facilities for ESPN, a 14 screen Regal Cinema, Club NOKIA - a 2200 capacity nightclub, other retail, restaurants and exhibition space are in process.

Meanwhile back in Buffalo’s Inner Harbor and HSBC Arena neighborhood…Legislator Tim Kennedy recently trumpeted the release of $7-million in county funds for Aud demolition, carrying on like he had cut the check out of his personal funds. The Aud still sits boarded up, the Donovan sits empty, except for the lazy state employees who smoke on the loading dock… Bass Pro has yet to sign final contracts beyond the MOU… the first person has yet to walk on that quaint bowstring bridge across the slip, the one you see behind all the construction fencing. In a few weeks, the ECHDC will surely have another meeting, and Larry, Mindy, Jordan and Rep Brian will tell us how everything is just ducky. “It’s coming, you watch!”

When? … 2011? Anyone? Anyone? 2013? 2017?

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