San Diego’s development cup brims

Press, 30 May 1989, Page 17

San Diego’s development cup brims

DAVID WETHEY,

chief photographer for “The Press,”

who was in southern California recently courtesy of Air New Zealand, gives impressions, story and photographs, of San Diego. He was there when Judge Carmen Ciparick delivered her New York Supreme Court decision that San Diego should forfeit the America’s Cup to New Zealand, but he found that not all citizens were aware of the yachting controversy.

THE CABBIE was a likely candidate. “What do you think of the America’s Cup decision?” I asked. — “Eh”? “What do you think of losing the cup?” “You’ve lost a cap?” “No ... the yachting cup ... The America’s Cup that has just been lost to New Zealand.” You’ve lost a yachting cap?"

The conversation was starting to resemble a Monty Python script. After a brief explanation the only response I got was “I ain’t heard of it.” This was downtown San Diego, a city which stands to lose an estimated SUSI billion and 10,000 jobs with the loss of the cup, yet it was quite amazing the number of people who had not heard of the challenge or the ensuing courtroom drama.

In the massive Horton Plaza shopping complex I asked a young woman on a sweat-shirt stall what she thought of the judge’s decision. “It’s like the winner of the Super Bowl losing to the second place-getter after taking it to court.” She was pretty upset. “It’s a shame (Michael) Fay didn’t understand the rules.” > About then I noticed the sweat shirt I was looking at, and indeed the whole stand, were halfpriced “Sail America” shirts — and it was only a day after the judge’s decision. Enough said. Maureen O’Connor, mayor of this southern Californian city of more than one million people, says the people really hurt by the ruling are the average working San Diegans who would have benefited from the creation of jobs. The robust economy is very much in evidence in downtown San Diego with extensive renovation and redevelopment which has more than doubled office space in the last few years. The Centre City Development Corporation is overseeing the redevelopment with attractive results. Architects have been instructed to design buildings with people in mind. A blending of styles, old and new, use of atriums and tiny parks give the city centre a vibrant image. Centrepiece of the downtown area is the Horton Plaza, more than 4.5 hectares on three levels of four major department stores, 150 specialty shops, restaurants, theatres and a sevenscreen cinema.

It contrasts sharply with the equally attractive Seaport Village only blocks away on the edge of San Diego Bay, which is two hectares of shops and restaurants on a park setting aimed at the tourist.

Viewed across the marina from the village is the new convention centre due for completion later this year. Costing SUSI6O million the 70,630 sq. metre complex (eight times the size of the Christchurch Town Hall complex) has already attracted bookings equivalent to one million hotel room reservations. Thirty-two major conventions and trade shows are booked for its first year of operation, features being its 23,600 sq. metre main exhibit hall and banquet facilities for 6000 people.

Whether or not the city hosts the next America’s Cup defence, the flow of visitors is astounding, according to facts from the Convention and Visitors Bureau. Nearly 40 million visitors spent more than SUS 2.9 billion in 1988, making tourism the third largest revenue-genera-tor behind manufacturing (SUSII.S billion) and the military (SUS 9.2 billion). Attractions abound in this beautiful city. Both the San Diego Zoo and Sea World are internationally renowned. Only kilometres from the Mexican border visitors can travel for day trips to Tijuana or further, with the San Diego Trolly providing oneway trips from downtown to the border for a couple of bucks.

Balboa Park in the city centre makes Hagley Park look like a paddock. This lush 410-hectare paradise incorporates the zoo and is dotted with mouth-watering attractions at every turn of the/ head. Museums, art galleries, theatres and sports facilities which could tempt anyone, so varied are the displays. The city has restored the Gaslamp downtown district, bringing back an authentic creation of the Victorian era.

The 730-hectare San Diego Wild Animal Park with 2200 animals, and a narrated monorail trip, attracts thousands.

Enhancing the city’s natural and man-made attractions is the near-perfect climate which means the city’s 45 kilometres of beaches are very popular. Mission Bay is a vast aquatic playground of the largest facility of its kind in the world devoted to boating, fishing, ski-ing, swimming, windsurfing and sailing. Within the city’s limits or beyond, the list of attractions is endless.

After finding out what San Diego had to offer I wasn’t surprised at how little the America’s Cup meant to most people I talked to. One shuttle-bus driver expressed open criticism of Dennis Conner’s handling of the Cup challenge. He said that Conner was only popular among certain yachting financial-backing circles, and generally had a poor image. Taking a break at Seaport Village was a crew from the truck company of the San Diego Fire Department; Captain Bill Martes didn’t like the court wrangle. “It sucks — the decision should have been made before the race. It’s a rich boys’ sport, they should have raced in similar boats.”

Veteran ocean yachtsman George Thompson advanced a similar view as a guest columnist in “USA Today” on the morning the judge’s decision was printed in the national newspaper. For San Diego to launch a twin hull to defend the challenge was “arrogant defiance of the 138year old quest for the America’s Cup — in the most sportsmanlike of all sports — monohull sailing.” In his defence of the judge’s decision, he said, “Some say it is ironic that the Cup was lost on land and not at sea. But they are wrong. San Diego lost the cup when its lust for loot drowned its love of the sport.”