Sketchbook Idea 3 - Casino in International Waters

Last Casino Sketch (and whatever misc. ended up on this page):

Soo, at the top is a note from the Project H Roadshow that came to town which was fun. I swear I didn't do this sketch during the lecture. I double super swear.

Right then, so the impetus of this idea was accepting that for a casino to maximize profit it had to be insular and a spectacle. Therefore the idea is to utilize an aircraft carrier that is being retired (Possibly the USS Enterprise when the USS Gerald R. Ford - CVN-78- comes into service which could mean Star Trek Convention tie ins!), park the sucker on the international boundary between Canada and United States and serve it with some awesome ferries (Similar to the Jet Express or some hovercraft ferry like you would find in the English Channel) that could offer gambling cruises. The possibility would then exist for completing the much bantered about Port Stanley - Cleveland Lake Erie Ferry as well as create a service station for a Lake Erie Windfarm. The marketing potential is pretty amazing. Granted the carrier would have to undergo some tremendous overhaul to make it amenable to tourist and guests but I am guessing that the flight decks would house the public areas and gambling space, the engine/reactor berths could house the entertainment areas and service/living quarters could be scraped out of the remaining areas.

Heck, something like this would get me to visit. Assume a 30 minute ferry trip on a luxurious ferry boat to have dinner at a 4 star restaurant in the middle of Lake Erie that is being run from its own windfarm. How does that not sound amazing? It would have it's very own docks for private boaters to tie up to and could even act as a Coast Guard station that serves the shipping lanes and surrounding ports. A real floating island/casino resort. With Star Trek tie in.

And that is the end of my sketches on this topic.

Sketchbook Idea 2 - Casino Across/Under Collision Bend

From the Sketchbook (again):

Scranton Island and Collision Bend are interesting areas. The site of Collision Bend was actually one of the sites that is being studied for a possible casino location. I believe its proximity to the Prog (Jake) and the Q or Gund Arena or whatever it is called (where LeBron plays) are actually quite strong points as well as the proximity to Tower City, the Red Line and freeway access. The site along Huron Road also would have slight pedestrian urban impact, the river side doesn't currently have a sidewalk to impact. Connections across Huron and Ontario may be difficult as well.

In the back of my mind is this fascination I have with open container law stemming from my travels to London. I love the easy going gait afforded my meanderings as I strolled from one club/bar to another. I couldn't enter a bus or train with my beverage but as it was a temperate night out and there was no schedule to follow we weren't in any specific rush. Granted my first thought was "Holy -expletive- I cannot believe I can walk around a city and enjoy my beverage as if I were an adult who could make (and be held responsible for) my own decisions. How very grown up I could be! Therefore, if a casino is an adult only establishment due to age restrictions, perhaps moving the casino to Scranton Island and converting the entire island (really a peninsula) into an "adult designated area" complete with auto restrictions, open container, public transit connections, various bars, clubs, casinos, etc. would allow a centralized concentration on controlled debauchery. If I could walk from one music venue to the next along a boardwalk with my beverage, strolling, enjoying the company of those around me, I would find that time rather sensational. Granted there would be the few that would be disruptive however by centralizing the problem I would hope that it would be easier to police/control.

The sketch was sort of an exploration into that series of thoughts, perhaps making the East side of the Cuyahoga more family friendly, easily accessible to Tower City and various sporting events with restaurants and retail, however the West Bank, accessible from Huron Road by a bridge over OR a tunnel under Collision Bend (even the name sounds dastardly!) would be where the post 21 years of age fun could occur.

I honestly think it could still be classy too. I'm a dreamer, you see.

Sketchbook Idea 1 - Casino Under the Main Avenue Bridge

From the sketchbook:

I admit that when Christopher Diehl first asked me to sit in on his graduate class reviews and mentioned it was concentrating on the proposed casino in Cleveland my very first thought was attempting to reconcile a casino typology (cloistered spectacle) with an urban site in a somewhat conservative city.

My very first thought was to attempt to suspend a structure under the Main Avenue bridge to take advantage of the East Bank versus West Bank mentality as well as attempting to reinvigorate the flats. Before you completely think the idea insane please let me explain some of the thought behind the siting.

Locating on the bridge allows for the proposed Shoreway plan which calls to change the freeway from Lakewood to W45th to a boulevard to extend over the river by altering the character of the bridge to be more pedestrian/cycling friendly as a vehicular drop and pedestrian entrance could be located on bridge level (both sides). The bridge location allows a cable car system to stitch the East and West banks with a form of travel that is both functional and spectacle, hopefully creating an impetus for more entertainment development in the flats. Views to the lake and city would be primarily unobstructed creating a prime location for attracting tourists and locals and stacking the casino function would allow physical separation of program to maintain family friendly visits to a restaurant/viewing deck yet still provide a marketing strategy for the casino to function as a casino.

Grand entries can exist on the bridge and in the flats, with bus drop off at all three points (bridge, east bank, west bank), service from the bridge and the possibility of increasing infrastructure (via a tower) if needed.

Just a quick sketch of thoughts to share.