Museum - too little, too late

Umbran · Apr 17, 2003

Paul G. Allen, the billionaire businessman and co-founder of Microsoft, is planning to invest $10 million to $20 million to build a "cultural project" in Seattle that will seek to draw visitors into the science-fiction experience, the New York Times reported. Preliminary plans suggest that if it comes to fruition, it would be part museum, part amusement park and part little boy's fantasy, the newspaper reported.

Okay, so what I wanna know is, where was this guy when Forrest Ackerman was forced to sell off so much of his really cool stuff?

Mark · Apr 18, 2003

...and what about when Lisa Marie made Nicholas trash most of his Comic Book collection...?

Isn't Seattle a little off the beaten path for something like this to be very successful? I understand someone from Microsoft wanting to invest in the economy up there, but I wish they'd have decided on a place like Vegas where it would be easy to get to and cheap to travel, too....

Umbran · Apr 18, 2003

Mark said:
...but I wish they'd have decided on a place like Vegas where it would be easy to get to and cheap to travel, too....

Oh, yeah, Vegas. Great place to put your museum, if you want the genre taken seriously.

Mark · Apr 18, 2003

Umbran said:
Oh, yeah, Vegas. Great place to put your museum, if you want the genre taken seriously.

Heh heh... Such a naysayer. It's a matter of spreading the word and making it accessible. What's the cost differential between flights to Vegas from all points in the US (even the world) as compared to the costs of flying to Seattle? I know people that fly to Vegas just to golf and don't go near any of the "attractions" some people would find less palatable. It's why so many conventions are held there. As to taking the genre seriously...I think some could do well by themselves to take it a little less seriously, eh?

WayneLigon · Apr 18, 2003

Umbran said:
From Sci Fi Wire:

Okay, so what I wanna know is, where was this guy when Forrest Ackerman was forced to sell off so much of his really cool stuff?

At least Forry did finally win over that SOB.

Umbran · Apr 21, 2003

Mark said:
Heh heh... Such a naysayer.

Hey, in order to have an argument, I must necessarily take up a contradictory position...

But really, go for Detroit, Toledo, Hoboken, Walla Walla, anything but Vegas.

As to taking the genre seriously...I think some could do well by themselves to take it a little less seriously, eh?

What, have you forgotten that "fan" is short for "fanatic"?

Yeah, obviously, I'm taking it too seriously, as you suggested we put the thing in Vegas - culture capital of the world! Only the finest of the fine, the most tasteful, intriguing, and thoughtful things can be found there!

The only serious things about the town is magnitude of the ecological danger it (and it's numerous water-eating golf courses and convention centers in the middle of the bloody desert) pose to the western part of the country.

My apologies to those who live there. But like Camelot, it's a silly place.

Holy Bovine · Apr 21, 2003

Umbran I think you might be missing Mark's point. It is much cheaper to fly to Las Vegas than Seattle from most any location you can imagine in the US or Canada. There a just a ton more deals on flights there than there ever have been to Seattle.

A quick search on www.expedia.com show that the same flights from Toronto Pearson airport one leaving for Vegas and one for Seattle yields a $500 (!) price difference in Vegas' favour. Consider that I can fly to even Los Angeles for $300 less than Seattle and I say stick the sucker in Vegas! Sci-Fi and Fantasy will never see the respect it deserves so why try

Dungannon · Apr 21, 2003

The reason Mr. Allen is putting it in Seattle, aside from the fact he lives there, is the museum is going to be part of the Experience Music Project.

Some of the attractions that will be included:

The original command chair from the Star Trek series.
A complete set of autographed first-editions of the Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov.
A large collection of "Astounding Science Fiction" magazines.
Various sci-fi artwork.

Umbran · Apr 21, 2003

Holy Bovine said:
Umbran I think you might be missing Mark's point.

No, I get his idea. I simply don't see it as much of a selling point.

Mark · Apr 22, 2003

Umbran said:
No, I get his idea. I simply don't see it as much of a selling point.

It's only a selling point if you are concerned with the number of people it will draw.

(BTW I wasn't necessarily meaning you when I was dicussing fans earlier. These boards are very milded compared to others, and I do not put most people from the boards in the "fanatic" category.

)

Also, isn't there another huge ST or SW exhibit in Vegas (some sort of interactive thingy) that would be a combined draw for something like this?