Hopes High for Bigger CityWalk as Summer Season Approaches

As their first date night in six years approached, Lenore and Robert Whiteside wanted it to be a memorable one. So, on a recent Saturday night, the Van Nuys couple headed out to Universal CityWalk to check out the highly touted expansion that features 30 new restaurants, shops and attractions.

“We’re so happy we came. It’s been six years since our last visit and it’s all wonderful,” Lenore Whiteside said. “It’s a place I can bring my son to or where we can come back as a family.”

Earlier this month, Universal opened the second and final development phase of the 7-year-old “shopper-tainment” center that offers a trendy mix of things to do, see and eat. The 93,000-square-foot expansion includes an IMAX 3D theater, a “virtual” NASCAR motor speedway, a Latin dance club, a rock ‘n’ roll bowling alley, a dueling piano bar and such popular restaurants as Jerry’s Famous Deli, Gaucho Grill, Versailles and Tommy’s World Famous Hamburgers.

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In addition, 12 new stores have opened, running the gamut from vintage clothing to movie memorabilia, politically incorrect T-shirts and wind-up toys. While the majority of shoppers were having fun scoping out the new digs, Evelyn Reiss did not count herself among them.

“So far, it’s nothing to rave about. Just more of the same stuff I’ll never buy,” the Northridge resident said after coming out of a jam-packed Wound & Wound Toy Co. ‘We bring people here when they come to visit--it’s fun for them.”

Retail analyst Richard Giss believes the additions to CityWalk will help fortify the balance between entertainment and retail.

“They’re aiming at someone who wants entertainment but at the same time wants the experience of shopping as a recreational activity,” said Giss, a partner in the Los Angeles office of the consulting firm Deloitte & Touche. “By expanding their offering, it may take more than one trip to see everything and it will draw you back.

“Any retail and entertainment offering constantly has to freshen that offering--if you don’t, you run the risk of not being relevant anymore,” he added.

Since the grand opening, store managers say business has been booming and expectations are high that it will only get better as the summer season approaches.

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“We’ve been so packed that we had to close our doors at some points,” said Dino Vindeni, general manager of Hollywood Harley-Davidson. “We’re catering to a different crowd than a dealership would, so the hard-core Harley owner might be disappointed. But we’ve been getting great feedback so far.”

The store features an assortment of Harley-Davidson apparel for the whole family, including sweatshirts, T-shirts, neckties, boots, leather jackets and vests.

NASCAR General Manager Bob Melvin said he judges how well business is doing by the length of the wait for wannabe race car drivers.

“Normally, it’s a 5- to 10-minute wait, but since the grand opening, it’s up to 20 minutes,” Melvin said. Patrons can get behind the wheel of a racing simulator for $8 a race; $2.50 will buy you a passenger ticket in one of the 12 cars.

Andi Ponsford of El Paso, Texas, dropped in on CityWalk after a full day at Universal Studios.

“I would think this would be great if you lived locally,” she said. “I’d come all the time just to go out to dinner at all the different restaurants,” said Ponsford, who was on her second visit to the theme park and CityWalk in three years. “Every time we come there’s more to see and do. And it’s more attractive too.”

Ponsford’s son, Mitchell, 12, and nephew, Jeffrey Azar, 11, enjoyed their evening at CityWalk but were more excited about the new attractions at neighboring Universal Studios, including “The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb.”

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Universal has also updated the 45-minute tram ride with a video to go along with the guided tour. Guests listen to an introduction by director Ron Howard, followed by vignettes from other well-known people in the motion picture industry.

“They provide tidbits about what was shot on the lot and where,” said Eliot Sekular, the studio’s publicity director. “This was always the missing element [for the tram ride].”

Azar said he noticed the new video on the tram tour immediately.

“It definitely made it more interesting, seeing how things were done,” he said.

It is just one of a handful of new additions opening before the summer crowds descend upon the Southern California park.

The theme park will also feature a new live entertainment show, “The Rug Rats Magic Adventure,” opening the first week in June in the Nickelodeon Theatre. And a “Rocky and Bullwinkle” show is slated to run through the summer only.

The park’s newest attractions made a good impression on Las Vegas visitor David Harris. The high school junior was part of a class field trip to both the theme park and CityWalk.

“This is definitely more of a family-oriented place than the Strip in Las Vegas,” Harris said. “I like all the variety and Universal [Studios] was much better than the last time we came.”

Fellow student Michele Nikitas was impressed by the visual aids at the theme park and the decorations at CityWalk.

“I liked the video part on the tram because it gave you a timeline of how things happened in the movie,” the high school junior said. “All of the shops [at CityWalk] are really cool too. We’re just having a great time.”

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Giss said the shops at CityWalk are considered resort shops and are aimed at the high percentage of vacation and recreational visitors. But the new restaurants and nightspots are a way of attracting more locals, he said--and the opening of a new Universal City Station on the Metro Red Line should bring even more new visitors.

“Having upscale restaurants makes it a real destination,” Giss said. “Plus, this is new, so everyone will want to go up and see it.”