Parking is a plus

TWO things got my attention in Christopher Hawthorne’s review of the new Landmark theater complex at the Westside Pavilion [“Make Believe It’s Your Living Room,” June 1]. The first is that, unlike so many of L.A.’s entertainment and shopping structures, the Landmark was built with plenty of (free) parking. The second is that Hawthorne actually seems to think that’s a bad thing.

Instead of worrying that ample parking will encourage “six friends meeting up for a Friday night movie to arrive in six cars,” he should think about the excess gasoline burned by customers at some other complexes as they endlessly drive around the lot in search of scarce spaces, and the lines of cars that sit spewing exhaust on the way out as the drivers at the exit booths fumble with tickets and money.

And while Hawthorne may be right that offering less convenient parking could encourage some customers to carpool, it stands to reason that others would decide not to bother with the place at all and instead would simply meet -- in separate cars -- at a better-designed theater farther away.

BEN KALLEN

Santa Monica