Comic-Con on the move?

Late Sunday, July 2

Sharon:

 PHOENIX - It's 104 outside but we're inside, waiting for our connecting flight to Pittsburgh, and there's nowhere nearby to get an Internet connection. So I'm writing in Word until I arrive home at around 10:30 p.m. East Coast time.

Back in San Diego, as Comic-Con was wrapping up, the cab and limo drivers were abuzz with overheard conversations about moving the growing con to Las Vegas. True, this Comic-Con International is bursting at the seams for hotel rooms and exhibit space, but what a shame it would be if it left this city for a place that certainly doesn't need another convention. San Diego's ideal weather gives conventioneers a respite from the indoor traffic jams that Las Vegas wouldn't, not to mention the beautiful harbor and sailboats that pass alongside the center.

The growth in buildings, hotels and restaurants near the San Diego Convention Center just since last year is obvious. One driver looked up and announced that the city bird was the crane. He was talking about construction cranes, which do seem to be everywhere. There's no question a convention of this size - perhaps 150,000 people - is a boost to a local economy in a city that works hard at being a good host. So I hope what's already in Vegas stays in Vegas, and Comic-Con stays in S.D.