Cow Palace

[michelej1]

San Francisco Chronicle (CA), November 11, 2007
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...sn=001&sc=1000
Section: Metro

Perata plots retaliation against GOP colleague

Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross


Party time: Some cities roll out the red carpet for favored guests. San Francisco is once again shutting down an entire street to play host to Oracle's weeklong, multimillion-dollar OpenWorld bash.

And what a party it is, drawing an estimated 42,000 attendees who have booked virtually every hotel room in the city, plus a good number down by the airport and farther along the Peninsula.

They also booked up restaurants all through downtown for private receptions.

The fun will be capped off with a blowout at the Cow Palace featuring Piano Man Billy Joel, Lenny Kravitz and Fleetwood Mac'ers Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood.

-- More than 2,300 spotlights.

-- 100,000 square feet of custom-made table linens.

-- 70,000 compostable cups.

-- And 50 portable toilets.

Along Howard Street - which the city already has roped off to car traffic between Third and Fourth streets, and where a giant tent has been raised - the company expects to serve:

-- 2,000 jugs (that's 10,000 gallons) of water.

-- 66,000 sodas.

-- 66,000 juices.

-- 150,000 cups of coffee.

-- 45,000 bottles of water.

-- 54,000 boxed lunches.

Howard Street will also feature three bands, one DJ, nine disco dancers and three Charlie's Angels look-alikes.

Estimated take for the town's hotels, eateries, caterers, sign painters, Teamsters and others who will work the show: $80 million.

Incidentally, in return for all the hotel rooms that Oracle is filling up, the hotels have agreed to pick up the tech giant's tab for renting Moscone Center.

EXTRA! Catch our Web page at www.sfgate.com/matierandross. Cast your vote on how to spend time during the writers strike. Play the Queen Elizabeth royal read photo caption contest.