Highball

Houstonist favors anything that makes Houston more of a "world-class city" — medical research, the energy industry, NASA and, of course, big-name sporting events. To prove that we really can't get enough sports extravaganzas, Houston will be hosting the 2006 NBA All-Star Game in February. It makes sense: We had the Super Bowl and baseball All-Star Game in 2004, so the NBA obviously felt like it had to get in on the action.

This isn't our fair city's first time to host the NBA's best. In 1989, the All-Stars played in front of 44,735 fans at the Astrodome, one of the world's worst places to see a basketball game. This time the game will be at the shiny new Toyota Center, which is better suited for basketball but doesn't hold nearly as many people.

And yet, oddly enough, the state is expecting a ton of people to show up. State Controller Carole Keeton Strayhorn said we can expect 25,000 out-of-state visitors, who will spend $24.4 million while they’re in town for the All-Star weekend. That’s $317 per person per day. These spendy basketball fans! They should eat 99-cent Coneys and check out the atmospheric lodgings at the Montagu. And on top of those 25,000 fans, Strayhorn expects another 60,000 Texans to make the scene for the festivities, too.

That leaves us wondering: Huh? Houstonist's math skills aren't what they used to be, but the Toyota Center seats just over 18,000 for basketball. If the estimates are right, we figure nearly 67,000 people won't be getting into the game — not that all of them will expect to, but what will they do? Sure, there'll be all kinds of overpriced events surrounding the game, and we expect there will be all kinds of overpriced parties downtown. Our visitors may choose to explore some of our other charms, like consorting with the residents of the newly renovated Root Square Park or taking joy rides on the MetroRail. That's stuff they don't tell you about in the brochures.

If those 85,000 people show up and have a good time and spend $300 a day, well, that'll be fantastic. Houstonist will be cashing in by offering a relatively clean room for rent for a mere $250 a night, Pop-Tarts included. Do you get toaster pastries at the Four Seasons? We didn't think so.