Can I throw out an alternate viewpoint on the Pre-Programmed Entertainment Mall concept?
I actually think they serve a purpose and often liven up aging and underutilized urban areas, especially around sports venues or big public facilities. No, they rarely have truly "hip" places where unique, regional offerings are available. Yes, they usually have big chain restaurants and bars. But you know what? As long as they are done reasonably well and in a decent location, they are almost always packed to the rafters, especially on weekends or during big civic events.
Granted, I live in Orange County, which has several of these types of places. And as a former Seattleite and Portlander, I still remember the Northwest hobby of rolling our eyes at Californians and their slick, trendy ways. But I also know that the Irvine Spectrum here in OC is packed every weekend with upscale, big spending locals out on Date Nite. It has about 30 bars and restaurants, 21 movie screens, lots of shops, and a giant ferris wheel and some rides.
Same thing for Downtown Disney, the entertainment mall next to Disneyland, where tourists and locals alike literally swarm that mall every weekend, and any night during the vacation season or holiday periods. Even on winter weekdays there is usually a healthy crowd of tourists and locals at Downtown Disney. Even though it's right next door to Disneyland, one of the biggest entertainment draws in the country, the place is still jammed with people just out for dinner or a movie. And since it's Disney, it's designed beautifully, very well run, and always imaculately clean with not a whiff of street crime.
If they did something fun and colorful around the Rose Garden, and really tied it in to the civic facilities there as well as the Convention Center, acting as a bridge of sorts between venues, the place would be very popular. Since that area is right on the Max line (all of them, in fact), as well as adjacent to a future streetcar line, you would have a good influx of locals coming from the north and east, and tourists coming from the downtown hotels.
Does it need to be one-of-a-kind with Portland exclusive offerings? No, not really. In fact, most tourists (and even a lot of locals) would not feel comfortable striking out into unknown territory when all they really want is dinner and a show on a Saturday night. But if you anchored it with the usual big offerings like Cheesecake Factory, P.F.Changs, Claimjumper, Outback, Red Robin, ESPNZone, Fox Sports Grill, House of Blues, etc. you would have enough familiarity to sprinkle in some uniquely Portland merchandise elements, maybe a local brewpub or two, and use some fun architecture that plays up the Portland connection with roses or forests or something.
I know it's popular to sniff your nose at chain restaurants and suburban malls, especially in the Northwest, but the huge line of people waiting for a table at Claimjumper in Beaverton or Clackamas tells me there is definitely a market for a Date Nite Entertainment Center in Portland.
Done right, it would be the perfect way to bring some life into the otherwise underutilized Rose Garden-Convention Center-South Lloyd District area. Because unless there's a Blazers game or the Auto Show is in town, that neighborhood is as dead as a doornail.