"Jay Honeck" writes:

I'm dumb-founded. Even though it will probably bring more guests to my
hotel, I think it's the dumbest idea I've EVER heard.

I like Reason's take on it.
http://www.reason.com/hod/rr020304.shtml

The indoor rain forest gets a whopping $50 million. This faux
paradise for parrots will be built in Coralville, Iowa, a town
with a population of 17,246 according to the latest Census
Bureau survey, or about 5,000 households. The $50 million, in
other words, averages out to $10,000 per household, not bad for
a place that doesn't even have an airport.

The implication, of course, is that towns should invest in airports before
crazy stuff like this. (IOW is under 4nm away though, so I'm not sure why
it's significant.)

--kyler