Grand opening for Streamline Tower employs ‘laws of attraction’Real Estate Paparazzi

For 40 years Denis Waitley, Ph.D., 68, has been sharing his version of "The Secret."

"The Secret, created by Rhonda Byrne, has become a global phenomenon both in DVD and book formats," said personal success author and lecturer Waitley who has a cameo appearance in both the feature film and the book.

Born and raised in La Jolla, Calif., Waitley an internationally acclaimed speaker with a booking fee of $10,000 for a 1 1/2- to two-hour engagement, credits his introduction to Streamline Tower, 150 Las Vegas Blvd. North to his friend, Scott Bell, a part-owner of the development.

Waitely was the keynote speaker for the grand opening and start of sales Dec. 3, 2004. Also present were Mayor Oscar Goodman and Councilman Lawrence Weekly.

Jeff Patterson, Streamline Tower's director of sales and marketing, said, the project is 60 per cent sold and is expected to be completed in January.

"I was speaking in a tent for Streamline Tower on the Law of Attraction. It is one of the most profound philosophies in life that says 'like attracts like;' so when you think a thought, you are also attracting like thoughts to you.

"What you think about most or focus on the most will manifest itself materially in some way, because your thoughts become beliefs, habits, lifestyles and things. The Secret combines ancient wisdom, with interviews of modern day philosophers and behavioral scientists," Waitley said.

Waitley purchased a Streamline Tower condo on the northeast corner of the 17th Floor for $800,000. It is a D-4 unit, with three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and balcony totaling 1,873 square feet. He added $100,000 in upgrades throughout with the main expense converting one of the bedrooms into an office, with built-ins similar to the one in his La Jolla condo. He is adding a Murphy bed, so that family guests can stay in that room.

"My decorator, Lisa Nichols, referred me to DDI (Cabinets/Closets) a design and installation firm doing custom built-ins. The firm is in San Diego and headed by a very talented woman, Alix.

"In addition to designing special built-in closets in my master bedroom, she designed and installed the Office-in-Home Cabinetry. The dimensions are 8 feet high, 14 feet in length and 25 inches deep, with built-in computer work station, legal-size file drawers, bookcases on both sides, and hide-away sliding drawers and shelves for phone, fax, printer and scanner.

"There are pocket and accordion doors that, when closed, convert the cabinet into a designer piece of furniture for artifacts' display; when opened, the cabinet functions as a complete working office including pull-out wood panels that create a credenza effect, enlarging the desk space by an additional 44 inches by 32 inches.

"I selected imported African hardwood, with a textured grain and sheen, to accent my overall interior decoration of a Kenyan Safari lodge. The cost of the office cabinet was in the $35,000 range.

"Because I have more African artifacts from numerous safaris over the years, I thought I might use the same style of cabinetry in the Streamline Tower condo, but with different wood treatments so as not to try to clone the La Jolla condo," Waitley said.

Rising 21 stories in downtown Las Vegas, the 217-foot tower is part of the $14 billion renaissance effort.

Located in an area surrounded by casinos, 35 restaurants and live entertainment, the tower consists of 275 residences of up to three bedrooms, a six-level 428-space garage and 12,000 square feet of street level retail.

A newcomer to the Las Vegas condo market, Waitley built a two-story Spanish Hacienda on four acres of citrus groves, on a hilltop with expansive views all the way to the Pacific Ocean in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

"I built the home in 1996, complete with out buildings, archways and bell tower, reminiscent of an old Spanish mission. It had 8,500 square feet under roof, including guest house and office. All the inner doors were sliding 'pocket walls' which disappeared creating the feeling of the entire house being open to the outside. Automated invisible screens were utilized at times when any insects might intrude, allowing for the environment to be indoor-outdoor at all times.

"The total cost was $3 million in 1996, and I sold it for $4.5 million in 1999. It just resold for $7 million," Waitley said.

In 2005 Waitley bought his current condo in La Jolla, situated in part of a historic site that was the original Scripps Hospital at 464 Prospect St.

"I bought it to be near my children and grandchildren who were living in the complex. I paid about $1 million for the unit, which is about 1,800 square feet, not including balconies. There is a roof deck with 270 degree ocean views of the coastline. Because I have taken all my family on safaris to Africa, and written a book about the experiences, I did a complete African theme with indoor African trees, plants and artifacts from my trips. Current market value of my unit is about $1.8 million," he said.

Waitley shares another secret -- his plans to spend fall and winter months in Las Vegas and spring and summer in La Jolla with "one foot in the ocean and one foot where the action is."

Joan Schiller Travis can be reached at 702-338-9797 or JTwriter@cox.net.