Remember the days when New York City was trying to drum up enthusiasm for bringing the 2012 Olympics here, and Mayor Bloomberg tried to get the West Side Stadium passed to sweeten NYC's bid (the bid had athletes walking down Broadway before entering the stadium!)? And then NYC was eliminated quickly from the the bid and it was kind of embarrassing? Well, now Mayor Bloomberg, a bunch of real estate developers and even an NYU urban policy professor say that city is better off without the Olympics, because the failed plan still jumpstarted lots of development on the Far West Side. So lose-win! more ›

The Beijing Olympics ended after a memorable 16 days of competition and world record-breaking. The opening was massive and lavish, focused on China's history, and the finale was another extravagant display of modern, fanciful performances and fireworks. more ›

Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff, who was in charge of Economic Development and Rebuilding in the Bloomberg administration, announced he would resign by the end of the year. The Post called the news "stunning," but we'd like to call it "classic," because his new job will be president of a little company called Bloomberg LP. At a City Hall press conference, Mayor Bloomberg said, "As a result of Dan's efforts, we've allowed for the creation of... more ›

The NY Times takes a look inside the ping-pong world of New York. Sure, it may not be as big as the US Open, but the Naked Ping-Pong tournament is growing bigger and better every week out of a loft in Tribeca. more ›

John D'Amato, a prominent Staten Island attorney, died of a heart attack yesterday; the 52-year-old had been jogging near his Dongan Hills home. D'Amato, a lawyer and lobbyist, had been appointed as the NYC campaign manager for Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign. (He had hosted a fund-raiser for Governor Spitzer's campaign last year, though.) The Staten Island Advance writes:

John D'Amato was a titan on Staten Island -- one of the most ambitious, aggressive and influential of the borough's native sons...He spearheaded the ongoing lawsuit against the alleged Saudi Arabian financiers of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and achieved a landmark $75 million national settlement from the maker of the painkiller OxyContin-- the Island's largest-ever civil case. And though neither fight was successful, he was a key player in the city's bid to host the 2012 Olympics and in the borough's controversial lobby for a proposed NASCAR track on the West Shore.

For better or worse, thanks to Mayor Bloomberg's assertion of political independence, we'll be hearing about an all-New Yorker presidential race for months to come. Last week, a Quinnipiac poll found that New York State would go to Democratic front runner Senator Hillary Clinton, over former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Bloomberg. Clinton would get 43% of state votes, Giuliani would get 29% and Bloomberg would get 16%. If Bloomberg's not in the picture, Clinton still wins NY State, 52% to Giuliani's 37%. more ›

This is a dis on a grand scale (to NYC tourism, at least). Or it's a blessing in disguise. The U.S. Olympic Committee is not visiting New York City when it visits potential cities for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Cities the USOC is visiting: Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. One could say that the USOC already visited NYC before it selected it to be the 2012 US Olympic city bid, but, hey, it's a whole new ballgame, with no hope of a West Side Stadium, a probably most-completed Ground Zero, and a huge tract of land in Greenpoint ripe for development. more ›

more ›

Mayor Bloomberg wants the city to play a "bigger role in rebuilding at Ground Zero". Oh, so a bigger role than showing up for photo ops and nodding along with whatever Governor Pataki says? Of course this announcement si totally political: By not really taking an active role in Ground Zero (aside from wanting the Freedom Tower to be safer, really), the Mayor has avoided criticism that he's helped the project go to the toilet. On the other hand, the Mayor does have the snafus of the Jets West Side Stadium and NYC 2012 Olympics bid on his side, but as monumentally harebrained they might have been, they are still peanuts compared to a city planning project that has so much baggage. We can only hope the Mayor uses his wooing-big-companies charm to continue to bring business down there... though we imagine he'll be asking them if they want some space on the West Side, too. more ›

Every so often, Gothamist gets passionate emails from Christopher X. Brodeur, who is running for mayor, about Mayor Bloomberg being corrupt. And yesterday, Brodeur sent us something about how a flier that Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields put together had Asians Photoshopped into it. As Gothamist had trouble opening the attachment and needed to rest up for the bid anticlimax that was the 2012 Olympics announcement, we had to wait for today's Post story with Fields's chief consultant admitting the whole picture was doctored:

Fields' chief consultant Joseph Mercurio said that the photo in the handout — "Virginia Fields, Democrat, a Mayor for All New Yorkers" — is actually four separate pictures that were melded together into one. Mercurio said the fake photo was intended to represent Fields' "inclusiveness." more ›

London will be the host city for the 2012 Olympics and millions of Parisians are muttering, "Zut alors!" and many NBC executives thinking, "Thank God, they speak the same language and the time difference isn't ") And above is Zaha Hadid's design for the Aquatic Center. more ›

The International Olympics Committee eliminated New York as a possible site for the 2012 Olympics in the second (of four) round of voting. Gothamist thought that watching the city selection process (starting at 6AM) was incredibly bizarre: The IOC Chairman comes out, tells how many votes were given, how many people voted, what the majority is, and then matter-of-factly says something like, "New York will not proceed to the next round of voting." When Moscow was voted out in the first round of voting, the split screen coverage showed the IOC on the right and people at Rockefeller Center cheering (so much for ending the Cold War!) on the left. Then a few minutes later, when New York was voted out, people were just quiet, and cameramen raced to find some crying NYC 2012 supporters. Then Madrid was eliminated in the third round, putting the age-old rivalry of England and France in the spotlight once again, with London and Paris in the final two. The 2012 Olympics city will be announced at 7:43AM (EST) - the IOC was running late! more ›

Exclusive live viewing party of New York's presentation with music, food, drinks and Olympian appearances. Open to the public. New York's presentation will be at 10:15pm. Other bid city presentations will be shown live all night, beginning with Paris at 9:00pm. We say pajamas, because the festivities for the announcement of where the 2012 Olympics will start at 7AM tomorrow (again at Rockefeller Center). And if you're not there tomorrow morning, expect to see tons of NYC2012 signs and flags from the Today show windows. more ›

It's less than 20 hours until the 2012 Olympics city is selected - 7:30PM in Singapore, which means 7:30AM tomorrow morning for us. And the NYC 2012 team has been doing its thing all over the world, having Mayor Bloomberg stump one last time, along with athletes like Muhammed Ali, Nadia Comaneci and Ian Thorpe, helping out. Gothamist loves the idea of Mayor Bloomberg giving "I Love NY" t-shirts to anyone and everyone he meets. The NY Times has had a series of articles looking at the Mayor and Olympic bid team's continued efforts to woo the International Olympics Commitee, including one from today that shows the importance of power tables at restaurants. And, today, Senator Hillary Clinton arrived in Singapore to lend the offensive her support. Gothamist was amused by the media's attempt to make this bipartisan trip controversial:

Clinton, a potential Democratic presidential candidate, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Republican, deflected questions at a news conference about possible political ramifications of the senator's role in the bid campaign. more ›

Yesterday was an unseasonably cool and beautiful July 4th, and last night's fireworks were as spectacular as ever. There was even a special tribute to the NYC 2012 Olympics bid in the show (bronze, silver and gold shells), which Gothamist thought was a little hokey, but at least they didn't do interlocking Olympic rings - we love the smiley faces! more ›

more ›

more ›

The city chosen for the 2012 Olympics will be announced on July 6 in Singapore. Given the time difference, we'll probably be finding out as we're getting over our July 4th weekend sun- and heartburn. more ›

Govenor Pataki and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation announced plans for interim September 11 memorials. There are two memorials: One at 120 Liberty Street, where construction has already begun on the Tribute Center, which will be a storefront and basement with an information desk and exhibits; the other is a Story Corps oral history booth to be set up at the World Trade Center Path station. Victims' families and other groups are relieved at the announcement, given that the plans for rebuilding the WTC have moved at a snail's pace, mired in bureaucracy, turf wars, and security concerns (check out The New Yorker's Paul Goldberger on Ground Zero development). The memorials will be up until 2009, or whenever the planned permanent memorials are supposed to be completed. more ›

Except, that is, for the Jets! more ›

Mayor Bloomberg is lucky that New York City has a ton of sports teams in the area, because now the Mets are part of the city's plan to win the 2012 Olympics, with a new Shea Stadium as the centerpiece of the plan. And Mets fans and Queens residents, don't worry: The Mayor is still lukewarm about your team and borough, saying, "This was not our first choice. But when you don't get your first choice, you find what you do have and fight harder to win with that one." Nice one, Bloomby, especially since you have to convince Queens residents and Mets fans to vote for you this fall. Anyway, the details: The Mets will pay for a new 45,000 seat Shea Stadium to be built for the 2009 baseball season, about $600 million, and the city and state will kick in $180 million in infrastructure support; if NYC wins the Olympics, the stadium will be temporarily expanded to be an Olympic stadium serving 80,000 people, with $250 million added to the pot (and old Shea will be an "auxillary" stadium, torn down after the games); and the Mets would play at the new Yankee Stadium if the Olympics come to town in 2012. And Sheldon Silver actually likes this plan. Wow, it's amazing that the Mayor and his aides didn't think of this before. Actually, even though Mike Lupica's panties are in a bunch, Gothamist can understand why Queens was not the first choice: Think tourism, hotels, and just the ability to get to Queens. Still, the Mayor said this was a great thing to happen to Queens and that "New Yorkers are not quitters." No indeed, especially the Mets. To be the underdogs next to the Yankees, to only get this deal after the Jets bow out, oy! more ›

Today is a big day in the short history but seemingly endless history of the proposed West Side stadium, as the International Olympics Committee gets ready to tell the world what they think of the five potential 2012 Olympics cities and the state panel possibly voting on whether or not the stadium should get funding. With Assembly Speaker Silver in town recently, Mayor Bloomberg has been trying to charm Silver, but Silver has emphasized repeatedly he thinks Lower Manhattan is a more important priority and that the Jets should build in Queens. Okay, Gothamist agrees on point one, but point two is moot, since the Jets have made it very clear they don't want to build in Queens. In fact, the Mayor, in his trademark, whiny tones, said someting along the lines of "[no one/the Jets don't] wants to invest $1.4 billion in Queens." Net net: There's been "little progress" between them, and NYC's Olympic hopes are "waning". But Bloomberg and Silver (Bloomby in the comfy white polo, Silver in a suit) marched together in yesterday's Israeli Day Parade, along with Senator Hillary Clinton, showing that while they can't agree, politicians love a photo op. Gothamist predicts for the IOC will say NYC isn't that great a venue city, and then the state panel will actually end up voting not to allow public funds for the building of the stadium; Silver will call the IOC's analysis what made him finally decide the stadium isn't a good idea. more ›

NY State Assembly Sheldon Silver told NY1 that he doesn't see a "great need" for the West Side Stadium. And as one of the the three votes on the state committee to approve the financing plan for the stadium plan, this is not sounding good for Mayor Bloomberg or anyone hoping for a NYC 2012 Olympics. What more, Silver thinks that NYC's chances for the Olympics are a "long shot." Gah! As you may remember, the okay to build a West Side Stadium is a big part of what will influence the IOC to truly consider NYC as an Olympics city. Now, not that being a NYC 2012 flunky has to be part of every NYC politician's agenda, but Gothamist is surprised he'd have so little faith in an effort that has tied many people, both Republicans and Democrats, together. At any rate, the slow pace of rulings to greenlight the West Side Stadium has left the NY Jets to do some contingency planning to the tune of staying in NJ. more ›

At a press conference yesterday, Nawal el Moutawakel, the Moroccan chairwoman of the evaluation panel said, "It is important to have the stadium. All the cities are aware of this. They gave us all assurances. He [Bloomberg] is a winner and his team is a winning team." She was also very pleased with the visit, saying, "The bid committee must be congratulated on the quality of its candidature, of the quality of its presentations and its teamwork and professionalism." more ›

It's seems that the Trans Gas president, Adam Victor, has had problems with Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff, who is one of the architects of not only the Jets West Side Stadium deal but the NYC 2012 Olympics bid, too, but Victor says this bid is not revenge. Oh, please, Gothamist has heard that one before. There are a couple problematic things with this bid: It doesn't really address a need for residential living (which the Jets and Cablevision bid purport to do) and the design looks like some bad modernist rendering of Coney Island. If this rendering from Philip Johnson/Alan Ritchie Architects is any indication, apparently power plants of the future will look like Gymboree play areas. more ›

Unsurprisingly, builders yesterday were wary about making an offer for the air rights for the West Side railyards, which the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has opened up for the next month to public bidding. While "licking their chops" at the prospect of such a large parcel of land on the isle of Manhattan, it's clear to developers that dousing Mayor Michael Bloomberg's dreams of a Jets stadium (and the possibility of the city hosting the 2012 Olympics) would carry serious repercussions for anyone who might desire a city permit in the near future. more ›

And starting next week, it'll be Olympics 2012 in NYC round the clock, the IOC team coming to town. They'll be staying at the Plaza and visiting all the proposed venues, so that's why there are tons of Olympics ads starting to pop up - including the ones where the type runs sideways so you can't really read them. The NY Times notes how Deputy Mayor Daniel "Olympics Boy" Doctoroff is getting ready for the visit. Gothamist on the IOC's analysis of NYC's potential as an Olympics city and the rest of our NYC 2012 coverage. more ›

Gothamist rounds up interesting movement in some of the big city development projects: more ›

The details of Monday's final submission by New York City to the International Olympic Committee were released yesterday with some interesting details. Deputy Mayor, and NYC2012 founder, Daniel Doctoroff said the Olympics will bring $7.6 billion in capital projects, cost $2.8 billion to run, but not cause any tax increases. Of course, the plan depends on a new West Side Stadium for the Jets that would set the city and state back a cool $600 million. 81% of tickets are projected to sell, generating $852 million, with most tickets under $50 but opening and closing ceremony tickets running $450 to $1500. 12,000, or about 1/3, of the NYPD would be devoted to Olympic security, but the cost would be covered by revenue from the games. more ›