Results tagged “batteryparkcity”

After two decades spent shuffling passengers on and off the island of Manhattan via an undignified "temporary" tent terminal in Battery Park City, the Port Authority is poised to open a new terminal tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. The $91.5 million floating terminal boasts five ferry slips, a 22,000-square-foot waiting area and separate gangways for arriving and departing passengers traveling between New Jersey, Westchester, and Rockland counties. According to City Room, the original construction award in 2004 was $35.7 million, and the terminal was supposed to open in 2006, but there were "unanticipated construction complications." The BillyBey Ferry Company, which operates in partnership with New York Waterway, maintains the contract to operate the terminal, which is opening amidst speculation that New York Waterway may go bankrupt. Oh well, at least it includes a place for the general public to hang out, on the outermost deck of the 160-by-176-foot hull.

After Jersey City cop Martin Abreu was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving while intoxicated, after allegedly striking two pedestrians—killing one and injuring the other—his mother defended him. The Daily News reports that a woman who identified herself as Abreu's mother said, "It was her fault," referring to 26-year-old Marilyn Feng, who died while crossing West Street at Albany in Battery Park City. The woman added, "So my son went out and had a couple of drinks. He deserves to have a good time now and then."

    

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio recently purchased a unit at the David Rockwell-designed Riverhouse building in Battery Park City. The building is designed to be ecologically friendly while still luxurious. Details about the film star's specific residence weren't disclosed, but the Riverhouse has 264 units, including three bedroom duplexes that are still available.

Earlier this week, the Post reported that "high-profile" Bronx Republican Fred Brown, who is a GOP district leader in the Bronx and votes there, actually lives in Battery Park City in lower Manhattan. Which means he's been voting in the Bronx illegally. Now, the Bronx's DA's office is investigating the matter.

An appeals court ruled that a doctor who had been missing before September 11, 2001 died during the World Trade Center attacks. The family of Dr. Sneha Anne Philip, last seen at Century 21 on September 10, had in courts for years trying to do so.

Plans to renovate Pier A, the last remaining pier on the lower west side, are staggering forward again. The Victorian-era three-story pier was built immediately after the Brooklyn Bridge, using much of the same equipment, and was once one of the city’s proudest points of entry, boasting visits from boldface names like Amelia Earhart and the Queen of England. Today it’s a dilapidated eyesore that clashes with the rest of the lavishly rehabilitated west side waterfront, and Governor Spitzer’s office is stepping in to coordinate renovations.

After months and months of delays, the BAM Cultural District may be moving forward. The NY Times is reporting that city officials have chosen Harlem-based developer and Brooklyn resident Carlton Brown to create what the Times' Terry Pristin calls the "cultural district's centerpiece." This is the first Brooklyn project for Brown, who developed the Kalahari and 1400 on Fifth in Harlem and the Solaire, the city's first residential green building, in Battery Park City. The...

Yesterday morning's rain caused a recently installed sewer main to burst, flooding the basement and parking garage of a Battery Park City luxury apartment building. Water levels reached up to 20 feet. Not only were car owners greeted with news that their vehicles were either submerged or floating on top of sewer water, hundreds of tenants at 90 West Street were evacuated. Fire officials explained that, per WNBC, "rain flooded a re-routed sewer pipe,...

It's the not the first time the government has wasted lots of money and it won't be the last, but the Daily News special investigation into former Governor Pataki's never-built Museum of Women is great proof of how bureaucracy sucks. Originally conceived to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Women's Rights Convention in Seneca, the museum would have been at the south end of Battery Park City. Various grants were directed to the commission (chaired...

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a pedestrian struck at White Plains Rd. and 219th St. in the Bronx, an animal incident on Rochelle Pl. on Staten Island, and a hate crime at Columbia University in Manhattan. A tour of Jam Master Jay's studio, where the rap impressario was gunned down five years ago. A brief update on the unforgettable case where a man beat the bejeezus out of a grunting and yelping spin class...

Developer Charles J. Urstadt, the man behind the creation of Battery Park City in the 1970s, is eager to duplicate the feat further north up the Hudson by creating an additional 40 to 50 acres of Manhattan real estate. How? Well, by depositing fill dredged from Lower New York Bay.

Photograph by kenyee on Flickr

He headed first to the United Nations, where he met with the secretary-general, Kurt Waldheim, and addressed the General Assembly. The pope then had lunch with the pope's representative to the United Nations, Archbishop Giovanni Cheli, at the legate's Manhattan apartment. It was then off to the seat of Catholicism in New York, St. Patrick's Cathedral, where John Paul II met with Cardinal Terrence Cooke before celebrating Mass. More than 3,000 priests, brothers, and nuns were in attendance.

Continue reading "Pope RSVPs to UN Invite"

In yet another sign that the state and city government want big business at the redeveloping area near the World Trade Center, the NY Times reports that JPMorgan Chase is "in negotiations...to build a 1.3 million-square foot skyscraper." And not only would thousands of employees move from Midtown (277 Park Ave.; the bank would keep 270 Park), the skyscraper would be at 130 Liberty St. - where the toxic Deutsche Building is being dismantled.

Chase wants a hefty incentive package, or subsidy, to build the 50-story tower on the site of the Deutsche Bank building, the officials said. The building would have to cantilever over a planned park along Liberty Street to accommodate large trading floors, and that could stir community opposition.

Continue reading "JP Morgan Chase May Head Near Ground Zero"

Yesterday, people headed to to Battery Park City to sign one of the steel beams bound for Freedom Tower. Dina LaFond, whose daughter died on September 11, told NY1, "This is going to be part of the structure that's supporting the building. So those names are going to be forever inscribed in the way the building's actually holding up. It's not just the physics and steel that's holding the building up but people's ideas and emotions and the spiritual idea of creating a tower that will speak to the world about this site." Daniel Liebebskind, Ground Zero's master planner who stopped by to sign a beam, told the NY Times, "This beam is not only supporting a physical building, it’s supporting the spirit of America."

In another sign that progress is being made at the World Trade Center site, the first of the steel beams to be used in the building of the Freedom Tower will be on display at Battery Park City tomorrow. Starting at 10 a.m. relatives of 9/11 victims and first responders will be able to sign the thirty-ton beam. Between noon and 3 p.m. the public will be allowed to also sign the beam, which will be at the intersection of North End Avenue and Murray Street.

The NY State Commission on Healthcare facilities recommended closing nine hospitals in the state in order to save $1.5 billion. Five are in New York City: St. Vincent's Midtown and Cabrini Medical Center in Manhattan; Victory Memorial in Brooklyn; New York Westchester Square Medical in the Bronx; and Pakway Hospital in Queens.

Sometimes we think deputy mayor Dan Doctoroff is a little nuts. Take for instance his newest brain-child: The New York Harbor District. Whereas most official districts in the city are defined by geographic proximity and commercial interests the Harbor district, which recently formed an advisory board and is seeking a director and consultants to help define it, will include Governors Island, the Statue of LIberty, Ellis Island, parts of the Brooklyn waterfront Battery Park City.

-- Speaking of colleges, according to the NYU paper, NYU has achieved "psuedo-ivy" status. Fresh, because we've been telling people we "pseudo-got-into" Harvard for years.

- Smells like sewageAnd a major problem, politicians note, is that the city wants to really ramp up development in Greenpoint, so it would make sense for the MTA to improve service. Well, you see, the MTA is interested in expanding service in Manhattan - 7 line, Second Avenue line... - so G is for "Good Luck." There's been talk of expanding the G's line in Brooklyn, but that's probably all it is - just "talk." What the G line is good for is the G line sprint, though OPTO-ization makes that slightly harder at times.

-- Wackness: cops are giving out tickets to bikers for riding across part of the Brooklyn Bridge. If that makes you angry, maybe you should go to Critical Mass tonight-- the monthly bikers demonstration meets at 7pm at Union Square North.

Today's NY Times article about the current shaping of Hudson River Park and how it was inspired by the failed Westway project. Westway would have meant a landfill extension into the Hudson along the West Side Highway much like Battery Park City (and with its mix of residential and commercial space) - and the highway would have been built underground, as the highway was crumbling. New York Voices has a good site explaining it, and opposition grew because some people thought it might be the Lower Manhattan Expressway - the battle between Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs - on the West Side. An Talk of the Town piece from 2004 revisited the project:

[Craig] Whitaker [a Westway planner] talked about some of the places where the city has had the wisdom to run highways under riverfront esplanades—the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, Carl Schurz Park. “We thought New Yorkers would never accept sixty-five thousand cars passing daily between them and the waterfront,” he said. He nodded toward the six lanes of hurtling cars and trucks just outside the Pier 40 lobby. “But that’s what we’ve got out here. It was a tragedy for the city."

Nearly two inches of rain fell on Central Park during the wee hours this morning. We are getting a break until tomorrow morning as the long tentacle of rain plows up against the ridge to our east and stalls out. The Weather Service is saying drizzle, showers and maybe a thunderstorm are on tap for tomorrow. The Weather Channel says "no way", calling for cloudy skies in the morning and a peak of sun tomorrow afternoon. The two forecasts disagree on Sunday's weather as well, with the Weather Service calling for a drizzly, cool Mother's Day and the Weather Channel again saying it will be dry. Both agree that soaking rains return on Monday.

- The Tram is running again. Without passengers, of course.

Josh Selig, Little Airplane Productions

We enjoyed last Sunday's "The Hunt" column in the NY TImes about Cragslists once again bringing roommates together. And we loved the photograph of one roommate's cat, Belvedere (right). Then we started to realize that we see lots of cats in "The Hunt" - as well as other pets, but mostly cats. A few felines we found Jorge the cat (and his owner James) in Greenpoint, Gabriel the cat (and owner Martha) on the Upper West Side, kitties Pia and Lola, cats Elvis and Louie in Battery Park City, and an update about Boris the cat!!! Yes, there's a family with a dog here or a pet parrot there, maybe even a baby, but cats seem most photo friendly as owners can usually hold them.

So this had already been kinda mentioned, but in case you were worried what Bloomberg and Dan Doctoroff were going to focus on next now that the West Side Stadium and the Olympics are dead (and assuming Blooms wins the election) the Daily News has the answer for you: Governors Island.

An oldie but goodie -- Skycraper.org's five year old Transparent NYC map, which lets you overlay all sorts of information on a map of Manhattan Island. After you check that our, explore the Skyscraper site, which has a bunch of other cool NYC webprojects, and lots of information about the Skyscraper Museum in Battery Park City, which is one of many museums you can visit downtown. The current exhibit is the Top Ten Skyscrapers of New York, as picked by 100 experts.

Fashionistas and music snobs descend upon the city over the next week with both CMJ and Fashion Week starting. We'll most likely only be attending the former. Before it begins though, we'll ease into the hectic schedule with a few of the following events...even if we should be resting up for the week ahead.