Results tagged “chairs”

Here's your hotly-anticipated first look at the new permanent tables and chairs in the probably-permanent Broadway pedestrian plazas. Yesterday we showed you the funny installation art created out of the controversial old chairs, which were turned into a mountain of colorful plastic by sculptor Jason Peters. The 400 brand-new metal seats were unfolded this morning by the Times Square Alliance, and surely all will agree that they're a welcome addition to this urban oasis. Still, he world awaits the final verdict from NY Post columnist Andrea Peyser, who hated the plastic chairs with a town hall passion.

Mayor Bloomberg says those down-market beach chairs in the new car-free sections of Broadway have got to go. Speaking about the new pedestrian plazas on his weekly radio show, Bloomberg revealed his disdain for the inexpensive chairs, which have been subjected to savage criticism from the likes of cranky Post columnist Andrea Peyser, who derided them as "flimsy furniture that littered the streets like a going-out-of-business sale." Hizzoner has sided with the haters, and wants everyone to know that once work on the pedestrian plazas is complete, "there will not be those kinds of lounges." Street furniture controversy aside, the mayor declared the experiment, which reroutes southbound traffic to Seventh Avenue in an attempt to reduce congestion, an overwhelming success: "So far, it is working exactly as the computer modeling says it will." Of course, not even the most powerful computer in the world can accurately gauge New Yorkers' capacity for complaining.

The guy behind the Take a Seat project has spoken out against his criticizers (ahem). Listen up, haters: just because the chairs are found as curbside trash, doesn't mean they are no longer functional, and it certainly doesn't mean they're infested with bedbugs. However, the point about taking up space on already overcrowded platforms was a good one, he admits, although he notes that the stations are chosen with that in mind (here's a map of where there are currently chairs). As for crowd reactions, he says, "I've never stuck around to watch riders' reactions, I imagine the chairs are often greeted with skepticism - 'Who's chair is this? Why is it here? Is there something wrong with it?' - and only utilized by people who just really need to take a load off." C'mon, fess up, who's had a seat in one of the trash chairs?

While the MTA starts taking seats out of the subway cars, the Take a Seat project is continuously building up their public furniture installation which brings in more seats to subway stations. "Perfectly functional chairs are rescued from trash piles and reassigned to stations where limited seating options leave subway patrons no choice but to stand for extended periods of time." Great idea as long as the rescued furniture isn't infested with bed bugs (like some street finds and subway benches can be)!