Results tagged “newyorkregion”

We wish you a happy Thanksgiving, however you may spend the day, whether it's on a cold, wet corner waiting to see the parade balloon and floats, traveling to your family's for a big meal, or staying in and watching football. It's our favorite holiday because it's about gathering - without any worry about gifts (maybe some worry about the sweet potatoes, though). Remember to give thanks - we're all very lucky. Here are Thanksgiving editorials from the Daily News, Post, NY Times, NY Sun and Newsday, which reminds us that on a day when food is bountiful, we should remember to give to food banks.

Lately, it seems like the NYC subway system just likes fires. For what seems like the umpteenth time in the past few months, a fire in a substation caused a shutdown and evacuation of riders on the A, B, C, and D lines, all the way from the Bronx to Brooklyn on some lines. A circuit breaker malfunction (far more serious than a wardrobe malfunction in Gothamist's book) that turned into a fire at the St. Nicholas Avenue and 141st Street stop occured at 11AM and wasn't fixed until 2:30PM, which meant 600 people were stranded on the trains. Newsday noted that this the day after NYC Transit President Lawrence Reuter's claim that the subways were better, and reported, "The stranded straphangers were escorted out of the stalled trains by firefighters and transit crews, some on evacuation devices stretched across to another train that carried them to safety." Does anyone know what the evaucation devices were exactly - special subway style ones? Luckily, there were no major injuries, some passengers were treated for smoke inhalation and a transit worker suffered some burns. What's scary is that some transit union spokespeople are criticizing that ladders placed in tunnels to evacuate passengers and workers were not easily located; in fact, one ladder was locked and there was no key!

Here's official word on the Flatiron Building's temporary H&M ad: It must come down. The Department of Buildings and Flatiron Partners, which owns the 23rd Street icon, are squabbling over the legality of the sign; the DoB thinks it violates a number of things while the owners are counting their money. The sign won't come down until the city files notice in Albany and then goes to court over it, which might not happen overnight. The irony is that the sign is only supposed to be up for a month, which might make the point moot. Ah, bureaucracy!

There's a really strange case about two 16 year-old girls being held because the federal authorities are suspicious that they might be suicide bombers. First reported in the NY Times yesterday, there are very few details, just that the two girls, one Bangladeshi, the other Guineanese, were arrested last month and have been held at a Pennsylvania detention center, and that they girls were Muslim and sympathetic to Islamic culture and causes. The Daily News reports that one FBI official says, "We've got a lot of dots that people shouldn't be connecting," but other officials say that when the Bangladeshi girl's parents filed a complaint against her (they were worried she was running away to get married), the girls were already under investigation.

Fernando Ferrer: $5225/month 3,300-square-foot at 14 East 38th Street; rent will kick in 6 weeks after move-in, no deposit required, as the managers are Ferrer supportersTo give the psychoanalysis of this real estate, the Times turned Columbia political science professor Rodolfo de la Garza who said, "If the minority candidates had headquarters that reeked of wealth, it will vitiate their claim that they represent 'the other.' That isn't an issue for Bloomberg; it would be disingenuous of him to have his office in Washington Heights." This reminds of when President Clinton had to move his office from a swank West 57th Street (right next to Carnegie Hall) post-Presidency office to West 125th Street! Quite frankly, we're surprised that Freddy's office are so midtown, and Gothamist would have expected Weiner's team to have built a lean-to and squat somewhere to really promote his underdog status.

The NY Times took the Excel spreadsheet of donors to NYC Democratic mayoral hopefuls and decided to call up the donors listed as "homemakers" and ask them about their contribution. The ensuing article, "Homemakers Are the Fat Cats. Who Knew? Their Husbands.," made Gothamist laugh, cry, and then grind our teeth in anger. An example:

Another Ferrer contributor, Anna Cuneo of West Harrison, N.Y., whose husband is one of two executives at a Manhattan construction company who contributed to Mr. Ferrer, seemed unprepared for questions about her check.

Continue reading "Desperately Seeking Housewives For Donations"

Gothamist usually loves the MTA. We love riding the subway because it's still the fastest and most cost-efficient way to get places - plus it's an experience. And we love taking the bus when we have the time, because we get to experience NYC almost like a tourist does in a tour bus. But it's when we hear about things like the MTA spending over $800,000 to find savings and then we go crazy. More power to Booz Allen Hamilton for being able to charge the MTA that much money (clearly the suckers born every minute now work at the MTA) but we totally agree with the Straphangers' Gene Russianoff, in comments to the NY Times, on this one:

"Most people scratch their heads and wonder why the M.T.A. isn't more efficient. It looks like an awful lot of money to evaluate administrative savings. But the M.T.A. is an $8 billion agency, and there are undoubtedly savings to be found. I think there are a lot of people who would offer them free suggestions."

Yikes: An Astoria man was killed when he tried to put out a burning mattress over the weekend. Koji Takagaka had fallen asleep with a burning cigarette, igniting the mattress, and his older brother Hiroshi tried to get the fire out by taking the mattress to the bathroom. However, the bed's flames became unwieldy and Hiroshi died underneath the mattress. Some fire safety tips via the NY Times:

The chief fire marshal, Louis Garcia, said that a mattress should never be moved under such circumstances because even though flames might not be visible, a fire could spread inside the bedding. Moving the mattress, he added, helps the internal fire to burst into the outside air.

Some downtown residents mourned the loss of a two year old rooster who made friends with the Chinese and Puerto Ricans in the neighborhood (he was crushed by his "owner"'s car - accidentally). The NY Times said the rooster held "Ludlow Street in thrall". Gothamist found an exchange about what to do with the rooster's body telling and we liked this description:

"People would say, 'I feel like I'm in Puerto Rico,'" said Chico Soto, who is a warehouseman for Smart Food, a restaurant supply company down the block from Loi's garage. It looked liked a fighting cock, he said. "I know how they look. It had that fighting look: big body, tall, long legs."

Continue reading "R.I.P. Pancho the Rooster"

An interesting look at Mayor Bloomberg's struggles with developing a good waste plan in the NY Times. One of the main complaints about the current waste plan is that the streets are congested with trucks carrying garbage. The Mayor would like garbage to be carried by barge and train, and wants to reopen certainly garbage transfer stations, but his proposed plan seems to be more expensive than initially thought. City Council Speaker Gifford Miller, whose district is targetted for one of the potential reopened transfer stations, and others are using the new cost analysis as reasons why the Mayor's plan is flawed (and why the Mayor stinks). But, wouldn't you know it, the NRDC supports Bloomberg's plan because it does get the trucks off the road.

Aha: It seems that Cablevision bid for the MTA's West Side railyards is actually $40 million more than the Jets' $720 million bid. But the most interesting - and aggressive - thing about the Cablevision bid is that it's for $760 million in cash, whether or not the city allows them to rezone for the development they'd like. Now, that's the "Damn!" moment. And we knew corporations had Scrooge McDuck-type vaults of cash to swim in! Gothamist will guess that that next step in this game of "Mine is bigger than yours" will include unicorns and ligers.

Yesterday's 1/9 line broken rail gave subway riders opportunity to complain even more loudly about the deteriorating state of the subways. Mayor Bloomberg complained as well, saying, "What you are seeing is a failure that comes about from years and years of not investing in new infrastructure in the subways...and other forms of mass transit and now it's coming home to roost." Gothamist agrees, but we'd like to make the point that the city and state stopped their funding of the MTA decades ago - which certainly affected the MTA's fortunes a year ago [the Daily News has an editorial about passing the buck of blame at the MTA]. Anyway, so far it looks like the MTA's attempts to keep their future plans (Second Avenue Subway, East Side rail links) are still in good shape may be given the kibosh, as the state has slashed funding by 70%.

While the Mayor and City Council Speaker Gifford Miller may seem similar - they are white...they live on the Upper East Side...uh... - they actually aren't, and the NY Times examined their extremely political spitting match. Gothamist liked how Mayor Bloomberg views Miller as unaccomplished and unambitious, because next to him, who can be (this does not bode well for prospective suitors for Emma and Georgina), but there was another quote that got us thinking:

City Councilman Eric Gioia, a close associate of Mr. Miller, says the friction stems in part from the vast age gap between the two. "I think the mayor looks at Gifford and says, 'Why don't you just listen to me?'" he said. "And Gifford looks at the mayor and says, 'Why can't you see things from a different perspective?'"

While there are still 12 more days to the month, today's gorgeous weather is making Gothamist feel optimistic about putting away our layers and being able to walk in the streets without stepping into slush. The NY Times looks at the NYC signs of spring, including "Park Horses Are Out" and "Friday Night Critical Mass Bicycle Protests Get Crowded." Sigh, we can't wait.

Before it goes into pay-for-article land, Gothamist recommends you read last Sunday's awesome City section article about the Department of Sanitation. Reporter Field Maloney got to work with "san men" and learned where the sewer rats are (Broadway, from the Garment District to Union Square), what "mongo" is, and why you should turn your head when garbage is being put through the hopper. But it doesn't seem like he ran into any urban whitefish. Gothamist has been fascinated with the city's trash because (a) it tells us who we are and (b) we are repelled yet curious about maggots and the like. As it is, the Mayor is looking to revamp certain garbage programs, but needs City Council agreement (and who knows if that'll happen, especially since the Mayor wants to build a solid waster center in Gifford Miller's 'hood).

Electronic key cards are at the center of proposed rent strike and lawsuit at Peter Cooper Village. The NY Times reports that tenants are upset that MetLife, who manages the buildings, will require all residents to use electronic key cards, because "the system would make it easier to identify and remove people who illegally sublet apartments, since only those who can show they have a valid lease or are screened by security would qualify for entry." Oh, snap! While MetLife claims it's for safety purposes, the Peter Cooper tenants feel this is an invasion of privacy, since the motivationg might be to smoke out the many people who illegally sublet their apartments. MetLife has been aggressively looking for people to rent out apartments at Peter Cooper Village - and Stuyvesant Town to the south - with upgrades like new kitchens and bathrooms, plus high speed Internet wiring. The tenants' lawyer will be filing a motion to make sure no tenants are locked out, and tenants will be voting on a rent strike at the end of the month. While illegal sublets are a fact of NYC life, Gothamist wonders if it's a losing cause on the tenants' part. We can only imagine that tenants will want to sublet their apartments to people who look like them - the costume and disguise business will certainly boom.

On Sunday, the NY Times said that many New Yorkers are taking flights out of Philadelphia to save money, because the NYC area airports are really expensive. The cheaper fares are mainly coming from US Airways, which slashed its fares. While this may be true, Gothamist is still really surprised. Mainly because it takes about two hours to get to Philly (it's not like choosing between Oakland and San Francisco if you're in the Bay Area), then tack on the extra time you need to get through security and screening, and you've basically put half a day into your travel time - is a deal that's $100 cheaper worth the emotional hassle? If you live in NJ, or you're traveling in a huge pack of people, Gothamist would understand why taking flights from Philly would be attractive, but it still seems like a lot of work. The Chinatown buses we get, this not so much, but we'll be looking into it the next time we plan a trip.

Gothamist loves how "secret meetings" become unsecret. For example, the NY Times reveals that former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer and Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, both eyeing a run against Mayor Bloomberg this fall, secretly met last week and allegedly agreed not to attack each other. Part of the reasoning is probably because each candidate has support from attractive blocs of voters (Latinos for Ferrer; blacks and women for Fields), they want to make sure that they don't alienate anyone in the process. Ferrer is the leading Democratic candidate, and Fields apparently is second in many polls; however, Fields' campaign coffers are not as impressive as other candidates'. The NY Times also noted that Ferrer to trying to mobilize more national Democratic support by saying that the NYC Mayoralty should be a national goal, which is pretty foolproof thinking, because it is the biggest city in the country. And even though it's a blue city, NYC has still seen 12 years of Republican rule. Gothamist's money for the Democratic candidate is split between Ferrer and City Council Speaker Gifford Miller. The debates should be very exciting; there might even be a runoff.

NY Times article:

During yesterday's event, which took place in a small theater at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the two rappers presented donations to the Boys Choir of Harlem, which in recent years has struggled financially. 50 Cent, through his G-Unity charity, donated $150,000, while the Game donated $103,500 through his own charity.

Continue reading "Have Big Check, Will Donate"

Short of naming saffron the Big Apple's color, Mayor Bloomberg bestowed The Gates masterminds Christo and Jeanne-Claude with the Doris C. Freedman award for enriching the public environment. Interesting facts: Freedman was the founder of the Public Art Fund, and Mayor Ed Koch created the "Percent for Art" law, "which requires the city to spend 1 percent of its budget for eligible city-funded construction projects on art for city facilities." The AP said that Christo and Jeanne-Claude didn't say much, except Jeanne-Claude did add that two volunteers for the project fell in love and were going to get married. That's a nice coda for Gothamist's coverage of The Gates to end - however, if some of the frames suddenly turn up at a loft party in South Williamsburg, we're going to be all over it.

is a slogan, though not necessarily one that will bring in more business of a certain kind. The Times Square Alliance is pitching companies to open shop mostly west of Times Square, along Eighth and Ninth Avenues, because there are a lack of core stores that residents need. However, some businesses are wary of bringing their shops to Times Square; a real estate brokerage representative said, "Who wants to shop where you get caught in that slow-moving crowd from out of town?" Or that slow-moving crowd from town but it moves slow because of the sidewalk barriers? Which makes Gothamist wonder if Times Square will become a true residential neighborhood, versus a tourist or after-work one. What do you think?

that is the relationship between P. Diddy and Farnsworth Bentley? Has he not see OutKast's The Way You Move? Or even the Chappelle Show spoof of Making The Band?

City Council Speaker, and mayoral hopeful, Gifford Miller, gave his State of the City address yesterday, and he promised to block the West Side Stadium. Miller accused the Mayor of using city funds like a slush fund, and will be trying to rezone the West Side for other purposes. He said, "The bottom line is that I have fought and will keep on fighting against this stadium so that my children and your children won't end up paying for this terrible mistake." Ooh, nice move, Miller - Bloomberg can't say that...but Gothamist wonders if Cablevision/James Dolan will be helping Miller with his campaign funds. Given that the heckling from trade unions that another mayoral hopeful against the stadium got, Gothamist expects the unions to back Bloomberg.

Wal-Mart has decided not to continue plans to be in a Queens shopping mall after a lot of community and political opposition. According to the NY Times, Wal-Mart and Vornado Realty Trust, developers of the Rego Park project that would include other retail space and apartment towers, thought that Wal-Mart's continued presence would jeopardize the entire plan. What Gothamist found interesting is that apparently Vornado was hoping to keep it quiet that Wal-Mart was part of the proposal, in order to keep opposition to a minimum; it just seems so insulting and sneaky to try to hide that the country's biggest retailer might be moving into the neighborhood. Sure, Wal-Mart has low prices and people in the community could benefit from that, but Wal-Mart is a non-union shop and has treated employees badly - no matter what their ads want people to think. Now, if it were a Target, we imagine people would be close to dancing in the street. This comes after BJ's Wholesale Club decided not to build in the Bronx, though they may try again later.

Gothamist loves the NY Times article about the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge being too fat, because for a moment, we thought, "Hey, that's not nice, calling a bridge fat!" But then it was actually an interesting (and a little scary) look at how the suspension bridge is being re-engineered, with new technology and materials, to make sure it can support the traffic in the future. For instance, Robert Moses had engineers add concrete to the bridge; to stop the swaying (even though it was still safe), and in order for drivers to perceive it was stable, cables were added, which some people have felt ruined the skyline.

Gothamist must put our cynical hat on, after hearing that Mayor Bloomberg is siding with the hotel workers union who are opposed to the conversion of the Plaza into mostly condo, but also a tiny hotel and retail stores. While there are 900 jobs at stake, Gothamist wonders if this is an effort of the Mayor to be on the side of the blue collar workers. His rhetoric for supporting the Jets' West Side Stadium heavily emphasizes the construction jobs that would be created and now this.

The Gates delivered this past weekend: Rave reviews (well, as rave as you're gonna get in this town - here's one semi-pan from Newsday) from all corners (Post, Daily News, NY Times). And, happily, business is brisk for most everyone, from hot dog vendors to hotels, just as the city had hoped. However, there may be some casualties in the wonder that are The Gates: Photobloggers, who have been trying to top themselves with new and interesting ways of capturing 7500+ gates. Here's a partial list of blogs with photographs, and here the Flickr tags: gates, thegates, christo, centralpark.

New York is in a tizzy because it's the day before The Gates in Central Park officially open. Gothamist must say, we love how there's so much excitement about public art. Honestly, there hasn't been this much excitement and anticipation from photobloggers in New York since...the Republican National Convention last summer. Wow, Mayor Bloomberg, you really know how to push New Yorkers' buttons! The finishing touches won't be put on The Gates until tomorrow at 8AM. Christo and Jeanne-Claude were beaming on the Today Show, alongside Mayor Bloomberg; Katie Couric showered all three with hosannas over the project, and Jeanne-Claude is Gothamist's new hero, as she smacked Katie a little bit. Seriously, whether or not people love or hate The Gates, it's pretty thrilling there's so much passion around public art. Even Newsday's Ellis Henican agrees!