Results tagged “plaza”

Broadway Pedestrian Plaza Attracting Sedentary Homeless!

Andrea Peyser isn't the only tabloid columnist with a deep disdain for the new car-free sections of Broadway; Mike Lupica at the Daily News is now pouring out the Haterade with an article dismissing what he calls "Bloomberg Beach" as "Bloomberg's revenge." In his eyes, the whole thing is just Bloomberg's petulant way of bending New York's traffic patterns to his will after his congestion pricing plan got sandbagged by Albany. Which, yeah, Bloomberg's a little prince who throws tantrums when he doesn't get his way, but Lupica's determined to toss the baby out with the bath water.

    

Originally designed by Plaza Hotel architect Henry Hardenbergh in 1907 as a men’s bar, The Oak Room closed during Prohibition and re-opened in 1934 as a full-service restaurant. The interior is a city Landmark, as is the Plaza Hotel, which reopened in March (after extensive renovations) as a hotel and luxury condominium, where some tenants complain of loneliness. The Palm Court, that other famous eatery in The Plaza, also reopened in March to derisive reviews from Bloomberg News and the Post.

Who knew the word "plaza" would come to be so coveted? After a three week trial, a jury has ruled that the low-budget downtown Vegas Plaza Hotel and Casino has not adequately protected its trademark, clearing the way for the El-Ad Group, the owners of the Plaza Hotel in New York, to build a $5 billion, seven-tower, 6,700-unit "Plaza Hotel and Casino" on the Strip. The jury ruled that the Vegas Plaza had simply gone by too many names over the years, including the Union Plaza and Jackie Gaughan’s Plaza Downtown. A lawyer for the Vegas owners tells the Times, "We’re somewhat stunned and in disbelief." And with good reason; is El-Ad seriously going to roll the dice on a multi-billion dollar hotel resort hotel development at this particular time?

Arthur Emil, the man behind the late Windows on the World and The Rainbow Room, has won the coveted contract to operate the famous Oak Room and Oak Bar (pictured) in the Plaza Hotel, which is near the end of a three-year, $400 million makeover. The 18 story landmark building opened in 1907 and operated as a hotel until 2005, after being sold for $675 million. After delays blamed on “red tape”, the Plaza is expected to open by the end of March as an upscale condominium with retail space and a smaller hotel.

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