Thursday, December 20, 2007

News from Manhattan

The tree massacre is just one component of New York City's Parks Department plan for a staggering "overhaul" of Washington Square Park at a cost of $16 million, which includes: reducing the public space; dismantling and relocating the landmarked fountain so that it is "aligned" with the Arch; removing the chess tables; and replacing and relocating the popular dog run. These changes will destroy the historical character and functionality of Washington Square Park.

Stop NYC from Bulldozing Washington Square Park

Columbia University's expansion into West Harlem cleared its largest hurdle Wednesday by sailing through the City Council despite accusations of backroom dealings and a rushed vote.

The proposal easily passed zoning and land-use committees Wednesday, before receiving final approval before the full council, on a 35-5 vote with six abstentions. Opponents of the plan as well as several councilmembers were caught off guard by the timing of the vote, which hadn't been expected until January.


Council pushes through Columbia University expansion

A city sanitation worker narrowly escaped serious injury Wednesday when a 2-foot girder from Manhattan's High Line fell and hit his car.

The beam fell from the rusting hulk of the High Line, a long-abandoned industrial relic that runs from the West Village up to the railyards on W. 30th St.

The city plans to transform the High Line into a tourist destination lined with galleries, but there was no construction at the scene Wednesday.

High Line girder falls on car

Photo from AM-NY

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Columbia U project is bulldozing Harlem and long sufferring residents in an unprecedented way - now that Harlem is valuable Columbia U is robbing the cradle.

The highline park project is a huge joke on the public - only a select few will enjoy what the City is pouring into this project. This former overhead railway could have been revitalized as an in place transportation system that would have had a greater impact on transporting goods by rail into Manhattan and possibly serve as a lite passenger line to Javits Center connecting to the extended 7line. It's an opportunity lost with the infrastructure already in place - the money allocated for a park could have been used to shore up the structure to support transportation initiatives.

The park in progress instead will enrich developers along the line as an amentity and soon you will be reading about rich drunk hipsters are pissing on the pedestrians below it as sport.

Anonymous said...

Did anyone ever stop to think....
that there are many similarities
between Mike Bloomberg and Walt Disney.

Disney was an autocratic demagogue
who ran his empire like a tyrant.

Does anything sound familiar here?

Walt was intent on ultimately building
a fantasy world in Anaheim California.....
"Disneyland"..... that would be an ideal,
super clean place and devoid of any ethnicity.

It was to become an cartoonist's interpretation....
an ersatz America....
staffed by well behaved android-like employees.

Did you know that you weren't allowed
to wear a mustache or beard
if you wanted to work for the Disney Corporation
(even behind the scenes)
no matter how smart and talented you were ?
(Maybe they also preferred blue eyed blondes).

Nobody ever got sick, threw up, farted
or scratched their ass on Main Street in Disneyland.
All was just peachy there!

Mike seems to be emulating Walt's vision
in creating a "New York (Manhattan) Land"
theme park for tourists to spend money in.

It seems to be the only industry we have left.
(We don't manufacture anything here any more).

And let's face it guys and girls.....
if your not within Manhattan's tourist loop
you're way out in the boondocks.

Thus, you're strictly a ghost to "hizzoner".....
and your life don't amount to pocket change!

Queens has become NYC's back lot.....
a supply depot for Manhattan
and a location for the workers' houses
who serve Bloombergs "New York Land".

There once was a time that this city
didn't only have to depend on tourism
to be economically viable.

We had , what might be called,
a more "diversified portfolio" of options.
Now we're holding only one stock certificate
that we depend upon....tourism.

And that, fellow citizens, is dangerous !

Who knows where all that fickle tourist money
will be spent tomorrow....London, Paris, Rome ?

We're an attractive destination now
mainly because the value of the US Dollar is low.

Soon Mayor Mike
will be issuing his own coinage
with his unmistakable profile on it !

Heads or tails ?
Are we going to make it or face a recession?

Note:
Disney was a known anti-Semite.
Mike doesn't seem to like people of color.

Anonymous said...

It is only a matter of time before the grassroots around the city start to ban together.

Note how the 'legit groups' run seminars like learning to live with the mayor's 2030 Plan.

Big deal. The people have to ban together and start talking to each other on these blogs.

Good work crappie.

COMMUNITIES OF THE CITY UNITE!