This post appeared in a previous blog and is here for posterity’s sake.

Interesting developments in the Firefighters don’t like Rudy mini-fracas. Looks like Rudy is pushing back with support from an outfit called, Firefighters for Rudy with an Executive Director Tim Brown.
I was interested in who they were, and my first trip was to do a WHOIS search. I found the following:

• Firefighters For Rudy.com WHOIS
  Created On: 01-Aug-06
  Timothy Brown (tbrown@thebravest.com)
  thebravest.com
• Firefighters For Rudy.org WHOIS
  Created On: 06-Feb-2007 03:49:02 UTC
  Bentley Westfield (bwestfield@iaff.org)
  International Association of Firefighters
• Firefighters For Rudy.net WHOIS
  Created On: 05-Feb-2007
  Bentley Westfield (bwestfield@iaff.org)
  International Association of Firefighters

Interesting.
One domain is registered to Tim Brown of thebravest.com a little under 6 months ago, and the other two are registered by the IAFF, who were the exact people who did not invite Giuliani to the debate.
I am awaiting response to questions to Tim Brown, and will post a followup.
Later 11-Mar-07
I was out of town this weekend & without web connection.
Looks like Tim Brown is on Giuliani’s payroll (no wonder we never got an answer):

Unfortunately for the AP, however, a cursory bit of checking reveals that Tim Brown is actually an aide to Rudy, and it’s unclear whether the group even has a membership larger than just Tim Brown. The phone number the campaign offered for the group is actually the same as that of the Rudy campaign’s press office. Even the Daily News knew to describe “Firefighters for Rudy” as a “campaign offshoot,” which isn’t enough, but it’s at least a start in the right direction.

So there you go: Firefights really are against Rudy.

This post appeared in a previous blog and is here for posterity’s sake.

The Washington Post writes what Curbed has been documenting the last few years: Waterfront Brooklyn is now [so] totally over:

Much has been written about gentrification and its discontents, but in few places has the speed and finality of that transformation been more startling than in Williamsburg, a formerly working-class Brooklyn neighborhood of 180,000 people along the East River. A wall of luxury glass towers is rising for 25 blocks along the “East River Riviera.” Wander inland and check out the needle condo towers with three-bedroom places retailing at $1,135,000.
…
Overnight, another preserve of working-class American culture is rendered unaffordable to thousands of families — and to the hipsters themselves…As Williamsburg turns urban Disneyland, those who own homes, a small fraction, see values spike and pass the dough to their kids. Everything becomes safer, hipper, there’s better sushi.

This article dovetails very nicely with the The Myth of ‘Superstar Cities’ linked to yesterday:

La Guardia or Truman understood that great cities become so, in large part, due to the strivings of the upwardly mobile middle class and families, not the elites of any stripe. It may well be true, as Mr. Gyourko argues, that as the nation grows to 400 million or more there could be a niche for 10 to 20 such “productive resorts” serving as “enclaves of the wealthy.” But the urban future — today as in past generations — will belong mostly to places that continue to draw and nurture the middle class, which has driven the rise of most successful capitalist cities.
The game, however, is far from over. Some larger superstar cities, like New York or L.A., may still possess enough economic and social diversity as well as the physical space to shift direction. Despite their dysfunctional political systems, radical changes in tax, regulatory and education policies, including a new emphasis on practical skills training, could restore their historic attraction to those who wish to start a small business, or maintain a middle-class family.

I have no doubt that in less than 5 years, my days in Greenpoint will be numbered.

This post appeared in a previous blog and is here for posterity’s sake.

The blue tower, originally uploaded by Goggla
John Lumea has makes a pretty good case about NIMBYopolis, or, Height Restrictions in the LES are Bunk, how the coming “contextual” rezoning of the Lower East Side is a very bad thing.
I don’t have the energy to respond to his main thesis, but one of his side points was this:

The fact is, New York’s preservation culture has become a luxury the City can no longer afford. The example of the Upper East Side Historic District points to a set of questions that should — sooner rather than later — prompt a wholesale reassessment of the City’s preservation / downzoning agenda:

• Why should City Planning and Landmarks Preservation continue to protect select neighborhoods from development and increase protections for others, when these neighborhoods can accommodate additional growth and while surrounding areas get buried in a thicket of oversized buildings?
• Why shouldn’t every neighborhood have to participate in sustainability?
• Why wouldn’t they want to?

Which struck me as an insight John should elaborate on; if by 2030 over 9.1 million (900,000 more) will live in New York City, this will create an enormous pressure on the city to find houses for the additional residents. This is, in fact John’s thesis that continual logistical and commercial pressure will mean larger buildings everywhere.
Except, of course, landmark districts.
Who live in landmark districts? Well, in Manhattan many landmark districts – TriBeCa, the West Village, Chelsea, the Upper East Side – are playground of the rich. In 2005 Forbes listed 10013 the 13th most expensive Zip Code – this is TriBeCa, and 10013 is mostly the historic district. This makes TriBeCa the most expensive place in NYC – no small matter.
The dynamic the city is setting up is clear: rich people located in “desirable” (which landmarks districts are – I live in one by sheer luck) areas which will never, ever, change. Surrounding these low-rise enclaves will be high-rise housing which will be necessary due to the increased economic pressure.
Much like Gramercy Park these landmark districts will become gated communities – de facto or not.
As for a solution, I don’t have one at the moment, but it is forthcoming.

This post appeared in a previous blog and is here for posterity’s sake.

The 2007 Idiotarod, organized by Carts of Brooklyn Association (COBRA) was bigger and more chaotic race in its’ three four year history. Imported from San Francisco and very much one of New York City’s response to the annual Bay to Breakers, the 2004 inaugural race set the standard for under-the-radar chaos, while the 2007 race illustrates the high-watermark of non-permitted gatherings. The race course changes each year in order to keep the route secret as a matter of whim.
This year the Idiotarod was scheduled to began in McCarren Park at the edge of Williamsburg and Greenpoint, Brooklyn. However, as the race was advertised greatly on the web and on blogs, the NYPD was unsurprising in great force, employing mounted, plains-clothed officers, plenty of uniformed officers at every park entrance and the aerial unit.

New York’s Finest, patrolling for unlawful racing
Change of Venue
It was obvious that the NYPD was not going to let the race begin at McCarren Park and COBRA was sent scrambling for an alternate starting point. Spectators, race teams and innocent gawkers were milling about unsure of what was to be the outcome. It was obvious that the NYPD officers were nervous; there was a large crowd forming and from their standpoint, they had no control over the situation.
At this point the crowed was moving in all directions; no one knew where the new staring line would be. Some teams made their way deeper into Polish Greenpoint to McGolrick Park, guessing this would be the new starting area.
Finally word was relayed to the separated and isolated teams that the new starting area would be at Franklin and Commercial Streets, at the very tip of Greenpoint, along the Newtown Creek. Teams who did not get word of the revised starting area merely followed the police cars and the NYPD aerial unit, as it hovered over the rooftops of Greenpoint.
The Starting Area
The new starting area was perhaps the perfect area for the large crowd of 500+ which had assembled. Located at the very end of the Greenpoint peninsula, there is the Newton Barge Terminal Playground situated among the historically industrial area. With the lack of traffic the NYPD officers noticeably became more calm.
As teams gathered into the street, the whole neighborhood came out to see what was going on, greatly increasing the amount of people in the park. As COBRA checked competitors in, a small band played among the chaos.

Unknown band plays as the chaos swirls around them
All around were teams looking at other team’s costumes, photographers (both pro and not) angling for the best shot and the COBRA members trying to keep the peace.
The Competitors
The draw of the Idiotarod are the inventive, risque and silly costumes teams are required to wear. Here’s a look at some of the more interesting groups to grace the 2007 Idiotarod:

A crowd favorite this year was Team Lapdance (shown above), who’s costume involved black speedos and briefs along with the required bowtie. An integral part of their cart was the folding chair, which they employed throughout the competition to bribe referees and earn money. Andy, a Team Lapdance member had this to say about why they came out to the Idiotarod, We’re out here for the City and our country, and to show everybody a good time. When asked about how much money they had earned he replied, We’re doing alright… a little better than expected. We pulled around six dollars so far. His teammate Nick “all the way from Philadelphia” had this to say about his outfit, Tommy Hillfiger black briefs, some cufflinks and a bowtie [which is the] only thing which would show the world the message we wanted to relay, which is the Idiotarod is awesome.
There will be no warnings, and arrests will be made

At this point, a police officer from the 94th Precinct walked into a central location and announced that anyone stopping or interfering with traffic in the street will be arrested without warning. The officer also had this to say:

Stay on the sidewalks. Do not go into the street. Also, be aware that there is no permit for this event, no permit has been given for this event. Again stay on the sidewalk and obey all rules.

This immediately drew a chant from the crowd, U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
At some point, cooler heads prevailed, and it appeared that COBRA and the NYPD struck some sort of bargain, and with the burst of firecrackers the race was on.
The Start
Unlike in years past, where there were wide streets to run and no threat of arrest, the police funneled the competitors into the sidewalk. The race headed south on Franklin Street, using only the sidewalks, to the first checkpoint at the corner of Greenpoint and Franklin Streets. At the same moment half of the police units screamed out of the area and headed out to shadow the crowd.
As the race meandered its way through Greenpoint, the finish line became apparent: Queens. This meant that the only Newtown Creek crossing would be the Pulaski Bridge; a major bottleneck due to the narrow sidewalk and the slope of the bridge.
The Bridge

As teams ran up the bridge, many tried to pass and were tangled with each other’s carts. At some point, unidentified people, most likely COBRA members, began hurling canola oil, flour, water and anything they could throw as teams labored their way up the bridge. This was in addition to the materials teams themselves employed against other teams. These materials included flour, some sticky brown goo, rotten pig meat, tennis balls, silly string and eggs. The bridge became a slippery mess as thee various liquids froze in the cold winter air.
The Finish Line
As the teams entered Queens, many became lost; which goes to show that the plight of Damon Mootoo who was lost for five days can happen to anyone in Queens. Eventually the teams all made their way to the finish line, where meager prizes and a party awaited.
The official results, on WikiPedia of all places are as follows:

Official prize	Team
Best in Show	Guitar Heroes
1st Place	Shite Heads
5th Place	IdiotaRod Stewart
6th Place	Team Meathead
7th Place	Quit Beastin’
Best Sabotage	Team Chicken Run
Best Industrial Design	Punkimus Prime
Last Place	Carmen de Mairena

Conclusion
By and far this year’s Idiotarod was bigger and more successful that the proceeding years. So big, that that next year the organizers will need to apply for a permit from the NYPD or break the starting line up into different areas, so that there aren’t so many people congregating in one area blocking traffic. Or, COBRA needs to devise some sort of texting/mobile phone system where the starting line is only given out to the teams an hour before the event. Because the Idiotarod has gotten so big, and so much press has followed this event, how the organizers cope logistically with the multitude of racers, spectators and gawkers will have to change. However, I have to commend it to the Carts of Brooklyn people, they ran a well-organized event, and no one was arrested or seriously hurt.
See all of my photos on my 2007 Idiotarod Photoset.
this article was edited for legibility.

This post appeared in a previous blog and is here for posterity’s sake.

Tribute in Light
Just to let everyone know, those “explosion” sounds which started around 2255 (10:55 pm) were from the 14th Street ConEd cogeneration plant – shown above from Greenpoint during the Tribute in Light. Apparently the cogeneration plant was letting off steam, for reasons I am sure will become apparent in a few days. Herself and I walked down to the water’s edge and watched the steam rise, along with 20-30 of our closes Greenpoint neighbors.
Via Gothamist Contribute:

this is the BNN summary of the wire traffic: @ THE CON-ED PLANT ON EAST 13 ST| FDNY GETTING NUMEROUS CALLS OF AN EXPLOSION FROM MANHATTAN ALSO FROM ACROSS THE RIVER IN BROOKLYN OF AN EXPLOSION. FD REPORTS THEY ARE STEAM BEING RELEASED

So there you go.
Later: Heres a photo from the end of the street in my neighborhood. Photos of steam wasn’t too interesting, so photos of people is all I took.

ConEd Lets Some Steam Loose

This post appeared in a previous blog and is here for posterity’s sake.

night time, originally uploaded by seth_holladay
New York Times has an article about where traffic comes from in the NYC region, and their hook is that it doesn’t come from the suburbs. In Traffic’s Jam, Who’s Driving May Be Surprising:

It’s a common enough thought among city drivers inching through traffic: Everyone around me came from the suburbs, making my life miserable. But it’s wrong, because more than half the drivers who crowd into Manhattan each workday come from the five boroughs.
…
Census data show that more city residents than suburbanites drive to work in Manhattan every day, according to Mr. Schaller. He estimated that 263,000 people in 19 counties in and around New York City drive regularly to jobs in Manhattan below 60th Street. Of those, 53 percent, or 141,000, live in the five boroughs, Mr. Schaller said. The greatest numbers are from Queens, with 51,300, and Brooklyn, with 33,400. About 23,900 auto commuters live in Manhattan, while 17,400 are from the Bronx and 15,200 from Staten Island. The suburban area with the most auto commuters to Manhattan is Nassau County, with 22,091 people driving to work in the borough, followed by Bergen County, with 19,975.

Outer Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx might as well be called the suburbs. Have you ever been out at Far Rockaway or past Shea? It might as well be Levittown, being that outer Queens and Brooklyn were the last to be developed in the post-WWII years.
It would be interesting to cross-reference driving habits by density, because I am sure they are directly related, and the lack (or lessening) of density of outer Brooklyn and Queens means owning a car becomes more necessary.
Below is a population maps of NYC with population density >10K resident per sq. mi (3861 per sq km):

population maps of NYC with population density >10K resident per sq. mi (3861 per sq km) by fake is the new real
And here is a color-coded population density map by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia:

New York City population density 1990
You can see east of the Belt Parkway/Van Wyck corridors, the density fall rapidly. All still in Queens, mind you, but vastly different in scale than the rest of the city. The change in scale and lack of direct, and fast, public transportation makes personal vehicles a no-brainer, and often a necessity.
So, I think there is a good case to be made that a majority of traffic to the Manhattan core comes from what we would all call the “suburbs” – regardless if it happens to fall within the five boroughs. Either way, it doesn’t really matter: there are a ton of cars coming into the Manhattan core from outside the core, to the tune of 239,100 vehicles; 91% of vehicles below 60th Street are not from Manhattan. This is why public policy about parking and congestion pricing will be front and center for the foreseeable future.
Food for thought, I guess.

This post appeared in a previous blog and is here for posterity’s sake.

Broken Angel
The continuing saga of Broken Angel appears headed toward a beneficial conclusion. Last week it was announced that the building and adjoining property were up for sale, but this looks like it was “Plan B.” In today’s New York Times, it appears that that the City and the Woods have come to an agreement:

Yesterday, in a conference with the Brooklyn Supreme Court, the Woods agreed to submit engineering plans by next Wednesday to dismantle the building’s 40-foot rooftop structure, the main violation. The Woods have also entered into a tentative agreement to share ownership with a local developer, Shahn Andersen, who would turn most of the building into condominiums, according to a spokeswoman for City Councilwoman Letitia James. The Broken Angel, as the house is known, would include some form of community space, along with living and studio space for the Woods.

This is exactly what the Woods wanted: save the building’s best and most enigmatic parts, which is the masonry the Wood’s constructed over the years. Pairing up with a developer is the really the only recourse when you have very little cash on hand, but quite a lot of valuable land. The masonry core of the existing building is quite stable, only a bit of shoring appears to be required. The tricky part is removing the wood addition, which is acting like a giant rubber band, holding the masonry top together.
I wish the Wood’s luck; there is still a long ways to go, but it looks like they will be able to save the building.

This post appeared in a previous blog and is here for posterity’s sake.

Viaduc des Arts, originally uploaded by cgfan
Via City Comforts, who is all over the Seattle Viaduct hoopla, comes this fascinating (5 year old) article about the Viaduc des Arts, a former railroad viaduct, stretches east along the wide Avenue Daumesnil between the Place de la Bastille and city hall of the 12e Arrondissement. Instead of tearing it down, they created a series of craftsmen and artists lotfs:

The shops recall the history of the neighborhood, which was once the blue-collar home of artisans, craftspersons, and antiques shops. The shops, therefore, display the arts and crafts of today, some of them made on the premises. Each shop occupies a single arch of the old viaduct. The arches have been refaced in a handsome orange-red brick that deliberately recalls another historic icon, the famous Place des Vosges not far away. Parking is tucked almost invisibly underground. The shopfronts themselves are elegantly detailed in glass, metal, and wood in a taut, minimalist architectural language that is very much that of today and becomes a kind of modern craft in itself. The architect was Patrick Berger.
The shops, though, wonderful as they are, are less than half the story. The rest is the park upstairs. It’s called the Promenade Plantee. Three miles of the old track bed have been converted into a linear park, a kind of aerial nature walk in the city. The landscaping is a botanist’s dream. You’re never bored. Your path is endlessly varied. Some of the plants ripple in the wind like natural marshland. Others resemble formal parterres. In places, the park spreads out into playing fields and strolling parkland. At other times it narrows to a tight file edged by dark trees. Or it becomes a courtyard where oldsters, sipping their wine, watch kids playing games. Sometimes you walk through a trellised arbor. In one place, there’s a cave-like hideaway. In still another, the park shears its way through a new building, splitting it in half. The designers — Philippe Mathieu and Jacques Vergely — seize every chance to dramatize the anomaly of a linear park that slips through Paris like thread through a needle.

Remind you of anything?

On The High Line 04/23 by nicolaitan
Interesting; I just hope the Highline will be half as successful. Unfortunately, instead of artists lofts or workshops, I think that the Highline will, besides be a great urban park, foster luxury condos and high end hotels, thus proving to be a great opportunity lost.

This post appeared in a previous blog and is here for posterity’s sake.

HEET, originally uploaded by Triborough
Living in New York, unless you are fortunate to live within walking distance to your job, you have to take the subway; which results in having to go through the turnstiles a minimum of four times each day. This means either going through a regular turnstile or a HEET (iron maiden, tourist trap, etc.) daily. With such an ubiquitous experience all New Yorkers endure, one’s technique is forced to be honed to an art form; from the way you swipe your card, to how you go through the turnstile it is hard not to develop a personal style of turnstiling.
Case in point: recently I was following a woman out of the subway car headed toward a HEET exit. Instead of getting into the HEET and pushing on the forward arms, she entered in and pulled the HEET arms which were behind her. Very strange, but that is her way of turnstiling
My style on regular turnstiles is to get my card out of my wallet a few strides before the turnstiles, get my arm out in front of me, swipe, then pivot right so that the bar will hit my left hip. This ensures if I get the dreaded error message the Boys won’t be in danger. In the HEET I just push with my right shoulder.
How do you turnstile?