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

As pointed out on Curbed, I took a trip around World Trade Center Building 7 on afternoon on the way back to the office. It is quite an impressive building – the curtain wall is marvelous. Even the bunker-like base is quite nice. I have to hand it to SOM on this one – the building shines.
Now the only question is, who will rent space in a building next to a giant hole? At night there are many floors with the tell-tale construction lights shine proudly. Hopefully the building will find tenant, if only to bring more life to Downtown.

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

Band, originally uploaded by plemeljr
Right now, a marching band is walking down Jay Street in DUMBO (Brooklyn) playing Beyonce Knowles Crazy in Love, right down to the Jay-Z break-beat in the third verse. They have been circling the block for the last thirty minutes, and are at least 20 strong.
I’m happy to say that DUMBO isn’t completely gentrified yet – it has only reached 1990’s Williamsburg level yet.
Anyone know what was going on?

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

Secrets Revealed, originally uploaded by plemeljr
Strange – with today’s roll-out of high-er resolution Google Maps places which previously were obscured, pixelated, or blanked out now stand in their original form.
In doing research for an upcoming trip to Washington D.C. to visit friends, I naturally started wandering around the D.C. area on Google Maps, and naturally (thank you L’Enfant) drifted over to the people’s house. You might notice the Old Executive Office buildings flanking the White House and the Oval Office itself. All of these items were blanked out in the previous version. You might also want to check out the Russel Senate Office Building, the Dirksen Senate Office Building, the three House Office Buildings – all previously redacted (more Capitol fun here). You can also check out the Pentagon cafe in the center of the Pentagon – also previously redacted.
All this goes to show that the conventional wisdom of restricting maps (information) almost never works.
But the results sure are pretty to look at.

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

Closed, originally uploaded by plemeljr
Well, after having the luck of a carpool yesterday and this morning, I finally had to make it home on my own. The experience was very much like Planes, Trains, & Automobiles, my path taking me on three different modes of transportation, crossing three rivers, two states, three Boroughs, and walking, using the PATH, and the ferry.
My trip is no more outrageous than any other New Yorker – but I wanted to write down some thoughts:

• Walking over the Brooklyn Bridge, Borough President Marty Markowitz was (again) on the Brooklyn end of the bridge, megaphone in hand, welcoming people back to Brooklyn. Best Borough President, EVER!
• Walking Downtown toward the World Trade Center PATH station, it struck me that the only difference between a normal day was a slight increase in foot traffic, and a great deal of traffic – probably due to the lifting of the HOV restrictions (minimum of 4 people per car below 96th street and all river crossings).
• Taking the PATH from WTC to 33rd Street/Penn Station was quick (20 minutes), but you have to go to New Jersey to go to Midtown.
• Hearald Square was close to normal in terms of crowds, but the traffic rush was intense. Macy’s wasn’t as packed as it should be four days before Christmas, but it was crazy enough for me.
• On my crosstown walk to the East River, I came to the conclusion that there are many strip clubs and porn shops on 33rd Street, probably in order to serve Midtown suits.
• Taking the water taxi from 33rd Street to Long Island City took all of 2 minutes, and waiting on line took only around five minutes.
• Long Island City and northern Greenpoint is deserted at night, and slightly creepy

All-in-all, it took me a little over 2 1/2 hours to get home, including a bit of shopping.
Tomorrow I may just walk to work, but that would take just as long, and I would have to walk 4.5 miles. Or, there is a Ferry-Ferry version I think I might be able to take.
Who knows, as long as I can get to the airport on Friday, everything will work out. All-in-all, I am still pro-union strike, but talk to me in a few days.

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

Closed, originally uploaded by plemeljr
The Jay Street F Stop, closed for service.

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

SCP_31, originally uploaded by Pro-Zak
Here is an awesome photo set of the Long Island City Power House (Shwartz Chemical/Pennsylvania Railroad Powerhouse) – one of my favorite (if now dismantled) buildings in Queens.

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

Transit Running, originally uploaded by plemeljr
Almost every station had some graphic cooked up concerning the impending Transit Strike. Local news is very much similar to piranhas swirling around fresh meat.
Later Update 16 Dec 05
Well, looks like only a partial strike of the private bus lines – for now.
What’s the hold up?

The main issues separating the two sides are pensions, health insurance and safety. The authority had offered pay raises of 3 percent a year in a 27-month contract, which the union rejected. In addition, the MTA asked that the retirement age for new employees be raised to 62 after 30 years of service, while the union wants it lowered to 50 after 20 years on the job. Transit workers can now retire at age 55 after 25 years of service.

Looks like we have until midnight on Monday.

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

i smell a transit strike, originally uploaded by lanaj
Now that we are less than 5 hours until the transit strike, it is both scary and reassuring that TWU Local 100 has a strike safety contingency plan and it is posted on their blog.
Check out Gothamist for all of your Transit Strike info-porn:

‘Twas the night of the transit negotiations,
and all through the big city,
not a straphanger (or bus rider) was calm,
’cause a strike would be damn gritty.
So, it’s the end of your work day and the MTA and Transit Workers Union are still engaged in intense negotiations at the Grand Hyatt right by Grand Central. (Have you seeing rallying workers?) And, uh, Newsday reports that the talks are “going nowhere.” How about “…going nowhere except for a resolution at 00:00:59?” We have been enjoying the photographs from the 1980 transit strike, but it doesn’t seem like they had a rainy day to deal with! Both sides are willing to negotiate on wages, but pensions are one of the wildcards.

Well, we will know more tonight, but here’s to walking in the cold – my place of employment will not close down if (when) the strike occurs.

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

York, originally uploaded by plemeljr
Now that we are three days away from a possible tranist worker strike (more from Newsday), the city is understandably buzzing with news of negotiations and terms from both sides.
What fascinates me, is the reactions from my fellow Gothamites: a city so stereotypically liberal and progressive has so many people who are mad that the union is threatening to strike. Which is pretty funny.
I for one, find the actions of TWU Local 100 perfectly in-bounds. This is what a union is for: collective bargaining in order to exert influence on organizations magnitudes larger than the sum of their workers. Regardless what the Taylor Law (or officially the New York State Public Employees Fair Employment Act) deems illegal, striking is the only actual bargaining chip the workers have – and they have every moral and ethical reason to use it.
Now, that said, I wholeheartedly reserve the right to complain when I have to walk to work next week. Shutting down the city is no laughing matter – especially during winter; for further reference, next time the transit worker’s contract is extended, let’s have it expire when there isn’t snow and ice on the ground (thanks).