Let me tell you.  In order to get some things done, my team went to TS e at 

• 12 Noon
  
• 3 PM
  
• 6 PM
  
• 9 PM
  
• 12 Midnight
  
• 4 AM
  

I wasn't there at 4 AM, but I can tell you that there is significant foot traffic, hence several 24 hour restaurants and the addition of bars, etc.    We have interactive advertising (ie. see yourself on the cover of Time, Essence or People Magazine).  There is serious foot traffic.There are folks out there like you would not believe.

 

I can remember when you were strongly advised not to walk down 42 street between 7 Avenue and 10 Avenue.

 

The tables, umbrellas, and chair are all sponsored.  Advertisers know TS is a tourist Trap there is a built in audience, which they can speak too. It's a way to take a break - on the crossroads of the world - while the hustle and bustle goes on around you.

Let me tell you.  In order to get some things done, my team went to TS e at 

• 12 Noon
  
• 3 PM
  
• 6 PM
  
• 9 PM
  
• 12 Midnight
  
• 4 AM
  

I wasn't there at 4 AM, but I can tell you that there is significant foot traffic, hence several 24 hour restaurants and the addition of bars, etc.    We have interactive advertising (ie. see yourself on the cover of Time, Essence or People Magazine).  There is serious foot traffic.There are folks out there like you would not believe.

 

I can remember when you were strongly advised not to walk down 42 street between 7 Avenue and 10 Avenue.

 

The tables, umbrellas, and chair are all sponsored.  Advertisers know TS is a tourist Trap there is a built in audience, which they can speak too. It's a way to take a break - on the crossroads of the world - while the hustle and bustle goes on around you.

 

You sound like a used car salesman ;-)

 

I live in NYC currently so I visit it every once in awhile.  I actually walk underneath it every day on the way to work. 

 

Therefore your profile is a lie.. you are not in Cincinnati, Ohio.  :)

 

I move every 3 months for co-op jobs, it's tough to keep my profile up with it :-)

Let me tell you.  In order to get some things done, my team went to TS e at   

• 12 Noon
  
• 3 PM
  
• 6 PM
  
• 9 PM
  
• 12 Midnight
  
• 4 AM
  

I wasn't there at 4 AM, but I can tell you that there is significant foot traffic, hence several 24 hour restaurants and the addition of bars, etc.    We have interactive advertising (ie. see yourself on the cover of Time, Essence or People Magazine).  There is serious foot traffic.There are folks out there like you would not believe.

 

I can remember when you were strongly advised not to walk down 42 street between 7 Avenue and 10 Avenue.

 

The tables, umbrellas, and chair are all sponsored.  Advertisers know TS is a tourist Trap there is a built in audience, which they can speak too. It's a way to take a break - on the crossroads of the world - while the hustle and bustle goes on around you.

 

You sound like a used car salesman ;)

 

I live in NYC currently so I visit it every once in awhile.  I actually walk underneath it every day on the way to work. 

 

Therefore your profile is a lie.. you are not in Cincinnati, Ohio.  :)

 

I move every 3 months for co-op jobs, it's tough to keep my profile up with it :)

 

I know where you live and work, don't make me call some folks from Washington Hts. on you!  lol

these shots are from st. patrick's day.

 

i had a container draft of murphy's stout at jeremy's at the seaport later, just so i didn't totally ignore the holiday.  :wink:

 

this first is a view from church street on the west side,

it's looking across the southern tip of city hall park.

 

 

 

 

 

here's where it's starting to

get all gehry-ized

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i heard there was some kind of stop-work on the upper floors,

but they were working like gang-busters on the base/streets.

 

Yawn. 

Times Square Plan’s Challenge: Lose the Cars, Keep the Grit

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/arts/design/26clos.html

 

When New York City announced a plan to shut down parts of Times Square to traffic, New Yorkers’ reactions ranged from bemusement to mild hysteria.Despite reassurances from the Transportation Department that the changes would create a greener, more pedestrian-friendly city, some critics of the plan worried that it would sap the square of its chaotic energy. Others, apparently nostalgic for the seediness of the 1970s version of the square, denounced it as another step in New York’s transformation from the world’s greatest metropolis to a generic tourist trap.

 

For more, click the link

I will wait until I get back to NYC this summer to pass final judgment, but I'm going to bet it lost a lot of it's nostalgia.  Seems like a total sellout to tourists to me. 

^ Yeah, but what local even comes close to the square? It is avoided by cabbies. I would bet that the majority of cabbies going through Times Square are request made by tourist.

^ I throw up in my mouth when I hear mention of TS, let alone go to it.

^ I throw up in my mouth when I hear mention of TS, let alone go to it.

 

Yeah, I've got two good friends that live at 10th and 42nd and they avoid it at all cost.

I will wait until I get back to NYC this summer to pass final judgment, but I'm going to bet it lost a lot of it's nostalgia.  Seems like a total sellout to tourists to me. 

Times Square lost its "nostalgia" decades ago when it became a gentrified theme park; closing off much of it to traffic is just the last nail in the coffin (much of the mystique of the Times Square experience has always been the sea of traffic and the honking of horns). Although there are many serious, critically acclaimed plays currently on Broadway--a revival of Desire Under The Elms; Neil LaBute's reasons to be pretty; Mary Stuart; God of Carnage; etc--some of them are not doing that well at the box office because of 1) astronomical ticket prices (in evidence now for ages) which drives away many New York residents who would otherwise like to go to the theater more often; and 2) the fact that most tourists who make up the bulk of the Broadway audience want to see big musicals with brand name stars, despite their dubious quality (though now even straight plays often demand those stars to draw an audience--James Gandolfini and Jeff Daniels in God of Carnage, for example). That being said, I still love walking through Times Square on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

I will wait until I get back to NYC this summer to pass final judgment, but I'm going to bet it lost a lot of it's nostalgia.  Seems like a total sellout to tourists to me. 

Times Square lost its "nostalgia" decades ago when it became a gentrified theme park; closing off much of it to traffic is just the last nail in the coffin (much of the mystique of the Times Square experience has always been the sea of traffic and the honking of horns). Although there are many serious, critically acclaimed plays currently on Broadway--a revival of Desire Under The Elms; Neil LaBute's reasons to be pretty; Mary Stuart; God of Carnage; etc--some of them are not doing that well at the box office because of 1) astronomical ticket prices (in evidence now for ages) which drives away many New York residents who would otherwise like to go to the theater more often; and 2) the fact that most tourists who make up the bulk of the Broadway audience want to see big musicals with brand name stars, despite their dubious quality (though now even straight plays often demand those stars to draw an audience--James Gandolfini and Jeff Daniels in God of Carnage, for example). That being said, I still love walking through Times Square on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

 

When I first got here in '97, it was on it's last legs of filth and fun.  When the club, the world, closed, TS was officially disneyfied.

via curbed blog -- here's how it looks is so far:

 

 

 

 

1) The Great Broadway Pedestrian Experiment kicked off on Memorial Day with the closing off of the Great White Way to cars between 42nd Street to 47th Street, and 33rd Street to 35th Street. Though the plazas have yet to really be built-out, it's so far, so good, says Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff. It's splendid if a little rushed, says Big Nic, and if the idea becomes permanent the city will need to design plazas that better reflect the city rather than just some small café tables. Above, a gallery pulled from Flickr of some of yesterday's sights in Times Square. ['Lose the Traffic. Keep That Times Square Grit.']

 

more pics:

http://curbed.com/archives/2009/05/26/it_happened_one_long_weekend_bway_goes_for_a_stroll.php?o=1

 

^  :roll:  :laugh:

 

yay, good news on this one after some labor disputes and slowdowns. i was downtown recently and have even seen them up there working on it again myself:

 

 

Shine On, You Crazy Gehry: Beekman Will Rise to 76 Stories

 

Friday, May 29, 2009, by Joey

 

 

Turns out there's still one huge, rippling piece of starchitecture left in the dearly departed building boom: Developer Forest City Ratner has announced that it will complete the construction of Frank Gehry's 76-story Beekman Tower in the upper reaches of the Financial District, a little over two months after halting construction and threatening to cap the half-built structure at 40 floors. The metal-skinned skyscraper (with 900 luxury rentals and a new public school in its base) was caught in a dispute over labor costs, and the Times' Charles Bagli reports that the recent deal struck between unions and developers is what finally gave the full-on Gehry the green light. Bagli also notes that construction kicked off again this week, but workers have been seen fiddling with the building for a little while now. Other projects may move forward under the new terms, including Midtown's long-stalled Tower 111. We might have to hold off on Missing Skyline v2.0 for a bit, eh?

 

· Savings on Labor Allow Work on Residential Skyscraper to Resume [NYT]

· All Beekman Tower coverage [Curbed]

 

UPDATE: Forest City Ratner just issued a press release on the matter, featuring bonus Gehry quotage and a target opening date.

 

Per the statement, "FCRC's critical decision to build the full skyscraper was due to a combination of factors, including a reduction in the cost of construction materials and interior build-out and finishes. In addition, a successful collaboration with the Building and Construction Trades Council and the Building Employers Trade Association resulted in a beneficial Beekman Project Labor Agreement. Completing the Beekman tower will keep hundreds of workers employed at a time when construction in New York has slowed dramatically."

 

A kind way of putting value-engineering, for sure, and here's the Gehrmeister on the topic, all smiles and offering no clue about his involvement/non-involvement in Ratner's Atlantic Yards project:

 

    "I am thrilled by Forest City’s decision to finish Beekman to its original design. My vision was to create an elegant residential tower, one that speaks to the surrounding towers but also establishes its own architectural identity. From the beginning, I have been focused on meeting the developer’s economic requirements. It has been an extraordinary partnership with Bruce Ratner and our teams have worked closely to create a building that we are all very proud of. This tower could only be built in New York.”

 

Occupancy is scheduled for next summer.

 

http://curbed.com/archives/2009/05/29/shine_on_you_crazy_gehry_beekman_will_rise_to_76_stories.php#more

 

I was happy to hear this.  I think the tower is going to look great.  I'm not that fond of the base of though.  While I don't mind "blocky" bases, this one kind of reminds me of a hospital or something.

yeah, no one likes it. the base is truly a standard off the shelf institutional looking new city public school. i read that to be allowed to build the tower, ratner was forced by the city to include it. the downtown cbd is seeing a spike in residential, including what will be coming from this very building too i suppose, so another school is needed down there.

 

i'm just glad this one is going all the way up, for a while there was talk it might be capped off short.

 

I will wait until I get back to NYC this summer to pass final judgment, but I'm going to bet it lost a lot of it's nostalgia.  Seems like a total sellout to tourists to me. 

 

I can't say anything about whether the traffic is better or not, but I spent some time with a friend here last night and enjoyed being able to have a seat and have a bit of room.

 

My final judgement is that it's only slightly more Disneyworld-esque than it used to be, and only slightly more of a tourist trap.

I think this plan is a really good one, and it has great potential.

 

But the tacky lawn chairs??? I mean, I really hope they spruce the area up a bit.

I dont know the tacky lawn chairs has a grittier feel to it.  If they put in more stylish chairs then the disneyfication effect goes on.  These at least make you feel like your sitting on the porch.  Gives off a good retro vibe.

It looks like they are going to replace them eventually, as some places have nicer seating and landscaping elements already, and there was some work being done on more.  Right now the streets are just blocked off with orange barrels (ah, reminds me of Ohio..) and people nervously wander around, not sure if they're supposed to be walking/sitting in that street or not.

 

 

Exactly. It would be nice if they could at least lay down some gravel like they have in other parts along Broadway, with planters, etc. I dunno .. maybe the current look they're going for is intentional, but it just looks .. tacky and thrown together to me. Regardless, I avoid TS like the plague, so I don't know why I'm getting in such a huff over it.

 

I also really wish that Times Square could throw some trees into the mix. It's too bad that it's all so concrete and asphalt-y. But that's just me.

I agree, people seemed confused if they could go into the street or not (when it was less crowded of course).

Here's an interesting question.  Do you think this might increase crime?  You always hear at festivals and big events when crowds gather purses, wallets, and cellphones are stolen.  I feel like when everyone is up on the sidewalk there's a lot more eyes watching.  With everyone scattered about I feel like these incidents would be less conspicuous.  Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know.

i think this will spread the people out and give them more elbow room and it will be safer.

 

my guess is that would decrease the pickpocketing, which is rampant on the narrow ts area sidewalks packed with %#@!! stop-dead-in-your-tracks-in-the-freakin-middle-of-the-sidewalk gawkers.

 

otherwise, whether people stay on the sidewalks or now in the streets too its heavily patrolled, full of people and there really are no inconspicuous areas. that's the beauty of nyc, aside from petty stuff generally there is safety in those numbers.

 

also, i'm not sure about ts, the changes are too new and i avoid the place, but come to think of it i haven't seen too many bums/addicts camping out in the meatpacking or madison square seating, i think the foot patrols must roust them out.

 

 

 

Pretty sure that the plan is to reassess (or at least to pretend to) in August and determine then whether the changes should be permanent.  The general sense is that the changes will be permanent unless the traffic is shown to be a complete and total disaster, which I don't think is the case.  After the reassessment, there will be bike lanes, the gravel spray, better quality seating, planters and bollards in line with the changes further south on Broadway.

 

I walked around last week or the week before and thought it was awesome.  So awesome that I don't even feel like I have to avoid Times Square at all costs.

And Cleveland can't seem to make its Public Square a true unified square/park because of what reason?.....

And Cleveland can't seem to make its Public Square a true unified square/park because of what reason?.....

 

Because people keep making excuses and backpedaling. Which is pretty typical.

it's brooklyn's turn, flatbush avenue could be next:

 

 

Could this be the new face of Flatbush Avenue?

 

By Gersh Kuntzman

The Brooklyn Paper

 

W Architecture and Landscape Architecture

Taming the mean street: The North Flatbush Business Improvement District has hired an architect to make the meanest of the mean streets more friendly.

 

 

Flatbush Avenue would become a walkable, livable, shopable boulevard — no, really! — under a new plan being put forward by a local business group that is frustrated by the dour, traffic-choked strip between Grand Army Plaza and Atlantic Avenue.

 

For more, click the link

www.brooklynpaper.com

©2009 The Brooklyn Paper

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/25/32_25_gk_flatbush.html

^Actually, I think this Flatbush thing is more of a glorified streetscaping project.  The road narrowings and such would all be on the side streets, not Flatbush itself.  But still would be awesome!

it's more than just streetscaping if it's taking out traffic lanes.

^Well sort of; but they're not taking out any traffic lanes from Flatbush itself, so it's a pretty different animal from the dramatic action on Broadway. The rendering is of one of the short side street segments that feeds into Broadway, so the narrowings are kind of like mega-neckdowns to calm the traffic entering the main street.  I think the car-owning hoards of Brooklyn would throw a super conniption if the City actually removed traffic lanes from Flatbush, but this will certainly be an improvement for pedestrians.  I really hope the City continues to do more and more of this stuff, in addition to the big projects.

mrnyc, do you know if the City plans on the summer weekend shutdowns of the Park Ave/Lafayette/Center Street corridor this year?

no, for sure that is definately not flatbush itself. still, taking out any traffic lanes is above and beyond mere streetscaping, which is usually just code for trees and planters and stuff like that. it's a bit of a trial project for brooklyn, we'll see how far they go with it.

 

 

^Very far I hope!  I get so fed up with needlessly bleak ped environments- this projects make me so happy.  And they really aren't that expensive or controverial when at this scale.

mrnyc, do you know if the City plans on the summer weekend shutdowns of the Park Ave/Lafayette/Center Street corridor this year?

 

i just saw this today!

 

http://gothamist.com/2009/06/29/summer_streets_coming_back_bigger_i.php

 

a friendlier approach to the brooklyn bridge and even more bits of street taken out for pedestrians/bikes in downtown brooklyn:

 

http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/06/30/first-look-a-walkable-bikeable-gateway-to-the-brooklyn-bridge/

 

 

^ I never was a fan of the summer streets thing, but I guess it's just personal preference.  I walk on the sidewalk all the time, why do I need the street shut down? 

 

As for the Brooklyn Bridge approach... I'm glad they could fork over the money to have a team of 12 year olds put their graphics together.

that means you are a fan of cars over pedestrians as well as the pedestrian approach to the bridge as it is now. hmm.

 

^No, I like the proposal, I just think it's presented very poorly; despite the bad graphics it should be an improvement when built, and the idea to do it is a good one.

 

As for the summer streets, I found them to be less interesting and exciting than a nomal summer day, so I don't really see a point in causing so much traffic mayhem when not much is gained.  But, I guess some people like them.

 

 

^No, I like the proposal, I just think it's presented very poorly; despite the bad graphics it should be an improvement when built, and the idea to do it is a good one.

 

well i hoped so, that's certainly by far the more important point.

 

as for the proposal itself, i don't see what you are seeing. it's 90% photos and maps. not great, but not bad either, especially considering this is dot not some ad agency. its their standard format -- see this one for the madison square traffic calming plan (in the end that came out quite well don't you think?):

http://www.streetsblog.org/wp-content/pdf/madisonsqimprov.pdf

 

 

As for the summer streets, I found them to be less interesting and exciting than a nomal summer day, so I don't really see a point in causing so much traffic mayhem when not much is gained.  But, I guess some people like them.

 

 

i dont see your logic. when cars are removed traffic mayhem is removed. well it might not be interesting, its better for pedestrians, even if it is temporary.

 

at the very least it might get people to think differently about our unreasonably autocentric urban space, kind of like (park)ing day strives to do:

 

http://www.parkingday.org/

 

^ btw -- i see (park)ing day 2009 is friday, sept 18th!

 

 

 

I think this would be a great idea. I was in Times Square back in January. Manhattan is already congested so I don't see how much of an impact it will be for the city. It would also be nice if Indy could shut down Monument Circle to car traffic since it too has a central pedestrian location.

i finally made it to see the time square getup this weekend. it's definately very different to have less cars and more people milling around, but i liked it a lot. for one thing, it's infinity times safer than before when you were crowded off the sidewalk right next to cars whizzing by. thats for sure. we went back at night time too. you could actually almost enjoy the visit.

 

funny but now times square looks and feels even more crowded than it ever was (outside of events), except it's mostly people on foot instead of the cars.

 

here's a few shots

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08182009/news/columnists/times_square_yawn_chairs_185119.htm

TIMES SQUARE YAWN CHAIRS

REVAMP DOESN'T SAVE THIS BROADWAY FLOP!

 

IT TOOK 25 years to save Times Square from its dark age, and it took City Hall just three months to turn it into a squatters' camp.

 

Despite all of yesterday's ribbon-cutting hoopla, complete with a confetti-firing cannon, the Crossroads of the World looks almost exactly like what it's been all summer -- a five-block-long sea of dazed, low-rent tourists glued like chewing-gum wads to the cheapest seats in town.

 

continue reading...

I hate TS and avoid it at all cost, I don't think I've mentioned this before..

I hate TS and avoid it at all cost, I don't think I've mentioned this before..

 

Personally, I miss the traffic and craziness of the TS.  Professionally, I love the built in audience, it's a marketers wet dream now.

 

In NYC, you know all is built based on $$$

^  yep and that will lead to even bigger, better and more creative 'spectaculars' (thats what they call the signage).

 

this is all ts was ever good for anyway.

 

 

more on cuozzo and the furniture upgrade:

http://gothamist.com/2009/08/17/breaking_new_chairs_in_broadway_ped.php

 

http://curbed.com/archives/2009/08/18/times_square_backlash.php

 

g-g-great googly gehry!

from wiredny blog  -- as of 12/31/09:

 

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4305&page=259

It looks like it's being clad in titanium or another high quality material.  I live 3 blocks from one of his buildings that had its budget cut and had a planned shiny Bilbao exterior replaced by strip mall precast brick. 

 

I am still skeptical of this building because I don't see how the roof line is going to resolve. I can't see how these vertical undulations are going to be able to just end in a flat horizontal line and everything will be okay.

^ its clad in stainless steel and any 'value engineering' was done well before it was built and is well known (ie., flat side, flat windows). no more changes are planned far as i know, so just like any building its a matter of how much it will or wont look like the renderings when its done.

 

i noticed how very, very prominent this building is in downtown manhattan today as i rode past the brooklyn 9th st-smith st f/g subway train station (which btw is the highest el station in the mta system and a great place for photos). i was surprised, it really grabbed my attention.

Yeah, the last time I lived in the city a few months ago I remember seeing this and being a bit surprised just how much of an affect it would have on the skyline of downtown.  I can't imagine what it's like now, or what it'll be like once the curtain wall is completed.