Keeping it On Track

The James Farley Post Office will be transformed into the new Moynihan Station.

I happened to run across on one of the NYC cable channels this morning a replay of the groundbreaking for Moynihan Station, which was originally held in October. If you’re not familiar with it, this is the project which will incorporate the massive Farley Post Office, which sits in back of Penn Station. The idea is to turn Farley into a station reminiscent of the old Penn Station which was torn down to make room for the sad excuse for a station we now have, and Madison Square Garden.

I really hope this project moves forward. The designs for the new station that I saw years ago looked brilliant. Our city deserves another station on par with Grand Central.

During the ceremony, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood spoke passionately about a network of high-speed rail that would eventually connect more than 80 percent of the country. That sounds like a dream, what with Obama’s opponents on the record as opposed to the idea saying we cannot afford it. But this to me is such a short-sighted way of thinking. Won’t investing in our nation’s transportation eventually help to grow our economy?

Here are some articles on Moynihan Station if you want to learn more:

 

Related Articles

• A Ceremonial Start for Moynihan Station (cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Moynihan Station Gains a Little Steam (observer.com)
• Step one for Penn Station upgrade (nydailynews.com)
• Revenge of the Megaprojects: The division of Midtown’s Moynihan Station… (ny.curbed.com)
• A look inside NYC’s James A. Farley Post Office (boingboing.net)
• Slow Train Coming: Phase 1 of Moynihan Station Project Might Actually Happen (greenbuildingsnyc.com)

Yellow Journalism

Keith Olbermann

From The NY Times:

Media Decoder: Olbermann Suspended From MSNBC for Campaign Donations

By BRIAN STELTER AND BILL CARTER

Published: November 5, 2010

Keith Olbermann was suspended from MSNBC after making campaign donations to three Democrats.

Puhhhlease! Suspended for campaign donations? Keith Olbermann? Why?? He is not a journalist, he is a commentator. So what does it matter if he makes a campaign donation? I think he is pretty much on the record about his opinions, don’t you? And the whole idea of MSNBC’s policy against campaign donations seems to be to prevent their journalists from any conflict of interest, to keep them objective in their reporting. But once again, this man is not a journalist, he is a commentator, like all of their evening lineup.

This is an example of an old-school journalism organization (MSNBC, owned by NBC), trying its hand at new-school journalism (anchors who attract viewers based on their personal political persuasions), and failing outright because it can’t make up its mind what it is.

End Mr. Olbermann’s suspension. It is ridiculous.

Forest Hills’ Changing Jewish Community

Forest Hills Jewish Center

From The Jewish Week: Continuity In Queens

“It’s a beautiful area, the country in the city,” she said. “It has terrific access to Manhattan, so it’s always attracted yuppies — young professionals — and young families. Now the challenge is to keep the young families in the borough — and in the neighborhood.”

 

Happy Friday !

‘The Sitter’ Filming in Forest Park This Week

Sam Rockwell

The Daily News reports an “Adventures in Babysitting” remake starring Jonah Hill (Superbad) and the fantastic actor Sam Rockwell is filming this week in Forest Park:

Shuttered Forest Park Carousel gets turn for better after landing film role in ‘The Sitter’

Fans of the Forest Park Carousel were thrilled to see a glimpse of the shuttered treasure during a flurry of activity at the site this week.

But they shouldn’t get their hopes up.

The workers cleaning and fixing the 100-year-old carousel were part of a film crew shooting scenes for “The Sitter.”

Commissioner Is Removed From Landmarks Panel

I wonder if this could in some way impact the ongoing efforts to have the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium declared an historic landmark?

From The Times:

N.Y. / Region

City Room: Commissioner Is Removed From Landmarks Panel

By ROBIN POGREBIN

Published: November 3, 2010

Roberta Brandes Gratz, known for taking a hard line on protecting historic buildings, has been removed from the Landmarks Preservation Commission after seven years.

Free Eggs !

Well, almost. Our newest natural food store, Greenline Organic, on Austin St., is giving away a box of eggs with any purchase of $12 or more. One of the employees told me this promotion will last another month or so, as long as supplies last. So if you’re into eggs, and haven’t paid a visit to this attractive new organic store, now is the perfect time!

Chic No More

Sadly, the cute little purveyor of make-your-own salads, tasty soups and supposedly free wi-fi, Chic & Green, near the corner of Queens Blvd. and 72nd Road, has called it quits. A visit to the place this afternoon revealed quite a sad and lonely little empty storefront where all that healthy fare used to be doled out of. This is disappointing, as Forest Hills most desperately needs a make-your-own salad place! We are like one of the only neighborhoods in New York City without one now. What is so hard about this? Chic’s biggest problem no doubt was its location. 72nd Road is not the most well-traversed part of our shopping district and a salad and soup place needs heavy foot traffic for its food to stay fresh. It would be nice if Chic reopened somewhere else in town.

My Take On The Elections

Image by ad454 via Flickr

Seems to me like some of the most intolerant candidates, both near and far, lost big-time last night. (Unfortunately, we’re still going to have to contend with that big-time freakazoid Rand Paul.) But overall, it’s great to know that American voters were repulsed by the idiocy and hate spewed by the likes of Sharon Angle and the astounding amount of hate and stupidity from Carl Paladino. Unfortunately, all signs now point to even worse gridlock in Washington.

Now Albany should be very interesting to watch. Let’s see how Andy delivers for the city. Let’s just pray he doesn’t have any surprises in store for us like Spitzer did.

But overall, I am left thinking this morning that the system is working as it should. American democracy is alive and kicking and doing what it should be doing. The American people are unsure how to get out of the mess we are in, and that is reflected in these schizophrenic elections we have been having.

Toys R Us on Austin

Image via Wikipedia

In case you haven’t heard – Toys R Us is opening up a temporary store on Austin St. where the Annie Sez/ Mandee was. It is part of a strategy by the retailer to greatly expand its storefronts for the holidays: Toys R Us Plans a Pop-Up Store Holiday Blitz