Lower Manhattan’s Local News
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The Broadsheet Inc. | 212-912-1106 | editor@ebroadsheet.com | ebroadsheet.com
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The State of the Community
BPCA President to Discuss Strategic Plan for Community at Meeting Tonight
Tonight (Wednesday, October 2), Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) president Benjamin Jones will attend a meeting of the Battery Park City Committee of Community Board 1 (CB1) to discuss a preliminary draft of the agency’s first-ever strategic plan, a vision for the community’s future that encompasses resiliency, affordability, and quality of life, among other issues.
This meeting will be held at Asphalt Green (212 North Avenue, near Murray Street), starting at 6:00 pm. The public is invited to attend and participate by asking question or offering ideas. No R.S.V.P. is necessary.
To develop its strategic plan, the BPCA earlier this year engaged 100 Resilient Cities, a non-profit organization incubated by the Rockefeller Foundation that seeks to help cities around the world become more resilient in multiple ways. The group’s approach takes into account a broad range of physical, social and economic challenges, guided by a view that includes not just the shocks — disasters such as extreme-weather events or terrorist attacks — but also the stresses that weaken the fabric of a city on a day to day or cyclical basis, such as a lack of affordable housing, rising inequality, overburdened infrastructure, and criticisms of governance.
This holistic approach led the BPCA and 100 Resilient Cities to host multiple meetings and interviews with residents, business owners, and other stakeholders over the past five months. The preliminary results are outlined in the report that will be discussed this evening.
Among its chief conclusions are that, “affordability was the most reported concern that stakeholders participating in this assessment mentioned,” and that the, “lack of affordable housing options for people of all income levels — including all those who work in BPC (nannies, restaurant staff, security guards, BPCA staff, et al.)” is a consistent source of worry for residents. In one striking insight, the 100 Resilient Cities team documents that, “BPC has the highest turnover of tenants in rent-stabilized or, in BPC’s case, quasi-rent-stabilized, apartments of any community in New York City.” A related worry: “Stakeholders discussed the expiration of BPCA’s master lease in 2069 and the uncertainty that brings both to homeowners and renters.”
The report also acknowledges that, “historically, this priority has not been reflected in the actions BPCA has taken in these areas; in years past BPCA has done very little to address affordability within BPC. As BPCA has begun to undertake these efforts over the past year, it needs to think carefully about what their affordability agenda should be — as a mechanism for creating affordability elsewhere in New York City, improving affordability within BPC, or both.” On the environmental front, the report notes that, “while BPCA will not be able to eliminate climate change single-handedly, it can continue to demonstrate leadership [in] this effort.” The researchers also observe that, “as coastal residents and workers with Superstorm Sandy fresh in their minds, stakeholders are especially concerned about sea level rise, an increased frequency of severe storms, and flooding.” The same section predicts that in planning to harden the community against sea-level rise and future extreme-weather events, “BPCA has the opportunity be a model for protective and sustainable infrastructure and climate proofing.”
In gauging local quality of life, the report cites, “congestion, pollution, and lack of enforcement” as primary concerns, noting that, “with more than a half-million people visiting the parks of BPC each year, and nearly half of those visitors originating outside of BPC, there is some contention among local stakeholders between the neighborhood’s role as a premier destination for visitors, and the notion that ‘this park is also our backyard.'” Respondents also voiced concerns that, “increasing numbers of visitors to BPC also seem to be causing concern around air and noise pollution. Specifically, stakeholders complained of idling cars, tour buses, and delivery vehicles; circulating app-based vehicles; and loud boats and ferries as contributors to air and noise pollution.”
When asked about safety and security, interview participants cited terrorist attacks and weather events paramount issues. “Several stakeholders taking part in interviews suggested that BPC residents can be broken into two categories — those who lived in the neighborhood during the attacks of 9/11 and those who moved to the neighborhood after reconstruction,” the report notes, adding that, “regardless of which group stakeholders may fall into, the fear of experiencing another devastating terrorist attack is engrained in the culture of BPC.”
Similarly, “almost without variance, stakeholders voiced their concern with experiencing another damaging and disruptive weather event like Hurricane Sandy,” the 100 Resilient Cities team notes. “However, this concern was diminished slightly in the eyes of stakeholders given they have confidence in the planning BPCA and the City are conducting now on this issue, although some stakeholders discussed their anxiety in the ability of the City to execute flooding measures in a timely manner.”
When asked about local governance, residents and other stakeholders, “largely agreed that BPCA’s current administration has made great strides improving transparency and public participation, maintaining the grounds, providing engaging programing, and is getting better at planning for the future. However, stakeholders identified four topics of concern relative to governance: lack of integration; lack of coordination with the City of New York; political instability, changes in administration, legacy corruption, and board/staff makeup; and confusion over responsibilities.”
Overall, respondents, “are quite happy with BPCA’s transparency and engagement with the community. However, many stakeholders — particularly the residents of BPC — are concerned that this transparency and public engagement will fluctuate with the administration of BPCA. Many participants worry that the administration of BPCA is too dependent on the disposition and openness of the President and CEO and worry that policies and practices will drastically change if the Governor decides to appoint a new administration,” the report notes.
Researchers also document that, “corruption scored within the top-ten of concerns according to the questionnaire,” and, “is primarily attributed to previous administrations and resident discontent that more BPCA staff and Board members are not neighborhood residents.” The report adds that, “although recent state legislation requires that two of the seven BPC board members reside in BPC, resident interviewees expressed that they were unsatisfied with efforts to better ‘democratize’ BPCA’s Board.”
Similarly, “resident stakeholders were confused about what BPCA spends the revenue on and how that revenue could be used to invest within BPC, for example to increase diversity and affordability in the area. Stakeholders also pointed to their apprehension regarding the renegotiation of land-leases, which is an issue that consistently appeared” in survey answers.
The 100 Resilient Cities team also advises that, “BPCA has the opportunity to better represent its constituents by bringing them into the governance structure of the organization in a way that better reflects constituent’s values and engagement with residents.”
But for the most part, the document says, “throughout this process, stakeholders consistently expressed gratitude for BPCA’s willingness to engage with the public, educate them on activities, and listen to their concerns,” and “believe BPCA is doing well in terms of shifting from being reactive to being proactive and forward planning.”
Matthew Fenton
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Court of Appeal
Local Leaders Urge Preservation of Justice Complex
Community Board 1 is urging the City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission to consider granting legally protected status to the Criminal Courts Building, at 100 Centre Street. The case of 100 Centre Street takes on special urgency in this context, because, as the CB1 resolution notes, “the Manhattan Criminal Court building shares the same underlying City lot with the south tower of the Manhattan Detention Complex. This appears to mean that if City Hall needed extra space for the proposed new jail, it would face no legal obstacle in demolishing all or part of the historic building.
Matthew Fenton
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Sunday September 29 Tunnel to Towers Run
photo: Gerard S. Strain
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CLASSIFIEDS & PERSONALS
Swaps & Trades ~ Respectable Employment ~ Lost & Found
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NOTARY PUBLIC IN BPC
$2 per notarized signature Text Paula at 917-836-8802
CLEANING SERVICES
Dishes, windows, floors, laundry, bathrooms.
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OLD WATCHES SOUGHT, PREFER NON-WORKING
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The Naked Truth
The Pace University School for the Performing Arts will stage To Clothe the Naked, a rarely performed drama by Nobel Prize-winning playwright Luigi Pirandello, from October 1 to 6, at the 3-Legged Dogtheater (80 Greenwich Street, south of Rector Street). The story, a blend of Pirandello’s trademark blend of heartbreak and unsentimentality, is the tale of a young girl-seduced, abused, and abandoned-who struggles to create an identity for herself.
Tickets for this Broadway-quality production are priced at less than a movie ($15 for adults; $5.00 for students).
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Battery Park City Day Nursery
33rd Annual Hayride & Family Fest
Hay is for Horses
The Battery Park City Day Nursery will hold its 33rd annual Hayride and Fall Family Fest on Thursday, October 3. Climb aboard the two horse-powered wagon and go for a ride around Rector Place. It’s from 4:00-6:30 and costs $5 for adults and children of the Nursery who have purchased a Fall Family Fest ticket and $7 for everyone else. 215 South End Avenue (between Albany and Rector Place)
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Today’s Calendar
Wednesday October 2, 2019
11AM
Elements of Nature Drawing
Wagner Park
Get inspired by the beautiful expanse of the Hudson River & New York Harbor. Embolden your artwork amidst the flower-filled and seasonally evolving palette of Wagner Park’s verdant gardens. An artist/educator will provide ideas and instruction. Materials provided. Sponsored by Battery Park City Authority
1PM
Adult Chorus
6 River Terrace
Directed by Church Street School for Music and Art, the BPC Chorus is open to all adults who love to sing. Learn a mix of contemporary and classic songs, and perform at community events throughout the year. Sponsored by Battery Park City Authority
2:30PM
Figure Al Fresco
South Cove
Challenge your artistic skills by drawing the humangure. Each week a model will strike both long and short poses for participants to draw. Artist/educators will offer constructive suggestions and critique. Materials provided. Sponsored by Battery Park City Authority
3PM
Skyscraper Museum Curator’s Tour
Skyscraper Museum
Curator Carol Willis will lead a tour of the museum’s new exhibition HOUSING DENSITY: TENEMENTS TO TOWERS. Curators tours are free with admission. No RSVP required. 39 Battery Place.
6PM
Community Board 1’s Battery Park City Committee
Asphalt Green, 212 North End Avenue
1) Protecting Wildlife at Lily Pond from Future Harm – Presentation by Michelle Ashkin, Discussion and resolution
2) BPCA Strategic Plan Update – B.J. Jones, President & CEO, Battery Park City Authority
3) Pumphouse Park Update – Presentation by Mark Kostic, Vice President, Asset Management, Brookfield Properties
4) District Needs Statement and Budget Requests for FY2021 – Discussion
5) Allied Universal Report, Year Over Year Comparisons – Presentation by Patrick Murphy, Director of Security, Allied Universal
6) BPCA Report with an Update on Rockefeller Park Renovation – Nicholas Sbordone, Vice President of Communications & Public Affairs, BPCA
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Fearless Girls
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Vertical Values
Costs to Rent or Own in Lower Manhattan Are Matched by Lofty Local Earnings
A slew of recent reports documents what everyone who lives or works in Lower Manhattan already sensed in their bones: This is a mind-numbingly expensive place to call home.
In September, RENTCafé issued a new analysis of the most expensive neighborhoods for renters in the United States that finds northern Battery Park City (zip code 10282) is the priciest enclave in America, with an average rent of $6,211 per month. Coming in at second place is zip code 10013, which covers western Tribeca, along with part of Soho. To read more…
Matthew Fenton
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Storm-Proofing Confabs
The Battery Park City Authority and Community Board 1 will co-host a meeting on various aspects of resiliency measures being planned for the neighborhood.
On Tuesday, October 1, the topic will be the measures now being planned for the northern border of the community, behind Stuyvesant High School, and possibly extending into Tribeca.
This session will take place at the community room within 200 Rector Place, and will start at 6:30 pm. Admission is free and no R.S.V.P. is needed.
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EYES TO THE SKY
September 30-October 13, 2019
Amateur astrophotographer soars: The Eagle Nebula
Looking through a telescope, we travel in light years. One light-year is equal to 9,500,000,000,000 kilometers or nearly 6 trillion miles. The Eagle Nebula, pictured here, is about 7000 light years away and includes a cluster of about 8,500 stars.
In this “Eyes to the Sky” feature we have the pleasure of looking into space through the eyes of Ken Blumberg, an amateur astrophotographer who has awed us in past issues of the BroadsheetDAILY.
Ken Blumberg writes, “The Eagle nebula is a well known bright nebula in the constellation Serpens. My photo was taken at the Rockland Astronomy Club Summer Star Party in Plainfield MA on July 29, 2019. To read more…
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Steven Amedee Gallery
GRRR | Brad Greenwood
“GRRR is the noise of the street, the buzz-saw of the news cycle, the constant low growl in the throat. What is it like to try to live peacefully, contentedly, lovingly while the animals roar? Can there be quiet in the midst of these troubling noises? ~ Brad Greenwood
The exhibition runs through November 30 at Steven Amedee Gallery, 41 North Moore Street in Tribeca.
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UNIQUE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
DONORWALL DESIGN GROUP specializes in selling donor recognition items to non-profits. We have a fantastic reputation.
Join us as a partner or as an independent sales rep.
As a partner you will benefit from extremely positive profits and gross markups. In addition, we have a superior supply network leaving us to sell and design and turn
to others for the work where manufacturers face the most hurdles. Our business is lean and profitable.
As a sales rep you will benefit from a generous commission and have access to many current clients that can become yours. Sales experience required.
Contact Barry Silverberg at 212-766-9670 or bsilverberg@donorwall.com
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Experience warm and meaningful high holidays at the Andaz Hotel.
Services will be in English (and Hebrew) blended with contemporary messages throughout the service and simultaneously
have an exciting children’s service.
* Fun Kids Program
* Lively, Meaningful and Enjoyable Services
* Warm and welcoming environment
* Rosh Hashanah Dinner at the Wall St Grill – FiDi’s newest Kosher Steakhouse
Location: Andaz Wall Street at 75 Wall Street in the Financial District
RSVP Required at theJLE.com/HighHolidays Questions? Contacts us at Info@theJLE.com | 212-335 0613 advertisement
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Build It and They Will Come ~ Monarch Butterflies Pause to Refuel in Lower Manhattan
Click to watch monarch butterflies feeding on milkweed planted by the Battery Park City Authority to help them on their annual fall schlep from Canada to the mountains of Mexico. To read more…
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From Bunker to Incubator
New Arts Center on Governors Island Will Provide Studio Space and Cultural Programming
Lower Manhattan has a new cultural hub. The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and the Trust for Governors Island have partnered to create the LMCC Arts Center at Governors Island, a 40,000-square foot studio space and education facility, housed within a restored 1870s ammunition warehouse — a relic from the days when the island was a military outpost.
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Rapport to the Commissioner
CB1 Makes Exception to New Policy; Okays Naming Street for Former NYPD Commissioner
A public figure from the 1980s may soon be honored by having a street co-named in his memory, if Community Board 1 gets its way. The panel recommended that Benjamin Ward, New York’s first African-American police commissioner, be commemorated by rechristening one block of Baxter Street as Benjamin Ward Way.
This comes on the heels of a controversial decision by CB1 in 2018 to decline such a request on behalf of James D. McNaughton, who, on August 2, 2005, at age 27, became the first New York City Police officer to be killed in action while serving in “Operation Iraqi Freedom.”
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While They Were Sleeping
Battery Park City Resident Charged with Two Home Invasions, and Sexual Abuse
A Battery Park City resident has been arrested twice in the space of five days on charges arising from two separate (but related) incidents, in which he is alleged to have sexually assaulted one woman, and sexually menaced her roommate on another, prior occasion.
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Shattering the Lens
There isn’t anything unusual in a woman keeping a light in her window to guide men folk home, I just happen to keep a bigger light.” – Keeper Margaret Norvell
Shattering the Lens is an exhibit at the National Lighthouse Museum.
Artist Elaine Marie Austin, using her paintings of keepers and their lighthouses, sheds light on the dynamic impact of female lighthouse keepers.
It is inspired by the book Women Who Kept the Lights by Mary Louise Clifford and J. Candace Clifford.
The show runs through October 20, 2019.
National Lighthouse Museum
200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point, Staten Island
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TODAY IN HISTORY
October 2
829 – Theophilos becomes Byzantine Emperor.
1187 – Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule.
1470 – War of the Roses: King Edward IV of England escapes to Flanders, only to return the following March to reclaim his throne.
1780 – American Revolutionary War: John André, a British Army officer, is hanged as a spy by the Continental Army.
1925 – John Logie Baird performs the first test of a working television system.
1942 – World War II: Ocean Liner RMS Queen Mary accidentally rams and sinks HMS Curacoa, killing 337 crewmen aboard Curacoa.
1959 – Rod Serling’s anthology series The Twilight Zone premieres on CBS. The first episode is “Where Is Everybody?”
1967 – Thurgood Marshall is sworn in as the first African-American justice of the United States Supreme Court.
2002 – The Beltway sniper attacks begin, extending over three weeks.
2006 – Five Amish girls are murdered in a shooting at a school in Pennsylvania.
2018 – Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Births
1800 – Nat Turner, American slave and uprising leader (d. 1831)
1847 – Paul von Hindenburg, German field marshal and politician, 2nd President of Germany (d. 1934)
1869 – Mahatma Gandhi, Indian freedom fighter, activist and philosopher (d. 1948) 1890 – Groucho Marx, American comedian and actor (d. 1977)
1897 – Bud Abbott, American comedian (d. 1974)
1937 – Johnnie Cochran, American lawyer (d. 2005)
1951 – Sting, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor
Deaths
1264 – Pope Urban IV
1764 – William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1720)
1803 – Samuel Adams, American philosopher and politician, 4th Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1722)
1947 – P. D. Ouspensky, Russian-English mathematician and philosopher (b. 1878)
1953 – John Marin, American painter (b. 1870)
1968 – Marcel Duchamp, French painter and sculptor (b. 1887)
1985 – Rock Hudson, American actor (b. 1925)
credits include wikipedia and other internet sources
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Flipped Again
Onetime Non-Profit Nursing Facility Sold to Anonymous Buyer for Five Times Original Price
If there is an Exhibit A in the case of fevered speculation in Lower Manhattan real estate, it must be Rivington House
After purchasing the block-long, 150,000-square-foot structure (located at 45 Rivington Street, near the Williamsburg Bridge), the developer, the Allure Group, paid the City an additional $16 million to remove the deed restriction that limited the property to its legacy use of non-profit, residential healthcare. To read more…
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Breaking It Down
Composting Catches on in Battery Park City
You’re probably heard of the farm-to-table movement. Thanks to the Battery Park City Authority’s compost initiative, there’s a burgeoning table-to-earth movement in this Lower Manhattan community.
What happens to the scraps after you’ve dropped them in the bin? How do your apple peels and corn husks turn into rich, beneficial compost?
The Broadsheet set out to investigate. To read more…
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‘And the Little Children Shall Lead Them…’
Lower Manhattan Students Leave School to March in The Climate Strike
Today (Friday, September 20) elementary and high school students from throughout Lower Manhattan — and around the City — are expected to walk out of classes shortly before noon to attend Climate Strike NYC: A Call to Action. Matthew Fenton
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Letters
Preserving the Rector Street Bridge
To the editor, If you want to keep crossing the Rector Street Bridge, you can make you voice heard by writing to the Economic Development Corporation (wfisher@edc.nyc), the Battery Park City Authority (info.bpc@bpca.ny.gov), and Manhattan Community Board One (man01@cb.nyc.gov) — Or you can write Letters to the Editors of our local journals.
Bob Schneck
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Influx Reflux
Study Predicts 300 Fewer Vehicles Per Day on Local Streets If Verrazzano Toll Changes
A new analysis commissioned by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority has quantified the possible impact on Lower Manhattan traffic of a proposal being spearheaded by Congressman Jerry Nadler and City Council member Margaret Chin to reform tolling policy on that span, which connects Brooklyn with Staten Island.
Although Verrazzano is eight miles away from Lower Manhattan, its toll regimen is a significant contributor to Downtown traffic patterns.
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TONIGHT’S FILM ~ FIELD OF DREAMS
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Death Came Calling at the Corner of Wall and Broad Streets, in Lower Manhattan’s First Major Terrorist Attack
As the noon hour approached on a fall Thursday morning in 1920, a horse-drawn wagon slowly made its way west down Wall Street toward “the Corner,” the high-powered intersection of Wall and Broad. Its driver came to a gentle stop in front of the Assay Office, where stockpiles of gold and silver were stored and tested for purity. But theft was not his motive.
John Simko
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RiverWatch
Cruise Ships in New York Harbor
Arrivals & Departures
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Thursday, October 3
Mein Schiff 1
Inbound 7:00 am (Bayonne)
in port overnight
Friday, October 4
Mein Schiff 1
Outbound 10:00 pm (Bayonne)
Norfolk, VA/Charleston, SC/Florida/Bahamas
Queen Mary 2
Inbound 6:00 am (Brooklyn); outbound 5:00 pm
Bar Harbor, ME/Canadian Maritimes/Quebec City
Silver Cloud
Inbound 6:15 am; in port overnight
Saturday, October 5
Anthem of the Seas
Inbound 6:30 am (Bayonne); outbound 4:00 pm; Bermuda
Disney Magic
Inbound 6:45 am; outbound 4:30 pm; N/A
MS Fram
Inbound 6:30 am; outbound 5:00pm
Miami, FL/Cozumel, Mexico/Central America
Regal Princess
Inbound 6:30 am (Brooklyn); outbound 5:00 pm
New England/Canadian Maritimes
Silver Cloud
Outbound 6:30 pm;
Norfolk, VA/Charleston, SC
Sunday, October 6
Carnival Sunrise
Inbound 6:15 am; outbound 4:30 pm; New England/Canadian Maritimes
Celebrity Summit
Inbound 7:30 am (Bayonne); 4:00 pm; New England/Canadian Maritimes/Quebec City
Norwegian Escape
Inbound 6:15 am; outbound 4:30 pm; Bermuda
Many ships pass Lower Manhattan on their way to and from the Midtown Passenger Ship Terminal. Others may be seen on their way to or from piers in Brooklyn and Bayonne. Stated times, when appropriate, are for passing the Colgate clock in Jersey City, New Jersey, and are based on sighting histories, published schedules and intuition. They are also subject to tides, fog, winds, freak waves, hurricanes and the whims of upper management.
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If They Went Any Slower, They’d Slip Into Reverse
City Transportation Study Finds That Lower Manhattan Bus Service Is Among Most Sluggish in Five Boroughs
The annual New York City Mobility Report, produced by the City’s Department of Transportation, contains two data points that will come as no surprise residents of Lower Manhattan. The first of these is that the median speed for Downtown bus service ranks among the slowest of any community in the five boroughs. And the second is that this creeping pace is, if anything, getting creepier. To read more…
Matthew Fenton
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Cass Gilbert and the Evolution of the New York Skyscraper
by John Simko
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The Broadsheet Inc. | 212-912-1106 | editor@ebroadsheet.com| ebroadsheet.com
No part of this document may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher
© 2019
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