I forget if I mentioned the other day: I clocked how long the constant commercials are before the game at Citi Field. They started at 12:50 and ended at 1:10. Twenty straight minutes of commercials. (I think I tweeted that – follow us on twitter @metspolice.)
What was nice was between 1:10 and the game they played organ music – a steel drum version of Kokomo, then a steel drum version of Margaritaville. On a nice sunny afternoon it hit the spot.
On to the mail…
“Walking Down 126th Street By New York Mets Citi Field…“: stirred up some emotions. I am in favor of mixed-use development in that area. Some responses:
A couple things:
1) “Redevelopment” is usually NewSpeak for putting hard-working business people out of business. I’m not a big fan of using eminent domain for commercial development. NYC already has some big issues with projects strong-arming people out of their businesses (see Columbia’s Manhattanville, NY Times’ spiffy, pointless new offie building and the big fight over Atlanti Yards). No point in compounding what is already a problem for the City. If someone works out a fair, non-coerced deal with the auto shops and machine shops, then I guess it’s okay.
2) Those auto shops and machine shops need to be somewhere. It doesn’t make sense to tow everything out to Nassau County or NJ.
also..
At the end of May they announced that the City increased their Iron Triangle land ownership to 65%. The biggest holdup, currently, is the economic climate. Developers would have a hard time today making a go of the huge project that’s planned. If they could even get financing.
The New York City Economic Development Corp. has more information than you want to know about this project online. There are plans for residential and office space. A hotel and a convention center. Retail shopping and restaurants. Not every detail has been worked out yet but there’s no rush. Give it another 5 years or so.
My 2 cents: Cleaning up the soil contamination will cost the city far more than the $1.3 billion it expects to gain from the project. No developer, however, will agree to get involved unless their own profit is guaranteed (looking at the Wilpons, Bloomberg and their pals here). The soil cleanup will be a nightmare for a decade.
My other 2 cents: Who, in their right mind, would want to live in housing directly under the LGA flight path? Imagine LIVING at Shea Stadium with the noise from the jets?
Sorry if I sound so pessimistic all the time. But hey, I’m Mr. Met and I’ve seen plenty of disasters up close and personal over the years.
Over in the parking lot…
“$50 To Park Next To Wrigley Field (Updated)“:
It will soon be that to park next to New Shea. If you look at the agreement between the Mets and the city, you’ll see that whereas the city used to get a cut of the parking fees at Shea, the Wilpons now get to keep all of it. Right now it’s a bargain at, what, $18?, but in the future – next year, maybe a couple – they’ll jack it up to whatever they think they can get away with.
I don’t stress. I admit I am cheap and park on 113th and Northern.
All the people who have been to the Acela Club say nice things:
Just ate at the Acela Club last night and it was a PHENOMENAL experience from beginning to end. Staff was very courteous and accomodating, food was excellent from our main meal (crabcakes and swordfish) to the buffet options right down to the orange and blue Mets cookies they give you at the end of the meal. We had a perfect seat right in the middle near the window.
Definitely not easy for everyone’s wallets to do often but everyone should do this at least once for the experience.
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