Thursday, September 23, 2010
Post-primary thoughts, bus travel, High Line
LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis
Let me start with best wishes for ST/PCV people, more peaceful days, now that Manhattan State Court Judge Richard Lowe has told Pershing Square Cap Management and Winthrop Realty that their attempted foreclosure of the $3B property, based on their $300M share, bought for $45M or 1 cents on the dollar, cannot take place unless they produce the $3.7B owed the senior lenders on the property (that includes interest).
Further, my apologies for pessimism in last week’s article in which I doubted that the well-ensconced NYS senators who gave a bad name internationally to our dysfunctional legislature, would be uprooted. Both Pedro Espada Jr. and Hiram Monserrat lost, two-to-one, to their reform opponents. My best wishes also to Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, and State Senator Eric Schneiderman, the latter winning in the Democratic race for attorney general. As for the Republican, actually tea party candidate Carl P. Paladino beating Rick A. Lazio for Governor, one can only wonder whether the people could possibly sustain this “mad as hell” attitude towards Albany, once it becomes evident that the new party’s program involves privatizing Social Security, and cutting health benefits.
This health benefit problem come to mind as I took my annual trip up 1st Avenue , on the articulated bus, at 7:30 AM, to the 72nd Street NYU-Cornel hospital world. The local M15 at 17th Street was overcrowded; nevertheless, two wonderful ladies offered me their seats. Despite a stop every two blocks or so, the double- sider moved fast and emptied easily at Veterans’ and Bellevue, where the hospital workers rushed off to their duties. The rest of the way was school children’s world, with mothers and au pairs holding them in firm grasp, and then another hospital worker crowd in the ‘60s and ‘70s. One can only admire the upgraded travel conditions we the elderly in NYC enjoy, with wheel-chair entrants and exits handled almost automatically, the up-and –down platform movements taking less than a minute. This was particularly evident with walker- armed passengers. The whole 55-block trip took less than 40 minutes, not bad, considering that M15 is NYC’s busiest line, 60K passengers a day.
Alas, my trip through the MRI machine was not upgraded since last year, the same banging and hammering, perhaps even more intense than before. To reward myself, I indulged in a visit to Sotheby’s Galleries on York Avenue, in time to see the preparations for an auction of South-Asian modern art. The canvases showed an attractive mix of oriental motives with influences of 20th Century European Modern styles, and the estimated prices in the catalogue ranged around $200,000. Upon questioning, an expert suggested that Asian modern art is the next direction in collecting, but would not guess about the market influences of the new wealthy collectors in India and China.
Enriched in knowledge, I took the 2nd Avenue M15 back, to find yet another improved bus style, the low floor Orion model. This bus did not need the elevated platform, the stepless entrance was at the level of the sidewalk, and wheel-chair travelers just rolled on and off. The interior of each bus unit has four high closet-like boxes housing the wheels of the vehicle, interspersed between seats. Fascinated, I looked to see how sidewalk height differences were solved, but did not find any, drivers parking along the avenue had left the bus stops uncluttered, and the vehicle could pull up directly next to the sidewalk where it mattered. This trip also took about 40 minutes.
Our next New York sightseeing bus trip adventure led to the High Line, the city’s elevated park. We were hoping that the gardens had survived the tornadoes without damage, and are glad to report that the trees are as upright as before, taller because of growth.
The 14th Street cross-town bus took us to 10th Avenue, where it turns west, towards Chelsea Peers. The M14 stop is near the new 14th Street High Line elevator, and we walked south from it, enjoying the view of the white market umbrellas at 13th Street and 9th Avenue. At the end of Section 1, at Gansewoort Plaza, is the High Line nursery, with the roofs of uniform plant sheds sporting cheerful nonsense slogans. The care of plants is not nonsense, as shown all the way to 23rd Street, the northern end of this section. Section 2, to 30th Street, is visible from this point, and work is continuing. Section 3, hooking west to 34th Street, continues to be a dream.
What was new to me was a tremendous sundeck, of stacked 2x6s, a dozen layers wide, with New Yorkers sunbathing. Not a high-heel shoe in sight, this is picnic country, and the Chelsea Market at 16th Street (bathrooms are next to the elevator) is just the place to fill your backpack with snacks. The M14 return stop is just down the block from the market’s exit, on 9th Avenue.
The entire High Line continues to be a delight. Not many things in life can be, not even Barnes & Noble, the oasis of rest. I wish the super market magnates would stop trying to reform it, but that is the world of market economics.
Let me start with best wishes for ST/PCV people, more peaceful days, now that Manhattan State Court Judge Richard Lowe has told Pershing Square Cap Management and Winthrop Realty that their attempted foreclosure of the $3B property, based on their $300M share, bought for $45M or 1 cents on the dollar, cannot take place unless they produce the $3.7B owed the senior lenders on the property (that includes interest).
Further, my apologies for pessimism in last week’s article in which I doubted that the well-ensconced NYS senators who gave a bad name internationally to our dysfunctional legislature, would be uprooted. Both Pedro Espada Jr. and Hiram Monserrat lost, two-to-one, to their reform opponents. My best wishes also to Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, and State Senator Eric Schneiderman, the latter winning in the Democratic race for attorney general. As for the Republican, actually tea party candidate Carl P. Paladino beating Rick A. Lazio for Governor, one can only wonder whether the people could possibly sustain this “mad as hell” attitude towards Albany, once it becomes evident that the new party’s program involves privatizing Social Security, and cutting health benefits.
This health benefit problem come to mind as I took my annual trip up 1st Avenue , on the articulated bus, at 7:30 AM, to the 72nd Street NYU-Cornel hospital world. The local M15 at 17th Street was overcrowded; nevertheless, two wonderful ladies offered me their seats. Despite a stop every two blocks or so, the double- sider moved fast and emptied easily at Veterans’ and Bellevue, where the hospital workers rushed off to their duties. The rest of the way was school children’s world, with mothers and au pairs holding them in firm grasp, and then another hospital worker crowd in the ‘60s and ‘70s. One can only admire the upgraded travel conditions we the elderly in NYC enjoy, with wheel-chair entrants and exits handled almost automatically, the up-and –down platform movements taking less than a minute. This was particularly evident with walker- armed passengers. The whole 55-block trip took less than 40 minutes, not bad, considering that M15 is NYC’s busiest line, 60K passengers a day.
Alas, my trip through the MRI machine was not upgraded since last year, the same banging and hammering, perhaps even more intense than before. To reward myself, I indulged in a visit to Sotheby’s Galleries on York Avenue, in time to see the preparations for an auction of South-Asian modern art. The canvases showed an attractive mix of oriental motives with influences of 20th Century European Modern styles, and the estimated prices in the catalogue ranged around $200,000. Upon questioning, an expert suggested that Asian modern art is the next direction in collecting, but would not guess about the market influences of the new wealthy collectors in India and China.
Enriched in knowledge, I took the 2nd Avenue M15 back, to find yet another improved bus style, the low floor Orion model. This bus did not need the elevated platform, the stepless entrance was at the level of the sidewalk, and wheel-chair travelers just rolled on and off. The interior of each bus unit has four high closet-like boxes housing the wheels of the vehicle, interspersed between seats. Fascinated, I looked to see how sidewalk height differences were solved, but did not find any, drivers parking along the avenue had left the bus stops uncluttered, and the vehicle could pull up directly next to the sidewalk where it mattered. This trip also took about 40 minutes.
Our next New York sightseeing bus trip adventure led to the High Line, the city’s elevated park. We were hoping that the gardens had survived the tornadoes without damage, and are glad to report that the trees are as upright as before, taller because of growth.
The 14th Street cross-town bus took us to 10th Avenue, where it turns west, towards Chelsea Peers. The M14 stop is near the new 14th Street High Line elevator, and we walked south from it, enjoying the view of the white market umbrellas at 13th Street and 9th Avenue. At the end of Section 1, at Gansewoort Plaza, is the High Line nursery, with the roofs of uniform plant sheds sporting cheerful nonsense slogans. The care of plants is not nonsense, as shown all the way to 23rd Street, the northern end of this section. Section 2, to 30th Street, is visible from this point, and work is continuing. Section 3, hooking west to 34th Street, continues to be a dream.
What was new to me was a tremendous sundeck, of stacked 2x6s, a dozen layers wide, with New Yorkers sunbathing. Not a high-heel shoe in sight, this is picnic country, and the Chelsea Market at 16th Street (bathrooms are next to the elevator) is just the place to fill your backpack with snacks. The M14 return stop is just down the block from the market’s exit, on 9th Avenue.
The entire High Line continues to be a delight. Not many things in life can be, not even Barnes & Noble, the oasis of rest. I wish the super market magnates would stop trying to reform it, but that is the world of market economics.
Labels: Espada, lazio, Paladino
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 9:05 PM 
