Even with grumbles about an overzealous response to Hurricane Irene—and some disappointment that it was not a more serious storm to justify said response—the new Quinnipiac poll out this morning finds that 54 percent of New Yorkers approve of the job Mayor Michael Bloomberg is doing. That is the highest percentage since the Read More
One of the things Mayor Michael Bloomberg insisted on for the 10th anniversary of 9/11 was no speeches, at least not from the elected officials who would take turns at the lectern following the six moments of silence throughout the morning—one for each of the four plane strikes, one for the collapse of each World Trade Center tower. Read More
It was a day of quiet grace, open grief and occasional grumbles, a time for solemnity, reflection and togetherness. The 9/11 Memorial was commemorated today not with the cutting of a ribbon but the ringing of a bell, the same bell that had clanged for the past nine years, calling out the impacts of those four planes, the collapse of those twin towers. Amidst the silence, there was only the echo of the bell and the distant rush of waterfalls, the signature voids of the 9/11 memorial. Read More
It is a beautiful morning here at ground zero, full of smiles, hugs and tears. The sky is nearly as clear as it was on that tragic day a decade ago. Read More
The Observer will be reporting throughout the day from the commemoration of the 9/11 memorial at ground zero. Check back for updates, but in the meantime, enjoy this tour.
Who’s the best broker in the land? Brown Harris Stevens’ John Burger, according to the Wall Street Journal‘s annual list of the nation’s top real estate agents. The New York based broker is a heavy hitter in the industry, selling $279,841,487 in New York property last year. Figuring that 3% commission, Mr. Burger did well for himself last year, pocketing approximately $8,395,244 before Uncle Sam.
According to his personal website, Mr. Burger splits his time between his homes on the Upper East Side and in Watermill (naturally), and is fluent in Spanish and German. And English, we presume. Read More
Did you know that New York City had 87,273 abortions in 2009? That’s like 1 percent of the city’s population. Thanks to the anti-abortion group the Chiascuro Foundation (motto “fight for the protection of all human life from conception to natural death”), we now even know which are the naughtiest neighborhoods through a helpful interactive map. Read More
Whether poetic, patriotic or pathetic, Daniel Liebeskind’s plan to render the height of 1 World Trade Center at 1,776 feet—a nod to our nation’s declaration of independence—was one of the most remarked upon pieces of his plan for the project. In fact, after Skidmore Owings & Merrill took over the design from Mr. Liebeskind, who is now merely the master planner, about the only element of his design that remained at 1 World Trade was that the top of the tower would reach 1,362, the same as the original towers, and it would have a spire climbing further to that symbolic height of 1,776 feet.
It turns out the tower will be even taller, and we have Mother Nature to thank for that. Read More
The four outer-boroughs suffer the worst commutes in the country, according to the 2010 Census. No wonder drivers get so worked up about Transportation Czarina Janette Sadik-Khan. Even if the city’s D.O.T. is improving the roads for drivers, any efforts even perceived to be undermining cars, like bike lanes and pedestrian plazas, is seen as a threat, regardless of whether or not it improves transportation not only for drivers but bus riders, bicyclists and pedestrians, too.
Besides, whether or not Ms. Sadik-Khan can take all, or even any, of the credit (as some readers have argued to us, these programs have been in the works for years—still, all the experts we talked to applauded), a new report by IBM shows that New York’s commutes are better than many in the world and are getting better. Read More
During a tour of the World Trade Center recently, The Observer marveled at the progress taking place on Norman Foster’s 200 Greenwich Street and Richard Roger’s 175 Greenwich Street—better known as Tower 2 and Tower 3. It was cool to see the foundations being laid many stories below, especially since progress on these projects is invisible from the outside due to the extra-high construction fencing obscuring the view of most buildings. But it turns out, as our guide informed us, that both buildings have now reached street level. Read More
