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Battery Park City related news, events and items for the residents and community of Battery Park City, BPC, Batteryparkcity.com, BatteryParkCity

Mayor Bloomberg

After Governors Island, Mayor Now Seeks Battery Park City

News, Politics, , , , ,
Mayor Bloomberg in a land grab for Battery Park City
Mayor Bloomberg in a land grab for Battery Park City

After successfully seeking control over Governors Island and Brooklyn Bridge Park, Mayor Bloomberg continues his game of Monopoly with his piece set on buying Battery Park City.

Comptroller John Liu is tasked with determining whether the takeover of Battery Park City from New York State makes sense for New York City. In a bid to help close the city’s budget deficit, acquiring Battery Park City would mean a constant flow of revenue from ground lease revenue and property taxes.

Although the city has had a longstanding option to acquire Battery Park City for a mere $1 dollar, tacked along with the purchase would be nearly $1 billion dollars in debt and high maintenance costs for the area.

The comptroller is also considering Battery Park City residents and commercial tenants opinions on the acquisition.

Whether or not the acquisition would follow through has yet to be seen, although it’s quite obvious that the plan has kicked in. Especially in light of Governor Patterson’s recent nomination of William Thompson as Battery Park City Authority’s new chairman.

New York Magazine’s Intelligencer has an interesting take on what this means, also mentioning that if the deal does not go through before September’s political primary — the likelihood that it deal would go through at all would be all but nullified.

How do you feel about about the possible acquisition of Battery Park City by the city and do you think this is a step in the right or wrong direction?

Caruso's pizza pie, half pepperoni half plain

Review: Caruso’s Pizza

Restaurant Reviews, , , ,
Caruso's Pizza on Fulton Street Pizza Box
Caruso's Pizza on Fulton Street

When I was asked to blog about food (my one love) in Battery Park City (my favorite neighborhood), there was no way I could turn the opportunity down. I recently moved back to Battery Park City after living in the East Village for four years, so you can imagine my surprise when I couldn’t find any recommendations for decent Pad See Ew on chowhound.com or any website besides Yelp.  My goal for this blog is to be able to remedy that. I’ll try my best to seek out the hidden gems in BPC, FiDi and lower Tribeca, and maybe along the way, steer some people away from places that didn’t quite hit the mark.

For my first assignment, I had planned to compare delivery from two different pizzerias, but due to a personal technological muck-up, I was left with just one pizza from Caruso’s.  We ordered a large plain pizza, half with pepperoni ($22).  The pizza came in exactly 35 minutes, which wasn’t too shabby, and it came with an entire bag of paper plates, plastic utensils and even small plastic containers full of the standard NY pizza condiments. Things were looking up.

Caruso's pizza pie, half pepperoni half plain
Fast pizza might mean haste makes waste

We opened the box, and an oddly white pizza stared back at us. They must have used fresh mozzarella, which is one of my favorite pizza toppings, so I couldn’t wait to shove a slice in my mouth. Without even using any of the condiments they offered, I quickly took my first bite.

And was quickly disappointed. The mouthful I got was chewy and bland. The crust was more doughy than crusty. The sauce was oddly sweet and somehow tasteless at the same time.  While the fresh mozzarella added a nice touch to the pie, it did absolutely nothing for the flavor of the pizza. The condiments that they so graciously delivered did improve the flavor, but then it just felt like I was eating bread with red chili flakes and oregano.

Now, the pizza wasn’t completely awful, and perhaps if I walked by at lunch time I’d grab a slice fresh out of the oven. However, there were two other people helping me eat the pizza, and at the end of the night, there were still three slices left in the box. You do the math.

When I sampled a slice of the pepperoni, the meat added some much needed sodium. That’s really all this particular pie was wanting: salt and perhaps a few extra minutes in the oven.  I may try a slice from Caruso’s in the future with some added toppings, but I am not inclined to try their plain cheese pizza again. It was just, well, plain.

Caruso’s
140 Fulton Street
New York, NY 10038
(212) 267-2927

Pedestrian and traffic changes during week of 9/11 anniversary.

$1.2 Million is Not Enough for Optimal Crossing Safety

Schools, , , , ,
Crossing guards at major intersections will cost a cool $1.2 Million
Will crossing guards help ensure resident safety?

With all the bridge construction confusion, comes an expensive solution — which might not be enough for the safety of our neighborhood.

The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LDMC) has issued a plan to spend $1.2 Million on a safety initiative to help increase the number of crossing guards in the area.

According to the Downtown Express, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was the proponent behind the initiative which would hope to alleviate the hazards of school children crossing West Street to get to neighborhood schools including P.S./I.S. 276.

Although it seems like a large expense for the safety of our residents, the expenditure is below the estimated $2 Million it would take to have an “optimal solution” of 6 crossing guards manning Chambers, Warren, Murray and Albany Streets.

According to Silver in the article, “We’ll manage the $1.2 Million judiciously to see how long we can stretch it, obviously it’s going to have to supplemented — we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Sail Away! Sail Away! Sail Away!

News, , , ,
New York Barcelona Transoceanic Sailing Record
The Estrella Damm Sailboat

If you’ve happened to pass by the Winter Garden you may have seen a stage set up for the New York – Transoceanic Sailing Record. Like so many of the random events occurring amongst the palm trees, you might have wondered what was this about? It really wasn’t until they screened the promotional video this week, did you realize the magnanimity of the event.

Apparently, two teams of sailboats sponsored by W Hotels and Estrella Damm, are in a race against themselves to make the journey across the Atlantic Ocean pond to be the first from New York to make it to Barcelona, which would be a new world sailing record. Each have three sailors from both nations. No matter which team wins, the recipe for the record will always go down as  2 Parts Spanish: 1 Part American.

The race commenced today with the Estrella Damm, co-skipped by Alex Pella, Pepe Ribes and Stan Schreyer, and the W Hotels, with Pachi Rivero, Tono Piris and Peter B. Becker led an inaugural departure at 11:00am (ET) in front of the North Cove Marina, where the boats were located since their arrival in New York two weeks ago. From there, they sailed through the Lower Bay and towards the Verrazano Bridge to their starting point: the Ambrose Light Meridian that they crossed in unison at 14:33h local time when the World Sailing Speed Record Council judges set the official chronometers that will record each boat’s time.

New York - Barcelona Transoceanic sailing record

The improvement of the weather conditions, with southwest winds between 25 and 30 knots, has determined the departure date in order to achieve the best conditions to complete the record in the best possible time. According to Marcel Van Triest, official meteorologist of the New York – Barcelona Transoceanic Sailing Record, the conditions are ideal for the boats to sail at very high speeds during the first few hours.

According to the official website, the aim is not only to achieve this amazing record but “to strengthen the connection between New York and Barcelona with a strong  socio-cultural, educational and sporting program.” What they probably didn’t tell us is that Soccer was their first choice sport, but would undoubtedly fall upon ambivalence on the United States side.

Sailing could not be a better choice of sport for our neighborhood, and an excellent way to kick off the spring sailing season in the North Cove Marina.

On a side note, we can’t help but mention that the 2:1 Spaniard ratio makes a heck of a lot of sense. I mean Ponce de Leon, Cortes, Balboa were experts in navigating the Atlantic pond — it’s in their Spanish blood!

We wish them well on their endeavors and if you’d like to find out more about the race, including a GPS tracking of their routes — check out the official website.

BPC’s Daily Pedestrian Obstacle Courses

Op-Ed, , ,
Pedestrian Detour Sign on Rector and West Street
Are the pedestrian detours driving you crazy?!

You have to admit. Battery Park City has the reputation of being an ostracized neighborhood. The big gaping hole we call Ground Zero doesn’t help much either.  At times, BPC is more similar to a not so far New Jersey town than, you know… an actual Manhattan neighborhood.

While traveling up and down the West Side Highway, it’s a pretty sure bet that you’ve reached the Battery Park City limits with your first approach of a pedestrian bridge. Since it’s founding in the early 80’s, the pedestrian bridges were the traffic veins into our community. Unfortunately on September 11th, we lost one of our bridges due to the terrorist attacks — which introduced a system of some lesser beautiful, but still functional introduction of new bridges to help us cross our own boulevard of death — The West Side Highway.

For anyone who uses the Rector bridge daily, it’s access has been spotty with construction on the elevator and much needed repairs on the West Side Highway. As some of the surprises have been more of a hassle, there are also some friendly new experiences — like the waft of Christmas time you smell once you step onto the ramp. Back to the hassles – What is with this roundabout detour that we’re expected to add a good 3 minutes in our daily commute? I’m sure I’m not the only one who meets with great pleasure the renegade who insists on breaking through the cross tape and string that holds the futile barricade in place. Whoever you are, you’ve become my small daily hero.

It’s hard to ignore the fact that one of the longest standing bridges, The Liberty Bridge, is undergoing what looks like the birth of a new arm or something. The fact that it spits out to Albany causes some concern for the already difficult maneuver to the C&E trains.

Battery Park City has become the Sugar Mama of New York City

Battery Park City: New York State’s Sugar Mama

News, , , ,
Battery Park City has become the Sugar Mama of New York City
Battery Park City has become the Sugar Mama of New York City

Any condo owner in Battery Park City knows that the cost of living in our neighborhood can be astronomical. Our land lease subsidies were originally meant to fulfill a need for affordable housing that had been usurped with the building of the Twin Towers back in the early 60’s. The fund has largely gone towards it’s original intent and maintenance of Battery Park City itself.

As the city and state face their own budget crises, Battery Park City’s surplus’ are now being allocated at a city and state level to fill their budget gaps. This controversial move has the blessing of the Governor, Mayor, Comptroller and the BPC Authority board.

The terms of the deal include allocating $400 Million to fill budget deficits on both city and state levels. The city will also borrow another $200 Million for affordable housing initiatives and another $200 Million for general capital projects. The deal involves borrowing nearly $900 Million dollars that will take two decades to restore from land lease charges from owners.

The city promises that the money borrowed will be matched and be dedicated to providing additional affordable housing between now and 2017.

This deal may have some unrealized ramifications to our neighborhood, including decreased property value. How do you feel about the allocation of Battery Park City funds throughout the city and state?

William Thompson newly appointed Battery Park City Authority Chairman

Bill Thompson: From Mayoral Candidate to Chairman of BPCA

News, , , ,
William Thompson newly appointed Battery Park City Authority Chairman
William Thompson newly appointed Battery Park City Authority Chairman

Governor Paterson announced his confirmation of former NYC mayoral candidate and Comptroller William C. Thompson to the Board of Directors of Battery Park City Authority.

According to a press release from the governor, “I am pleased to announce the confirmation of my colleauge and friend, Bill Thompson, to the Battery Park City Authority. Bill is a proven leader with significant experience in government. As the City’s former Comptroller, he worked tirelessly on behalf of all New York City residents. I look forward to working with him in making New York City and Battery Park City a better place to live, work and raise a family. ”

Mr. Thompson was most recently elected to serve two consecutive four-year terms as Comptroller of New York City, leading a team of 720 employees and managing a $66 million annual operating budget. Mr. Thompson’s early career roles included serving as Chief of Staff to a United States Congressman, and Deputy Borough President for the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President. Later, in the private sector, Mr. Thompson was a Senior Vice President in Public Finance at an investment banking firm. He returned to public service and was appointed to the New York City Board of Education where he served five terms as President of the nation’s largest school system with more than 130,000 employees and an annual budget of nearly $12 billion. As President, Mr. Thompson led policy development and implementation in a city of over 8 million residents with 1.1 million public school children.

Mr. Thompson received a B.A. in Political Science from Tufts University, where he currently serves as a Trustee Emeritus. He has received honorary degrees from Metropolitan College, Pace University, Mercy College and Long Island University.

MTA Cuts greatly affect Lower Manhattan

MTA Cuts Ream Lower Manhattan: What This Means

News, , , ,
MTA Cuts greatly affect Lower Manhattan
Do you know how the MTA cuts affect your daily commute?

During this widespread recession, New Yorkers everywhere have tried to save on their daily commutes by relying heavily on public transportation. For us residents of Lower Manhattan, specifically Battery Park City, our commute just got crappier. On June 27, the transit changes go into effect which include the loss of key subway and bus lines in the downtown area. The W train, which directly served the Battery Park City community will stop it’s regular service on Friday, June 25th. It’s all a wee bit ironic, considering the state could be considered biting the hand that fed them some much needed financial infusion for their large budget gap.

The most contested transit change, the elination of the M22 was saved at the 11th hour. Saving an important route that served both the BPC and LES communities.

So what other changes will effect our area? We seek to list out some of the major changes and how many people will be affected by these changes:

Trains by Station:

1/9 – The 1 line will continue to have interrupted service on the weekends to accommodate the construction of the South Ferry/Fulton Street transit hubs.

W– Completely eliminated.

R-  The R will replace the stops serviced by the defunct W line.

4/5/6– Unaffected. Service as usual to Fulton St., Wall St., Whitehall and Bowling Green stops.

A/C/E-  The A/E will continue to have interrupted service on Sundays to accommodate the construction of the South Ferry/Fulton Street transit hubs.

J/M/Z– Reduced train frequencies on the weekends to accommodate the construction of the South Ferry/Fulton Street transit hubs.

Bus Routes:

M22- Weekend and Overnight service will be shortened.

M20- Service will be restructured and is TBD. Weekday and Weekend service will be shortened.

M9 – Service will be restructured and is TBD

Express Bus Routes:

X25 – Total Elimination (Route served Grand Central to Lower Manhattan)

X20-  Total Elimination (Lower Manhattan to Staten Island)

X18– Total Elimination (Lower Manhattan to Staten Island)

X16– Total Elimination (Lower Manhattan to Staten Island)

X90– Total Elimination (Lower Manhattan to Yorkville)

A Library Dreams Are Made Of… Right Here in BPC

News, , ,
NYPL's first LEED certified library in BPC
Battery Park City welcomes it's first NYPL

It used to be that a person who was both Battery Park City resident and a New York Library Patron meant to be an person without a country — or a home library. For years, NYPL card holders who lived in BPC would have to travel between the New Amsterdam location, Hudson Park Branch or even the Midtown Branch location on 42nd street. (We kind of get used to that living down here don’t we?)

All of that craziness officially ended today with the opening of Battery Park’s very own New York Public Library. The opening of the NYPL’s 88th location also marked it’s greenest endeavor yet, living up to the neighborhoods mantra of being the “greenest neighborhood in the country” the library is the first green LEED certified branch in all of Manhattan.

The library boasts 10,000 square feet of 24,000 items, including public use computers, reading areas and of course stacks of books. The library cost $6.7 million dollars and was partially subsidized by Goldman Sachs, our new rich benevolent corporate neighbor. The money went into ensuring that the library could provide low-energy heating, air conditioning and lighting — even using recyclable materials for furnishings and carpeting.

As budget cuts have been affecting the use of most public resources — our brand new library is also at the mercy of cuts. Although the library is currently open for use 6 days a week — it will soon reducing services to 3-4 days a week, cutting back on purchases to increase the collection as well as staff layoffs.

Either way for NYPL fans, 3-4 days of use of this beautiful facility is still better than not seeing this day come at all.

Share your sentiments or kudos for our new library in our comments! 🙂