In the News: Could W. Broadway Become a Pedestrian Mall?

oz wbway 32011••• What?! “The Department of Transportation is actively considering turning the entirety of W. Broadway—from Washington Square Park to the World Trade Center—into a pedestrian mall (with bike lanes, of course). ‘The idea was inspired by the Fulton Mall in downtown Brooklyn,’ said DOT commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan in the announcement. ‘Moreover, this will give all the visitors to the World Trade Center an easy way to make their way to Midtown—whether by walking or using the new Citi Bike bike-sharing program.’ […] The NYPD, however, has yet to sign off on the plan.” Can nobody stop them!?Curbed

••• “In an effort to raise the $11 million it needs annually to sustain itself, the Hudson River Park Trust has been soliciting bids for naming rights throughout the park. The first spot to go: the dog run currently under construction at Hudson River Park, which was snapped up by Doggie Style, a pet-supply store on University Place.” —DNAinfo

••• ¡Que rico! David Bouley tells Florence Fabricant of the New York Times that he’s fallen “head over heels” for Mexican food—and he’s actively working on a taqueria concept for an undisclosed Tribeca location! (“Like Chipotle, but with flavor,” he said.) Interesting! Where it could be? My bet would be that the marine store on Duane is moving and he’s taking over….

••• “The Denny’s slated for Nassau and Spruce has ticked off residents in the building, but maybe this will change their minds: The chain says that this will be the first Denny’s in North America to have a ‘craft cocktail program.'” —Grub Street

••• “Page Six hears that Katie Holmes was spotted mixing flavors at the Slurpee machine at a 7-Eleven in Tribeca.”

••• “What’s next after aquaspinning? How about spinning upside-down? One of the original trainers at SoulCycle has started Heavenly Ride, now under construction at the northwest corner of Franklin at Varick in TriBeCa. Instead of being bolted to the floor or in a swimming pool, stationery bikes are suspended from the ceiling, so while your legs are pumping away, you have to use your upper body to hang on—a true full-body workout—and the sweat pours off like rain. The trainers aren’t visible—their exhortations come via hidden speakers, like the voice of God herself.” —Well + Good

••• Related to all of the above: Happy April Fools’ Day!

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5 Comments

  1. Happy April Fools Day to you too! At each successive item, I kept saying ‘What?!?’ more and more emphatically, until I got to the upside down bikes where the jig was up. Your imagination boggles the mind.

  2. Please don’t give JSK any more ideas. She’ll do it.

  3. GOTCHA!!! too funny!!! LOL!

  4. I was fished in by the pedestrian mall for West Broadway! I actually think closing the part from Canal to Houston to traffic on weekends wouldn’t be a bad idea. Church Street in Tribeca could easily go on a ‘road diet’ and lose some lanes to much wider sidewalks. And I still think the name ‘West Broadway’ is terrible. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen confused tourists looking for Landmarc on Broadway or whatnot. Call it Memorial Drive and make everyone happier and less confused.

  5. Sad to say I fell hook line and sinker for the W. Broadway one! Greenwich St. woud be the only reaonable way to travel into Tribeca in rush hour now that they’ve effectively choked off Broadway in Soho. But seriously, only the upside-down spinning is completely out of the question (and only because the cost of insurance would make the economics too hard). The HRPT is already investigating naming rights; http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2013/02/7903561/plans-barry-diller-underwritten-redesign-pier-54
    Actually, if done well, I say there’s nothing wrong with that at all and could be the source of an endowment fund to pay for ongoing maintenance instead of the NID. See nohrpnid.blogspot.com for more.