Yes, so true. Though I've a feeling that this particular design never courted ambition on any level. — David G. Imber on Work Officially Starts on Northwest Tribeca Hotel

Can we canonize Skater Hater? Sometimes those skaters are such assholes. — cami on Seen & Heard: Skater Hater

This is why I go to Trader Joe’s on Sunday mornings. Even with the line of people literally going around the store, I never wait more than 10 minutes because they have 30 checkout registers. And I can enjoy free coffee while I wait! Win! — Rosanna on Seen & Heard: Skater Hater

Train to Red Hook is another actually useful thing cheaper than the Oculus. See NY Times: Subway Stop and Housing for Red Hook Are Among Cuomo Proposals https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/03/nyregion/red-hook-subway-housing.html "The idea would be to extend the subway from Lower Manhattan to the neighborhood, using a tunnel underneath the East River. The container terminal along the shoreline would be relocated to Sunset Park, potentially clearing the way for the redevelopment of more than 130 acres of publicly owned waterfront. [...] "The potential redevelopment area is larger than Battery Park City, the community built on landfill in Lower Manhattan, and about six times as big as the largest private real estate development in the United States: the $25 billion Hudson Yards complex now taking shape on the Far West Side of Manhattan" Two different $3 - $3.5 billion plans envision a stop on Governor's Island (allowing added development there) plus tens of thousands of affordable and market-rate apartments in Red Hook. — James on In the News: ISIS Selfies

There are a whole bunch of legal land use restrictions they must satisfy. Manufacturing zoning and the variance process leads to hotel use. Landmarks has its own aesthetic criteria to meet before issuing permits. As the NYT article on the subways and similar stories illustrate, the cost of construction labor, regulatory compliance, and DoB delays is nuts in New York. That is why ambitious designs get watered down from rendering to reality, e.g., Jenga building, The White Elephant a/k/a Oculus, etc. — James on Work Officially Starts on Northwest Tribeca Hotel

I was at Whole Foods late morning today and the shelves seemed better stocked. But only 4 checker lines open (for people buying more than 10 items) with 2 lines showing they had just closed. I waited 20 mins in line and still had 3 people (with full carts) in front of me.. so I did that THING and just walked out- leaving my cart. I know this is wrong and inconsiderate - but how can the store management not realize with the snow bomb/pocolypse heading this way and the $$ people sending all their nannies to stock up, it’s s bit silly to not have more lines open. The conspiracy theorist part of my brain wonders if they do this to make Instacart more appealing for shoppers. (So much pricier..but efficient and no stress) — JulieW on Seen & Heard: Skater Hater

Thank you for the offer. First of all, the store was bought by the cooperation, and it is already committed. The second thing, did you ever hear the song by Kenny Rogers “The Gambler” at age of 71 I think that it is a time for me to run. By the way, I hope that you do not have in mind to move the store to 47th Street. — Lasevski on Argo Electronics Has Closed

Perhaps I'm being a churl, but the design of this building strikes me as nothing but an attempt to skirt the wrath of preservationists. It's so bereft of imagination that I find it an insult to building, to progress, to civilization. We all know the basic Vitruvian precepts considered fundamental to architecture: firmness, commodity and delight. Show me the delight here. Perhaps this hurts my eyes so much because I'm currently writing from Japan, where even the most modest new architecture makes some kind of attempt to be handsome, life-affirming, even joyful. In short it tries to contribute to the conversation instead of being a self-satisfied slab slash cash register (to use an obsolete metaphor). What a monumental disappointment. I apologize if this is read as negativity, but thanks for allowing me my say. — David G. Imber on Work Officially Starts on Northwest Tribeca Hotel

Isn't there a bridge for sale nearby? — maryna lansky on Getting to the Oculus Just Got Much Easier

Hello Mr. Zdislav David Lasevski, I would be happy to assemble a team of free Volunteers to catalog and identify each of your electronic equipment so you can provide a database of model number and other identification numbers to the police. I share your joy in surplus electronic. I would do it for free if it could rescue your business. Please let everyone know what we can do to help save your business. Could you sell you store? Then open up and sell the electronics elsewhere? What if someone could identify each of your electronics at no additional cost to you? — klieon akin on Argo Electronics Has Closed

As for why the MTA has taken so long, I recommend reading the following article from the NY Times as it shows the sheer dysfunction and financial negligence of the MTA: The Most Expensive Mile of Subway Track on Earth – NY Times https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/28/nyregion/new-york-subway-construction-costs.html?_r=0 — Adam on Getting to the Oculus Just Got Much Easier

Just finished shopping at the WF at Union Square. The same empty shelves and rude service. Perhaps it is just after the holidays and stock needs to be replenished, but I'm not hopeful. — Lola Lang on Seen & Heard: Disarray at Whole Foods

Except, it's not $1. If Morgan's has 11 or more employees in total (my guess) then it's $2/hour (otherwise $1.50/hour). So for the 5 hour shift, it's $10 x # of employees, let's say 4, or $40 extra in labor costs. If their business in the wee hours is anything like it was 20+ years ago when I'd stand at the window twice a night while waiting for my child's bottle to warm up, $40 is a lot more than the total profit they could possibly earn overnight except for perhaps Friday and Saturday nights. I'd much rather they close overnight than permanently. — N on Morgan’s Market Will No Longer Be Open 24 Hours

OK, am I the only one who thinks "old school pimp" when I see the brightly colored suits and hats guy? Hubby and I have built a whole narrative around him, assuming that he lives around here and paid cash years ago for his apartment. — Lynda Lippin on Seen & Heard: Any Sign of These Three Eccentrics?

The Dylan’s Candy Bar at WF is just not sitting right. More like two billionaires joining forces. Boycott brave people of TriBeCa. Just say no! This is a grand Jeff idea? Pathetic. — TG on Seen & Heard: Any Sign of These Three Eccentrics?

Saw brightly colored man dressed all in faux fur pink last month on Broadway and Barclays deep in conversation — TG on Seen & Heard: Any Sign of These Three Eccentrics?

Happy New Year Erik! Thanks for another year of great, comprehensive reporting. — N on What Tribecans Cared About in 2017

no, it's weird, and probably illegal — Will Meyerhofer on Seen & Heard: Bar Cyrk Remains in Limbo

In addition to the two #1 entrances inside the WTC, there are outdoor entrances along Greenwich Street, on the memorial side across from Oculus. You can see the stairs—I’ve asked guards about them and they said they’re for the #1 train. The whole Cortland Street station fiasco is an outrage—there is so rarely anyone “working” (mostly one or two guys just standing there) when you go through on the train that it’s hard to believe any predictions. Also, the Duane Reade across from the new E train entrance at Starbucks looks ready to open—merchandise on the shelves. — Hudson River on Getting to the Oculus Just Got Much Easier

That is really "pinching pennies"! And I was told the owner of Morgan's owns the building and other stores too. They're going to have to pull in - then put back- all those flowers (that's a LOT) and all the fireplace wood. The owner will save paying people for 5 hours? This is just depressing! — Bruce on Morgan’s Market Will No Longer Be Open 24 Hours

According to the latest MTA documents, Cortlandt Street on the (1) will open for revenue service in October 2018. With substantial completion happening in December 2018 and final completion happening in April 2019. — Brian C. on Getting to the Oculus Just Got Much Easier

It's only been what, 16 years since 9/11? The 1 train line reopened in September 2002, with trains bypassing Cortlandt Street. Station reconstruction work was not even agreed to between PATH and MTA until 2008. The completion date was originally 2011, and then pushed back to 2014, then August 2018 and now possibly December 2018. Maybe the MTA will restore 1 train service at Cortlandt Street sometime this decade. — James on Getting to the Oculus Just Got Much Easier

Love these, thanks! Reminds me of how great our neighborhood is, to live in and to look at. — SW on Instagram Tribeca (Vol. 26)

Indeed it has, and it looks gorgeous! Some have been waiting for this for many decades. — Andrew Parke on Update on the Cortlandt Street Subway Station

You guys really don't have anything on them. Tribeca's Most Wanted was a group of 8 kids. A friend group. They split up and stopped calling themselves that. Anyone else you see was just other kids who know them, since everyone in the city knows each other anyways. These kids had the plugs to every corner you can think of. A lot of the time there is no affiliation with TMW. Most of the time it's kids who live in Tribeca who hang out in that area, but the Tribeca kids have friends from all over the city who come to hang out. Yes, they are mostly rich white kids with absent parents. They're always decked out in the freshest clothes, and yes they do sell weed to the less cool white kids because they need money to buy their own weed that cannot be traceable with their debit cards! But with the white kids who go to private school, there are also certain kids of color from humble backgrounds that earned their way to the top. If there is one day where there are not kids around, it's because they're all cramped up drinking and partying their heart away at a nice apartment of parents who were out of the town. It's the lifestyle and there are hundreds of kids involved. Can't shut it down man (even though all the parties do get shut down in a matter of two hours) - we city kids are a different breed. — NycTeen on What Cops Have to Say About the Teen Hooligans