Thanks James, love reading all those links to (luckily) failed expansion plans. — Robert Ripps on In the News: Elizabeth Street Garden sues city

Charles... you're kidding yourself if you think the Congestion revenues will be used for those things. They won't be. They will be used to pay debt service and entitlements granted by irresponsible politicians who made deals with no regard to how in the heck they would ever be paid for.. all while neglecting the infrastructure that is fallign apart. Hey.. i get it if you support congestion pricing b/c you think it may affect behavior in a way you like (and I like)... but I am loathe to want to give one more cent in taxes, fees, whatever until the MTA, NYC & just about every other agency in this city (country too) can actually show some fiscal responsibility in how it's spent. — Jeff on In the News: Pied a terre tax + the MTA

Is this advertising or news? An apartment that has been listed for ages with brokers’ names and listing info feels a lot more like an ad than loft peeping. While I appreciate what you are trying to do, this site now feels like an endless ad for real estate brokers. — Lee on Loft Peeping: 5 Collister Street

Very strange. All of the posts from March 3rd through the 12th all showed up at once yesterday afternoon. I'm sure we were not the only ones this happened to. Relived to see that Tribeca Citizen is alive and well. :-) — Luis Vazquez (FiDi Fan Page) on Where in Tribeca?

Thanks, Christy! — Pam Frederick on Seen & Heard: Last call on the Pier 17 rink

Re: Congestion Pricing Charging drivers to use bridges and tunnels, and taking those proceeds to subsidize NYC mass transit is a half century old practice. Since 1970 the tolls from TBTA bridges and tunnels have been poured into the subways, buses, and commuter rail and have been used to back MTA bonds to pay for repairs and capital projects. People should be used to it by now. — James on In the News: Pied a terre tax + the MTA

Perhaps people should just pay attention to their surroundings. When I grew up a would have been slapped and scolded for staring at a phone while walking or being in a public place. The city is no doubt safer but the world is not an entirely safe place. One should always be present and alert. Especially in a large wild place like NYC — STACK DADDY on My personal police blotter

This exists and is part of the find my Iphone feature...you can also set your phone to permanently delete after 10 incorrect passcode attempts. — STACK DADDY on My personal police blotter

Merci' buckets! — robert janz on Seen & Heard: Last call on the Pier 17 rink

Bisoman is just calling in. Black Cat says "it's an ad for Awake, Alert, Aware". — robert janz on Seen & Heard: Last call on the Pier 17 rink

To Perryro: We are paying now every day for time-sucking, neighborhood-eroding, pedestrian-killing, lung-destroying traffic congestion. Ditto, sanity-damaging unreliable subways and slow (delayed in traffic) buses. I'm for practically anything that might begin to reverse that. Congestion pricing fits the bill. To Jeff: Let people who love their cars more than our neighborhoods move. They'll be replaced by people who appreciate that suburban transportation doesn't work in a density-rich city. As for the MTA, though, I share your distrust but not your diagnosis. Pensions etc. must be paid regardless. Congestion revenues can fund replacement of century-old analog subway signals with digital signals that can speed trains and do wonders for our city. — Charles Komanoff on In the News: Pied a terre tax + the MTA

Now we're talking! People will move when the cost of living (tax burden/disincentive) gets too high. Along these same lines, I think a lot of people (myself included) wouldn't be as averse to paying the taxes if the money was actually being spent responsibly. The $ they are talking about going to the MTA is overwhelmingly NOT going to be used for repairs & upgrades, ti's going towards the pension & entitlement obligations it has underfunded. — Jeff on In the News: Pied a terre tax + the MTA

The change to the service dogs rule is *absurd* - just as you're required to show a valid handicapped permit to park in a handicapped parking spot, you should have to show a valid service animal permit to bring a service animal into a restaurant. Also, some people have very serious allergies to common house pets like dogs. Are those diners supposed to just leave if the table next to them plops down with a big dog? I too am rarely among the easily outraged, but this just takes the cake. — Scott on In the News: Taylor Swift has another break-in

James OUCH! I can hear you venting and I agree with most of what you have written. Florida does charge a higher property tax rate to 'non-residents', probably to offset projected lower the sales-tax revenue from a part-timer. Why couldn't NYC do something? The property tax abatement is available as long as you 'reside' in the space. However, the definition should be more narrow and it should be the 'primary' residence of the tax payer. If it is not 'primary', then the abatement would not apply. If 'primary' then NYC and NYS taxes on income would apply. This should generate some cash for the MTA without resorting to taxes on taxes. High end RE buyers/investors will reprice the real estate to take this into account. It won't bother 95% of NYC a bit. — Mark on In the News: Pied a terre tax + the MTA

This East River infill seems less like a Battery Park City redux to me and reminds me more of some of the earlier, never built schemes to fill in the East River. Just for fun: 1800s https://ny.curbed.com/platform/amp/2013/8/9/10210046/filling-in-new-york-city-rivers-was-a-popular-idea-in-the-1800s 1916 https://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/2018/02/12/the-bizarre-1916-plan-to-fill-in-the-east-river/amp/ 1924 http://gothamist.com/2010/01/16/1924_traffic_congestion_solution_dr.php 1930 http://gothamist.com/2014/05/01/1930s_map_new_manhattan.php — James on In the News: Elizabeth Street Garden sues city

The street art is by Robert Janz - and it's very much NOT advertising! Check his work out at https://www.janzworkon.com/ and follow him on instagram. Spotting his work around the neighborhood is like bumping into an old friend when you turn the corner. — Christy Frank on Seen & Heard: Last call on the Pier 17 rink

Really?? Awesome. — Pam Frederick on In the News: Elizabeth Street Garden sues city

Didn't Cyndy Lauper live in the penthouse during the early 80s? — Makes You Go "Hmm-m-m" on In the News: Elizabeth Street Garden sues city

And bad behavior need not wait for a holiday of any kind. — PeterD on Seen & Heard: Last call on the Pier 17 rink

As someone who is visually impaired, this nonsense of people bringing their animals everywhere (restaurants among them) is just absurd. There are people who have legitimate reasons to have a service dog (I do not currently have one.. but one day I may have to)... and these self-absorbed nitwits who bring their pets everywhere as an accessory to their fabulousness should be ashamed. Those animals are not properly trained as service animals and the owners are certainly not properly trained how to use one either. I'm not part of the instant outrage culture that seems to have taken over society.... I'm just taking this opportunity to point out the selfishness of these people should called out & the behavior discouraged. — Jeff on In the News: Taylor Swift has another break-in

Why can’t dogs go to restaurants? It is one of my many favorite things about France. — Amy on In the News: Taylor Swift has another break-in

A holiday need not be "fake" for it bring out bad behavior... — EG on Seen & Heard: Last call on the Pier 17 rink

The solution in my opinion is lowering taxes not raising them. If the cost of living here gets to high people will leave. say no to tolls and congestion pricing. — perryro on In the News: Pied a terre tax + the MTA

The Taylor Swift break ins are very scary. There are some crazy people out there. — TG on In the News: Taylor Swift has another break-in

Funny Marcus! So the change in the law explains why I see more and more dogs in Whole Foods. It bothers me as it seems lazy to me. I have a dog and I walk her and then take her home and go out AGAIN to go shopping. It's not like the dogs are having any fun and some of them aren't Whole Foods trained...but I guess you could say that about the Dads who lets their toddlers play with the cans and then leave them in the aisles when the kids are finished as well!! — TG on In the News: Taylor Swift has another break-in