The sparking new escalators at Penn Station may all come tumbling down in a few years when a major renovation of the entire station stakes place. Photo: Amtrak Stairway to where exactly? It would be a clear case of New York jadedness to call the spanking new Seventh Avenue entrance to Penn Station a stairway... Voices 24 Nov 2023 | 02:17
The Gardenia Italian deli and the Molly Wee Pub are among the small businesses that would be forced to move if the block south of the current Penn Station is demolished to make way for the new Hudson rail tunnel. Photo: Keith J. Kelly Activist Demands Big 3 RRs Hold Public Review to Avoid Demolishing Biz Near Penn The railroads that operate at Penn Station should conduct an independent, and public, review of whether they really need... Home 16 Nov 2023 | 08:07
Senator Chuck Schumer said the federal government is increasing its funding of the Hudson rail bridge known as the Gateway Project to 70 percent at a groundbreaking ceremony on Nov. 3. Photo: Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul Groundbreaking for Hudson Rail Tunnel Draws Politicos and Protestors Officials announced a major step forward on building a new Hudson river tunnel that would double the number of trains that... News 06 Nov 2023 | 10:23
Caroline Hirsh, founder of the legendary Caroline’s on Broadway which closed earlier this year, is expanding the New York Comedy Festival to venues across Manhattan and the outer boroughs. Photo: NYC Mayor’s Press Office NY Comedy Festival Opens: Just What We Need In These Troubled Times The Talmud and stand up comedy can sometimes evoke each other, as if the Ten Commandments were handed down from the Catskills.... News 30 Oct 2023 | 05:09
The congestion pricing zone is set, but not the price motorists will have to pay to enter anywhere in Manhattan below 60th Street starting next spring. An MTA committee is mulling prices and exemptions prior to the new toll going into effect. Photo: Community Board 8 Congestion Pricing Details Begin to Emerge as MTA Committee Wrestles with Exemptions The daily struggle just to get subway and bus riders from here to there can easily overshadow the MTA’s new push for a larger... News 10 Oct 2023 | 05:58
The early plan from the Governor’s office to use tax revenue from new office towers around Penn Station was scuttled when Vornado Realty Trust said it was only going to complete two of the towers and halt the others due to the soft commercial office market. Photo: Keith J. Kelly Pressure Mounts on Gov. Hochul to Develop New Plan for Penn Station A coalition of civic and community groups pressed Governor Kathy Hochul to get more directly involved in determining the... News 29 Sep 2023 | 02:17
Ann Kirschner, the new president at Hunter College, meets with students at the start of the fall semester. The college with 24,000 students is one of the most diverse student bodies in the country, she says. Photo: Courtesy Hunter College Tech Entrepreneur Turned Educator Tackles New Job as Hunter College’s New Pres From the outside, Hunter College looks more like a Manhattan office tower than a university. But step inside and it is instantly... News 25 Sep 2023 | 12:34
Madison Square Garden has only been given a five year extension by the full City Council on a special permit it needs to continue to sit atop Penn Station. Photo: Keith J. Kelly Finally and Officially: Full City Council Gives MSG Its Shortest Permit Ever at 5 Years Saying it was starting a countdown to force a deal on improving Penn Station, the City Council voted unanimously to give... News 14 Sep 2023 | 10:26
MTA Chairman Janno Lieber (white shirt) seems to be snapping to attention as he listens to a press conference with (from left) Congressman Gerald Nadler, Assemblyman Tony Simone, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and City Council Member Erik Bottcher on how to reconfigure Penn Station. CB5 board member Layla Law-Gisiko (far right) listens in as well. Photo: Office of the Manhattan Borough President Joint Press Conference By Politicos Turns into Debate over Penn Station Plans You would expect a decision as big as rebuilding Penn Station to drive a big debate. What you wouldn’t expect is for government... News 13 Sep 2023 | 10:10
Renewal of a permit to allow Madison Square Garden to sit atop Penn Station for only five more years–expected to be officially approved by the City Council Sept. 14–will set off a new scramble by all stakeholders to fit a new plan into the compressed time frame. Photo: Keith J. Kelly Loose Ends: When the Full Council Finally OKs 5-yr Permit for MSG, What’s Next? The City Council is resetting the clock on the interlinked futures of Madison Square Garden and Penn Station. But virtually... News 10 Sep 2023 | 05:31
Community activist Layla Law-Gisiko ran and lost in a crowded Dem primary field trying to succeed Dick Gottfried in the New York State Assembly. But she’s had a dramatic impact on the negotiations over Madison Square Garden as a long-time CB5 member and now is the new president of the City Club. Photo: Laylaforny Civic Leader Who Shook Up Madison Square Garden: Part II This is the second in a two part series. For Part I, click here. Layla Law-Gisiko has served on community board 5 for 18 years... News 06 Sep 2023 | 01:17
CB 5 board member Layla Law-Gisiko has embraced her role as a civic activist in her adopted city. Photo: Courtesy Layla Law-Gisiko Parisian and Longtime CB5 Member Reflects on Activism that Shook Up MSG This is the first in a two part series. For Part II, click here. Born in Paris, French television sent her to New York as... News 06 Sep 2023 | 01:15
Under the plan pushed by ASTM, The Theater at Madison Square Garden on the Eighth Ave side of the arena would be purchased from MSG and demolished to make way for a new Grand Entrance to the rail hub that serves 600,000 rail commuters daily. Photo: Keith J. Kelly We Are Now the “Only Plan Left Standing,” Says Italian Developer in Wake of City Council Vote on Madison Square Garden The Italian infrastructure company that wants to rebuild Penn Station says its plan is now the only path forward after the... News 01 Sep 2023 | 02:16
The City Council Vote is a blow to Madison Square Garden Chairman James Dolan, who wanted the special permit extended in perpetuity. Local bars and businesses in the MSG neighborhood and even hip hop artist Run MMC were backing him, all to no avail. Photo: Flipboard via Wikimedia Commons City Council Shortens Leash on MSG, Gives It 5 Years Only on New Special Permit The City Council, caught like a dashing commuter between Madison Square Garden and Penn Station, decided that the conflicts... News 29 Aug 2023 | 12:14
Tracks Raw Bar, which already had to relocate from inside Penn Station when it was being renovated, wants the City Council to grant Madison Square Garden a new special permit that will last forever. Photo: Keith J. Kelly 11th Hr. Appeal: Local Bars, Other Small Business Owners, Urge City Council to Renew MSG’s Special Permit Forever A raft of restaurants, bars and other businesses around Madison Square Garden–saying the Garden’s crowds provided much of... News 28 Aug 2023 | 11:30
