When some seventh and eighth graders from California visited the South Street Seaport on a class trip on Monday, they saw shuttered stores and empty streets, and had little to do except visit some gift shops in Pier 17.
Their New York City guide agreed with surveys indicating few stores in the seaport have reopened four and a half months post Superstorm Sandy.
Some Financial District buildings by the East River still do not have full power. But because their owners have more money they can afford to power their buildings with outdoor generators and boilers.
Most of the small seaport businesses do not have that ability.
The city's Economic Development Corporation and Pier 17 owner Howard Hughes Corporation are set to demolish Pier 17 and rebuild it into a glass-enclosed grass-roofed mall. This is scheduled to begin July 1, the height of the summer and the busiest season for the seaport.
City Council Member Margaret Chin, who represents Lower Manhattan, has requested the demolition wait until after the summer.
Grace Capobianco, the publisher of Downtown Magazine, located a block for the seaport, said she agreed.
For the long term, Capobianco is bullish on the seaport and notes that it is impossible to rent office space in Lower Manhattan.
She believes that with the city efforts to rebuild the infrastructure with the new World Trade Center and the Fulton Transit hub, the seaport and the rest of Lower Manhattan will be hot again in two years.
But some small shop owners believe big chain stores and upscale businesses will squeeze out mom-and-pop stores.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 6:51 AM EDT2013-05-21 10:51:26 GMT
The Metropolitan Opera says it's decided to disband its resident ballet company.
The Metropolitan Opera says it's decided to disband its resident ballet company. The American Guild of Musical Artists said the eight remaining dancers of the Metropolitan Opera Ballet have accepted buyout packages.
Monday, May 20 2013 6:05 PM EDT2013-05-20 22:05:22 GMT
A spate of hate-fueled attacks on gay men in New York, including a killing in the heart of one of its most gay-friendly neighborhoods, is stirring up anxiety, disbelief and outrage.
A spate of hate-fueled attacks on gay men in New York, including a killing in the heart of one of its most gay-friendly neighborhoods, is stirring up anxiety, disbelief and outrage.
Three people have been charged with taking bribes from a Chinese government-supported institution in exchange for restricted research from a New York University lab.
Three people have been charged with taking bribes from a Chinese government-supported institution in exchange for restricted research from a New York University lab.
Sunday, May 19 2013 10:57 PM EDT2013-05-20 02:57:40 GMT
The federal judge presiding over civil rights challenges to the stop-and-frisk practices of the New York Police Department has no doubt where she stands with the government.
The federal judge presiding over civil rights challenges to the stop-and-frisk practices of the New York Police Department has no doubt where she stands with the government.
Friday, May 17 2013 5:54 PM EDT2013-05-17 21:54:45 GMT
The big game will be played in New Jersey but the big party will be in New York City. Organizers call it "Super Bowl Boulevard."
The big game will be played in New Jersey but the big party will be in New York City. Organizers call it "Super Bowl Boulevard": it will stretch from 44th Street on Broadway all the way to 34th Street.
Friday, May 17 2013 8:21 AM EDT2013-05-17 12:21:42 GMT
A new photo exhibit at an art gallery in Chelsea is drawing the ire of residents who are the artist's subjects, unknowingly.
A new photo exhibit at an art gallery in Chelsea is drawing the ire of residents who are the artist's subjects, unknowingly. The artist, Arne Svenson, is reportedly taking the photos through their TriBeCa building windows. In some photos, the residents are bending over, sleeping and cleaning.
