Thursday, May 21, 2009
Protecting The Palisades: Our Past Posts, And Our New Ones Planned
Posted by Peter Quennell
[click for larger images]
Our first series on the Palisades (not yet complete) can be seen here.
That series will soon include all our past posts on any palisades-impinging developments.
And we will have a second series of posts up very soon, with new detail shots of the cliffs.
Thoughtless out-of-control and probably dangerous hacks of the palisades are ocurring in North Bergen more than anywhere.
Edgewater seems quite respectful of what palisades they has left. West New York, Weehawken and Hoboken all seem about equally so.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Galaxy Rising Now Getting Back Up To Speed
Posted by Peter Quennell
End of a six-month hiatus!
We had been running strongly for over three years, until this very nasty economy came along and distracted our best minds!
Okay, we’re coming back. Things now are under control. and the Galaxy and the Gold Coast need more boosting than ever.
Daily posts will resume here around 1 June.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
‘Catastrophic’ One-Metre Sea Rise Predicted
Posted by Peter Quennell
[click for larger images]
Catherine Jacob of Sky News at a climate change conference in Copenhagen
With a tenth of the world’s population living in areas vulnerable to flooding, a global sea level rise of a metre could have catastrophic consequences.
But a rise of at least that size - and perhaps more - by the end of the century is now being predicted by many climate experts at a conference here in Copenhagen.
They say the higher temperatures and sea levels could put hundreds of millions of lives at risk.
The one-metre forecast is twice as big as the estimate given by the UN’s official scientific body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), just two years ago.
IPCC chairman Dr Rajendra Pachauri told Sky News Online: “We have to be driven by what the science tells us that… you will see massive dislocation in different parts of the world.”
Unlike the last official report, the new sea level rise figures take into account the fact that ice sheets near the Antarctic and Greenland are melting faster than previously estimated.
A one-metre rise would mean low-lying areas like Bangladesh face severe flooding.
Parts of Florida could disappear and the Maldives would be submerged....
Professor Stefan Rhamstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research told the conference that sea level rise could be as high as 1.9m by 2100, if carbon emissions continued unabated.
“New data has come out and unfortunately it has been pointing at a much faster rise in sea level being observed now than was predicted. So it was about 50% faster than the models suggested,” he told Sky News online.
“And the projections for the future are also looking a lot more pessimistic.”
Until now, scientists have always said if we can constrain global temperature rises to 2 degrees by 2100, we will avoid catastrophic climate change.
But many here now believe this will not be possible.
It is hoped that the urgency of the updated science that will emerge from Copenhagen will inspire the world’s leaders to thrash out the most ambitious emissions reduction deal possible when they return to negotiations here in December.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Social Security for Two
Posted by Steven & Carole Rosen
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CPA financial planners are often confronted with the question, “When should I start collecting Social Security benefits?” For married couples, the question should be asked in the plural.
Current financial needs and expected life span may be paramount considerations for a single person. However, the implications of when to begin receiving benefits (and on which spouse’s work record) for spousal and survivor’s benefits not only introduce key points for every married couple to ponder but also create additional strategic opportunities for financial security in their golden years together.
Many couples don’t seem to be approaching the question in the most prudent way. It has been noted, for example, that many married individuals who earned higher wages than their spouses begin claiming Social Security benefits at age 62 or 63, prior to full retirement age (FRA). The Senior Citizens’ Freedom to Work Act of 2000 has made it more advantageous than under prior law for married individuals who earn more than their spouses to postpone claiming benefits. A significant provision of the Act is “file and suspend,” which permits spouses to collect spousal benefits when the primary worker is postponing the collection of benefits. Married retirees are often unfamiliar with this provision, and the strategy is underutilized by financial planners.
Posted by Steven & Carole Rosen on 01/22/09 at 07:01 PM in
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Senior Freeze Program Applications Due March 31
Posted by Steven & Carole Rosen
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Applications have been mailed to an additional 39,000 senior and disabled New Jersey residents informing them that they could now be eligible for property tax reimbursement checks averaging up to $337 under the Senior Freeze Program, which was recently expanded as part of Governor Corzine’s economic assistance and recovery package.
“We know the national economic crisis is hitting our seniors and disabled particularly hard since so many of them are on fixed incomes,” Governor Corzine said. “This property tax relief is urgently needed to help blunt the impact of property taxes.”
Under the law signed by the Governor after being passed by the Legislature last month, income limits for the program have been significantly increased beginning with the 2007 tax year. That means residents who previously did not qualify because their income was too high could now be eligible for a reimbursement.
Posted by Steven & Carole Rosen on 01/22/09 at 06:58 PM in
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Sunday, December 21, 2008
Not To Be Missed! #6 Goofy Christmas Lights W/Noise Added
Posted by Peter Quennell
This is Carson Williams’ inspired original in Ohio three years ago that sparked today’s craze for musical lights
1. Wizards Of Winter
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2. Variation One
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3. Variation Two
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4. Variation Three
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Not To Be Missed! #5 Bryant Park Craft Stores
Posted by Peter Quennell
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These are last year’s shots - to be replaced if and whether the weather favors new photographs.
Not To Be Missed! #4 Union Square Craft Stores
Posted by Peter Quennell
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These are last year’s shots - to be replaced if and whether the weather favors new photographs.
Not To Be Missed! #3 Metrazur Restaurant In Grand Central Terminal
Posted by Peter Quennell
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Sunday, December 14, 2008
Not To Be Missed! #2 Antique Christmas Tree At The Met Museum
Posted by Peter Quennell
The Met’s online take on this wonderful display.
The Museum will continue a long-standing holiday tradition with the annual presentation of its Christmas tree, a favorite of New Yorkers and visitors from around the world. A vivid eighteenth-century Neapolitan Nativity scene—embellished with a profuse array of diminutive, lifelike attendant figures and silk-robed angels hovering above—will adorn the candlelit spruce. Recorded music and lighting ceremonies will add to the enjoyment of the holiday display.
More here on how this unique and wildly popular show originated, long ago.
Not To Be Missed! #1 Bronx Gardens’ Train And Model-Landmarks Show
Posted by Peter Quennell
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The annual train-show with models of greater NYC landmark buildings.
At the NY Botanical Gardens in the Bronx. Now through January 11th.
Saturdays or Sundays after around 11:00 am are probably not the best times…
Tickets are sold online to try to avoid over-crowding.
And price of a 1-year NYBG membership isn’t much more than a single visits.
Last year’s shots here - this year’s will soon replace these soon.
Friday, November 21, 2008
The Hudson Detox From North To South #4: The Amazing New Tunnel System
Posted by Peter Quennell
[click for larger images]
Under the whole area of these next two posts is a large new tunnel system.
There is a diagram at bottom. It is to drain those PCBs that lie deep in the mud (PCBs are very heavy), in this large pool directly below the hydro plant and the falls.
The tunnels consist of a vertical shaft on the opposite bank of the river (shots to come) and a y-shaped arrangement of horizontal tunnels.
The tunnels themselves have already been blasted out. They are deep down inside the limestone, under all of the water you can see in the pool.
What remains to be done now is the lining of the tunnels, the small vertical holes many feet up into the mud, and a catchment system for what comes down those holes. We believe it will be hung from the ceilings.
Also the piping along the tunnels, and a pumping system to pump the water, mud and PCBs up the shaft. And then into a separation and treatment plant which is already nearly ready (shots also to come).
These shots start down level with the hydro plant. Here it is from above.
See the black rock along the sides of the road down to the plant and the shore? Again, it is the very porous rock which filled up like a sponge.
And then contributed so much to the PCB problem.
Posted by Peter Quennell on 11/21/08 at 02:03 PM in 2 Economic + Value, Environment, 5 Harbor + Hudson, PCB Detox
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Thursday, November 20, 2008
The Hudson Detox From North To South #3: First Polluting Plant, Now In Close-Up Here
Posted by Peter Quennell
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Hard by the falls and the latest of several hydro schemes, this ex-paper-plant plant sits on the site of several previous factories.
It also sits on many tons of PCBs which have seeped into the porous black limestone directly below. A close-up of that kind of rock in these first shots here.
The large capacitors the plant produced were washed in PCBs and then filled with them.
PCBs were seen as a wonderful product in their early days - they were non-flammable and did not explode, and so saved many lives. But they increasingly proved a deal with the devil, as the terrible health risks became just too apparent.
One fact we don’t know - nobody seems to know - is why a non-porous concrete slab was not laid under the PCB work area.
Check back in, oh five million years, and most of those PCBs will probably still be there. There is no plan now to ever excavate that soil.
The city street along the front here is new, by the way. Until recently, the plant was all fenced up. As if it was dangerous or something…
The city street does save a lot of driving in that area though. It’s very welcome.
Below: These are side and back views - you can just distinguish “Capacitors” on that notice third shot down
Below: This pipework out the front is not that used to pipe PCBS into the river, but part of the long-term cleanup
Below: Note that very old ruin of a plant at the front - it’s very important in the next part of the story
Posted by Peter Quennell on 11/20/08 at 03:25 PM in 2 Economic + Value, Environment, 5 Harbor + Hudson, PCB Detox
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Monday, November 17, 2008
The Hudson Detox From North To South #2: First Polluting Plant, From Across The Hudson
Posted by Peter Quennell
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First of the two plants - the other is just downstream - that actually caused this billion-dollar mess.
Better make that the multi-billion-dollar mess.
Factor in the health costs, agricultural costs, urban water supply costs, affected wildlife species and lost fishing, diminished property values and lost riverside development, previous cleanup, and all the legal and lobbying fees, and you soon arrive at truly huge numbers.
These now are shots starting from just below the previous post; all the posts in this series will do that. This is the falls area at Hudson Falls, although for most of the year there are no falls - all the river is channeled through the hydro plant there.
The top 9 shots are a panoramic sweep around the dam. The 10th shot is a robot that cleans the hydro inlet. And all the remaining shots are plant close-up.
The toxic PCB waste from this plant entered the river and land all around here (everything you are looking at is tainted) in two ways.
- First, much of the PCB waste was piped directly into the the river over there, to the left of the dam. and then it headed down through the hydro plant.
- Second, much of the PCB waste soaked through the very porous black limestone floor of the capacitor assembly rooms; there was NO concrete floor there.
Dumb or what? You judge! The old GE of course. The new one really is proving rather more helpful.
Beautiful area, by the way. The entire area of this clean-up is quite wonderful to look at.
Posted by Peter Quennell on 11/17/08 at 09:59 AM in 2 Economic + Value, Environment, 5 Harbor + Hudson, PCB Detox
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Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The Hudson Detox From North To South #1: Above The Bad Stuff
Posted by Peter Quennell
[click for larger images]
Series about the removal of the deadly PCBs from the upper Hudson River. By General Electric, their many sub-contractors, and the Federal and New York State governments.
It will be the first time on the web that this will all be explained photographically. Why does it matter to us?
- The PCBs extend all the way down the river and into New York harbor. Traces of them have been found at Jamaica Bay.
- People boat it and canoe it and wish they could swim and fish it. Towns north of Albany take their drinking water from it.
- Wildlife species by the thousands live in the river and around the river. Striped bass and sturgeons are very much affected.
- Exactly how the PCBs got into the river and then seriously broke loose (there were two huge breakouts) is seriously interesting.
- And a cleanup on this scale and of this complexity and cost will probably never been seen again, anywhere in the world.
This is at pretty Glenn Falls, nearly 200 miles north of the Manhattan area. Above the pollution. The water you see here is REALLY clean and safe.
These are the first of only two large falls on the Hudson. Right here there is a major hydro power station, which at this point was channeling most of the flow.
There are several massive paperworks, originally here so they could be close to the power. And (bottom shots) there is a hi-tech waste processing plant a mile downstream.
None of these plants is now pumping any waste into the river. Now, this ain’t regarded as such a good idea.
See that black rock in the top shots? That kind of rock is a MAJOR reason why the whole situation has become such a mess. Care to guess why?
Posted by Peter Quennell on 11/12/08 at 09:01 PM in 2 Economic + Value, Environment, 5 Harbor + Hudson, PCB Detox
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
The Really Massive Toxic Cleanup Of The Hudson Gets Ready To Roll
Posted by Peter Quennell
[click for larger images]
The removal of PCBs from the river north of Albany is soon set to begin.
And what a mighty operation it is going to be. There is much to report.
The Hudson is the US’s largest Superfund site, and this cleanup will be the most expensive, globally, in all history.
The PCBs (electrical insulation coolants) were made in a plant in Alabama (below) now long out of existence.
And PCB excesses were dumped over many years from this GE Hudson Falls plant, and another GE plant at Fort Edward about a mile away.
PCBs have made the Hudson River and the NY harbor carcogenic for nigh on 50 years now. Swimming and eating of fish many miles from the PCB source is forbidden, and canoing is not particularly recommended up there.
As a point of departure, we’d like to invite you back to check out these three starter stories we posted last year.
- Notice Anything Unusual About This River?
- Notice Anything Unusual About This Plant?
- Significance Of This Plant To Us Here On The Hudson?
In our next few posts, the two GE plants as they are now, the river, and the cleanup preparations. With lots of nice fresh shots.
Posted by Peter Quennell on 11/11/08 at 11:47 AM in 2 Economic + Value, Environment, 5 Harbor + Hudson, Upriver
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Sunday, November 09, 2008
City Hudson Projects We Look Onto #13: Very Large New Park Area Soon To Open
Posted by Peter Quennell
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Piers 62 to 64 here, immediately north of the huge Chelsea Piers.
There is a map of the new piers at the bottom here with a description of the new facilities to be complete for next summer.
The shots are in sequence from north to south. The first shot is from the wonderful new pier 66.
Just above the map you can see two images of the rusty old shipping terminal that was demolished in the process. Replacing it? A lot of grassland, a lot of trees, some sports facilities.
And a large new carousel which will be easily visible from the mainland over here.
These are all the posts in our Hudson projects series.
Posted by Peter Quennell on 11/09/08 at 05:39 AM in 4 New York Devel, Manhattan, On Hudson
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Thursday, November 06, 2008
Barack Obama: This One Was For Us
Posted by Peter Quennell
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Barack Obama often dropped by our area, if usually only briefly.
But he clearly thought our Jersey votes mattered, even if Jersey is a sure-blue state. He devoted half a day (the 2nd of February) including the travel time to a large and impressive rally at the arena in the Meadowlands.
Shots are in sequence here, starting before he appeared.
Despite appearances from behind him here, the place was pretty full - maybe 12,000.
That tier directly ahead of him was the only one empty - kept that way for the benefit of the TV cameramen. The crowd was so positioned so that the TV cameras could get in there, and pan around him to take in the crowd in front and on both sides.
Mr Obama talked for over half an hour, speaking very clearly, and he seemed to have real fun in the crowd for a similar period. The warm-up and intros involved former Senator Bradley, several of our local mayors, Robert DeNiro, and Ted and Caroline Kennedy.
Anything new that we noticed about him? The guy has a great little grin. It suddenly pops out, and lasts only about a second.
Endearing.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
As Always, We’re Curious About The Stock Market: Where Next?
Posted by Peter Quennell
[click image for the full article]
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
City Hudson Projects We Look Onto #12: The Wild And Wonderful Pier 66
Posted by Peter Quennell
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Instantly this whimsical structure becomes our favorite new pier.
It is across from 26th Street (still north of the Chelsea Piers) and it opened in July as a restaurant, etc, etc, etc!
It is also known as the Frying Pan pier, because that is where the famous old lightship is now tied up.
Not to be missed. Sunday brunch there is just the best.
Here are all the posts in our Hudson projects series.
Posted by Peter Quennell on 11/04/08 at 07:00 AM in 4 New York Devel, Manhattan, On Hudson, West Middle
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Monday, November 03, 2008
City Hudson Projects We Look Onto #11: The Recently Rebuilt Pier 67
Posted by Peter Quennell
[click for larger images]
Not to be confused with Seattle’s very popular pier with the same number!
This one is for kayaking and… your choice. Mainly, it seems, for looking back at the Galaxy.
This pier was one of the 100% rebuilds.
Here are all the posts in our Hudson projects series.
Posted by Peter Quennell on 11/03/08 at 07:00 AM in 4 New York Devel, Manhattan, On Hudson, West Middle
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Sunday, November 02, 2008
City Hudson Projects We Look Onto #10: Pending Park In Front Of Hudson Yards
Posted by Peter Quennell
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The Related Companies have not yet come up with a complete riverside treatment.
But it will include the suspension foot bridge you can see in the rendering below, and it will probably cover all the present helicopter area if the choppers ALL move out.
You can see in the aerial images at bottom that the platform is wide enough for something nice, and it includes a short pier which may become a small marina.
This will take some time to happen, but it will be well-funded and spectacular when it does.
Here are all the posts in our Hudson projects series.
Posted by Peter Quennell on 11/02/08 at 06:59 AM in 4 New York Devel, Manhattan, On Hudson, West Middle
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Saturday, November 01, 2008
Spectacular Japanese “Bonsai” At Bronx Gardens Only Through 16th
Posted by Peter Quennell
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Friday, October 31, 2008
Spectacular Japanese “Kiku” At Bronx Gardens Only Through 16th
Posted by Peter Quennell
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Wednesday, October 29, 2008
City Hudson Projects We Look Onto #9: Tourist Choppers Soon Gone From The 30th Street Heliport
Posted by Peter Quennell
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The hellicopters will be gone soon from the historic heliport.
But they may not entirely be gone from the west side altogether.
The uproar over the noisy comings and goings of sightseeing helicopters along the West Side of Manhattan has finally led to a plan to eliminate them.
Air Pegasus, the operator of the heliport at the west end of 30th Street, has agreed to start phasing out tourist flights next year and to stop them altogether in 2010, according to a draft of an agreement that needs the approval of a State Supreme Court justice.
The agreement would allow the heliport to continue handling corporate, emergency and government helicopters through the end of 2012.
By then, city and state officials hope to have chosen a new location along the West Side for the heliport, which sits within the boundaries of the Hudson River Park.
So. Just gone for sure from that space we look onto, in front of the Hudson yards, and across from Hoboken which they ravage daily with their noise.
We guess the fight will continue. Good luck, Hoboken. We are here for you.
Here are all the posts in our Hudson projects series.
Posted by Peter Quennell on 10/29/08 at 12:40 PM in 4 New York Devel, Manhattan, On Hudson, West Middle
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Monday, October 27, 2008
City Hudson Projects We Look Onto #8: Pier 76: New Stables Now, More Park Soon?
Posted by Peter Quennell
[click for larger images]
Pier 76 is the grim-looking pier that kinda detracts from the Hudson River view of the Javits Center.
It really could use an external makeover, on all four sides. The West Side Highway side is equally as decrepit.
The primary user of this pier is the tow-pound for illegally parked cars that the traffic police tow-trucks deliver there daily by the dozens.
Last year a large police-horse stable was expensively established and is expected to remain there.
The car-pound part of the pier may one day be vacated, however, and become part of the Hudson River park.
Hope you like your digs, horsies. Complain about the paint job, will you?
Here are all the posts in our Hudson projects series.
Posted by Peter Quennell on 10/27/08 at 04:00 PM in 4 New York Devel, Manhattan, On Hudson, West Middle
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Sunday, October 26, 2008
Fall Leaves Peaking Now A Short Drive North
Posted by Peter Quennell
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Probably a redundant reminder at this late stage. Sorree!
The shots here are of Maine two years ago.... Okay, it was actually two years and two weeks ago.
Quite a contrast to Maine three years and two weeks ago...
That was one wild, roaring event. Leaves were all gone, in the blink of an eye.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
This Is The Area The Mighty Towers Will Occupy
Posted by Peter Quennell
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Towers, towers, towers…
What our view is about to become. At least in this area. This shot above is in further explanation of the post below.
There are some very tall towers envisaged throughout the Javits area, which extends from around 44th to around 33th.
The tallest of all (taller than the Silver Towers) will be those in the $1-billion-plus Hudson Yards.
Below, one tentative rendering.
Friday, October 24, 2008
The Silver Towers: Real View-Changers Now To Our South-East
Posted by Peter Quennell
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View-changers now, because of their awesome height.
But not for much longer!
Much or most of that area, from 42nd and above down to 30th Street, including Hudson Yards, is destined to be filled with super-tall buildings like these.
So if you want to get some before-and-after shots, now might be a very good time to start. In 10 or 15 years the area as it is now will be largely unrecognizable.
The Silver Towers are much commented-upon by our wonderful friends at Wired New York. The high-level shots at bottom were first posted there.
Another post soon on all that is pending in the wider Javits area.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
This Really Is Quite Brilliant! And Also Very Unexpected…
Posted by Peter Quennell
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A REAL surprise! What the experience up there is all about.
We’d kinda imagined prim rows of tourists sitting quietly up there. Demurely observing the Times Square performance.
Not at all… In fact hardly anybody is sitting. And almost nobody is just gazing out over Times Square.
We dunno if these shots convey what is happening. But the ramp itself really IS the performance.
Being up there is like being on a disco-type stage. It’s addictive, and photogenic, and you will have a hard time leaving.
The red light effect works really well with the flashing signs around about. And particularly with that mesmerizing one behind (even if it is only for a Pontiac!).
It’s like this. Only better. All we need now is some Paul Van Dyk.
