Various defenders of the indefensible attempt to force New Yorkers to endure the traffic jams, subway delays, police blockades and the wasting of taxpayer dollars that would have accompanied the Olympics here are now trying to explain that the failed campaign was a net plus for New Yorkers. The most ridiculously over the top such effort was a letter sent by former NYC Olympics honcho & Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff. Here’s the main part – http://www.buzzfeed.com/ktlincoln/olympic-bid-reshaped-new-york-city-too-doctoroff Today, Manhattan's West Side is becoming New York's next great neighborhood, the High Line is one of New York's premier tourist destinations, on the site of the proposed Olympic Village the largest subsidized middle-income housing community in fifty years is beginning to rise, popular ferry service along the East River waterfront is connecting residents and visitors to new communities and new parks, and millions of fans attend games at new Yankee Stadium and CitiField (and soon at the new home of the Brooklyn Nets!). None of this would have happened without NYC2012. Does he really expect anyone to believe that the Olympics are the reason the new Yankee Stadium & CitiField were built? Doesn’t he think someone will remember George Steinbrenner & Rudy Giuliani talking about it replacing Yankee Stadium last century? And the High Line? Here’s the link on their own website with the historical timeline. Not a word about the Olympics appears in it. http://www.thehighline.org/about/high-line-history/ Mid-1980s A group of property owners lobbies for demolition of the entire structure. Members of this group own land under the High Line that was purchased at prices reflecting the High Line's easement. Peter Obletz, a Chelsea resident, activist, and railroad enthusiast, challenges demolition efforts in court and tries to re-establish rail service on the Line. 1999 Friends of the High Line is founded by Joshua David and Robert Hammond, residents of the High Line neighborhood, to advocate for the High Line's preservation and reuse as public open space. What about the new home of the Brooklyn Nets? I think Marty Markowitz will disagree with the argument that the Olympics were the catalyst for the Nets moving. Shouldn’t the fact that Barclay’s Arena is not yet open be a hint that connection to the Olympics is a bit thin? East River Ferry service. Let’s see what New York Waterway has to say about it – http://www.nywaterway.com/AboutNYWaterway.aspx Up through the 1800's, ferries were the only way to get to and around Manhattan. As bridges and tunnels were built, ferry transportation faded. In 1986, Arthur E. Imperatore and his family rejuvenated the NY Harbor with the launch of the first NY Waterway boat. Since then, NY Waterway has carried over 65 million passengers. For those keeping score, Doctoroff says hr thought of bringing the Olympic Games to New York after witnessing Soccer’s World Cup at. That’s 8 years after the first NY Waterway boat. I’ll leave it to others to speculate whether or not Doctoroff is correct in thinking that at a time when studio apartments in renovated tenements on the Lower East Side get monthly rents of over $2,500 and luxury co-ops are being build in East Harlem that nobody would have thought to develop the part of the West Side not already developed without Bloomberg proposing building a football stadium first. But that’s no need to speculate on who wins the Gold Medal for Olympic bullshit!
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