Julio’s Musings Around Columbia County, New York

Though the collapsing economy has hit New York City hard, that is nothing new in its long history. Yes, there are more open pits or barricaded lots that may revert to mosquito laden urban lakes or parking lots while waiting for the next boom instead of boom cranes constructing the next skyscraper. Nevertheless the just ended boom was so vast that the city is still a sea of Kangaroo cranes with the skyscrapers inching skywards and 10’s of thousands of construction workers still gainfully employed.

As good fortune would have it, the World Trade Center site viewed above is such a sea (though not only one) of construction. Funded by Insurance proceeds and the good credit of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey it’s financing has not dried up due to the insolvency of so many financial institutions. In the background barely discernible in the photo is the core of 1 World Trade Center with steel over 100 feet above grade.
In the foreground is the recently installed crane for 4 World Trade Center, the shortest at 975 feet of a group of 4 massive towers that will be rise in tandem.

Tags: Julio Hernandez-Miyares, World Trade Center, New York City Skyscrapers

New York City is certainly a grungy place. Even in the best of times; which just recently ended by the way, it is full of filth , vermin, cracked sidewalks, potholes , garbage waiting to be picked up and garbage just laying around. I have often wondered if that is part of its charm. That may be counterintuitive to most especially those that beehive in the suburbs. It is always easy to spot when a film where the plot is supposed to be occurring in New York is actually shot in another ostensibly look alike location. Its missing the graffiti , the cracked curbs and everything else I referenced above.
Anyway I believe quite rapidly we will return to the Grungy New York of our youth - the 1980’s and 90’s. The typical approach for the senile elite in New York to solve an economic problem is to raise taxes to protect the special interests that in New York generally represent the ossified municipal unions.
That has the reverse effect of solving anything and creates more economic dislocation, decrease in economic activity , less tax revenue in the short to medium term and a cascading effect of decreasing municipal services. But it does create something weird. Artists like the grunginess and they flock to places that exhibit it to the greatest extreme ie Lower East Side, Williamsburg , The Bowery, and the cycle repeats itself.

Even with the current economic turmoil, New York City continues to grow skyward as the photo of the luxury condo nearing completion near Madison Square Park testifies to. Not sure of the starting prices or the penthouse prices but I am sure the average will be in the multi-million range for both 1 and 2 bedroom apartments. This building was already skyward when the collapse of the economy became noticeable late in 2008 but there are many other large buildings financed and under-construction to keep those who enjoy straining their necks upward active for quite a number of years.
And who is going to occupy these gleaming new condo units high above “The City”? I don’t know but if the reports from the NY Times and other news outlets are correct, it appears Wall Street renumerated itself quite well this past year to the tune of over $18 Billion in Bonuses.
A sharp downturn from the colossal figure for 2007 but still enough to soak up quite a number of high-priced units coming on the market soon!

Tags: New York City, Julio Hernandez-Miyares

A one week trip to Los Angeles, California is in the offering for the week of November 3rd, 2009. Business related of course, seems like it is always business with me. Nevertheless it has been awhile since I have been in LA and looking forward to the change of pace from New York City. With all the cost cutting going on in American business including my company, its economy all the way and though I am staying at the Beverly Hills Hilton, I may try to shack up with “family” to save a few $$’s for our company. Not looking forward to the cross country cattle car flight on the lowest cost carrier for this trip. “American” is the carrier of choice this time.
For one week, the auto will be king again instead of the New York City Subway.

Tags: Julio Hernandez-Miyares

Wow, its now been like two weeks since I moved my base of operations back to the Empire State. I have not really had much chance to truly enjoy it as I have been neck deep in work and other then walking around the East Village looking to refill my Starbucks container for Free , 4 walls is all that I have really seen. 4 Walls look the same whether you are in Northern Virginia , New York or just about anywhere.

On the other hand, besides the Starbucks refills there is always dinner and there is much to choose from around the “Village”. Lunch unfortunately has to be 2 slices of pizza in 5 minutes time during the few minutes that I can be “fashionably” late between meetings.

I have not noticed much different yet from the fallout of the stock market and financial collapse of the past few weeks. Almost as if people are in denial of sorts. That is often the case in Manhattan but I believe things will change quickly if the economy doesn’t right itself soon. Those restaurants need patrons after all and all the storefronts have businesses with the odd one or two closed for renovations or for a new business opening soon.

Tags: Julio Hernandez-Miyares

Late Wednesday October 1st, 2008 ,after a long day of packing and working, working and packing and turning over the Reston condo , I pointed the car north and headed back to the Big Apple. Of course, owing to tradition, I first had to pick up a Grande Starbucks, listen to the idle chatter of the barrister one last time about the weather or something inane, have my Starbucks card swiped and take the walk back out to the car.

An experiment of 4 and a half years living and working in Northern Virginia was closing. The experiment was a success as I survived to make it back home to New York City. Actually Northern Virginia is quite a civilized place and I had the privilege of working at one of the top internet companies on the globe and now will do the same but out of the newly situated headquarters in Gotham.
The trip down to Northern Virginia way back in 2004 during a 4th of July holiday was done during the wee hours of the morning but with the holiday hordes creating traffic jams at midnight on the New Jersey turnpike. The return was similarly during the wee hours but during a recession, $4 gas and mostly trucks and myself with a few deer sprinkled in the Catskills area.

Tags: Julio Hernandez-Miyares, New York City

Here I am at the Top of the same building climbed by Alain Roberts and the other dude from Brooklyn this past week.
I made it up in the conventional style.
I watched them build this skyscraper from the foundation all the way to the pinnacle. It was a thrill to get to the top while they were still working on it though the ironworkers had long since departed.

In the second photo you can spot the “ladder” like skin to the building which made climbing it a cinch to anyone crazy enough to try. The building is covered in its entirety.
Now if someone can get me to the top of the new World Trade Center Tower 1 (aka Freedom Tower)!

Tags: Julio Hernandez-Miyares, New York Times

New Yorkers enjoying a beautiful Spring day in late May 2008 on the Great Lawn in Central Park. Dropped a pretty penny at Tavern on the Green. Took the extended family for brunch and since I guess I look like the rich one in the group, was handed the check no questions asked.

Tags: Central Park, New York City, Julio Hernandez-Miyares

Everywhere you go in New York City including the caverns known as the New York City Subway System, there is someone assailing your ears or in ths case, a group of percussionists doing their thing will “straphangers” wait for the F train at 14th Street and Union Square in Manhattan.

Empty Plastic carpentry compound pails form the instruments in this case. They were so good I actually dropped money in the tin cup as my train was arriving.

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Tags: Subway, New York City, Julio Hernandez-Miyares

New Stadium for Mets nearing completion

Originally uploaded by julio.miyares

High above Queens, New York; a borough of New York City for those that don’t know, a view of the under-construction Citi Field which will replace Shea Stadium as the home of the New York Metropolitans better known as the Mets.

Based on Ebbets Field, the old home of the Brooklyn Dodgers who fled to sunny Los Angeles well before my time in the late ’50’s.

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Tags: New York City, Mets