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Old Posted Jan 24, 2012, 4:29 PM
aquablue aquablue is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ivymike View Post
I don't believe this should or will be an "all in or all out" plan. I believe the Javits performs a valuable service to Manhattan and close-in Bkln/Qns subway hoods. And all the millions who work in the city but live in the suburbs. I also think that a convention in a city should showcase that city. The Javits is actually gorgeous inside the reception hall and has a lot of potential on the river side. It need not be enlarged, it's big enough. Freed designed it under the tutelage of I.M. Pei.


cpiengineering

I would have to think twice about going to the auto show all the way out there in Ozone Park. I've ridden the A train dozens of times to Aqueduct, JFK and the Rockaways, it's a long, slow haul. The expressways in the boroughs leading there are invariably clogged while still being aggressive.

But it is adjacent to JFK, not too far from LGA and has clean access to ISP, so I see the logic. I think it can work, but I also believe it would be a mistake to demolish the Javits. They both could stand alone. Two convention centers catering to different types of conventions. I would be very sad to see the Javits go.

And that's my point.
Hopefully, they will extend the LIRR to the new convention center, then it would be a quick ride from manhattan. Unless they build some kind of super express A train or another line, I don't see how a subway link alone like the current service would suffice.

As we discussed, I'm sure they are planning to implement fast service from Manhattan and the airport, better than the current A train option anyway. Either they speed the subway service up or they open the old rail line. I'd also be shocked if they were to neglect airport access from the terminal given the location. If they rely on the current A train, the whole thing could be a fiasco of epic proportions. I'm sure they'll realize that once it's built and something will be done.

Regarding demolishing the old convention center, I don't understand why they wouldn't rezone the area for massive buildings...the only place we could see a 600m building in manhattan. Yet it appears they are going to replicate battery park city, I mean, WTF? Battery park city scale is the best they are aiming for with the last prime site in the city? Doesn't sound like a smart plan for the future. I was hoping for at least one new landmark tower for NYC that could elevate NYC's skyline in height. Is it really a problem to zone the area unlimited with mixed use? Why restrict the size on these plots near the river to mid-rise residential? Not very ambitious.

Whatever they do, they should build some kind of connecting tunnel to a subway station.

Last edited by aquablue; Jan 24, 2012 at 4:40 PM.
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