New York City Thread: Part III (Info in OP)

[sbjnyc]

I was jusssst about to go to the new glass observation deck when all this blew up

I had the opportunity to go before it opened but it just isn't for me. I have a view of MSG which is good enough for me.

 

[True Blue]

I had plans to go to Japan in October but they wouldn't even permit me to enter let alone quarantine. Other countries are more open and simply required testing. Once those restrictions rop I'll go back to traveling. And as someone who works on Hudson yards, I'll head in daily as soon as my company allows it.

I am with you. Will go back to travelling as soon as the restrictions stop. My trips to Aruba and Paris were shot due to all this. Think that this year, will have several beach vacations for myself and my kids. Everyone will probably be able to use some fun in the sun. Look forward to getting back to Aruba.

Work in midtown and have been heading in every day since it all hit the fan. The building is a 24/7 building so not an issue. Am one of the only people in firm that when I say I am out of the office, I literally mean it.

 

[sbjnyc]

I am with you. Will go back to travelling as soon as the restrictions stop. My trips to Aruba and Paris were shot due to all this. Think that this year, will have several beach vacations for myself and my kids. Everyone will probably be able to use some fun in the sun. Look forward to getting back to Aruba.

Work in midtown and have been heading in every day since it all hit the fan. The building is a 24/7 building so not an issue. Am one of the only people in firm that when I say I am out of the office, I literally mean it.

Even though my building is open my office is closed so I can't even go in to pick anything up. I also had to cancel a few Vegas trips I planned (NFL draft, July 4, Labor day and now Christmas/New Years). The positive rate out there is north of 20% which is crazy. Maybe I'll go for the super bowl.

 

[Taluss]

Doubt many are travelling and looking at this thread rn but for the future if you collect jerseys the NHL store right near Times Square is a great place to go. Only about a 5 min walk away. Probably has 1 jersey for each team and a bunch of other stuff. One of my go to places every time I’m down in NYC.

 

[Leonardo87]

 

[True Blue]

Even though my building is open my office is closed so I can't even go in to pick anything up. I also had to cancel a few Vegas trips I planned (NFL draft, July 4, Labor day and now Christmas/New Years). The positive rate out there is north of 20% which is crazy. Maybe I'll go for the super bowl.

You literally cannot get in or is there a company mandate that no one goes in?

 

[RosensRug]

Even though my building is open my office is closed so I can't even go in to pick anything up. I also had to cancel a few Vegas trips I planned (NFL draft, July 4, Labor day and now Christmas/New Years). The positive rate out there is north of 20% which is crazy. Maybe I'll go for the super bowl.

Vegas just doesn't seem as fun with all the restrictions. Positivity rate aside trying to play poker or blackjack while wearing a mask doesn't appeal to me at this point. I like interacting at the table and enjoying cocktails.

 

[GordonGecko]

Vegas just doesn't seem as fun with all the restrictions. Positivity rate aside trying to play poker or blackjack while wearing a mask doesn't appeal to me at this point. I like interacting at the table and enjoying cocktails.

True, a hooker with a mask is defeating the purpose

*rim shot* I kid I kid!

 

[RosensRug]

True, a hooker with a mask is defeating the purpose

*rim shot* I kid I kid!

The spearmint rhino branded masks flying around the internet gave me a good laugh a few months ago.

 

[sbjnyc]

You literally cannot get in or is there a company mandate that no one goes in?

I use a card to access elevators than the office area. I'm pretty sure that's where I'd be blocked. We also have physical security there as well but they wouldn't let me in anyway.

 

[True Blue]

I use a card to access elevators than the office area. I'm pretty sure that's where I'd be blocked. We also have physical security there as well but they wouldn't let me in anyway.

That is interesting. We have security as well, but as long as I have my id card, they are fine. Need the access card to enter the office, and all has been good. But then again, other people have been making more frequent appearances.

 

[Boris Zubov]

Vegas just doesn't seem as fun with all the restrictions. Positivity rate aside trying to play poker or blackjack while wearing a mask doesn't appeal to me at this point. I like interacting at the table and enjoying cocktails.

The last place anyone should visit by choice right now is Vegas. Not sure what's worse, all the restrictions & the closed bars & restaurants....or the trashy bottom feeders who are showing up here for the cheap room rates. This place should be on everyone's no fly zone for at least a year.

 

[True Blue]

Vegas just doesn't seem as fun with all the restrictions. Positivity rate aside trying to play poker or blackjack while wearing a mask doesn't appeal to me at this point. I like interacting at the table and enjoying cocktails.

Yeah, but think of the poker face

 

[sbjnyc]

That is interesting. We have security as well, but as long as I have my id card, they are fine. Need the access card to enter the office, and all has been good. But then again, other people have been making more frequent appearances.

It's a company mandate that the office is closed but it is enforced. It was the same after Sandy. In fact when we worked downtown our office was closed for about a year due to Sandy but we rented space in one of Goldman's buildings for about 9 months. Access to the building towards the end was on a case by case basis, usually to pick up important documents. The same process is probably being followed but by now almost everything is digital.

The last place anyone should visit by choice right now is Vegas. Not sure what's worse, all the restrictions & the closed bars & restaurants....or the trashy bottom feeders who are showing up here for the cheap room rates. This place should be on everyone's no fly zone for at least a year.

I don't know if it's the room rates or just a bunch of bored people riding scooters. Room rates this time of year have always been pretty low and in the summer there've always been deals to be had. I'm really not worried about that as much as the positivity rate.

 

[NYRFAN218]

Doubt many are travelling and looking at this thread rn but for the future if you collect jerseys the NHL store right near Times Square is a great place to go. Only about a 5 min walk away. Probably has 1 jersey for each team and a bunch of other stuff. One of my go to places every time I’m down in NYC.

As an FYI, they've been closed since the pandemic started. Haven't reopened and are boarded up (which I'm pretty sure is due to just general boarding up of stores around election time but they never took it down). Doesn't seem like there's any intent to re-open it anytime soon. Maybe they're just keeping it closed until they move everything over to Hudson Yards if they're still doing that?

 

[RosensRug]

As an FYI, they've been closed since the pandemic started. Haven't reopened and are boarded up (which I'm pretty sure is due to just general boarding up of stores around election time but they never took it down). Doesn't seem like there's any intent to re-open it anytime soon. Maybe they're just keeping it closed until they move everything over to Hudson Yards if they're still doing that?

Yeah that store is toast. The NHL totally vacated that building and moved everything to that large office tower on 9th and 33rd in Hudson Yards. The last time i passed by there the store was well under construction and should be open sometime after the winter/spring if nothing else comes up.

 

[NYRFAN218]

Yeah that store is toast. The NHL totally vacated that building and moved everything to that large office tower on 9th and 33rd in Hudson Yards. The last time i passed by there the store was well under construction and should be open sometime after the winter/spring if nothing else comes up.

Didn't know they had already moved out of the building. Do you have a source on the store opening or is it just something you heard?

 

[RosensRug]

Didn't know they had already moved out of the building. Do you have a source on the store opening or is it just something you heard?

No source, asked the construction guys the last time i was in the mall over there a few weeks ago.

 

[sbjnyc]

Yeah that store is toast. The NHL totally vacated that building and moved everything to that large office tower on 9th and 33rd in Hudson Yards. The last time i passed by there the store was well under construction and should be open sometime after the winter/spring if nothing else comes up.

Manhattan West is 9th and 33rd. Hudson yards is on 10th. There's a mall in Hudson yards but don't know about Manhattan West.

 

[Bricho]

In my own personal experience, it seems the Manhattan restaurant industry is getting effected much more heavily than the outer boroughs. When people talk about "NYC is dead" I think many of them are really saying "Manhattan is dead." In my neighborhood in the Bronx which is packed with a million different restaurants and takeout places I know of only one that's closed since March and they closed in late April which leads me to believe they must have been on the ropes even before the shutdown. All of my favorite Queens spots are still functioning. Again, I'm sure all these places are losing money compared to normal but it hasn't led to permanent shutdowns on the level I've seen in Manhattan.

I've been in to my office in midtown about a 10-12 times total since March. The last time was about two weeks ago. My top 3 favorite lunch spots are all gone for good. I discovered this all at once as I walked from one to the other my first day back in August and saw them all boarded up with good-bye letters nailed to the windows. Lots of other places were closed down as well in a few block radius around my office. I can't even imagine what it's like in the financial district which was already a ghost town pre-pandemic anytime outside usual M-F working hours.

Just looking at it on a micro level... I went from spending significant sums of money at midtown restaurants/cafes/takeout places when I was commuting in every day in the pre-pandemic world to now spending that money at my local restaurants. My favorite local deli which I used to only be able to get lunch from on Saturday is now my everyday lunch spot while working from home.

Two easy explanations.....rent and traffic. As you mentioned, a lot of midtown/downtown places don’t have anywhere near the customer base they usually have with people working from home. I remember seeing lines at Chopt 50-60 deep. Those people are working at home now. Second, the cashflow needed to pay rent in the outer boroughs is such a smaller fraction relative to Manhattan rent. A Queens restaurant/business doesn’t require tens of thousands of cashflow just to pay rent each month. Most Manhattan property is also owned by some REIT or corporate entity which is less likely to give a break on rent. Most commercial buildings in the outer boroughs are family/individually owned who are more likely to negotiate better terms.

 

[RosensRug]

Manhattan West is 9th and 33rd. Hudson yards is on 10th. There's a mall in Hudson yards but don't know about Manhattan West.

Yeah they're building a whole new strip mall type thing in Manhattan west as you would call it in that case. Peleton, and Whole Foods are already open and the NHL store is going to be right in there along with some other shops. Facebook is a big part of the development as they leased a TON of space in the post office, and 55 hudson yards. Amazon already has an office in the area as well. Should be pretty cool once its all finished.

 

[sbjnyc]

My office is in Hudson Yards. A whole foods opened up on 10th avenue on 31st across the street from me. I think it is part of Manhattan West. Hudson Yards stretches across several blocks between 10th and 11th while Manhattan West goes from 9th to 10th. I'm kind of glad the NHL store won't be in the Hudson Yards mall or else I'd stop in every day once things open up.

 

[broadwayblue]

Is MSG likely to relocate or is this just more of the same ongoing fantasy?

Twin Supertalls Revealed as Part of Garden City, Possible Relocation of Madison Square Garden, in Midtown Manhattan - New York YIMBY

 

[GordonGecko]

Is MSG likely to relocate or is this just more of the same ongoing fantasy?

Twin Supertalls Revealed as Part of Garden City, Possible Relocation of Madison Square Garden, in Midtown Manhattan - New York YIMBY

I was so confused for like 15 seconds, all I kept thinking was why the hell would the Rangers move to Long Island and play in Garden City

I doubt it happens, the city is going to be run by communists for the foreseeable future

 

[RosensRug]

Do we really need two more high rise office towers?