Atlantic Yards receives initial approval - runs risk of damaging historic Brooklyn
NY1 reported today that the Atlantic Yards project received the required unanimous approval from the three-member board made up of George Pataki, State Senate Majority Leader George Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. With the end of Pataki’s governorship imminent, he was pushing hard to get this through. While I was once in favor of the project, thinking it would help revitalize downtown Brooklyn, I am now firmly opposed to it. The fact is that Brooklyn doesn’t need any help with revitalization. Its neighborhoods, particularly those around the proposed project, are growing
faster and revitalizing themselves as fast as any neighborhoods in the NYC area. Prospect Heights,
Boerum Hill and Fort Greene have already become some of the coolest, most sought after neighborhoods in the borough, if not all of NYC. Traffic congestion in that area, particularly on the 
Atlantic/Flatbush intersection, is already miserable and this project will only make it infinitely worse. Forest City Ratner’s current project in the area, Atlantic Terminal, is a miserable excuse for a shopping center - I get frustrated every time I’m forced to deal with the oddly-configured multi-teared maze - and if the new project is going to be any resemblance, it will cause more anger than pleasure. Most significant, the scale of the project appears to be wholly inappropriate for historic Brooklyn, currently made up of mostly three and four-story brownstones. The Atlantic Yards Report blog posted these images showing the project’s scale, which I think are important for more people to see. And I haven’t even addressed the unproven economic forecasts or building aesthetics, the latter of which is both cheap and commercial and make no attempt to conform to the precious existing Brooklyn landscape. I’m a little confused as to why the state is making a decision that ultimately affects the city, but I think its time for us citizens to speak up.
Ahmet Ertegun, music icon and Landon graduate dies
Ahmet Ertegun passed away last week after falling and hitting his head at a Rolling Stones show. He founded Atlantic Records in 1947 with a loan from his family’s dentist and remained involved in the label up until his death at 83. The list of artists whom he influenced and/or recorded is fairly outrageous:
The Drifters, Joe Turner, Professor Longhair, John
Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman, Ray Charles, Bobby Darrin, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Dr. John, Dire Straits and The Rolling Stones. The list continues through the 70s, 80s and 90s as Atlantic became one of the great music labels of the 20th century. Ertegun was portrayed in the film Ray by Curtis Armstrong in the scene where he teaches Ray Charles a song which later became the hit, Mess Around (an accurate sequence of events). In addition to a tremendous appreciation of his work and sharing a mutual love of music, Ertegun and I have an additional connection in that we attended the same high school, Landon. What I find most inspiring about Ahmet Ertegun is that having come from a privileged background as the son of a Turkish ambassador to the U.S., he could have done virtually anything. “I had to decide whether I would go into a scholastic life or go back
to Turkey in the diplomatic service, or do something else,” he said.
“What I really loved was music, jazz, blues and hanging out.” And so that’s what he decided to do at a time before anyone thought the music biz was cool. In the pre-civil rights movement era, he recorded musicians of all colors and organized some of the first racially-integrated concerts. By following his passion and taking a risk, Ahmet Ertegun helped define an entire industry that we now call Rock & Roll and in the process, influenced the social fabric of a country. We can all learn an incredibly valuable lesson, in this regard, from his life.
Don’t call it a comeback - KRS-1 rocks NYC
I had the pleasure of seeing KRS-One last Thursday in Park Slope. I was so impressed that I returned to see him again last night in Manhattan. This man is a true performer, if I’ve ever seen one. Bringing it back to the old-school tradition of 1980s hip-hop, KRS-1 tells it like it is half preaching, half rapping his message of empowerment while Grand Wizard Theodore mixes on two turntables behind him. During both shows, KRS covered a wide range of topics including politics, history, racism, religion, gender and pop culture to go along with the standard "don’t mess with me" hip-hop attitude. By the end of each night, there were no less than 20 people sharing the stage with him, as he showed utter selflessness continually recognizing the work of others in attendance. On one occasion, he asked his crew to lift a man’s wheelchair with its owner in tow onto the stage so the fan could get a closer view. Most impressive to me, KRS’s voice seemed to keep rhythm throughout the evening, creating a powerful presence on stage and equally powerful sound reverberating throughout the venue. Recordings don’t compare to seeing a performer like KRS-1 live, but here is a video of his song "My Philosophy" to give you an idea of what he’s all about.
Born-again biker in NYC
I’m sure many people enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather we’ve experienced over the past few weeks, but I’m convinced nobody valued it as much as me. The warm weather allowed me to continue biking to work into December, something I have come to appreciate in a big way. Those few weeks in early November when the weather turned cold and rainy, I found myself doing a stretch of time on the crowded subways during morning rush hour. As the time since my last bike-to-work grew longer, I noticed my mood growing more negative. As soon as I had the opportunity to get back on my bike, my mood and outlook improved. In general, I find that on days I ride to work, my outlook is far more positive and my time at work more enjoyable and productive. I think it has something to do with the experience of bicycling through the streets of NYC, which requires your complete attention and therefore, 100% presence of mind. In general, I believe presence of mind leads to good things so however we can achieve it is worthwhile. Of course, the fresh (uhh, maybe not so fresh) outdoor air is nice and the view over the Brooklyn Bridge and up Hudson/8th Ave is equally enjoyable each and every morning. Contrasted by the proverbial sardine-packed F Train and the negativity of so many a fellow-New Yorker that we encounter, it’s no wonder my mood is affected. Then again, there’s always the iPod to get me through the winter months…I ordered a new one yesterday.