Art in Chelsea

What is a classic New York hipster thing to do on a Thursday evening? Why, cruise Chelsea for the art gallery openings, of course. Nowhere else can one walk down the street from building to build drinking cheap wine and taking in every kind of artistic medium imaginable. In the years I've lived here, I've actually never done this before tonight. All of these emerging artists have their work on display for free in these galleries, it's really quite the opportunity.

A friend of mine, whom I met back in the Viennese Opera Ball days is a photographer. He uses incredibly wide-angle lenses to capture panoramic images of New York. As quite the sucker for this city already, I think they're wonderful. He has many on his photography website, Luminous New York, and the corresponding blog, New York Panorama.

I hadn't heard from this friend lately (my fault, sadly), but I saw through Facebook of all things that he is showing some of his images in a gallery in Chelsea. The show is called INCANDESCENT and incorporates the work of three artists who are inspired by architecture and the human interaction with it. From the gallery's website:

All three of these artists deal with architecture and its relationship to anthropomorphism. Buildings may not look like human beings, but they mimic our consciousness in that they project light from within, or have some innate sensory rapport with the immediate natural environment.

When I showed up to the opening reception, I was greeted by a crowd of people already there enjoying the photographs and sculptures. I stopped by the refreshment table to get my obligatory plastic cup of cheap wine. It was wonderful to catch up with my friends (the photographer and his girlfriend both danced with me at the Viennese Ball), and wonderful to see them doing well and finding success.

And hey, if you find yourself in Chelsea, stop by 532 Gallery. It's worth the trip.

Clearfield, PA

Last weekend, Lynn and I took a whirlwind road-trip to Michigan and back for a wedding shower. We borrowed her parents car on Thursday night and parked it in the city so we could leave right after work on Friday.

Friday afternoon, we left New York around 3pm. Expecting a ten-hour drive, we hoped to get to the Detroit area by 1am. Then we'd have plenty of sleep before Lynn went to the 12:30 shower (I was to show up only at the end to say hello to the relatives and family friends). The first part of the drive was uneventful, we flew through Jersey into the wonderful (but long) stretch of I-80 through the Pennsylvania mountains.

About a third of the way across the state, and firmly in the middle of nowhere, we got a flat tire. The car we had borrowed was nice enough to have tire pressure sensors, so the light came on and we had plenty of time to get off the next exit before the tire deflated significantly. So, off we went down the ramp of exit 120 and into a small gas station.

Now, of all of the great state of Pennsylvania, there has been only one location that I've stopped while passing through. This particular exit of the interstate has a little local restaurant called the "Dutch Pantry" that has good food and nice service. This restaurant is the half-way point between Catskill, NY and Detroit, MI, and so is the place where my father always stops when driving back to Michigan to visit his family. So, having been on many of those drives myself, I've been there more than a few times. So it was only natural that our flat tire would leave us nowhere else but the exit with the Dutch Pantry, at the gas station right next door.

Having had a couple flat tires in the past (once I lost both back tires at the same time!), I knew I could change the tire and we could go as far as we could on the spare. Opening the trunk, we saw that we had a full-size spare tire and were delighted to think that in fifteen minutes or so we'd be back on our way to Michigan. So, I pulled out the jack while Lynn went to grab us some dinner. It didn't take me long, however, to discover that I was not going to get that flat tire off the car.

This particular brand of car has a special lug nut (one of the five) that requires a special key to get it off the wheel. We did not have this key. We turned the car inside out, but no key. So, we called AAA to ask them how we could get the key to get the tire off. They politely informed us that the car company does not release universal keys, so our only option was to take the car to a dealership. They were also kind enough to point out that the nearest dealership was 120 miles southwest of us in Pittsburgh.

By this point, the sun had set, and hours had passed.

Around 10pm, it looked like all hope was lost. A tow truck was on the way, but it could only take us to Pittsburgh. We had tried calling car rental companies to get us moving again, but on a Friday night they were all closed (and we were nowhere near an airport). So, the tow truck would take us to Pittsburgh, we would stay in a hotel, and when the dealership opened Saturday morning they would replace the tire. Then we would have to turn around and go home, since we would certainly miss the shower.

Hope arrived in the form of John, the driver of the tow truck. He looked at our locked lug nut, and offered the one thing we hadn't considered: to simply break it off. He hammered a larger nut over the locked nut and unscrewed it. After that, our full size spare tire was on and road-ready in a matter of minutes. John assured us this method would ruin the locked nut, but that didn't even happen--it was only slightly scratched.

With a perfectly fine tire on the car, we were back on the road again. After a long night, we pulled into my mom's driveway around 4:30am. It was more than worth it. The shower was lovely (well, at least what I saw of it), and it was great to see family and friends even if only briefly. All too early Sunday morning, we were heading east again--but with a car full of presents.

Now the car has no locking lug nuts at all, only plain ones that can be easily removed by the wrench in the trunk.

What Next?

Several of my coworkers have seen and enjoyed having the business card robot around. They've started donating their own business cards right and left. As of today, here are the cards I now have to play with.

....and there's yet another box that didn't make it into that picture. Each box contains around 500 cards. The entire figure from the last post is only 432 cards.

What to build next?

Busy at Work

I don't really fiddle when there are slow times at work. Strangely, I fiddle more when it's very busy. When I'm really on a roll, getting lots done with still more to do, I get a kind of excess of energy. There are inevitably times when I'm waiting on something or someone, and my OCD tendencies take over. So it was in the last couple of weeks, when I've been busier than ever, I also fiddled in the downtime and came up with this:

He's a little over four feet tall (the magazine is for scale), and is comprised of about 432 out-of-date business cards (mine and a coworker's). No glue, no tape, just the cards. The secret? Click here.

Another coworker has given me a box of her cards, too. If things stay as busy as they have been, there might be a puppy in the window soon.

Spring is in the Air

So much time since the last post. Things get busy, and the old blog gets neglected. I suppose it's a good thing, though, to prioritize life over updates.

After the last post, Lynn and I traveled to Raleigh, NC to Mu Beta Psi's National Convention. It was fantastic as always to see old friends, meet new ones, and celebrate together the diversity and history of our organization. I had the distinct privilege of signing and presenting the charter for our newest chapter at Rutgers University. I was also thrilled to be re-elected as National President for another year. There's a lot I hope to accomplish in the coming year.


Then began a string of performances. Lynn performed at the culmination of a class she had taken in preparing opera roles. We both went to see our friend Marjorie perform stand-up. We went to Princeton, NJ to see another friend sing. Then Marjorie took us with her to see Bill Cosby perform in Connecticut. He was hilarious. He came on stage in sweat pants and a sweatshirt, sat down on a chair and just started talking. It was as much a conversation as it was a performance.

We've also kicked wedding planning into high gear. In a couple of weekends, we've set out the save-the-date cards, invitations, menu, table linens, floor plan, cake, florist, rehearsal dinner venue, and singers for the ceremony. It seems as if every time we make a host of decisions about the wedding, that there cannot possibly be any more decisions to make—but there are always more.


More recently, we were besieged by the Pope in his recent visit to NYC. Last Sunday morning, he visited the Trade Center site to offer a prayer and a blessing. The ramp down to the site, and the gate that allows trucks from the street to access it, is right in front of our building. (That's our building at the top of the ramp in this picture.) So, in order to protect the Pope, they set up a bullet-proof tent in front of our main entrance in which the Pope could move from his motorcade car to the Popemobile. Then he rode the Popemobile down the ramp to the spot where he prayed. All this time, we were not allowed to use the door to our building. Lynn and I decided to sleep in, and wait it out, rather than try and go anywhere. The Secret Service sent around a memo to everyone in our building to please keep our windows closed, for fear of sniper fire. But it was such a beautiful day, we left them open. Our windows didn't have the vantage point for anything of the sort anyway.

There have been many beautiful days here lately. Spring is definitely here, and as the trees bloom and skies clear, I remember one of the many reasons I love this city so much.

Science For Sale

A good friend sent me this sad, sad link. It seems the British government no longer feels their radio astronomy program is worth having around. They have decided to essentially cut all of the funding for the program that operates the e-Merlin network of radio telescopes.

Some enterprising eBay users have decided to capitalize on their government's unwanted leftovers, and have put several of the radio telescopes up for auction. The Lovell Telescope at the Jodrell Bank Observatory has been pivotal in the history of radio astronomy. The Lovell has been used to measure and the distances to Venus and the Moon. With this telescope, astronomers discovered the 21cm Hydrogen emission line, the first OH emissions of masers, and were able to confirm the existence of pulsars. Since then it has contributed to research on gravitational lensing and quasars as part of the Merlin network.

And of course, who can forget its time served in the SETI program?

The huge yellow somethings went unnoticed at Goonhilly, they passed over Cape Canaveral without a blip, Woomera and Jodrell Bank looked straight through them—which was a pity because it was exactly the sort of thing they'd been looking for all these years
—Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

It's disheartening to hear that other countries are slowly dismantling their astronomy research base. The US has been cutting funding for years, most notably with NASA focusing more on engineering projects than on research. Isn't it interesting how the most publicly appealing of sciences can be the first to the chopping block?

But perhaps the most ironic part of this story? The eBay listing has not yet been shut down!

John Galt Speaks from the Shadows

Today, the New York Times published this new article, providing more information and expanding upon yesterday's article. Apparently, John Galt has released a statement in response to the fines.

Galt, in a statement, rejected the accusations and vowed to defend itself. The company contended that the government agencies overseeing the site often issued conflicting directives that resulted in massive slowdowns and cost overruns.

"Every detail of the work was scrutinized, criticized and finally approved before it could be done," the statement said. "It is inconceivable that these agencies, including OSHA, whose trained inspectors were present at the site on a daily basis, could not detect, or were oblivious to the alleged 'serious and willful' violations that supposedly existed prior to the fire."

The statement said that if government regulators, including OSHA, failed to discover the alleged violations before the fire, they should be the ones charged with failing to do their duty.

But unlike Bovis, who is one of the largest contractors around the city, Galt has no named spokesperson, and no contact person for the press. From where did this statement originate? Who wrote it? Who will take responsibility?

On a more positive note, the Environmental Protection Agency has approved the new plan for demolishing the rest of the building, and so work can resume. There's still no sign of anything moving out my window--and no sign of the new subcontractor on the work site--but everyone is still happily repeating the expectation of finishing the job by the end of the year.

The Search For John Galt

Still wondering just who is John Galt?

So are federal regulators from the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Today OSHA announced that it has cited the general contractor Bovis Lend Lease, and the mysterious subcontractor John Galt for numerous health and safety violations relating to the dismantling of the Deutsche Bank building at 130 Liberty Street. The citations mainly dealt with violations that led to deaths of two firefighters in the August fire.

Among the citations are:

• Failing to inspect and maintain firefighting equipment to ensure that the standpipe system was operational, and that sufficient water supply and water pressure were available for firefighting.
• Obstructed emergency exit access (including sealed emergency stairwells, emergency stairwells blocked by construction and unlighted stairwells).
• Inadequate emergency escape procedures.
• Unmarked exits.
• Lack of fire extinguishers, emergency alarm procedures and fire cutoffs.
• Failing to develop and follow a fire protection program.
• Smoking permitted in work areas.
• Temporary structures inside the building made of combustible materials.
• Scaffolds erected too close to power lines.
• Unprotected sides and edges of work areas, unprotected floor openings, missing or broken guardrails and missing stair rails.
• Exposed live electrical parts, electric panel boards in wet locations and other electrical hazards.

The New York Times article had some interesting information on the fines:

OSHA cited the two contractors for a total of $464,500 in proposed fines. They issued three willful and 22 serious citations to Galt, carrying fines of $271,500 and 2 willful and 17 serious citations to Bovis, with $193,000 in fines.

The agency defines a willful violation as one committed "with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health." A serious citation, according to the agency, is one in which "death or serious physical harm is likely to result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known."

The article mentions one anonymous executive from the equally-anonymous John Galt company who is upset over the fines. He claims that some of the citations are for things that regulators ordered the company to do (like sealing off the stairwells which had asbestos in the walls). But there is a very ominous, yet familiar, line: "A spokesman for the Galt company, which is no longer operating, could not be reached for comment..." No longer operating. I wonder just who was served with these citations, and who will be paying them.

Meanwhile, Bovis and their new subcontractor LVI Environmental Services still claim that 130 Liberty will be completely dismantled by the end of this year. There are still 26 floors remaining.

Is life imitating art, John Galt? Are you exposing our absurdly bureaucratic procedures and government regulations to rebuild humanity—or destroy it? Are our skyscrapers today's substitute for Rand's steel mills and copper mines? I haven't finished the book yet, so I've yet to learn the answer.

I Have To Break Into Song, Because I Can Never Find The Key

I've taken some time out of worrying about the construction and deconstruction, the noise and the louder noise, to pay more attention to the music in my life. Truth be told, it's all but disappeared. My iPod has been broken or constantly dying for years, and even at work I listen more to information-related podcasts than anything that could be considered to have a melody.

Time to change. I've recently taken up the harmonica, having bought myself a basic Hohner Special 20 Marine Band harp in the key of C. Learning that it's actually not easy to instantly become proficient on this instrument, I also picked up a book and started looking around online for ideas of what to learn. Poking around the internet, I stumbled across this Mu Beta Psi blues riff written by an alumnus of my college and Fraternity. (Audio below this paragraph.) I was thrilled to discover this, and am trying to contact WillyBlues to thank him for the riff and get in touch with a fellow alumnus.



Meanwhile, I've also finally given up on my old iPod, and bought a new iPod Touch. It arrived yesterday, and it is a thing of beauty. Today was the first time in over a year that I was able to listen to music on the subway ride to work. And quite unsurprisingly, it was the first day I felt calm in the Times Square subway station in about as long.

"Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons, and you will find that it is to the soul what the water bath is to the body."
--Oliver Wendell Holmes

Tear That Building Down

On a tentatively upbeat note, it seems that the view out my windows might be improving a bit this year. Yesterday, this article ran in the New York Times. (Alternative link on wtc.com here.) It states that the deconstruction of the Deutsche Bank building (130 Liberty St.) is set to resume now that the mysterious sub-contractor John Galt has been replaced by LVI Services Inc., a demolition and remediation firm.

There has been no visible progress on the deconstruction since the fire last August. Although, there are still workers going in and out of the site every day—and lining up outside on Sundays for their paychecks.

I have to admit, I still have my skepticism. In the article are a few quotes like this:

A press release issued by the agency did not give any details about the arrangement with LVI, including the cost of the contract, the date on which LVI would start work or how long the job would take.

...and this:

As part of the new arrangement, the development corporation, Bovis and LVI have altered the deconstruction plan. As workers removed asbestos from each floor, crews demolished the clean floors. Under a new two-stage process, LVI will first remove the asbestos throughout the building and then take down the tower. Work could take another year, construction executives say.

Later on, it talks about the deal with JP Morgan Chase, who has plans to build a new 42-story tower on the site. The Port Authority is supposed to hand over the land to JP Morgan Chase in September 2008, though we all know how good the Port Authority is at finishing it's projects on time. And of course, the Port Authority has it's bases covered:

Anthony Shorris, executive director of the Port Authority, said that the authority still planned to deliver the site in September, although, he added, the agreement with Chase included a six-month extension.

I guess we'll have to wait and see. From the looks of it, nothing will change on the outside until the asbestos is all removed. I hope that doesn't take long. I'm still looking forward to having the great view of downtown I was promised when the building was supposed to be finished last fall.

(PS: I'm reading Atlas Shrugged now, and laughing everytime someone says, "Who is John Galt?" It hasn't gotten old yet.)

"Luke, I Am Your Father"

In a letter to my apartment building manager, Robin Forst of the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center says:

Yes, there is a noise code in the city, but as you may know, the Port Authority is exempt from state and city regulations.

Episode V - The Port Authority Strikes Back

It's very late. Or very early. Either way, I should not be awake now.

Why am I awake, you ask? Because of the great Port Authority of New York and New Jersey of course! As if flooding our basement weren't enough, they've now decided to keep the entire neighborhood awake all night long. As part of the redevelopment process, the PA is breaking up the old foundations of the original WTC to make way for the new foundations of the new towers. They were supposed to be finished by December 31st, at which time they were to turn over the property to Silverstein Properties who will then be building the towers.

Naturally, the PA was not done on time. The penalty is that they have to $300,000 a day to Silverstein Properties. And even before the 31st deadline, they shifted from a 20 hour a day, six days a week schedule to a 24 hours a day, seven days a week schedule. This means that they're using heavy pounders to break up concrete 24 hours a day. It's been seven days, so they've already shelled out $2.1m--but not to the people they're driving quickly insane through the long nights of pounding. No, they're paying the land developers for the inconvenience of not getting to start their new towers right away.

24 hours a day.

At first, it was annoying. Then I traveled a lot for the holidays, and was so exhausted when home that I could sleep through it. But now that it's continued for nearly a month (they started Dec. 18th), I'm nearly at wit's end. Sleep is impossible. Even thinking clearly is nearly impossible.

Local government? Nope, they're powerless. Our Community Board's WTC Committee passed a resolution stating the Port Authority should not be making such noise during the night. Our local City Councilmember is contacting the leaders of the Port Authority as well. But it doesn't matter, not really. The Port Authority is not bound by any city laws, ordinances, or Community Board resoutions. They answer to the state governments of New York and New Jersey. Essentially, there's very little we can do.

Perhaps a few of us can band together? If there's anyone from the building still reading this blog, please drop me a line. It may not come to anything, but at this point I'm willing to try anything.

Auld Lang Syne

"What does this song mean? For my whole life I don't know what this song means. I mean, 'Should old acquaintance be forgot.' Does that mean we should forget old acquaintances, or does it mean if we happen to forget them we should remember them, which is not possible because we already forgot them?"
"Well, maybe it just means that we should remember that we forgot them or something. Anyway, it's about old friends."
--When Harry Met Sally

I spent this New Year's down on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. (I had always wondered what the OBX stickers meant on cars.) It was an eclectic mix of friends old and new. Mostly new friends surrounded us at our beach house; playing games, dipping in the hot tub, and ringing in the New Year around a beach bonfire. But there were some very old friends indeed around that night as well--stars in a sky the darkest I've seen since my last observatory trip. In many ways, it blurred the old and the new for me. This past year has begun a career in the publishing industry, and relegated astronomy nearly to hobby status. It's brought me to new friends around the city, and I've let slip old friends around the country.

I've been thinking a lot lately about old friends, and the nature of old friendships. It can be so wonderful to have a friendship that lasts years and years. There are friendships that last because you make them last, and there are friendships that last just because. These are the kind that amaze me. Two friends can move to opposite ends of the Earth, come together only rarely, and still be close. Changes in life, workplace, and the rest just don't seem to matter. Not to these kinds of friends. It's a kind of security that knows no failure. I'm not exactly sure what it is about those kinds of friendships, but finding that kind of patience, happiness, and contentment is this year's resolution. (Last year's resolution)

Good luck, 2008. All your confetti is on the ground, and now you have to deal with the world as it is. You can.

Christmas in (and out of) New York

One of the things I've missed since moving to New York has been the Christmas lights. Sure, once in a while you get the occasional family that rings their windows in lights--but you just don't get the kind of displays a standalone house can afford. In Manhattan, at least. Once again reminded that the majority of the city is not contained in the little island on which I live, Lynn, a friend, and I journeyed out to Brooklyn in search of the famous Dyker Heights Lights.

Walking into the neighborhood from the subway station in Bay Ridge, our first impression was of a typical urban residential neighborhood. The streets were in a grid pattern, as much of Brooklyn is, and the houses were modest middle-income two-story homes. Delving deeper, however, revealed the true character of Dyker Heights: Huge Mediterranean-style villas, brimming to the edges of the properties. Greek- and Roman-inspired statues, fountains, and temples. And Christmas displays that must surely warm the hearts of everyone over at ConEd.



The owner of this house, dressed in a snowman costume was greeting children with mint candies. His wife was dressed as Elmo. He told us that it took him two months to put together this year's display, and that he has to rent a storage unit solely to store his Christmas decorations the rest of the year.





Other folks opted to simply cover every surface with lights.





Street after street of displays like these fill the neighborhood. These few pictures hardly do it justice, but I found myself trying to pick my jaw off the ground and forgetting about the camera in my hand. This neighborhood has grown such a reputation for itself, that PBS filmed a documentary on the Christmas phenomenon. The residents we ran into were proud of their displays, and rightly so. If you ever need a quick shot of good, old-fashioned, exorbitantly excessive Christmas lights, they've got you covered.

Lynn and I flew out to Michigan for Christmas, hoping for a bit more snow and to see the family. The snow was sparse, but the family was not. Merry Christmas.

All Quiet

I haven't written anything in the last several days, mainly because there hasn't been much to write about. Their was much talk and dissention about what to do with the Port Authority's settlement, mainly revolving around the liability release everyone was required to sign to get their money. The PA kind of forced the hands of the residents when it announced that last Saturday would be the last day to get the settlement immediately. After that, anyone who wanted to get their settlement would have to file it with law firm representing the PA--and it would be any one's guess how long the process would take from there.

It seems that most residents, myself included, ended up going to the PA's Claims Office on Saturday, signed the release, and walked away with their settlement. I can't speak for most, but I know some residents are just glad to put this whole thing behind us. And it seems to have worked. While I cannot know for certain, it looked as if the vast majority of residents took the settlement.

One unfortunate consequence of this is that the budding tenants' association also seems to have lost a little steam. If the majority of residents took the settlement, they may feel that the association has little purpose now. (It's stated purpose was to deal with the aftermath of the flood, then expire after three months.) The election of officers has been extended indefinitely, as votes are not coming in from a majority of the residents who initially signed on board.

Meanwhile, things really have calmed down. The building is almost entirely back to normal, with a few minor quirks still being worked out. Lynn and I bought our very first Christmas tree, and have had a grand time decorating it. It is, essentially, life as usual.

Tenants' Association

The 90 West Tenants' Association is now officially underway. (If you're a resident and haven't joined yet, please head over to the 90weststreet blog to find the sign-up form.) The organizers have reported that with over two hundred members, the TA is so far representing about half of the residents of the building. Bylaws for the organization have been drafted and adopted, providing for five officer positions (President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Media Liaison). There will also be a ten-member Negotiating Committee composed of the five officers and five additional Members-At-Large.

The nominations for the five officer positions were posted yesterday, and I was surprised to find that I had been nominated for all five positions. I had also received a seconded nomination for the position of Media Liaison, placing me on the ballot officially. This came as quite a surprise to me, as I had not volunteered or nominated myself for any of the positions.

Unfortunately, I feel that I must decline the nomination. Of all the officer positions, I feel the President and the Media Liaison are most important. The Media Liaison will have to make solid contacts throughout the media, and keep them interested in our story. They will have to present the residents of the building in an accurate way, and find ways to fight the all-to-easy stereotype of "rich people who want more" (which we are not). It is a daunting task, to say the least, and I feel that I simply do not have the experience to tackle it.

I considered it, overnight. I questioned whether I could rise to the challenge and figure out how to do this job. But the simple truth is that this is a critical time for the TA, and it needs to be done correctly from the very beginning. I would love to test my skills as a Media Liaison, but not on an organization that is just starting out.

Another big consideration for me is simply the time involved. Some positions certainly require a larger time commitment than others, and I feel that Media Liaison requires the most amount of time. Building contacts with so many media outlets will take a lot of work and time. And with my job, teaching swing dancing up at Columbia University, and serving as National President of Mu Beta Psi—not to mention planning a wedding—I could not reasonably devote as much time to the TA as that position deserves.

However, I would like to be active in the TA. I feel that I could fit well into one of the Member-At-Large positions, and will be running for one of those. The many officer nominations from my neighbors have encouraged me, and I hope that I can best serve them as one of the MALs.

The TA has a long road ahead, but I feel that we're off to a very positive start.

90 West Claims Center Speaks

This just on their blog:

We are prepared to resolve claims. We are located at the Ritz Carlton, Room 417. Our hours of operation are:

Thursday, December 6 3PM – 8:30 PM

Friday, December 7 3PM – 8:30 PM

Saturday, December 8 8AM – 6:00 PM.

The Claims Hotline (1-866-902-3276) will remain active until further notice.

Since the 90 West Street building was certified by New York City’s Department of Housing, Preservation & Development (HPD) for occupancy on Tuesday, December 3, 2007, we are resolving claims for a total payment of $6,000 per unit. This represents the $750 per day for the days of November 26, 2007 through December 2, 2007 – a total of 8 days. If you have special circumstances that prevented your return on December 3, 2007, please refer to Point 5 below. Please only bring documentation if your claim exceeds $6,000. As we have stated to many of you, this system is designed to streamline the process. For scheduling purposes, please send an e-mail to 90West@Jratpa.com if you are coming in so we can coordinate your visit.

In order to process a settlement, you will be required to do the following:

1) Visit the Center and bring a government issued photo identification and a copy of your lease.

2) Sign a Release, which will be posted on our website for review. Each lessee and, if applicable, sub-lessee per unit must sign the Release. The only exception will be for military deployment.

3) Only lessees with a valid lease or sub-lease between November 26, 2007 and December 2, 2007 will be eligible. This is designed to establish that the tenant filing the claim has standing to receive the payment. Any questions can be referred to the Claims Center.

4) Lessees(s) with a lease start date of December 1, 2007 will be eligible for a two day allowance, for a total of $1,500. If your lease end date is November 30, 2007, you will be eligible for a four day allowance, for a total of $3,000.

5) For those tenants whose total claim exceeds $6,000, you may provide documentation in the form of bills and receipts with an itemized list describing your claim. Your documentation can be dropped off at our Center. Include all contact information and your Apartment number. We will contact you in the near future to resolve your claim.

6) Any tenant who filed a first-party claim with any type of insurance carrier will have to specifically notify the Claims Center regarding that claim. Payment cannot be issued until we have documentation of your first-party claim.

We still don't get to see the details of this mysterious release form. But hopefully they'll post it soon.

Community Board 1 Meeting Tonight

This was just posted at the 90weststreet blog.

THERE WILL BE A COMMUNITY BOARD 1 MEETING TONIGHT TO DISCUSS 90 WEST

Financial District Committee
DATE: Wednesday, December 5, 2007
TIME: 6:00 PM
PLACE: Community Board #1 Office49-51 Chambers Street, Room 709

Agenda
2) Update on 90 West Street by Peter Levenson, Partner, 90 West Street

I received this information from Tom Goodkind, a member of the Community Board, and he would like the residents to be present for this meeting to get information on residents’ experiences, good and bad, so that the Community Board can work in assisting 90 West residents and put recommendations in place for the future.

I won't be able to make this meeting, it's too early. But I would strongly recommend anyone who can attend do so.

And That's That

This was just posted on the building's website:

Dear Residents

We are happy to report that all the environmental tests that have been preformed have come back negative. That means that there is no evidence of any of contaminants in the residential areas of the building. Furthermore we have received the water testing report which also showed no traces of contamination. These tests show that water which is coming out of your tap is just as pure as in every other location in Manhattan. All the test results have been posted on the web site.

Yesterday we met with all relevant city agencies including the Board of Health and the Department of Environmental Protection. They confirmed that we have done everything needed to reoccupy the building and have no further concerns.

We are extremely sorry about what happened. We have done everything possible to minimize the inconvenience, and we are very happy to welcome everyone home for the Holidays.

90 West Street

Meanwhile, the Riddle Associates blog has promised the protocols for handling claims today. Keep an eye on that blog to see how things will proceed from here.

Water Test Results In

Building management just posted this on the building's website:

We just received the results of the testing performed on the drinking water. All results were negative for any presence of Total Coliform or E. Coli.

We also received the test results of the areas on the upper floors that required additional cleaning after our preliminary testing on November 30. These results also came back negative of any Total Coliform or E. Coli.

We are waiting for the results of three additional areas that were re-tested in the mailbox area and two elevators after the preliminary test. As soon as the results of these tests become available they will be posted.

Please see attached report.

These tests were performed by Professional Environmental Services.

It's good to have confirmation, certainly. Though I have to admit, I belong to the group that was not overly concerned about the water. I believe that neither the City's HPD nor the building management would have cleared the building to allow residents back in if there were concerns. The liability that entails would be staggering.


Edit 4:49pm.

The water test update was quickly followed by this:

Please see attached lifting of the vacate order by HPD

Here's the relevant excerpt:

You are hereby informed that vacate order #61805 issued for the above-referenced premise [90 West] on November 26, 2007 has been rescinded as a result of a vacant building survey inspection concluded on December 3, 2007. It was reported at that time that the hazardous conditions cited in the vacate order have been sufficiently abated.

Home

Lynn and I moved back into apartment this morning. We took the train in from Connecticut and took our stuff down to the apartment before heading off to work. First impressions were very positive. The lobby had the distinctive ammonia smell of cleaning agents, no surprise there. Our hallway's carpet had been cleaned, and smelled fresh. Entering our apartment, we were happy to find that everything worked. Electricity, heat, even the water was running clear.

We are both very happy to be home, and looking forward to relaxing in our living room tonight, and sleeping in our own bed.

Latest Update

This was posted to the building's website around 7:12pm:

90 West Residents

New York City’s housing office has advised us that residents can now reoccupy 90 West Street.


Please note that the sewage leak happened at a time of sustained rain and high tide and that the water did not rise above the cellar level.


As discussed we have retained our own environmental testing company. The company advised extensive tests to determine if there was any residue on the floor from the flood. We preformed a round of preliminary tests to determine the background level of contaminants. The test showed that most of the building was clean. We used those results (which are posted on our web site) to plan the final phase of cleaning. We decided based on the tests to clean all the public hall carpets before the residents return. The hallways are complete. The cellar has been cleaned and re-cleaned. Work will continue down there for a few months. We will be replacing doors and painting all the surfaces. We will be installing new equipment in place of temporary equipment. We will also be installing additional dehumidification equipment.


With the water now running we have ordered water quality tests. Both the DEP and our Plumbers have advised that the possibility of water contamination is extremely remote. The results of the water tests will be available from the lab tomorrow afternoon. Until we have the final results you should refrain drinking or cooking with the tap water. The results of the water test will be made available as soon as we get them.


The bottom line is that we want you to feel safe when you return to 90 West Street. If you decide that you want to wait for the results of tomorrow’s tests then you should stay in your hotel until Wednesday. The PA has not confirmed they will reimburse you for the additional night however, we will do everything in our power to make sure your additional expenses are reimbursed.


90 West Street.

A few residents have expressed concerns about the water and air quality, hence the last paragraph of the notice. Lynn and I are definitely moving back in tomorrow, leaving Connecticut early in the morning to drop our stuff at our apartment before work. We're both tired of moving around, and anxious to be in our own place again. It will be good to be home.

90 West Re-Opening

2:15pm

Dear Residents,

Welcome Home!

We are pleased to announce that we will reopen tomorrow, Tuesday, December 4th at 7am. We look forward to seeing you then.

90 West St Management

Homeward bound!

Edit 4:40pm:

Cable and internet services provided by Time Warner are functioning properly.

90weststreet Blog Now Open

I spoke too soon. The point has been brought up that there are some benefits to non-residents being able to view the blog. It will remain public for the time being.

So Far, So Good.

Building management sent another update at 12:30pm

Dear Residents,
We are happy to announce that everything is on schedule. The electrician has one final certification to make. We all expect this to be successfully completed before 2pm today. We will confirm by 2pm that 90 West St will reopen Tuesday morning.

90weststreet Blog Now Private

The 23 contributors of the 90weststreet blog, of which I am one, have decided to restrict access to the blog to "invitation only." This means anyone other than the 23 contributors will need an invitation to view the blog. This was done to provide a forum for residents that is reasonably private while discussions are continuing about options.

If you are a resident and wish to access the blog, contact one of the blog contributors to receive an invitation.

As this is my personal blog, I will keep updating with my own experiences, and information that building management, the Port Authority, etc., make public. I will not be posting insights into the budding tenants' association or other residents' opinions, unless the association also begins making public statements and those residents choose to comment here of their own volition. I'd like to make the distinction that this is my personal blog, and should not construed as representative of the other residents, or of the new tenants' association.

Looking Forward to Tuesday

Building management has posted another update, confirming that Tuesday is the day.

Construction Update

Repairs are proceeding on schedule. An army of electricians worked again thru the night and we are now turning power on in the building. The elevators are being tested and adjusted. Four elevators will be operational when the building is officially opened on Tuesday morning. Last night plumbers connected new pumps and now the building has hot and cold water. We will be cleaning carpets in all the public hallways and cleaning the lobby and elevators tonight and tomorrow. There will be additional security and maintenance personnel at the building on standby for at least a week. We will be making final inspections and preparation throughout the building to welcome all the residents back on Tuesday. We hope to have our final email blast tomorrow before noon to confirm that 90 West will be back in service as of Tuesday morning.

Looking forward to welcoming you back

Meanwhile, Derek of the 90eweststreet blog has noticed that the Claims Office setup by the John Riddle Associates on behalf of the Port Authority has setup a blog of its own. The address is http://riddle90westclaims.squarespace.com/. At the moment, it does not contain any new information, but hopefully this will change soon. The main concern of many residents is whether accepting this settlement forfeits our rights to claim any other damages that may result from this incident down the road. It would be more reassuring to have all of the "fine print" presented somewhere.

Snow on Sunday

90 West has posted the report from DeSimone stating that there is no structural damage to the building. The full report is on the building's website. Here's the relevant excerpt:

DeSimone Consulting Engineers visited the site for a preliminary visual inspection on November 28 and performed a thorough follow-up visual inspection on November 29, 2007. The entire subcellar and cellar levels and underside of the ground floor were checked. No evidence of structural distress was noted.

Note that DeSimone Consulting Engineers was the Structural Engineer of Record for a major renovation of this building that occurred in 2002. Our office is familiar with the structural systems of the building.

I have to admit that I never expected there to be any structural damage. The building, down to the sub-basement level, is upheld by steel columns encased in terra cotta block. I do understand how some people would worry about this, though, based on the neighborhood we live in.

It snowed overnight in Connecticut, and I awoke to a wonderful winter scene. (Completely unlike the last two years, with no snow until January last year, or the year before.) There is about an inch of fresh snow on the ground, and large fluffy snowflakes drifting their way down as well. Winter can be so lovely. I wonder if it snowed in New York.

Meeting #2 Summary

I just returned to CT from the second information meeting that building management held, and I now remember exactly how much I dislike the West Side Highway. Why not take the FDR, you wonder? There's construction on that one, too. Ah well.

This meeting was far less attended than the first. This is could be because it was a Saturday afternoon, people are more scattered around the city now, or people are simply happy with the updates they're receiving from building management and the blogs. I just thought it was interesting how fewer people there were. Before the meeting, some of the folks organizing the tenant's association were handing out flyers, I'll post the contents of the flyer in a comment to this post. I also met Derek, the creator of the 90weststreet blog, and Stuart, who is a contributor and active commenter over there.

The meeting began as P---, the building manager, and a couple other building staff filed in while one resident was addressing a concern of his to the audience. We were later to discover that with them was representative of the Office of Emergency Management who has been working at the building since this began on Monday.

P--- began with a summary of the building status thus far, re-stating that the building should be ready by Tuesday. Here are the highlights:

• Gas service has been re-certified and reconnected to the building, and every apartment will be reconnected by the end of today. This means that if anyone is returning to their apartments to gather things, it is incredibly important not to turn on anything that uses the gas. Ovens and dryers should not be turned on, as this will release the gas into the apartment which could cause problems once the electricity comes back on.
• ConEd has brought in another generator to make sure the building is heated now that the temperature is dropping. There continues to be an elevator in use, and lights on in the hallways.
• Management has bought new pumps for the water system, and will be testing the water for potability. While the testing will be happening within the next couple of days, the resulting report will not be available until Wednesday.
• A large industrial cleaning company has been hired to thoroughly clean every surface of the flooded areas. All doors down there will be replaced, and all surfaces repainted. They are also looking into adding dehumidification and air purification to alleviate the sulfur odor that sometimes creeps in.
• All carpets throughout the building will be cleaned, although this is most likely going to happen after residents move back in.
• The same engineering firm that restored the building in 2003 has finished its structural report, finding no structural damage. This report will be available to residents on the website.
• The one utility that may not be fully restored by Tuesday is the phone service. This may take more time to reinstate.

P--- said that ConEd will be powering up the building starting today, and will be running tests tomorrow and Monday. Management will send an update out when the building is ready, leaving enough notice for those in hotels to settle their checkout times, etc.

P--- then took questions about the building situation, which really didn't bring any new information out, with one small exception. Because the Port Authority had no representative there this time, P--- talked briefly about the leverage this situation may give us in dealing with future problems with the Port Authority. Notably, this may help us reduce the noise that has grown louder and longer at the WTC site. P--- mentioned speaking with a reporter from WNYC about our building, and that reporter spoke directly to the Governor of New York about the situation between 90 West and the Port Authority. It will be interesting to see if this amounts to anything.

Speaking of the PA, P--- then read a statement from the PA that he had received only minutes prior to the meeting. This statement was essentially a lump sum settlement offer from the PA to the residents. They are willing to offer $750 per apartment per day we are not in the building. If we do move back in on Tuesday, this comes out to $6,000 per apartment (for a total of $2.46 million). This number is based on the PA's estimate of out-of-pocket costs. Anyone with costs more than this amount is welcome to bring receipts to the PA Claims Office at the Ritz Carlton. Of course, there are many details missing from this offer at the moment, but P--- assured us that building management would formalize it and present it to the residents as soon as they can. There were a few concerns about how long this would take, but residents, P---, and the OEM representative all said that they've had very positive experiences with the PA Claims Office thus far. A few more questions were fielded, but they mainly had to do with claims that residents wanted to make. The answer to all of these was to take it to the Claims Office.

Rent will not be charged for the days we're not in the building. Once everyone has moved in, management will sent out new bills that show this credit for December's rent.

At one point, the OEM representative spoke briefly in an effort to assure residents that everything would be worked out in a timely manner. He began by commending the efforts of the building management, and the residents cut him off with applause. The applause lasted a while.

Second Information Meeting Scheduled for Saturday

This just came in:

We will be holding a second informational meeting Saturday, December 1st at 2pm. The meeting will be held at 100 Trinity Pl.

On Saturday and Sunday, the elevator will only be available from 9am-5pm. You will be able to access your apt after 5pm (on a case by case basis) via the staircase.

Over the next two days, building personnel will accompany our plumbers to reconnect the cooking gas in your apartments.

I'm hoping it's a good sign that they're reconnecting things in our apartments.

Meanwhile, since I'm out in Connecticut for the weekend, I don't think I'll be able to go to this meeting. If anyone out there does, please comment here and/or the 90weststreet blog.


Edit: 11:00pm

A few of the residents who have been spearheading the organizing of a tenant's association will be handing out information at the information meeting tomorrow. Head over to 90weststreet blog for full details. A draft of bylaws appeared on that blog for a short while, but seems to have been taken down. I'm reconsidering hanging around Connecticut all day tomorrow--since there really isn't much to do--so I am most likely going to attend the meeting. I'll post a summary here as soon as I can.

The People Have Spoken

And management listens:

We have received numerous requests for another tenant meeting. We are in the process of scheduling one and will update you once the time and location have been confirmed.

Edit 3:46pm

Another note from management:

December rent will not be due on the first and you will not incur any late fees.

Hopes are Raised

This just in from building management:

The claims office is now open!

Located at The Ritz Carlton
Rm # 417
Office will be open till 9pm tonight
Please call (866) 902-3276 for claim information or to schedule an appointment.

Our crews have been working non stop and have been making excellent progress. We anticipate that you'll be able to occupy your apartment by early next week.

It's great to hear what Leslie Riddle told me coming from building management themselves.

The Reiumbrusement Process

Derek over at 90weststreet blog went to the Ritz Carlton to see the claims office. He had this to say:

The claim office at the Ritz Carlton 2 West Street Room 417 is open at 7:00 a.m.. I don't remember when it closes. Today I met a sincere and attentive man, G-- who represents John R. riddle Associates, Inc. Third Party Administrator.

I was presented with a form that isn't very interesting so I won't bother scanning it and posting it.

The form asks for Name, Address, Family Members Residing at Address, Home Phone, Cell Phone, Work Phone and Email.

The rest of the form is just space for documenting Out of Pocket Expenses 1.) Clothing, 2.) Meals, 3.) Lodging, 4.) Transportation 5.) Incidental

Numerous pages are also attached to the form to be cited as generic losses.

I was asked to fill out the form but I declined on the excuse of being unprepared and exhausted and G-- told me to just write "will provide reciepts at a later time." sign and date. He made a copy, gave me the wet ink copy and off I went.

---------------------------

In addition to the form, I also obtained a handwritten note from G--:

Mail Reciepts to:
John Riddle Associates
125 Half Mile Road
Red Bank, NJ 07701
fax: 1-877-231-8636
917-390-2321

There's some discussion now about whether or not they're trying to divide the residents by dealing with us on a personal basis. While dividing large groups into individuals is a tried-and-true method of preventing those groups from acting together, I'm not sure this is the case. With some people staying with friends and family, some in the Ramada that building management is paying for, and some in hotels that they're getting reimbursed for, I'm not sure there's any way to do it that isn't on an individual basis. There's too much variety. Perhaps I'm being optimistic, but it seems that this is really more of an information gathering phase. They appear to be trying to gather data on all the residents so they can start building a record of what expenses people have incurred. Though I agree with some of my neighbors that it is happening surprisingly fast, Leslie Riddle told me yesterday to expect a phone call from them on Monday. It seems they're on the right track, but perhaps jumped the gun a little on acting without bringing everyone else up to speed.

Many residents are now calling for another big meeting to disseminate all the new information. That would certainly help get everyone on the same page.

Breaking News

I just got off the phone with Leslie Riddle. She does not work at the Port Authority, but rather for the law firm that is handling the claims made to the Port Authority via their hot line (866-902-3276). I called to ask for the procedure for reimbursements. She stated that on Monday, they will be calling of the residents who have called them thus far for the final procedure, but that it will involve either bringing receipts to a room they have setup at the Ritz Carleton (2 Battery Place) or an address to mail those receipts to. They are currently working on getting the funding to have everyone reimbursed by next week.

Next week? I asked if we should guess at the total expenses for the two weeks, or not. She said that it may not be necessary: Crews have been working around the clock on the building, and they're talking about moving residents back in as early as Tuesday!

Tuesday! Could it be? To be clear, Leslie told me that Tuesday was the goal, and not a final date. But it sure does sound promising.

"This is One Hell of a Building"

After last night's meeting, I hung around a bit to talk to P---, the building owner who was part of the rebuilding team of 90 West. An architect by trade, P--- first saw the building just after September 11th, when it was completely enshrouded in scaffolding. The damage to such a beautiful building was heartbreaking, but when he was taken up to the 21st floor and shown the detail and sculpture on the facade he knew it was worth any investment. Here are a few other fascinating facts about the building that I learned from P---.

Since the building is in the flood plane of the Hudson River (which is actually an estuary around NYC), the entire building is built upon under-water wooden piles. On top of these rest the steel columns encased in terra cotta block.

Originally, Cass Gilbert (the designer of 90 West, and later the Woolworth Tower) intended there to be an elaborate clock tower rising from the middle front of the building.

The gargoyle that guards our mailboxes is one of the three original gargoyles of that type remaining. Before P--- and his team took over the building, there was a very low-budget rebuilding planned. Part of that scheme involved recasting all of the sculptured gargoyles in fiberglass and then painting them to look like granite. So they sent one of the three intact gargoyles to a fiberglass facility. When P---'s group took over, they decided to rebuild everything using the original materials. They employed hundreds of granite carvers from Buffalo, NY all the way to northern Italy. And when they replaced all of the gargoyles atop the building, they learned of this one other original gargoyle at the fiberglass facility. So they shipped it back and installed it in the lobby.

In the northeast corner of the lobby is the only original 1907 terra cotta pilaster left. All the others were damaged or destroyed in the 70's when the building (an office building at the time) acquired its "modern" lobby. By the time P---'s group decided to restore the lobby to its 1907 splendor, no one knew if there was anything left of the original lobby. P--- told me last night of pulling down the northeast wall of the "modern" lobby and discovering the original terra cotta pilaster. He said it was "like opening Tut's tomb." They cast that pilaster and used it to recreate the rest of the pilasters around the lobby. But you can still tell which one is the original, it even feels different from the others to the touch.

The gargoyles around the 16th floor, which are just heads with faces, were all lost in the 9/11 damage. P---'s team recast them, but having no faces to reference, they took a note from Cass Gilbert's book and put themselves into the gargoyles. You'll find P---'s face up there, as well as his nephew, and many other of the leaders of the restoration project.

On the roof of the building are three recreated granite griffins, all facing the WTC out of respect. There is also a plaque commemorating the two people who died in the elevator during the 9/11 attacks.

P---, as I said before, loves this building. His face lights up at the chance to talk about it's structure, design, history--everything. He even offered to take me on a tour of the more interesting elements of the building when all this mess is behind us. I cannot wait to take him up on that.

"This is one hell of a building," he said.

Another Update from Management (Hotline)

This just came in:

Dear Residents,

We know that many of you could not attend last nights meeting. Here is a brief overview of what was covered.

¢ª The cause of the flood was due to work being done by the Port Authority at ground zero. A new storm/sewer line that was being constructed by the PANYNJ was left open and flooded our cellar. As a result all our utilities (electrical switch room, gas boosters, heat and fire protection) were devastated. Without these major systems in place, the building had to be evacuated. Originally our contractors had advised that the building would be closed for two weeks. Things are going well with the repairs and cleanup. We believe we will be able to open the building sooner.


¢ª This has been an awful experience for everyone. Our central focus remains to find all of our tenants comfortable temporary housing and get you back into your apartment as quickly as possible. The Port Authority has set up a hotline to handle your claims. The phone number is (866) 902-3276. There will be a PANYNJ claims center set up. Information about that will be forthcoming. City Councilman, Alan Gerson offered his support and services to those in need. He can be contacted at gerson@council.nyc.ny.us.

¢ª The NYC Buildings Department has confirmed the structural integrity of the building. This report and our independent report will be posted on the 90westresidents.com website early next week.

¢ª We will have independent air and water quality tests performed and the results will also be made available to you online.

¢ª Councilman Gerson has met with the Port Authority to discuss noise issues at Ground Zero. They are trying to establish ¡°Quiet Hours¡±. The representative from the Port Authority claims they should have an answer by the end of the week on this issue.

¢ª We are implementing additional security in the building.

¢ª Mail is still being delivered to the building. The valet will be open M-F from 8am-8pm, Sat. and Sun. from 8am-5pm.

¢ªAs an additional reminder we ask that you empty your refrigerators and freezers of perishable items. Trash bags will be provided. If you cannot physically carry the food items, please ask the super or handymen for assistance

¢ª Con Ed has advised us that it is not necessary to unplug your electronics.

¢ª If you are currently without housing, a block of rooms are reserved at the Roosevelt Hotel. Please call (888)833-3969. Please use the code: 90 West

90 West Management

The hotline is up! (866) 902-3276

Solidarity

There are two other blogs in existence for the residents of 90 West.

http://90weststreet.blogspot.com/

http://90westresidents.blogspot.com/

It's heartening to see residents talking to each other so much more. It will both help us keep organized in the face of our current situation, and hopefully make the building a little more friendly when we all get to go home again.

Thanks to "Neighbor from 19th Floor" and Derek of 90weststreet.blogspot.com for bringing these blogs to my attention.

"It's Not Going to be More Than Two Weeks, and I Hope to God It's Not Even Two Weeks"

So said one of the building owners at the information meeting tonight. For the sake of simplicity, we'll call him P---. This owner more or less led the meeting tonight, although at least one other owner was there, as well as the building manager and a few other staff members. Also in attendance were:

• City Council Member Alan Gerson
• Glen Guzi, Senior External Affairs Representative, Public and Government Affairs, of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
• An unnamed representative of Sheldon Silver, Speaker of the New York Assembly (our representative)
• A NY1 cameraman
• Hundreds of residents

The meeting began with P--- giving a fairly detailed account of what actually happened on Monday. I'll try to give a synopsis, since I was able to take a few notes on a piece of paper given to me by another neighbor.

As part of the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, the Port Authority (who owns the site) is constructing an underground secure truck facility immediately north of 90 West, beneath Cedar Street. This required redirecting a sewer main that runs beneath the WTC site. The Port Authority decided, with the City's consent, to redirect that sewer main through the sidewalk vault of 90 West. (Many, if not most, buildings in New York have sidewalk vaults.) The "downstream" end of this sewer main was connected to the massive main line that runs under West Street. The "upstream" end of this sewer main had not been connected to anything. While the Port Authority was building this sewer main, they were simultaneously building a wall that would separate permanently the sidewalk vault from the underground garage of 90 West.

Late Sunday night, and into Monday morning, it was raining heavily. The heavy rainfall, combined with a strong incoming Moon tide, overwhelmed the main line under West Street, sending water and sewage up the pipe. It continued up the redirected sewer main, and since the "upstream" end was not connected to anything, it spilled out into the sidewalk vault--and thus into our garage and sub-basement. Cars in the garage were submerged, the sub-basement had anywhere from 7 to 20 feet of standing water, and the enormous custom-made electrical switchboard that distributes electricity to the apartments was "devastated."

Since then, numerous City services have pumped all the water out and assessed the damage to the switchboard. It will have to be completely replaced, and this is the main reason the evacuation was extended to two weeks. Building management contacted the company that built the switchboard, Five Star, who has already began gathering components to rebuild. Meanwhile, ConEd has supplied a generator to heat the building and prevent pipes from freezing, and also to run the emergency lights and one elevator.

From here, the questions began and it quickly deteriorated as people expressed their anger, frustration, and general woe at being forced out of their homes. Lots of questions were answered by P---, with Glen Guzi of the Port Authority and Councilmember Alan Gerson chiming in to answer. Here is the important information:

• By tomorrow, the Port Authority will have an 800 number, and an office at 140 Broadway open to field claims from residents of 90 West. This will include hotel costs, travel costs, and any other incurred costs such as utility bills, etc. So keep your receipts!
• In general, Glen Guzi stated and re-stated that the Port Authority is committed to addressing the residents' needs, and will pay for costs incurred
• Also tomorrow, they are going to announce a maximum rate for hotels
• The Port Authority will finish the wall sealing off the sidewalk vault withing a day or two
• The Department of Buildings has stated that 90 West is structurally sound (Although a resident who happens to be the Deputy Commissioner of Forensics for the Department of Buildings stated that the final report from the engineer has not yet been received)
• The mail room will remain open it's normal hours, 7am to 8pm
• Building management is setting up an email address for them and the Port Authority to be a "one-stop shopping" address for all concerns
• Security will be increased, and better records of repair crews entering apartments will be kept
• People staying with friends or family and not needing reimbursements for hotels will also be compensated on an equal level to those staying in hotels

My impressions were, on the whole, relatively positive. P--- seemed genuinely honest. He clearly has a passion for this building, having been on the team that rebuilt it after September 11th, and it shows. Standing in front of all the residents was a daunting task, but he stayed calm and reaffirmed his intentions to make sure everyone has a place to stay, and is compensated for their losses. He even walked up to apartments with residents on Monday. Glen Guzi from the Port Authority was probably the most attacked person in the room, as representatives of the Port Authority tend to be. But he confidently stated that the PA would help--we'll just have to see. (Their track record is not exactly the best.) Many of the residents were confrontational, and understandably so, but many were also very calm and polite. Ultimately, the meeting didn't really bring out much new information, but it did allow residents to speak their concerns, and building management and City officials to hear them.

Now we wait and see if the promises are kept.

More Updates

My helpful upstairs neighbor sent some good news:

good news(relitive), i just returned from 90 west, and I can say that at least while I was there, they had an elevator working tentatively.
I say that because it seemed that it took a team of three, with a lot of yelling up and down the shaft to get it to work, but I caught a ride to the 19th floor to fill my suitcase.
I had to take the stairs back down but that’s a breeze. Also, the lights in the stairwell and hallways are back on, but still no power/gas/water inside the apartments.

I went back to the building this afternoon as well, but I wasn't so lucky. I took the afternoon off work, and headed down to meet Lynn around 2pm. (Side note: I have the greatest boss in the world, who has let me take whatever time I need to deal with this, and even recommended I telecommute from CT a few days!) When I got to the building, the doorman on duty told me an elevator was working. But just then, the super radioed down to the doorman to say that he was stuck in the elevator on the 21st floor. Oh, and the mechanic was stuck in there with him. By the time Lynn arrived, they were still stuck in the elevator, so we walked all the way up the stairs again. Surprisingly, it didn't seem so bad this time. We cleaned out the fridge of anything that would go bad, packed a few more things, and headed out.

Some more notes from management came in. The first around 3:30pm:

Dear Residents,

We have secured a large block of rooms at the Hotel Pennsylvania (Located at 401 Seventh Ave). These rooms are available immediately and you will be reimbursed for your stay there. You can call or go to the hotel directly. You MUST say that you are from 90 West Street. The hotel is pet friendly. A continental breakfast is also included. The phone number for the hotel is 212.736.5000

For those of you that have already checked into the Ramada in Newark, NJ. You may transfer to the Hotel Pennsylvania tomorrow (If you choose). We will reimburse you for the difference between the Ramada and the Hotel Pennsylvania for this evening. If you are comfortable at the Ramada and wish to remain there, we will compensate you for the difference between the cost of the two hotel rooms.

We also ask that you dispose of all perishable food items in your refrigerators and freezers.

Again we will be holding an informational meeting tonight at 6pm at 100 Trinity Place. We hope to see you there.

And at 4:30pm:

Dear Residents,

We are aware that many of you have been contacting the Hotel Pennsylvania and booking rooms. Should all the rooms be taken, we are in the process of securing more rooms at an alternate hotel in Manhattan. We will update you once the location is confirmed.

We'll be heading over to the information meeting tonight after all, having elected to stay in the city for it. News on that later.

Jersey Fun

One helpful neighbor posted some information in a comment on the last post. Although I'm not staying in New Jersey, I just wanted to pull that out here, in case any other neighbors stumble by:

so Im staying at the hotel in Newark, and i was terribly nervous about transportation. i had it in my mind that id have to spend $30 a day on the NJ train. As it turns out, you can catch the Path at ground zero, then jump on the Ramada shuttle bus from Newark Penn station to the hotel. Or catch the 62 bus which stops right in front of the hotel.
it doesnt sound to hard.

Thank you, neighbor! Meanwhile, the building management has announced a meeting tonight:

We will be holding an informational meeting at 6 pm at 100 Trinity Place. Hope to see you there.

I'm not entirely certain I'll be able to make it to the informational meeting, so if anyone out there does go to it, please fill me in! You can post comments to this blog, or email me directly at andrew.justin.fleming(at)gmail.com. I'm glad a few neighbors have already commented on this blog and emailed me, the more communication we have amongst ourselves, the better off we'll be.

Now, off to climb those stairs one more time....

Progress, of a Sort

This came in about 8:15pm last night, building management finally speaks about the mysterious hotel in Jersey:

Dear Residents,

We are currently working with OEM to set up a hotline to more efficiently answer your calls and questions.

We have gotten numerous inquiries regarding the 9am-5pm access to the building. If you need to access your apartment after 5pm, this may be done so on a limited case by case basis.

We understand what an inconvenience this situation represents. We have been in constant contact with our insurance companies as well as the Port Authority regarding the matter. Even though we have gotten no word about compensation or coverage, the management has decided to provide two possibilities:

If you find your own housing you will receive a pro-rated rent credit for twice the amount of your rent.

If you can't arrange your own housing during this period, we will provide accommodations at the Ramada Hotel in Newark, New Jersey PH: (973) 824-4000. If you choose to stay at the Ramada, we will pay for the room and give you a rent credit for the period of time you are out of the building. We are in the process of arranging transportation to and from the hotel and PATH station. We will have an update on the NJ hotel and transportation in the morning.

For those that want to stay at the Ramada please email XXXX XXXX ASAP at [email address]

Thank you

And then, around 10:30pm, information about carting us off to Jersey arrives.

The first confirmed shuttle bus to the Ramada Hotel in Newark, NJ will arrive at 90 West St at 11am to begin boarding passengers. The bus will depart 90 West St at 12pm sharp! Pets are welcome at the Ramada Hotel and on the shuttle buses. Please crate your pets for the bus ride. We will be adding additional shuttle bus information regarding future trips as we receive confirmation from our transportation. Please check the 90westresidents.com website for future updates.

Lynn and I have decided to stay with her parents in Connecticut until our building opens up again. (Yes, I can't believe I'm going back either.) As much as we'd love to stay in Newark, staying in Connecticut might be slightly more pleasant.

So, today we're heading back into the building one last time to gather a few things, and then it's off to Connecticut. I'll be commuting into the city most days, and will probably work from home for a few days. Now I'm just playing it by ear.

And hoping, like my neighbor who commented on yesterday's post, that it doesn't turn into more than two weeks.

Edit:

And hey, more media coverage!
The Daily News
The New York Post
Gothamist

It Just Keeps Getting Better (Worse) and Better (More Worse)

A new update from the building management:

Dear Residents,

We have been working around the clock assessing and repairing damage caused by the Port Authority. The major problem lies within the central electrical distribution room. The equipment needs to be entirely replaced due to water damage. We have received word from our electricians that 90 West St could potentially be closed for the next two weeks. The electrical and other repair crews will be working 24 hours a day to try and restore service to the building sooner. We will keep you informed of their progress.

We have agreed to reimburse tenants for hotel expenses incurred on Monday and Tuesday night. For people without accommodations for this evening we have secured a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn located at 440 West 57th Street. 212 581-8074. Contact Rachel. For people with pets there are still some rooms at The Hotel Pennsylvania located at 401 7th Ave 212-736-5000.

If you did not stay at a hotel for these nights a pro rated rent rebate will be issued.

Since the magnitude of the situation has grown we advise tenants to contact their insurance carriers. For those people who cannot find alternative housing after tonight we are working on securing rooms at a hotel in New Jersey near to a Path Station. We will update the web site with information on this option later today.

There will be access to the building from 9am to 5pm however no one can move back to the building until the repairs are complete.

We sincerely regret the inconvenience this situation represents. Please be assured that we and the City are doing everything possible to expedite the repairs necessary to get you back home at 90 West Street. We plan to hold an informational meeting tomorrow evening. We will update the web site with the time and place.

So, we're officially homeless for the next two weeks, if not more.

But hey, did you note the phone number of the Hotel Pennsylvania? PA6-5000! The oldest continually used phone number in history. Cue Glenn Miller....

Media Round-Up

Well, the press certainly has jumped on this one! If only that would speed things up....

Check out the coverage on;
Gothamist, a local NYC blog (on my favorites!)
New York 1, the local news station
The New York Times
The Daily News
The New York Post
WNBC

And hey, even hipster photographers are getting in on the fun! Bella atmosfera indeed.

Also, TV news: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ddcS85x2jtk

Of course, there are a few inaccuracies in the press. I'm not sure I'd consider the building "luxury." It's quite nice--nicer than any place I've ever lived in--but certainly not top-of-the-line for New York. Our rent is far more reasonable than most places in Manhattan. The parking garage beneath the building is a public garage. A few tenets have cars there, but no one I know in the building owns a car. It's mostly commuters who park there, since it's location is pretty convenient for people who drive in. And most egregious, all the people who do live in Battery Park City luxury apartments will tell you flat-out that 90 West is most certainly not in Battery Park City. In fact, the building pre-dates the construction of Battery Park City by 65 years. When 90 West was built in 1907, it was built right on the Hudson River. Construction on Battery Park City began in 1972, extending the coast of Manhattan west of West Street. The apartment building is on the east side of West Street, meaning it is a part of the Financial District.

Being a Refugee

Another update from the building management came in last night:

Attention Residents of 90 West Street.
Due to flooding in the sub-basement of your building and the negative effect on utilities, the New York City Housing and Preservation Department has issued an order to vacate 90 West St. Your building will be closed until the utilities can be restored.

As of 9 pm residents of 90 West Street will not be able to re-enter the building. Re-entry will continue tomorrow (Tuesday, Nov. 27th) with an escort for safety purposes. If you need to enter your apartment for an important purpose (i.e. a pet or medications), go to the front desk of the building tomorrow between 9AM and 5Pm, and you will be escorted up, and then back out again. Have patience, this could be a slow process.

It is not known exactly how long the building will be closed to occupancy. If you are re-entering your apartment to retrieve clothes or medicine, you may want to plan for the possibility that it may be 48 to 72 hours before the building is cleared for moving back in.

For additional information or services, The American Red Cross and the NYC Department of Homeless Services have opened a Reception Center located at 2 West St at the Ritz Carlton in the Heritage Room tonight. See below for directions.

For more information:

Tomorrow if you need updates on whether you can re-enter the building, you can check on the BuildingLink site's "Library" by going to www.XXXXXXX.com and using your regular login, or if you do not remember your regular login, you can log in with user name "XXXXXX" and password "XXXXXX".

We will also try to keep you updated via your email addresses in the BuildingLink database, and via BuildingLink's new voice-broadcast system, which will send you a voice message to your cell phones. YOU CAN ALSO CALL 311.

Temporary Relocation Information for Tenants of 90 West:

The following hotels have rooms available, just say that you are from 90 West St. Tenants are expected to make their own arrangements and pay for their hotel and will later be reimbursed by management. You are welcome to make accommodations at other hotels, and will be reimbursed by management as long as it is a reasonable rate.

IF YOU DECIDE TO STAY WITH A FRIEND instead of at a hotel, you will be reimbursed your 90 West rent for the days that you are displaced.

[long list of hotels and pet kennels]

About the time this email came in, Lynn and I had just arrived at the building to gather a few things. The streets around it were closed off and full of firemen, policemen, and city workers. In the lobby, stepping over hoses and cables that ran from the elevator shafts out the front door, we were greeted by a city worker who gave us a flashlight and pointed us to the stairwell.

We live on the 18th floor. It took a while.

When we got to our floor, we made our way through the dark hallway to our apartment. The apartment itself was actually pretty bright, with all the ambient light of NYC coming through the windows. We gathered some clothes, salvaged what we could from the freezer, and set off back down the stairs.

As we made our way down the stairs city workers and firemen greeted us every few floors calling down ahead of us on their radios that two more people were coming down. At the bottom were a group of other residents who were not being allowed up until we had reached the bottom.

We grabbed a taxi and went over to a friend's place to stay. He's been kind enough to take us in for the next couple of days.

Homeless!

Aw crap:

Dear Residents,

Due to the flooding in the cellar from to World Trade construction HPD has ordered all residents to leave your apartment. We anticipate that the building will be without power, cooking gas and water for up to 72 hours. If you need to collect your personal belongings there will be personnel in the building lobby to assist you. Support services will be located at the Ritz Carlton located at 2 West Street, 2nd Floor for further info call [phone number removed].

We are very sorry for this inconvenience.

I'm off to go gather some things and stay with a friend, it seems.

An Update

Well, it seems this morning's flood was a little more serious than I thought. From our building manager:

Dear Residents,

Due to a problem with the city's utilities, our building suffered a flood this morning. In an effort to preserve the safety of the building and our tenants- we were forced to cut off electricity & gas to the building. We are currently working with FDNY, NYPD, Con Edison and the Office of Emergency Management to restore service to 90 West. We are still waiting for an update from officials to let us know when we can expect power to be restored. We will be setting up an emergency hotline and will be sending you updates via email as we receive more information from the OEM. We apologize for this unforeseen event and we are exhausting every effort possible to restore service to you.

Fortunately, Lynn and I have candles everywhere in the apartment. Power outages are rare in NYC, but this could be interesting.

The Firemen are Back

This morning seemed like most mornings: I wake up, I take a shower, I leave for work. But when I walked out of my apartment, the only lights in the hallway were emergency lights. The elevators were out of order. And at the bottom of my 18-story walk downstairs, the lobby was full of firemen.

No fire, thank goodness, but it seems the basement has flooded. Hopefully it's all back in working order before I have to go home--I'm not looking forward to climbing back up all those steps!

Dropping In

I haven't seen many celebrities in NYC. You hear all the time about people spying celebrities everywhere, how many New Yorkers call them neighbors--heck, there are entire websites devoted to tracking their movements throughout the city. But I've never really run into anyone of note. The biggest celebrity I've seen, and yes I do consider him one, was when I was introduced to Bill Nye. (He was incredibly funny, by the way.)

I like to think I don't see celebrities because, quite honestly, I'm not sure that I would recognize many of them. Especially without all the camera make-up, fabulous clothes, etc. There are a lot of beautiful people in New York, so maybe I just don't pick out the ones who also happen to be famous.

Last night I went to Caroline's to see a friend who is trying her hand at stand-up. I've been to a few of her shows now at Caroline's and the Laugh Factory, and she's very funny. (Thank goodness! You always want your friends to be good, but it's especially pleasing when they actually are!) Last night was not only one of her best performances, but the other comics were great as well. Then, at the end of the show, they announced a special guest had dropped in. Up to the stage walks Darrell Hammond of SNL fame. He was hilarious, although I could not actually tell if his claim of being high on vicodin at the time was true or if he was acting.

When he was done, I figured that was a great way to end the show. But the host came back and announced another special guest. Who could possibly follow Darrell Hammond? Up to the stage comes none other than Rosie O'Donnell. She was there to try out some new material before her upcoming show at Lincoln Center. She refused to talk about "the V" or the "the T" (the View or the Donald), but did a long set of jokes about her family and her experiences with Kabbalah. She was very entertaining. It was a great show.

A Gradual Catching of Breath

Autumn is a great time of year--my favorite. I love the colors, the smells, the cooling temperatures. I love apple cider. I really love apple cider.

It's also been an exciting time of year for me this particular fall. I returned, relatively unscathed, from the trip across Italy and Paris. I'll try to write more about that as time permits. Not long after that, I was down in New Brunswick opening a new Chapter of my Fraternity. And perhaps the biggest change in my life thus far, this weekend my fiancé moved into my apartment with me.

Fortunately, it's a two-bedroom apartment, so we'll have plenty of space. It's an adjustment, and one that is not completely without a bit of turmoil, but it's one worth making.

Now, as my favorite season comes into its own, I can work on the little things. I can build a daily routine; something I've been waiting for quite some time to do. I can rediscover my city. I can upload some pictures of my trip. I can settle into a home that's new, despite my seven months of living there. I can buy some apple cider at the farmer's market. Things can slow, things can settle. Contentment is just over the horizon, and it smells like autumn.