Andy Byford speaks to a gathering of the Empire Station Coalition on his plans for the “transformation” of Penn Station. He is holding a copy of Lost New York, by Nathan Silver. The cover is a photo of the old Penn Station before it was demolished. ( Photo: Michael Oreskes) ‘Train Daddy’ Byford: ‘Hard Part Starts Now’ in Penn Station Rebuild Andy Byford has been to church, specifically St. John the Baptist, just south of Penn Station, the French Gothic work of... News 20 Jul 2025 | 08:14
A biker in Central Park runs a red light visible in traffic signal above as a pedestrian who has the right of way (white walk light visible on left) steps into cross walk. ( Photo: Gail Gregg) She Was Hit Twice by Bikes in Central Park and Says NYPD Never Followed Up Flora was hit not once, but twice, within the same year, by cyclists pedaling where she was walking on the sidewalks of Central... News 19 Jul 2025 | 09:10
Hudson Guild executive director Ken Jockers is working with City Council Member Erik Bottcher to encourage the tech and healthcare giants in Manhattan’s West Side neighborhoods to hire locally. ( Photo: Courtesy Council Member Erik Bottcher’s office) Jobs Program in Chelsea Hopes to Triple Number of People It Helps over Next 2 Yrs Chelsea and Greenwich Village, with their super-expensive apartments, booming office developments, and glittering High Line,... News 23 Jun 2025 | 02:17
The Soloviev Group is teaming up with the Mohegan Sun casino in a bid to land a license on the East River, just south of the United Nations, calling its project “Freedom Plaza” and proposing a public park and a museum. ( Photo: Courtesy Bucharest Studios) Three Developers Rolling the Dice to Land a Manhattan Casino License Manhattan, says Michael Hershman, is “the Holy Grail” when it comes to building one of the new downstate casinos authorized... Voices 21 Jun 2025 | 09:17
E-Bikes going through red light at Broadway and W. 25th St. in the Flat Iron district. ( Photo: Keith J. Kelly) As Bike Traffic Soars, So Do Pedestrian Injuries—But Who’s Counting? As any pedestrian can attest, the number of bikes on New York City streets has soared since the pandemic. And a combination... News 18 Jun 2025 | 10:37
Professor Robert Blecker pondered the fate of Dr. Joseph Warren of Boston, the man who dispatched Paul Revere on his historic ride at the start of the American Revolution. Now Blecker has written an off-Broadway play about a nearly forgotten American hero. ( Photo: Nicholas & Lence communications ) Father Anonymous Celebrates the Man Behind Paul Revere’s Famous Ride For one brief, shining moment he was the best of us. Dr. Joseph Warren of Boston, revolutionary commander. He dispatched... City Arts 08 Jun 2025 | 04:23
Three proposed casinos. ( Photos, Left: Silverstein Properties, SL Green; Right: Soloviev Group) Backers Wonder: Will Any Casino in Manhattan Ever Get an OK from CBs and Activists? Can any proposal for a casino in Manhattan survive the widespread resistance from local community boards and neighbors? That... News 30 May 2025 | 08:59
Andy Byford, when he was still president of the NYC Transit in February 2018.. President Trump tapped him as the man in charge of Amtrak’s plan to overhaul Penn Station. ( Photo: Marc A. Hermann/MTA) Exclusive: Andy Byford Tapped to Head Amtrak Redevelopment Plan for Penn Station Andy Byford, who has run rail agencies on three continents, has agreed to take over the renovation and possible expansion... News 23 May 2025 | 09:22
Andy Byford on Friday, March 9, 2018, when he was the NYC Transit president. Two years ago he suggested transit expansion could be achieved by running trains through Penn Station rather than treating it as a terminus. ( Photo: MTA) Where Have You Gone, Andy Byford? Penn Station Turns Its Lonely Eyes to You It is coming on two years since Andy Byford, the much-loved “Train Daddy” of New York City Transit, touted the “golden opportunity”... News 11 May 2025 | 05:48
Some state and local officials were coming up with plans on how to spend the money that the MTA could save now that the federal government is taking over the rebuilding of Penn Station. But the Trump administration is now saying they don’t plan to foot the entire bill. ( Photo: MTA) Not So Fast: Trump Admin Says It’s Not Footing Entire Cost to Renovate Penn Station When the Trump administration seized control of plans to renovate Penn Station, Gov. Hochul said New Yorkers had won a major... News 28 Apr 2025 | 12:20
The federal government wants to take over the long-stalled Penn Station redevelopment plan, taking over from the MTA. ( Photo: Keith J. Kelly) Feds Take Over Penn Station Renovation Plan The Trump administration took over planning for the renovation and possible expansion of Penn Station, shoving the MTA aside... News 20 Apr 2025 | 07:30
Young Tom Klingenstein (shown above, with his grandfather Joseph Klingenstein in 1962) was taken to the majestic original Penn Station in 1963 by Grandpa Joe just before the rail hub faced the wrecker’s ball. Now 71, Tom is working with a group on a plan for a new Penn Station. And he says Donald Trump could help. ( Photo: Courtesy Tom Klingenstein) A New Classical Penn Station? This Backer’s Plan Inspired by Grand Original Joseph Klingenstein must have known the architectural masterpiece was doomed when he took his grandson to see it. Visiting... News 13 Apr 2025 | 02:39
Sandra Lindsay, an intensive care nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, was one of the first in the nation to raise her hand to take the BioNTech/Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, delivered by Michelle Chester, DNP. ( Photo: Northwell Health) Communicating the Pandemic (Part 2) How you perform in a crisis is all about what you prepared before the crisis Preparing for the next pandemic includes many... Voices 23 Mar 2025 | 10:12
A photo taken at approximately 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, 2020, looking down a deserted 42nd Street just over a week after COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. ( Photo: Vladislav Grubman/Wikimedia Commons) Communicating the Pandemic (Part 1) I still remember the chill I felt watching Dr. Demetre Daskalakis in that video. “It’s already here,” he was saying, like... Voices 23 Mar 2025 | 06:32
St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church on Seventh Avenue and West 30th Street would be spared now that Gov. Hochul no longer wants to demolish the city block where it sits to accommodate an expanded Penn Station. ( Photo: Keith J. Kelly) Hochul’s Retreat on Penn Station Expansion Will Spare Entire Block from Demolition Gov. Kathy Hochul pulled the rug out from under Amtrak’s hope to double the capacity of Penn Station by tearing down the... News 22 Mar 2025 | 05:38
Karen’s Quirky New York Screams for Ice Cream