The local paper for the Upper East Side THE COLOR AND THE SHAPE
WEEK OF DECEMBER
1-7
< P. 12
2016
THE TRUMP TOWER TANGLE Manhattan residents deal with disruptions created by President-elect’s presence in the city BY SARAH NELSON, DIAMOND NAGA SIU AND GENIA GOULD
A Citi Bike docking station. Photo: Tom Marvel, via flickr
CITY COUNCIL PRESSES ON CITI BIKE EXPANSION “Far flung” neighborhoods want more stations, amid resistance on the Upper West Side BY MADELEINE THOMPSON
Citi Bike is the largest bike share program in the country, with nearly 70,000 rides taken on one October day this fall. Now it could become even bigger. By the end of 2017, Citi Bike aims to have 750 stations with 12,000 bikes throughout the city, compared to the current 600 stations and 10,000 bikes. At a City Council transportation committee hearing on Monday, elected officials grilled Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg for details on the program’s funding and plans for the coming year. According to Trottenberg, Phase Two will entail expanding Citi Bike in Manhattan up to 130th Street as well as into Astoria and parts of Brooklyn. Council Members Carlos Menchaca and Deborah Rose, who represent parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island, said they are still waiting for Citi Bike to reach their areas. A reasonable, affordable commute, they said, is crucial to elevating low-income New Yorkers.
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The city and its inhabitants have changed in innumerable ways since overnight on Nov. 9. Politically and psychically, certainly. But also materially. Nowhere is this more apparent than along Fifth Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets, the home and now transition headquarters of President-elect Donald J. Trump. And, in about eight weeks, following Inauguration Day, a good portion of the 58-story glass tower with a jagged façade could be serving as a de facto White House for significant portions of the year. For now, the busy boulevard, as well as 57th Street, in the vicinity of the tower will stay open to vehicle and pedestrian traffic, city Police Commissioner Jim O’Neill said. But that could all change, he said. For his part, Mayor Bill de Blasio, who met with Trump on Nov. 16, said he discussed with the president-elect the multitude of concerns residents have expressed at protests, rallies, online and with each other since Election Day. Hate crimes, the Affordable Care Act and financial insecurity were just a few of the issues the mayor said he touched on. But the core of his exchange, de Blasio said, was New York City itself. “My essential message to him was to remember where you come from,” the mayor said. “I hope he remembers every day what he saw over all those years in the city and doesn’t lose track of the very things that allowed him and countless others an opportunity — this place that is open to all, that believes in opportunity for all.”
WHITE HOUSE NORTH Since the election, Trump Tower and Fifth Avenue have become synonymous with metal grates, scores of police and Secret
Security personnel at Trump Tower. Photo: Sarah Nelson Service personnel, and protests. Security around Trump Tower encompasses at least two blocks in each direction on 57th Street from Park Avenue to Madison Avenue. The precautions have gridlocked the area. “It’s a nightmare,” said a manager of a nearby residential complex, who declined to give his name. “It takes an average of 30 minutes to get from here [54th Street] to the corner [53rd Street]. Driving here has become impossible.” Metal barriers close off the sidewalk in front of the building between 56th and 57th Streets completely. Pedestrians must request access through an NYPD officer in order to enter stores such as Gucci and Tiffany & Co. that are within the immediate vicinity of the President-elect’s 68-story home tower. Stationed in front of the building are two groups of three or more police officers on either entrance, a couple of whom carry machine guns. Inside, visitors are required to place any bags or personal items through one of two
Celebrate the Festival of Lights with your whole family! Make holiday crafts, enjoy entertainment and treats, and give back to the community. Sun, Dec 18, 11 am
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metal detector belts, akin to airport TSA security. Past the checkpoints, guests are free to wander and shop around the marble atrium and multiple floors, each with roaming NYPD officers and Trump Tower employees wearing pins that say “Trump.” The extensive security measures have caused concerns over how to keep pedestrian and vehicle traffic moving. Officers are stationed on each street corner to hurry along the gawkers and shoppers taking photos of the congested area. Inside Trump Tower, vendors at Starbucks and Trump Ice Cream Parlor said they were instructed not to comment on how the barricades have af-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday, December 2 – 4:11 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com
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