The Briefly for February 15, 2019 – The "Billion Dollar Breakup with Free Delivery" Edition
This weekend's subway diversions and changes gets a bonus day thanks to Presidents' Day on Monday. If you've gotta get around on Monday, the weekend's schedule might impact how you do so. (6sqft)
Amazon broke up with New York on Valentine's Day! (The Indypendent)
Amazon assumed Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo spoke for New York. They miscalculated the power of local politicians. (Politico)
Remember how Amazon was going to rent one million square feet in the Citibank building? That deal is off. Anyone need a million square feet of office space in Long Island City? (The Real Deal)
As late as Wednesday night, Amazon and labor leaders agreed to discuss ground rules for worker unionization. (NY Times)
10 things NYC should do now that the Amazon HQ2 deal is over. (Curbed)
"After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens." -Amazon
“The New York State Senate has done tremendous damage. They should be held accountable for this lost economic opportunity.” -Governor Andrew Cuomo
“I was flabbergasted” -Mayor Bill de Blasio
“We all want jobs to come to Queens, and Amazon used the promise of job creation to extract major concessions for this project.” -Queens Borough President Melinda Katz
“This process was clearly flawed and did not include the affected community nor their legislative representatives until after the deal was signed.” -State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins
"This is another indication proving what I have been saying is correct." -City Councilmember and Elected Homophobe Ruben Diaz Sr, tripling down on his statement on how the city is "controlled by the homosexual community."
“This is devastating. We just sent a message that New York City is closed for business.” -Eric Benaim, CEO of Modern Spaces
“I hope this is the start of a conversation about vulture capitalism and where our tax dollars are best spent. I know I’d choose mass transit over helipads any day.” -Speaker of the City Council and acting Public Advocate Corey Johnson
“Anything is possible: today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers & their neighbors defeated Amazon’s corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world.” -Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
"Long Island City will forever be known as the city that let the big one get away, and there are two people overwhelmingly responsible for it. You own this Mike Gianaris and Jimmy Van Bramer, you own it." LIC Talk Editorial
“Like a petulant child, Amazon insists on getting its way or takes its ball and leaves.” -State Senator Michael Gianaris
“Why I’m Leaving New York,” by Jeff Bezos -@DaveWeigel, winning the Twitter reaction to today's news.
St Marks Place, West 4th Street and other misnamed streets. (StreetEasy)
Solo dining is up 80% in the last four years. (Eater)
Speaking of, 13 of the best places to be alone in the city. (Gothamist)
Hate crimes are up 81% from last year, with two thirds of them anti-Semitic incidents. (Patch)
17 restaurants that aren't "hot" but are still "cool." That's the real headline. Blame The Infatuation. (The Infatuation)
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