| Author |
|
Vinny Valenti
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 8133
|
| Posted: 02 December 2014 at 1:10pm | IP Logged | 1
|
post reply
|
|
Still agreed. I guess I take the Centrist view that
automobiles and mass transit should have been equal
attention - and I know that Moses had no concern over the
latter. Personally I take the LIRR to Manhattan every day but
I do appreciate the Long Island highways outside of rush
hour. And I do feel that the bridge between New Haven and
Brookhaven should have been built (with rail access too, of
course).
I recall the fact that the GWB is the country's most
trafficked bridge - so the connecting Cross Bronx was a
necessary evil to some degree - however had there been a
better rail link to New England, truck traffic would have
been much less on it.
It's a shame to see abandoned commuter rail tracks across
Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island.
Edited by Vinny Valenti on 02 December 2014 at 1:10pm
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
Michael Penn
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 April 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 12741
|
| Posted: 02 December 2014 at 1:45pm | IP Logged | 2
|
post reply
|
|
Ugh, you'll never catch me on the Belt unless I can help it, and I live right by Rockaway Blvd. I haven't been on the Belt, whew, I can't even remember! My wife used to work on Avenue J in Brooklyn -- that was a hellish schlep every morning. I'll only ever take the LIRR, which ain't no pleasure cruise, neither. And I can't tell you how crazy it drives me that the Far Rockaway line has to travel miles in the opposite direction from the city when the dad-blamed A line is right by me! The only good train line is Port Washington, man, especially to Great Neck. Zing, zing, 35 minutes, constant trains, no Jamaica! Foo.
Phew.
I can't stand the Long Island combo of roads and train lines, and it's all power-mad Robert Moses' fault!
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
Vinny Valenti
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 8133
|
| Posted: 02 December 2014 at 3:00pm | IP Logged | 3
|
post reply
|
|
For my entire life up until 2009, I lived in Canarsie, then Mill
Basin - so the Belt has always "my" highway. It still bugs
me when I see the massive medians on Conduit Boulevard
(heck, I was born just a few blocks south of that section)
which were supposed to carry the Bushwick Expressway,
so that would have been a great alternate route to
Manhattan.
I don't get on Moses too much for what was built, but for
what *wasn't* built because of him - and that includes the
necessary rail links.
What US cities have a better balance between mass transit
and highways, though? Europe certainly has us beat there,
but I can't think of where it's being done better here.
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
Vinny Valenti
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 8133
|
| Posted: 02 December 2014 at 3:05pm | IP Logged | 4
|
post reply
|
|
In fairness, I may lean pro-Moses(ish), but I never read THE
POWER BROKER, even though I've known of its existence
for around 20 years now and I know a good deal of the
history (I'm a NYC road geek - surprise, huh?). But
obviously I don't know everything - I should get around to
that - though I didn't know it was that long! I guess I
avoided it because what I've read about it seemed that the
author was being more subjective than objective.
So, JB and Michael, what say you?
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
James Best
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 02 March 2014
Location: United States
Posts: 890
|
| Posted: 02 December 2014 at 4:04pm | IP Logged | 5
|
post reply
|
|
What did Caro have to say about Moses' decision to not support Walter O'Malley in his proposal for a new stadium for the Brooklyn Dodgers?
Ebbets Field was in horrid condition in the mid 50's and Moses' lack of support made O'Malley look elsewhere to solve his problems. It also changed the structure of major league baseball by causing two professional teams to move to the West Coast.
I won't deny that O'Malley was also driven to move the Dodgers westward due to the potential financial gains from having a baseball team in Los Angeles. But Brooklyn has not been the same since the Dodgers left town.
Michael D'Antonio wrote a terrific book back in 2009 entitled FOREVER BLUE that captures the anguish of Brooklyn fans, players, and management about the Dodgers' departure. Moses didn't come off very well in it either.
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
Sergio Saavedra
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 13 August 2007
Location: Spain
Posts: 455
|
| Posted: 02 December 2014 at 4:13pm | IP Logged | 6
|
post reply
|
|
Recently I've finished reading the comic Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi and now I'm reading Persepolis 2.I really enjoyed Persepolis. What a simple way to tell such a complicated story. The end of the regime of the Sha, the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the war with Irak seen through the eyes of a little girl. The similarities to what's happening in several arab countries today are amazing. The second part doesn't seem that interesting so far, but I'm enjoying it anyway.
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
Michael Penn
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 April 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 12741
|
| Posted: 02 December 2014 at 5:15pm | IP Logged | 7
|
post reply
|
|
I'm only reading THE POWER BROKER just now, Vinny, as I spot my 50th year of life -- and being a New Yorker -- coming yearly a little closer. So, don't feel too bad you never got to this... tome! It's massive! It's also phenomenally well-written, from the first anecdote. And Caro states as clearly as he can, right in the Introduction that his answer to the question of whether New York would have been better without Robert Moses is "impossible" to answer. I got a buddy grew up in Carnasie -- he's about 53 or so now -- but I can't recall exactly where. My wife was born in the Bronx and grew up in Rosedale. I'm more a Long Islander, first the North Shore of Nassau and then its South Shore, and in between a long stretch in Manhattan.
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
Vinny Valenti
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 8133
|
| Posted: 02 December 2014 at 11:31pm | IP Logged | 8
|
post reply
|
|
"Caro states as clearly as he can, right in the Introduction that his
answer to the question of whether New York would have been better
without Robert Moses is "impossible" to answer."
And that's good enough for me! I'll have to check it out. I'm sure that I'll
devour it.
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 133442
|
| Posted: 08 December 2014 at 6:42pm | IP Logged | 9
|
post reply
|
|
7 1/2 CENTS by Richard BissellBasis for the Doris Day musical THE PAJAMA GAME*, which started on Broadway. Amusing, maybe a bit dated. The title refers to the raise in pay being sought by the union at a pajama factory, per hour! ________ * One for which I have an admitted fondness. (Those who don't believe Doris Day was ever a hottie, check this one out!) When the local TV channel was testing their color broadcasting, late at night, after sign-off (I just switched to Greek for some of you, didn't I?) this was one of the movies they showed. I stayed up until midnight and beyond to watch it. I sat in front of our black and white TV, waiting for the broadcast to begin, hoping, hoping, hoping that somehow it would be in color! What can I say, I was 16, and not the sharpest crayon in the box!
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
Phil Geiger
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 08 May 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 444
|
| Posted: 08 December 2014 at 7:52pm | IP Logged | 10
|
post reply
|
|
GOD IS DISAPPOINTED IN YOU by Mark Russell. "Stripped of it's arcane language and interminable passage, every book of the Bible is condensed down to it's core message, in no more than a few pages each." I am greatly enjoying this book.
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
James Best
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 02 March 2014
Location: United States
Posts: 890
|
| Posted: 12 December 2014 at 6:22pm | IP Logged | 11
|
post reply
|
|
I slowed down a bit with the recent Thanksgiving holiday but managed to get some decent reading despite the presence of my in-laws under my roof.
First up was SPIRIT OF STEAMBOAT by Craig Johnson. A short story starring his Sheriff Walt Longmire character set in 1988 around X-mas time, it was a fun read for those who follow Johnson's ongoing mystery series set in modern day Wyoming.
Second was DR. J – The Autobiography, which had some decent insights but mostly proved over and over again that Julius Erving had a very hard time keeping his zipper zipped during his NBA career and it cost him a lot both financially and emotionally. He is without question one of the best basketball players to ever lace up a pair of Converse sneakers, but his success on the court was counter-balanced by the challenges he faced in his personal life. Recommend reading only if you are a hardcore NBA fan.
Just finished ALIBI by Joseph Kanon, a suspense novel set in Venice at the end of WWII. While I enjoyed some of Kanon's other books (THE GOOD GERMAN, STARDUST, and LOS ALAMOS) this one didn't have the same spark. It took me a lot longer to read than I thought it would because the story never really grabbed me.
Right now I am diving into a new quartet of suspense novels by British crime writer Robert Wilson. First up is INSTRUMENTS OF DARKNESS, set in West Africa during the mid 90's. If this series is as entertaining as Wilson's other series set in Seville, Spain I expect it will keep me occupied until New Years. :-)
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
Marcio Ferreira
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 20 September 2008
Location: Brazil
Posts: 2518
|
| Posted: 13 December 2014 at 9:04am | IP Logged | 12
|
post reply
|
|
Finished the Autobiography of Rex Brown, bass player from Pantera.It was a quick and fun reading. Learned a little bit more about the band of these heavy metal fans from Texas that climbed to the top in the 90's and ended up because of disagreements between Phil & Rex (on one side) and the brothers. The tragic death of Dimebag Darrel (ten years last December 8th) is very sad and weird. On one hand, I am sure Dimebag would be happy to know that Van Halen was there and that he was buried with his guitar. But... Rex suggested that it was all a marketing move from Van Halen and he was just disrespectful. Anyway. I wanted to share, maybe there are some other Pantera fans in the house.
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
