There has been a new proposal for a 85,000 seat stadium on the West Side, looks really good. And I thought it would be great if we could get some international soccer matches in there. Also what are the possibilities of an expansion NY MLS team playing there? I think with a prime location, with so much access to public transport and millions of people in NYC, it would easily draw 30,000 a game. http://www.nypost.com/seven/03012003/news/regionalnews/31439.htm
i really don't think mls wants to have a new team be a tenant in a gigantic stadium they will most likely never come close to filling up if you haven't noticed, the galaxy are moving from a stadium that holds ~100k to one that holds 24k
I think the good thing about this is if built this would help NYC's bid to get the olympics. If they get the olympics other venues would have to be constructed(possible soccer stadium).
I think it's good news regardless of whether the Metros or an expansion team play there. Right now, the Meadowlands have a virtual monopoly on everything there, and treat MLS horribly. Ultimately there needs to be a location for the Metros to play in, and until they break ground in Harrison, I'm open to having alternatives. Eventually, if there is a NYC expansion team, it'll likely start renting another facility, so having a real venue in Manhattan would be great leverage against the Meadowlands. This is a big step towards having a legitimate chance to bring the Olympics to NYC, and if that happens there will likely be other smaller venues built. Hopefully, that would mean a smaller venue for an eventual NYC expansion team (Cosmos?) as well as another sizeable set of paydays for the people of Harrison. -Tron
There will be no other small venue suitable for a MLS stadium in NY even if the Olympics do come here. Check the NYC2012 website to check for yourself. This Jets Stadium is still pretty dubious. With current economic, political, and other factors in NY, it is highly unlikely that this stadium will happen anytime soon. Jets would like it for 2008. But if it is built in some configuration, expect it to be 2010 at least. Kicker here is that the Jets say they would build the stadium at their cost if the City/ State ponies up a Quarter of A billion Dollars for a platform over the rail yards so that it could be built. Both ends of that are unlikely to happen. I won’t even get started on NJSEA, 'cause any real competition will cause them to change nothing.
NYC is actually a pretty weird place. There is no train service to the airports, and of the 7 teams that have New York on their jerseys only two actually play in Manhattan, the place most of us think of as being New York. Two of the teams play in another state!! This proposal looks to be a first step in bringing to Manhattan that which almost every other city in North America already has - - namely a stadium for field sports. It will have to be multi-purpose, and it have to have a soccer capability, because even without MLS, New York will host soccer matches over the years. They make money. So, if this is what they come up with, good. They need to do something. Now, how about a train that runs to JFK? No, okay, how about to LaGuardia?
The proposal will never go through. It is a pipedream. I live here. Unless they can guarantee a mix of public transportation and tailgate ready parking lots, and a sh$t load of cash to the philanthropists of the West Side, it will be nothing more than a bad LSD trip. The idiots who run this city decided to build a monorail connecting JFK to the Jamaica LIRR terminal, and convenielty left out the link to Shea Stadium, USTA, and LGA. dumb dumbs.
You asked for it, http://www.panynj.gov/airtrain/ You are right to be critical of the NYC airport publiuc transit problemos, but if you take a look around, you will find that this is really an American problem, not one confined to the NYC area. With the exception of Chicago, I cannot think of another American city that has both a transit system that people really use and which has decent rail connections to its major airports, i.e. one which is actually located at the airport and does not involve the use of shuttle buses. But we digress...
You leave out the best part. The "dumb, dumbs" who conceived of the plan we able to utilize federal airport surcharge monies to build the monorail to connect all of the terminals at JFK (approximately 10 terminals in a huge complex), the subway system and the LIRR. This is a multi-billion dollar system built at no expense to the taxpayers. You forgot to give kudos to the "dumb, dumbs" at the FAA and Congress who mandate that the surcharge monies be used only for airport transportation purposes and who have mandated that no other stops or routes could be utilized by the Air Train. But, you knew that already. Kevin
The monorail is a good idea, however, for the life of me I can not understand why the damn thing doesn't connect Flushing Meadow Park with it's 2 stadiums and LGA as well. That's the part I think was dumb dumb. And how many people are actually going to stay at a hotel in Jamaica next to the new terminal?????
Re: Re: New proposal for NYC Stadium MARTA - Hartsfield Int'l (Atlanta) METRORAIL/AMTRAK - BWI (Baltimore) BART - San Francisco Int'l (San Francisco) WMATA METRO - Washington Reagan National Airport - (Washington DC) are a few off the top of my head. Granted - I don't know if the BART connection is finished yet. It is very close.
Did you read my post? They were not ALLOWED to use the funding for a more general transportation network in that part of Queens. Additionally, the NIMBY's in Queens did not want the project at all. I am not sure what you mean by the Jamaica hotel reference. There are no hotels that I know of in Jamaica. However, there are umpteen LIRR trains per hour to Penn Station (20 minute ride) and there are a few hotels that cater to tourists in that part of Manhattan. The whole debate re: AirTrain took place five years ago. Everyone wanted the one-seat ride to Manhattan, but the federals regs would not allow for it under the airport surcharge funding scenario. The choice became one of funding and the folks running the project opted for the slightly less convenient option as they did not have $3 billion of their own money laying around to do the project differently. JFK, by the way, is really going to be no different than Newark after the AirTrain opens. Newark requires an Amtrak or NJ transit ride to the Airport Monorail stop and the monorail then connects you to the three airport terminals, parking lots and rental car offices. It's the same concept and anyone who has used it will tell you that it is a real pleasure to fly out of Newark now - it literally takes 25 minutes to get from Penn Station to the airport counter in your terminal at Newark. Would a one-seat ride be better? Sure, but compared to what existed 5 years ago, it is a great improvement.
Re: Re: Re: New proposal for NYC Stadium Atlanta - wasn't familiar with that service. DC Airports - Last time I used public transport from BWI, you had to take a fairly long shuttle bus to the train station. Also, I think of BWI primarily as one of the three DC area airports. The Light Rail service to Baltimore is fine, but BWI has lousy connections to DC, particularly on weekends. Dulles is worse. National is great, but that's 1 for 3 in my book (LGA, by comparison to DC, is the only one of the three NYC area airport not connected by similar public transport services). BART - Last time I was there, you had to take an extraordinarily long shuttle bus to the BART. It would be a stretch to call it an airport public transportation service.
Do you think that it would be possible to eventually connect the airtrain from Jamaica to Flushing Meadow and LGA?
Possible in what sense? As a concept, absolutely. In reality, I draw your attention to the current public debate re: the MTA and its budget situation. In the face of its budget problems, the MTA is undertaking a 2nd Avenue Subway project and a project that will connect the LIRR to Grand Central Terminal. Unless the Port Authority ponies up money to connect the Air Train to LGA, I wouldn't bet on it. And even if they do, you may find that similar limitations on the use of the $$$ will mandate that it pass right by Shea and Flushing Meadows Park without stopping.
that's stinky.... Ideally, there should be 1 train/air train that connects downtown Manhattan to JFK to Jamaica to Flushing Meadow to LGA to Grand Central to Penn/MSG to west side stadium/Jacob Javitz to downtown Manhattan
Hey! What's with these Monorails? First Vegas starts building them all over the place http://www.lvnvmonorail.com/ Then Seattle decides its ElvisRail is the way to beat its impossible traffic problems http://www.elevated.org/ And this thing from JFK to the train station. Okay, who owns stock in these companies, and if not, why not? Also, the list of cities with trains to the airport should include: Cleveland Portland Philadelphia Dallas and, this one should shame New Yawkers to no small extent, LA. (Okay, there is a bus shuttle to compete the trip, but it is free) Oh, PS, Chicago has train service from both O'Hare and Midway. Hell, it even has train service from Gary Airport! What is New York's problem?
Hmm, maybe New York is a tad bit bigger than just about all but one of those cities, the subway system was bulit 100 years ago which if you hadn't noticed is a little before there were things called airplanes or airports, the NYC subway system is already the biggest in the world, and the cost of extending it just a few miles costs in the billions.
back to the stadium issue........ I don't see MLS wanting to put a team in an 85,000 seat stadium on the West Side. it could be perfect for the NFL's Jets, but not an MLS team. now what if someone bought Downing Stadium on Randalls Island and renovated that facility? I know it played host to many international soccer matches over the years, and was home to the Cosmos in the 70's before Giants Stadium was built in NJ, so that could be an option if someone had the money to fix it up.
Re: Re: Re: Re: New proposal for NYC Stadium http://sanfrancisco.about.com/library/weekly/aa073002a.htm The BART service is new. Direct to airport.
How the hell does anyone get to Randalls Island???? I've lived here all my life and I have never been there, nor do I have a clue as to HOW to get there? Who currently plays there now? I know they have concerts there sometimes...
No chance on Randalls. It cannot be renovated- would cost more to renovate then to build a new facility. Randalls Island would be great except that it is probably the only place in the greater Metro NYC area that is less accessible than the Meadowlands. No subway, only sporadic bus service. It would be a nightmare. Will never, ever be a real possibility again.
I already mentioned Chicago and I agree that it is a good situation. Philadelphia I had forgotten, but that is also a good one. LA is not such a great situation. Aside from the fact that few people ride the transit system and it does not serve large parts of the LA area, the airport subway service was purposely built a few miles from the airport due to the strength of the lobbying by the airport parking lot businesses. I am not sure that the others have good rail links from their airports, but they are not cities with large numbers of people riding their transit systems.