Daniel E. Straus and Seniors Post-Hurricane Sandy

A few months ago, prior to Hurricane Sandy, the NY City Council decided to leave patients in hospitals and nursing homes.  At the last minute this decision had to be overturned.  Thus last week, the council was called upon to defend their original decision.  According to Tom Farley, the Health Commissioner, while it’s always easy to say better safe than sorry, in this situation there was no certain safe option.  It was therefore decided they should remain (initially) as moving vulnerable patients is problematic too. No-one knew what to do for the best. Nursing home administrators, owners, medical directors, etc., all had different ideas as to the best action.  There was no unifying decision amongst the organizations and thus what transpired was quite chaotic.  Hence the groups are being called to justify their actions at this time.

Ultimately Farley made the decision before Hurricane Sandy not to move patients as, having weighed the options, officials felt it safer to stay.  However, later on the decision was overturned and what resulted was a rushed, panicked evacuation in New York of 6,300 patients form 37 facilities.  These individuals needed to be moved out following flooding or loss of power.

Another problem of this impromptu evacuation, was the patients’ loved ones.  For days they had no idea of the whereabouts of the patients due to the loss of power.  And thus according to Councilman David Greenfield, the situation was described as “chaotic.”  Thus the reason for the current investigation as to what should have been done, and to what steps are to be taken should there be a reoccurrence of a similar situation.

Chelsea Welcomes WiFi to Its Outdoor Spaces

The largest outdoor WiFi network in Manhattan has arrived in Chelsea, due to the combined efforts of Google, which has its offices in the neighborhood, and the Chelsea Improvement Company.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg commented:

“This neighborhood can now claim to be the first in Manhattan with totally free outdoor WiFi."

Ben Fried, the Chief Information Officer at Google explained the network’s appeal:

 “All you need is a laptop, or a smartphone, or other wireless-enabled device and a web browser to get online.” 

Google and the CIC were especially excited about the proletarian nature of the undertaking, emphasizing that the network was built to first serve the courtyards and streets surrounding the Fulton Houses, home to about 2,000.

“The service will not be initially at 15 Central Park West, or somewhere that you might expect WiFi to be provided," 

Chelsea Improvement Company President Dan Biederman said. "Instead it’ll be in courtyards like these for New York City Housing Authority tenants.”

The WiFi network can be accessed between 15th and 19th Street, from Eighth to Tenth Avenue. About two blocks of High-Line will also be included. There are a number of other public spaces in the area where the WiFi reaches.

Representatives said that the cost of creating and installing the network to Google and the CIC amounted to about $115,000. In at least one case the WiFi can be entered in an indoor space, the Fulton Senior Center, where it was already being enjoyed.

“It’s something everybody uses, something everybody wants. And the fact that it’s free is a terrific bonus," said Mark Milder, a volunteer at the Fulton Senior Center. 

Next stop for free outdoor WiFi? The outdoor areas around 34th Street.

Hudson Yards Taking New York Into the Future

A huge transformation of Manhattan’s West Side has begun as ground breaking at the 26-acre rail yards, owned by the Metropolitan Transit Authority, and leased to developers for 99 years for over $1billion got underway on Tuesday. Years of deal making finally led to agreements between the MTA and developers, who plan on creating Hudson Yards, a 15-building, city-within-a-city project valued at about $15 billion.
Plans for the waterfront development included apartments soaring 75 stories high; a futuristic observation deck in the shape of a rocket ship about to launch orbiting over Manhattan at an altitude above the Empire State Building; a landscaped 5-acre plaza.

“Developing Manhattan’s final frontier is the next major step in our city’s ongoing economic revival,” Mayor Bloomberg said. “The Hudson Yards project — whose construction will create at least 23,000 jobs and whose existence will support thousands more — is a testament to our city’s economic strength.”

The Vision for Hudson Yards

TripAdvisor: Finding the Right New York City Hotel

When planning a vacation or a business trip at a hotel out of town, many people check out TripAdvisor to get a sense of the experience of prior guests.  The website offers “unbiased hotel reviews, photos and travel advice for hotels and vacations.”  

Certainly, it's important to take a look at the rankings before deciding on a hotel in New York, or anywhere else for that matter. Shimmie Horn’s Iroquois Hotel, for instance, was recently ranked Number 26 out of 435 hotels in the NYC vicinity (based on 1053 TripAdvisor reviews).  For the year 2012, the Iroquois Hotel was awarded as being a winner of the Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor.

Those who have stayed at the hotel made the following statements on TripAdvisor, when describing their experience.  These include: “the perfect place”; “great location and very nice staff”; “clean and friendly”; “loved staying here”; “our home away from home” and many more.  Many of Shimmie Horn’s guests rated his hotel a 5 out of 5 star rating as well.  These reviews are current and indicate that the hotel is consistently sticking to its high standards to ensure top level customer satisfaction at all times.

The Chatwal, on West 44^th Street, ranked number 17 on the same list.  It has been described by recent guests as: “a really nice hotel in midtown location”; “excellent service”; “retro cool”; a Great NY experience,” “Oasis.” Designed by architect Thierry Despont, it has a cool Art Deco style which still works well today.  Each room in and of itself is a work of art, “capturing the romance of the past while looking to the future.”

The Bowery Hotel in Manhattan’s East Village ranked number 42 on the list of top hotels in New York City by TripAdvisor.  Based downtown in New York’s lower east side, this quaint hotel offers scrumptious meals in its Gemma restaurant for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and more. Perfectly situated between Soho and the East Village, it has been described as having a “homey décor, big windows and large rooms.”

TripAdvisor is definitely a great starting point for those outside of the area who want to book the perfect hotel for their stay in the Big Apple.

McGraw-Hill Companies Selling Division to Private Equity

The McGraw-Hill Companies have just agreed to sell their education division to a private equity firm, in a move that will certainly have repercussions in the educational publishing world. It has agreed to see the company to investment funds that are affiliated with Apollo Global Management. This is an international firm based in New York City. McGraw-Hill is selling for $2.5 billion.

They expect the deal to be completed in early 2013 and it will leave McGraw-Hill with its financial information properties with the name McGraw-Hill Financial.

Interestingly, McGraw-Hill only named a new CEO of the McGraw-Hill Education division six months ago. Lloyd Waterhouse will continue to lead the company even under the new ownership, while Harold McGraw III will be the CEO of McGraw-Hill Financial.

With this move, Apollo Global Management joins in with Pearson and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (also a subsidiary of private equity) to be part of the large three educational publishers.

Big Apple Getting Ready for Big Holiday Season Tourism

Rockettes for Christmas

After all the flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy at the end of October New York is now gearing up for an entirely different type of flood; that of tourists coming to New York to experience the special magic of the holiday season in one of the world’s most exciting cities.

Everything is open and ready to go, except for just a handful of tourist sites and hotels. In lower Manhattan there are three hotels not yet ready for guests;  the Best Western Seaport Inn Downtown, the Holiday Inn Express New York City on Wall Street, and the World Center Hotel.

In the attraction department there are several major destinations still not ready to open. Those include the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the New York Aquarium in Coney Island, which were all hard hit by the furious winds of super storm Sandy.  But tourists wishing to visit the 9/11 Memorial Park site will be able to, and the subway is almost 100 percent back to normal. Friday will mark the end of gas rationing for the Big Apple.

The season is inaugurated by the incredible Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, now in its 86th incarnation. At the Rockefeller Center one of the world’s largest and most beautiful Christmas trees will be lit on November 28th with 30,000 multi-colored, LED lights hanging off of five miles of wire.  Radio City Music Hall features its annual and unforgettable Christmas Spectacular, featuring the iconic Rockettes dance troupe.

“We had a tragic incident but we are back except for the recovery in parts of the city that are more residential,” said George Fertitta, CEO of NYC & Company, the city’s marketing and tourism organization.

With New York well on its way to a complete recovery this holiday season should prove to be one of New York’s best ever. Be sure to join in the celebration.

Affordable Higher Education in New York City

Affordable Education in New York City is Possible

Ever wonder which of the long list of colleges and universities located within the borders of New York City are the least expensive for New York State residents?

As expected the long list of New York’s community colleges are the most affordable, and the educations received in these schools, such as CUNY Manhattan Community College or CUNY Kingsborough Community College are top-notch.

SUNY schools are for the most part next in affordability, and at the end of about four years students come away with an excellent degree. Unfortunately they are not located within the city of New York except for the SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx. The closest other SUNY schools to the city are located in Stony Brook and in New Paltz, New York.

Private schools of higher education in New York City include the Swedish Institute of Health Sciences; the Interboro Institute; and the Professional Business College, all three in Manhattan.

After these schools the yearly tuition begins to climb to over $10,000 per year, making it a challenge for working people to afford. However, with good high school grades and financial assistance from the school that bests meets the students requirements, often even expensive schools can be attended, and an excellent, cost-effective degree obtained.