Reasons to Love NY
Actually, I think I meant “leave” NY, an Olympics being a good one. Good luck, and all that, but all the hotel rooms are being set aside, so you’ll be staying in New Jersey anyway; the advertising will be inescapable – and just imagine what the mascot might be: cockroach? alligator? pigeon? Mr. Met? Street punk? Oh, the list is endless; that west side stadium will actually have to be built, which means the Jets or Giants or both will return to the city, or the Yankees will relocate from the Bronx (no doubt making for significant complaints from the Mets, who would also like a new stadium someplace people like for itself); and do you really believe the traffic infrastructure is going to ever be capable of accommodating “Olympic Priority Lanes”? C’mon, the city can’t keep up on potholes, let alone add a lane to the LIE. Sure, Thorpey says he likes it, but he’s more involved in underwear than swimming these days, and by that time, he’ll be Oscar de la Renta, right? One last reason not to do it: Frank Gehry gets to design the gymnastics center in Brooklyn. $7.6 billion (with a $3 billion return), and what do you get: lots of unused sports facilities for the next 150 years.