Barclays Tours Intended to Amaze
by Net Income on Jul 18, 2011 5:23 PM EDT
in Brooklyn
Email
Print
In the latest tour of Barclays Center, Bruce Ratner tells the Times, "Sometimes I look at it and I am amazed we all got there." That is of course the point of the tours that are now weekly or even more frequent. Despite impediments, and the Times lists them all, there is now evidence, in bright orange hues, that it's all very real, amazing actually.
The arena' critics can complain about the dust or the "rat tsunami" or the illegal parking or revel in their (limited) court victory last week, of which the Times takes its first notice. Doesn't matter much. As Liz Robbins notes, "Sections of prefabricated concrete seat platforms and concourses — the guts of every sports arena since Roman times — are now in place".
Starting Wednesday, the arena's distinctive exterior "skin" goes up. Expect more amazement as the Nets' senior vice-president for communications, Barry Baum, dons his construction helmet and leads another reporter on tour. And if he wants, he can schedule them whenever he wants: the job is going to three shifts, 24 hours a day.
- Atlantic Yards Arena Begins Taking Shape - Liz Robbins - New York Times
- Progress Profile Pictures: Barclays Center - Facebook
- Times article on arena rising finally mentions Friedman decision, acknowledges reasons for opponents to "complain"; essential narrative is Ratner's triumph - Norman Oder - Atlantic Yards Report
- Ratner’s Traps: Pest Control and a Pesky Lawsuit - Matt Chaban - New York Observer
- Atlantic Yards: How Brooklyn's Arenafication is Going - Sarah Polsky - Curbed New York
19 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Rat tsunami?
That’s actually a pretty creative one. Kudos to whoever came up with that.
"Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn’t make it."
-Tupac Shakur
Here's a model of what the finished arena will look like
Don't muddy my celebration.
by Dr. Goodtimes on Jul 18, 2011 6:34 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
That would be awesome
I want season tickets on the gun turrets. Maybe we get to use them on LeBron, Wade, and Bosh.
"The trade that usually happens is the one you never hear about" - Net Income
Reading the comments on the Times article I can draw a conclusion.
Those opposed to the project have called the area home for quite some time, and change like this is so out of their spectrum that they have nothing to do but complain. These people also clearly would not know sports if it bit them in the rear end. They have no interest in basketball. Of course people who have zero passion for sport will oppose such a project. For fans of the Nets in NJ who do not plan on supporting them in Brooklyn simply confuse me.
"Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn’t make it."
-Tupac Shakur
I've lived there for quite some
I was in the Clinton Hill area for almost 20 years before I moved to NJ. I’ve seen my property there raised in value significant since the boom of all this construction in Downtown Brooklyn and more recently the arena. I have nothing to complain about and I’ll root for the Nets in Brooklyn.
"The trade that usually happens is the one you never hear about" - Net Income
fans of the Nets in NJ who do not plan on supporting them in Brooklyn are not real fans
This move is clearly for the better of the whole organization, and if a fan doesn’t want to be a part of that, than they were never really a fan to begin with.
by rootcactus on Jul 18, 2011 11:02 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
that's a pretty wide brush you paint from comments.
I lived there. I know sports. I’m a Nets fan and a Mets fan as well.
Even people passionate about sport think the whole plan was the dirtiest of politics/ non-free-market agreements. I’m really surprised that it’s so hard for some people to see why there is an issue with the project and/ or how it went down. A congested area that will take on more congestion? And possibly a slew of new apartment buildings in that congested hub? That’s a reason to complain, especially since the values of the area have risen steadily in the past 15 or so years (really, the only blight on the area is… the half-filled, budget, Atlantic Mall… but I digress).
And there will be a rat tsunami. Happens every time a big project opens a hole in the ground.
Rumble in the Garden - St. John's blog with thunderous undertones, on SB Nation | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter
Serious question.
You mean to tell me the only time you encountered rat problems was when a new project begins? I have close family living in Brooklyn who tell me every time I visit how awful the process is of bringing trash to the basement of the apartment building, as rats infest the area. I find it hard to believe that a project like this is can draw so much complaining when rats are a daily struggle for many parts of the borough.
"Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn’t make it."
-Tupac Shakur
by NetsMets4Life on Jul 19, 2011 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions
the rat thing is real
This happens more in Manhattan – my Brooklyn existence was generally low on the rat scale for New York, living just off of main streets – on Warren near Smith, on St. Mark’s near 4th, in Greenpoint – well, there were some rats up in that piece for sure. I also only lived in one large apt building, and was in smaller 3-apartment places or 2 apartment places otherwise.
Rats are around – but not like at a nearby groundbreaking. But the rats are also a small part of the beef.
Rumble in the Garden - St. John's blog with thunderous undertones, on SB Nation | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter
And the conclusion I came to
was not solely from the comments of the Times article. This is from over a year of what I have personally seen from the typical critic of the project. Same type of people. You are one of the rare ones who are familiar with the area yet can appreciate what bringing basketball to a borough that was lacking sports for over half a century simply because you are a sports fan. Otherwise I see similarities between the critics and your typical hipster.
"Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn’t make it."
-Tupac Shakur
by NetsMets4Life on Jul 19, 2011 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions
ehhh...
Typical hipster’s a strawman. The people in the neighborhood aren’t “hipsters,” they’d probably fall more under “yuppies,” I suppose.
And despite my appreciation for the Nets, stadium deals are generally a crappy bill of goods for an urban area, they just are. The economic impact is just sucked from other areas (with a slight bump overall, since some people might have eaten at home but will instead eat in the neighborhood/ at concessions); the impact on “development” is always overstated; and they create problems of traffic and congestion. It happens every time. The area around Yankee stadium isn’t somewhere you’d visit on anything other than gameday; when I go to CitiField, I don’t go to Corona or Flushing.
To be honest, I dislike the project, but won’t be such an ideologue that I won’t see a game at Barclay’s or cheer for the team. I expect change. But I won’t ever say “this project was organized the right way” or spout off on some crap about how the stadium will develop a hot danged thing. It won’t. It might be a cool place to see a ballgame, and the one development-related thing I am excited about is how it can bring Long Island cash into the Brooklyn restaurants (if fans walk 5 or so blocks) – there are some good and interesting places there.
Rumble in the Garden - St. John's blog with thunderous undertones, on SB Nation | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter
Thank you!
First off, I am glad that there is someone else here who sees this the way I do and understands what is really going on. I have commented on that article on the NY Times twice, and there were a number who recomended me. The rat tsunami is no hyberbole, and I dare you to say that to the people there who are seeing this a lot lately. BTW, at the hearing that was involving such a problem, Ratner sent none of his cronies there to deny it, so that shows how apathetic he is, but that didn’t surprise me. Seriously, how does opposing this project makes anyone any less of a fan compared to those that support it. If you asked me, it’s exactly the opposite. Last season, I have asked many people over at the Prudential Center how they would feel when the Nets move to Brooklyn, and many of them were on my side, not against me. The way I hear you guys trying brush this makes you as ignorant as many of the recent articles linked here from Crains NY, Daily News, NY Times, and even Arena Digest that have been talking about this. As Jeff Foxworthy would say it, “You are probably not smarther than a fith grader.” Until you do see the film, Battle for Brooklyn, you have no legitimacy to say that it’s false, and if you are afraid that paying for tickets to see this film will go to DDDB, then I can always buy the tickets for you, and we will see the film together. One other thing, new sports facilities are NOT magic bullets for teams nor are they for the area they are in, and that has been proven by Neil de Mause, who wrote the famous novel, Field of Schemes, and even has a blog where has proven countless times on that including his appearences on Stadium Status. Just because I oppose this, doesn’t mean that I hate sports, so quit trying to downplay me like that, because I find that to be a hit below the belt.
by Tal Barzilai on Jul 19, 2011 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions
One other thing
I don’t mean to correct you on what you mentioned on a previous thread, picodulce, but the rail yards are not unused. The MTA does actually use them to store trains used by the LIRR. Tracy Collins (aka threecee on Flickr) lives in that area and takes pictures of those very rail yards along with the rest of that area. He has seen trains of the LIRR pull into those yards all the time. According to this project, the new rail yards will actually be smaller than what is already there, which will not be good for storage of trains. Just had to clarify that with you.
by Tal Barzilai on Jul 19, 2011 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions
you're right
And that’s a really misleading thing for me to say. I think I was thinking from a development perspective, the Yards site has caught the eye of a few who wanted to build on/ above it.
Rumble in the Garden - St. John's blog with thunderous undertones, on SB Nation | Follow on Facebook | Follow on Twitter
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
NBA Playoffs Content Module
Related FanPosts on NetsDaily
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
