MTA Unbullish On Citi’s Future?

Coincidence? Shares in Citigroup opened sharply lower on Monday, March 30 (from $2.62 to $2.31), after Monday morning’s New York Times reminded readers that the MTA renamed the “Shea Stadium” 7 train stop “Mets Baseball” instead of “Citi Field”:

The Mets had sold 30,000 tickets at $5 apiece and had given away another 12,000, but the ugly weather kept many fans away. Those who did show up began filing off the No. 7 train around 10 a.m., following signs from the subway that now read “Mets Baseball” instead of “Shea Stadium.” They pressed up against the gates, taking pictures of the exterior modeled after the Ebbets Field facade, and were soon flooding into the rotunda honoring Jackie Robinson.

Location Scout: Citi Field.

On The Bright Side, We’ll Still Have That New Paint Job On The Brooklyn Bridge

It’s hard to believe they couldn’t have seen this coming:

Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed budget for next year appeared balanced just two months ago, but the city’s Independent Budget Office says the latest economic indicators show it’s now $1.4 billion in the red. IBO director Ronnie Lowenstein says it’s due to a precipitous slide in tax revenues and a deteriorating economy.

From the assignment desk: Square with “City’s massive budget gap hits $23.8B, service cuts, tax hikes likely” (3/18/09).

The Problem With Pedestrian Malls Is . . .

. . . they’re generally too small for 40-foot-tall Charlie Brown balloons:

From Felix the Cat in 1927 to Bolt the dog in 2008, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has adapted, over the years, to changing times and cartoon fashions.

But one thing has always been constant: the final stretch of the parade route, down Broadway from Columbus Circle to Herald Square, through crowds lining the Great White Way.

That tradition appears to be doomed. The main culprit is the plan, unveiled last month by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, to turn Broadway into a pedestrian-only zone around Times Square and Herald Square this spring. If you can’t drive a car down Broadway, you can’t drive a float down it either

And so the city has begun the process of figuring out where the cat might hang his hat in November. Crain’s New York Business, in its most recent issue, reported that the city was considering shifting the parade to Avenue of the Americas.

Scott Gastel, a spokesman for the Department of Transportation, confirmed on Sunday that “a working group has been assembled on this matter, and recommendations will be made.”

Earlier: “Traffic Calming . . .By Drowning Traffic In The Bathtub Or Shanking Traffic With A Rusty Shiv”.

See Also: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

This Is The Democracy

Freedom’s just another word for nothing else to do:

A bill to be submitted this week in Albany seeks a permanent name change for the tower at Ground Zero, officially declaring it the Freedom Tower.

Brooklyn Sen. Marty Golden is submitting the legislation in defiance of the Port Authority, which owns the site.

Earlier: “Leading Economic Indicator: Delinking Financial Centers From The Concept Of ‘Freedom'”.

Upside Is That APs From Gossip Girl Sets Will No Longer Bark At You When You’re Trying To Get Somewhere

Downside is that Star and US Weekly have to travel a lot farther to stalk Ed Westwick. The television industry plays the school library card:

Television shows shot in New York will be going the way of the Betamax if lawmakers don’t allow for film and television industry tax breaks in the new state budget, industry folks say.

“If this program is curtailed in any way, it will force shows to re-evaluate their future in New York,” said one industry executive.

See also: I Don’t Care If You’re Filming, You’re In My Goddamn Way.