I have to disagree somewhat with my libertarian friends at Reason who argue in the piece below that New York City is stifling a “creative, organic” outgrowth of the food-and-drinks business by shutting down the pandemic-era street sheds. I do so for the same reasons I have veered away from a number of laissez-faire positions:Continue reading “No, You Can’t Have a Free, Long Lease on a Dining Shed”
Tag Archives: New York City
50 Years On, Is Caro’s Word on Robert Moses To Be the Last?
Robert Caro has gone on to greater national fame with his (still in the works) biographies of Lyndon Johnson. But in the New York area, particularly, he is renowned for his work, The Power Broker, about local planning czar Robert Moses. It is the 50th anniversary of the publication of that Pulitzer Prize-winning book, whichContinue reading “50 Years On, Is Caro’s Word on Robert Moses To Be the Last?”
Hampton Jitney’s Tale Is LIRR’s Shame
The East Hampton Star this week adds to the 50-year commemorations of seminal events on the East End of Long Island in the early 1970s, when its transition to being a weekend and warm-weather retreat for ordinary (but affluent) New Yorkers kicked in. This short article’s focus is the Hampton Jitney, the preferred connection forContinue reading “Hampton Jitney’s Tale Is LIRR’s Shame”
Dining Out on Taxpayers in NYC
Restaurant sheds have been a lingering point of Covid controversy in New York City, and this item in the free tabloid papers from Schneps Media ought to be reason for further debate. The sheds were allowed on public streets to save the eateries during the indoor restrictions of the pandemic. Many of them remain inContinue reading “Dining Out on Taxpayers in NYC”
Empty or Illicit? NYC Shops for a Solution
New York City, like many urban areas, has suffered vacant storefronts in recent years. The causes are likely many: online shopping, property crime, difficulty in hiring low-wage staff or paying the going rents. An article at politicsny.com this week notes that some city councilmembers are on the case and, as often, blaming landlords. Even aContinue reading “Empty or Illicit? NYC Shops for a Solution”
Making a Hash of Legal Cannabis
“Recreational” marijuana sales are legal now in nearly half the U.S. states, but the effort has gotten ahead of itself on the retail front–or at least, ahead of the regulation still imposed on it. The rollout of shops for legitimized selling of weed, which memorably suffered in early-adopting California, is continuing to give New YorkContinue reading “Making a Hash of Legal Cannabis”
Tim W. Ferguson 