Top NYC Moments of 2007

Subway Hero – Early January is always a cruel month. The hype of the holidays leads to a month filled with cold winds and drooping temperatures. Subway Hero, Wesley Autrey, revived our spirits last January when he jumped on a subway track in front of an on-coming train to cover a student who had fallen on the tracks after suffering a seizure. It was selfless and inspiring and it still makes us mist up to think about it.

Senator Hillary Clinton Announces Her Candidacy for President – The former First Lady and Senator from New York has always been a trailblazer, and as the first woman to run for President, the trail is leading her to the White House. It’s anyone’s guess who will be our President-to-be at this time next year, but it’s bound to be an adventure for Hillary.

Will Smith’s Legend Takes Over Manhattan – New Yorker’s are never ones to keep their mouths shut, and Will Smith got an earful when filming “I am Legend” in New York this past year. After tying up traffic and closing down parts of the city, he commented that, “I felt like my middle name was F.U.” Yup, that seems about right.

Bloomberg’s Mayor’s Conference – Our man, Mike Bloomberg, hosted the C40 Conference of Mayors in New York and brought sustainability and responsibility front and center for rest of the world’s big city mayors. Is this guy President yet?

Grand Central Steam Pipe Explosion – On July 19th, New Yorkers experienced a totally unnatural geyser, as a steam pipe ruptured near Grand Central. With only 1 death and minimal injuries, we should consider ourselves lucky. Con Ed? Not so much.

Gossip Girl – Ok, it’s not really a moment. It’s a TV show. But, we like Gossip, and it’s set in some of our favorite NYC haunts and we like that.

Strikers – In late November, it seems as though everyone was on strike and we were tempted to take to the streets to strike against the strikes. Thankfully, the lights of the Great White Way are shining again, but we’re not happy at the thought of a winter devoid of the Golden Globes and the Oscars if the Writer’s Guild remains on strike.

Rockefeller Christmas Tree – This city is going greener and greener as the days go by. Even our beloved Christmas Tree in Rock Center is sporting energy-conserving LED lights. That’s over 84 feet of inspiration for conservation, blazing for all to see. It's just enough to lead us into 2008 with a smile on our faces.

May your holiday season be merry and bright! Wishing all of our friends, colleagues and clients a happy, safe and prosperous New Year!

Rock Center Christmas Tree

Trolling through the internet today, we stumbled upon this great picture of the first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. It was erected by construction workers in 1931 shortly after the site was cleared to begin construction. Like a classic New York story, the humble beginnings of this tradition has grown into something grand and elegant, topped with something very sparkly. Enjoy!

2nd Avenue Relocates to 33rd Street

Keeping things kosher in Kips Bay, the 2nd Avenue deli has re-opened after closing last year at its famed 2nd Avenue location. New Yorkers from far and wide are rejoicing as the historic business unshutters to serve classic deli favorites, like matzoh ball soup, pastrami on rye and much, much more. Jeremy Lebewohl, the nephew of the deli's late founder, Abe Lebewohl, kicked off the reborn venture with a cutting of nickel shtikel sausages.

Just a Reminder

It is a busy time of year for everyone and NYC is in full hustle and bustle mode. While the sights and sounds of New York at the holidays are exciting and can easily draw one’s eye upward for an appreciative glance, causing one’s feet to stop moving and come to a dead halt, please know that this type of activity (or lack thereof) is not appreciated by most New Yorkers when it occurs in the middle of the sidewalk. It also is not appreciated when packs of 4-12 people do it at the same time. Just a reminder to help everyone keep the holiday spirit alive and well in the city.

Brooklyn Bridge Goes Green

Bloomberg does it again. Ok, it’s not only our super-hero mayor who is behind NYC’s newest environmental upgrades, but we like to think he had a lot to do with it. Top of the list? One of the nation's oldest suspension bridges - The Brooklyn Bridge - is getting a modern makeover and going green. The famous necklace lights on the bridge will be replaced with energy-efficient bulbs, saving over 134 tons of greenhouse gases annually. Coming soon? The city will replace 25,000 streetlights and start phasing in new hybrid police and fire vehicles. All of the upgrades are gearing the city toward its goal of a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030. If anyone can us get there, it’s Bloomberg.

Greetings from New York