According to the New York Times, the beloved Jacob Javits Convention Center has hit the end of the road. Governor Andrew Cuomo recently announced that New York's Main convention center is on the chopping block. Well, what does this have to do with automotives? The Jacob Javits Convention Center has been the home of the New York International Auto Show since 1988.
The Javits Convention Center has been problematic for over a decade. First New York wanted to expand it, then they wanted to remodel it, now they're giving up on it. The best quote to describe the Convention Center is: “It’s just such an awful building that the only reason to keep it would be as a monument to stupidity,” by Mark Wigley, the dean of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.
I'm going to be honest, it's an ugly building. However, you can't beat the location, especially for all of the conventions that New York hosts. It's up the street from Bentley of Manhattan, Chelsea Piers, Meatpacking District, a few blocks over from Whino Central (Port Authority), not far from Penn Station, and a hop, skip, and a jump away from Times Square. It's ideal for tourists/those in NY for business because if you stay in midtown or in Times Square, you're literally RIGHT THERE. You could walk (Midtown Manhattan is very safe, and I'm not being sarcastic.) or take a short cab ride.
So the question is: Where will NYIAS be held? Get this: Governor Cuomo also announced the arrival of a new convention center along with commercial and residental property... at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens. I've lived in New York for many years. The only reason why New York City has money is because of the tourists, and NYIAS and other conventions do bring out of state traffic into the city. Why build Javits Center replacement in a part of Queens that's not easily accessible? Granted Ozone Park isn't far from JFK airport, but trust me when I say that staying in Queens or Brooklyn isn't ideal for a tourist- unless if you have $500 a week for taxi fare.
New York needs to take a page from Los Angeles and carefully plan the events that take place in Madison Square Garden. The Staples Center houses every single sports team in Los Angeles as well as Car Shows, Auto Shows, Conventions, AND Concerts. The Staples Center is practically open 365 days, and MSG doesn't hold nearly as many events.
The last part of this post is very opinionated, and feel free to send this to Andrew Cuomo. The only perk to going to Ozone Park is that it's a Mafia-influenced area, if you're into that sort of thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment