More TKTS booth drama
More TKTS booth drama
#1More TKTS booth drama
Posted: 9/8/08 at 11:36am
They're $11 million over budget, and taxpayers are now going to be forking over $11.4 million of the $19 million it costs to build this thing.
I have to ask...$19 million for a trailer with bleachers?
My favorite line in the article is this one, from one of the board members, because it's so true:
"The Chinese were able to build the Bird's Nest Olympic stadium in three years, and it has 500 times the physical space. It's taken Tompkins two year to get TKTS done, and all we're talking about is a tiny little space with a bunch of benches."
TKTS job scalps city for $11.4 million
#2re: More TKTS booth drama
Posted: 9/8/08 at 11:43amThey should just tear it down and leave it where it currently is by the Marriott Marquis.
#2re: More TKTS booth drama
Posted: 9/8/08 at 12:10pm
"Built during the Depression between 1930 and 1931, the Empire State Building became the world's tallest office building -- surpassing the Chrysler Building by a whopping 204 feet. The design of the building changed 16 times during planning and construction, but 3,000 workers completed the building's construction in record time: one year and 45 days"
They knew how to get things done back then .....
#4re: More TKTS booth drama
Posted: 9/8/08 at 12:12pmThe TKTS booth has become a running joke every time my one friend and I go to New York. It's beyond ridiculous at this point.
#5re: More TKTS booth drama
Posted: 9/8/08 at 1:28pm
Of course $19 million is too much for just "a trailer with bleachers." But the new TKTS booth will be so, so, so much more! It will, according to the Post, also have "a shimmering and floating carpet of color and light." Surely that's absolutely priceless.
I know that my ticket-buying experience has been much the poorer all these years because I didn't get to feel like I was on a magic carpet. Or at least have people watching me waiting to buy tickets think that I was on a magic carpet.
The Marriott Marquis site seems to work well enough for actual ticket-buying even without getting to pretend to be Aladdin.
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#6re: More TKTS booth drama
Posted: 9/8/08 at 2:00pmPaging Michael Bloomberg, Paging Michael Bloomberg, are you going to do something about this?
#8re: More TKTS booth drama
Posted: 9/8/08 at 4:20pmIts the ugliest building in New York and all associated with it should be ashamed that it cost that much to look so cheap!
#9re: More TKTS booth drama
Posted: 9/8/08 at 4:27pm
I'm with Dottie. Just leave it where it is. It's ridiculous that it's taken them 2 years and $19 million to build a simple TKTS booth. And it's hilarious that they used the words "architecturally stunning" to describe the new "outlet". It's tickets booth, how stunning can it be?
#10re: More TKTS booth drama
Posted: 9/8/08 at 4:44pm
When they say $19 million that's just the face value, right? Certainly the taxpayers won't be expected to come up with any more than $5.7 million?
No way this project is popular enough to be asking 75%, let alone full price!
#11re: More TKTS booth drama
Posted: 9/8/08 at 4:48pmTax payers are covering 11.4 million bucks. That info is in the original post of this thread and the linked article.
#12re: More TKTS booth drama
Posted: 9/8/08 at 6:07pm
Its the ugliest building in New York and all associated with it should be ashamed that it cost that much to look so cheap!
You've seen it? I'm impressed!! All I ever see when I walk by is that ugly blue construction wall.
When they say $19 million that's just the face value, right? Certainly the taxpayers won't be expected to come up with any more than $5.7 million?
Did you read the article? Taxpayers are covering $11.4 million of this nightmare. The project is more than 100% over-budget.
Updated On: 9/8/08 at 06:07 PM
bwaylvsong
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/28/05
#13re: More TKTS booth drama
Posted: 9/8/08 at 6:11pmThis is NOT the way for the government to support the arts. It was fine the way it was and currently is.
#14re: More TKTS booth drama
Posted: 9/8/08 at 6:22pm
Sadly, the only solution is for taxpayers to demand an additional $2 per ticket "surcharge" until the money is repaid.
Those who use the facility should pay for it...not everyone.
...And this is coming from someone who uses it every time I'm in the city!
Oh well.
#15re: More TKTS booth drama
Posted: 9/8/08 at 6:38pm
"Why do it at all?"
Broadway is one of the #1 tourist attractions in New York. Ask 10 "normal" people who aren't New Yorkers and I bet you that 50-100% of them don't know about TKTS or how to go about getting discount tickets.
Having the TKTS structure be a LANDMARK, in my opinion, is a GOOD thing! Stick that thing right in Duffy Square (where it originally was) and it gets lots of attention. Plus, Duffy Square is a location that is shown very frequently in film/television. So the exposure that TKTS is going to get from this project is HUGE and well worth the idea of re-modeling the original booth to make it more of a unique design that captures attention.
Things first went wrong when the glass company they were using went bankrupt. We don't know all the details about the 2+ years of delays since then, but whatever happened is done with and they are stuck with it. It needs to be paid for.
So HOW they choose to pay for the thing is debatable, but I think that the original intentions for building was spot on. If it helps put more butts in seats, then it may be worth all this hassle.
And let's see how it looks before we judge it too harshly, eh? We've only seen glimpses...
--Aristotle
#18re: More TKTS booth drama
Posted: 9/8/08 at 7:22pm
Its not going to look anything like this!
Oh come on, anyone with two eyes can see exactly what the structure looks like thats been sitting there the last god knows how long! It looked excatly the same last Tue as it did 6 months ago and a year before that. Someone is taking the p***!
#19re: More TKTS booth drama
Posted: 9/8/08 at 7:46pm
mmm Nice!
#20re: More TKTS booth drama
Posted: 9/8/08 at 7:50pm
TKTS London
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
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