Saturday, October 31, 2009

Big Weekend in NYC

This has to be one of the busiest weekends in NYC in recent memory.

Today is Halloween. Halloween in New York is always a big deal. Halloween on a Saturday night in NYC, with an extra hour included due to the end of daylights savings time, is an even bigger deal. The parade downtown kicks off at 7 PM and it will be a mob scene. The bars and clubs will be jumping. Parties are being held all over town. It's going to be crazy out there in the city tonight.

And tonight, even though it's happening in Philly, is the third game of the World Series. After tonight one of the two teams will take the lead in the series and be at the halfway point for being the World Champions. Go Yanks!

And tomorrow is the New York City Marathon. Roughly 36,000 people will be running across the five boroughs, shutting down traffic and sidewalks, but making the city proud. I can't wait to see it ... on television.

And this is also the final weekend before Tuesday's municipal elections. Candidates for Mayor, Comptroller, Public Advocate, the Borough Presidencies and the City Council will be making their final pushes to win voters over and get them to the polls. In 72 hours we'll know who'll be running the city for the next four years (like we really have any doubt at this point who the victors will be). I've opined on all of this many, many times so I won't belabor the point.

It is interesting, however, that just days before the election the press is finally starting to pay some attention to the massive scandal regarding the mafia-infiltration of the Department of Buildings. According to the Times this is a "continual" problem and has becoming something of a "blemish" on Mayor Bloomberg's record. But it's not really his fault. There's really nothing he can do about it. It's even bigger than him.

A ... blemish? People have died in fires and crane collapses, 19 out of 24 inspectors are arrested for corruption, and the mafia is running the department? How about a criminal disgrace! How about this doesn't make any mayor on whose watch this is happening on unworthy of being re-elected? Hmmm, no ... it's just a "blemish." I guess all that's needed is a little make-up, a little cosmetic touch-up ... and no one will notice it. That's what $100 million will buy you.

So have a fun weekend out there in NYC tonight. It'll be one for the history books.

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