In this issue:
34SP a Step Ahead on Confusing Parking
Signs
 A recent
news segment on WCBS-TV cut right to the heart of a problem
that the 34th Street Partnership recognized years ago and did
something about. In this segment, WCBS’ Mark Morgan reports
that NYC Councilman Dan Garodnick is introducing a bill that
would require the city to re-assess parking signs every three
years in order to “help drivers decipher what they reading.”
We couldn’t agree more.
We at 34SP had long believed
that the city’s parking signs are difficult to read due to
many factors: unfriendly fonts, over-use of capital letters,
unclear abbreviations, duplication of information, and
uncertain continuity between signs. The signs aren’t
standardized, and they do not present information
hierarchically (i.e., they don’t emphasize the truly important
stuff). These problems make drivers unsure as to just where to
park, and that confusion leads to costly, and totally
unnecessary, parking tickets.
To address the problem,
our design team led by Ignacio Ciocchini designed and
developed a Parking Regulation Sign System (PRSS) in 2007 that
addressed each of the issues. The PRSS delivers clear,
concise, and consistent messages. The system is also
flexible enough to create custom signs for each location. It
even won two awards: a 2008 Jury Award from the Society for
Environmental Graphic Design and a 2007 Downtown Achievement
Award from the International Downtown Association. Last year,
we introduced signs from this system into the Chelsea
Improvement Company’s area of operation.
We hope
that Councilman Garodnick’s measure passes and, well, if the
city wants some pointers on how to make better signs, we’re
always here.
Cast Your Vote for BP Water Bottle
 We need
your help again. We want to add a Bryant Park-branded water
bottle to the inventory at Bryant
Park Shop, our online emporium for quality merchandise
designed to bring the elegance of New York’s most beautiful
park right into your own home. BPC Urban Designer Neha Sabnis
has created five design concepts for the bottle, and we need
to whittle that number down to one; that’s where you come
in.
Visit the Bryant
Park blog, peruse the five contenders, and make your
choice. The bottles are manufactured by Klean Kanteen and the
designs on the bottles were inspired by park features, our
logo, water, or a combination thereof. After the voting, Ms.
Sabnis will develop the final design based on your favorites.
Remember, Bryant Park Shop’s ever-growing
inventory includes T-shirts, hats, genuine Bryant Park chairs,
Bryant Park subway signs and much more. Make sure you browse
through the Bryant
Park Library, where you‘ll find books that inspired us, or
that feature the park prominently.
Avian Guests Winter at Bryant Park
 Bryant Park’s Birding Tours are timed for
the spring and autumn migration seasons, so we are currently
between engagements. But that doesn’t mean that nothing is
happening at the park, ornithology-wise. In fact, according Corey Finger at
the 10,000 Birds blog, this has
been a terrific winter for spotting species at Bryant Park.
In an entry titled The
Amazing Birds of Bryant Park, Finger writes that several
fine specimens have put up stakes at BP for the winter,
including two Yellow Breasted Chats, (at least) two Ovenbirds,
several Gray Catbirds (pictured), and most impressively, a
Lincoln’s Sparrow. That last one is a major “get” for NYC
birders in the winter. All of this during what has become a
busy time of year at BP, with Citi Pond, the Holiday Shops,
and Le Carrousel operating daily. The article also mentions
that Ben Cacace has been one of the main bird-spotters. Mr.
Cacace, an employee of the New York Public Library, is a
regular at our birding tours.
Bryant Park Birding
Tours, led by Gabriel Willow of the Audubon Society, resume on
April 9 and will run every Monday morning and Thursday
afternoon through May 24.
34SP/BPC Alumnus to Head Queens BID
 A news
item in the Queens
Gazette on December 28 caught our attention. The article
announced that Seth Taylor, former Maintanance Manager at 34SP
and BPC, has been named Executive Director of the 82nd Street
Business Improvement District (BID) in Jackson
Heights.
Mr. Taylor brings a load of experience in
urban management to the job. After performing yeoman work
here, he brought his talents to the Downtown Brooklyn
Partnership, then to the Union Square Partnership. Considering
these three positions, at three different BIDs, he had his
hand in almost all aspects of BID activity. We congratulate
Mr. Taylor, and salute the 82nd Street BID for making an
excellent choice. Good luck,
Seth!
Artisanal Eyesore Takes Honors at Ugly Sweater
Contest
 The old adage “If you want something done
right, do it yourself” apparently applies when discussing ugly
sweaters. Just ask Linda Kozik of Long Beach, NY, because her
homemade abomination took home the gold at the first ever Ugly
Sweater Contest at the Southwest
Porch in Bryant Park.
There were 49 worthy entries,
but fans of BP’s Facebook
page agreed that Linda’s was the least aesthetically
pleasing of all of them. And just ponder this: her victory
happened at the same place where models once strode down
catwalks in the most fashionable apparel imaginable!
Linda won a pair of tickets on Southwest
Air for her efforts, but everyone who attended had a good
time downing Grinch cocktails brewed up by ’wichcraft, munching
on snacks, and comparing sweaters. Keep checking in on the BP
blog for more contests at the Porch in Winter ’12.
Citi Pond and Celsius Open Until February
26
 The holidays
are over, but that doesn’t mean the winter fun will stop at
Bryant Park. For the second year in a row, Citi Pond, the
city’s only free-admission public skating rink, will remain
open daily through the last Sunday in February. That goes for
Celsius, the rink side restaurant-bar, as well. Citi Pond’s
hours are 8:00-am-10:00pm, Sunday-Thursday and 8:00am-midnight
on Fridays and Saturdays. Celsius is open daily from
noon-10:00pm, Sunday-Wednesday and noon-midnight
Thursday-Saturday.
The Bottom Line
 Wow! From Christmas Eve through January 1, we
counted an average of 2,649 people at Bryant Park at 1:00pm.
The average 6:00pm count for the same period was 2,321 – and
that included one rainy evening on December 27. Our highest
totals came on the day after Christmas, Monday, December 26,
when we counted 3,766 at 1:00pm and 3,435 at 6:00pm.
Bryant Park
Daily
Amenities
Le
Carrousel
Sunday-Thursday:
11:00am-9:00pm
Friday-Saturday:
11:00am-10:00pm
The Southwest
Porch
Monday-Saturday:
12:00pm-11:00pm
Sunday:
12:00pm-7:00pm
Ongoing
Programs
Citi Pond at
Bryant Park
Sunday-Thursday:
8:00am-10:00pm
Friday & Saturday:
8:00am-midnight
Celsius
Sunday-Wednesday: 12:00pm-10:00pm
Thursday-Saturday: 12:00pm-midnight |
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