Eastern Railroad Discussion > Building Yankee Stadium @ Ground Zero

A proposal has been presented with the following. What do you think about moving the NY Yankees Stadium to Ground Zero with a memorial inside? A Memorial Stadium/Train Station (Path) would be a nice tribute for the area. It would be a monument and a commercial enterprise that would bring many jobs back to the area and thousands of visitors. A chance to bring the joyful sounds of America's pastime to the site of America's deepest sadness.

Nice idea, the owner of the Yankees did threaten to move the team to Manhatten, but the land is owned by the POrt Authority which used the rent from the WTC to finance the PATH system. They would need to put office space back into that area that equalled the original office space. That is why you see plans for more shorter towers than rebuilding two big ones. All plans for the area does not build any building on the original footprints of the two towers.

I think it's an awful idea. I can't countenance the notion of ballplaying on the site where so many people died.

I also don't have a clue as to what this has to do with railroading, other than the inclusion of rapid transit stations in the facility.

PatchJob, This has plenty to do with RR'ing a new train and subway station in lower Manhatten to rival Penn Station & Grand Central.

I don't see how a replacement rapid transit station at the Trade Center site is going to "rival" Penn Station or GCT. The commuter and Amtrak lines are not configured to go to that site and it's unlikely they ever will be.

I also don't think there's any doubt that some sort of rapid transit facility will indeed be restored there, no matter what is erected at the surface. So the key idea that is being introduced here is the relocation of Yankee Stadium, and that has no direct connection to railroading that I can think of -- other than the fact that a lot more Yankee fans might take the subway to games in the Financial District than do so now up in the Bronx.

I agree with Patch on this one...I couldn't imagine being a player on that field celebrating a victory when so many people lost so much more right there. Not to mention the fact that baseball is so slow that the place will look like a jungle before something productive happens there... There is no doubt that some sort of transit hub will be built in there somewhere...but wow, a baseball stadium?? I love the idea of preserving the 'footprints' of the building, and having new commercial buildings go up around the footprints. You can't lose that kind of office space and not rebuild it.

CSXDash9

Nothing really wrong with the present location for my beloved Yankees, and there is also nothing wrong with taking the subway to/from the Stadium from either the east- or westsides to its current location--I've done it literally dozens and dozens of times. Yankees will end up in Manhattan one day, probably over the LIRR 30th St. storage facility (which is only blocks away from my old 'hood), so no need to rush into someplace they shouldn't be. Besides, with all the players involved in redeveloping the WTC, including the developer with a 99-year lease to the site, along with endless red tape trying to get anything moving in NY, it's hard to imagine George and boys being willing to wait that long. Anyway, as for tying in railfanning to this topic, you can easily catch the constant action on the MNCR Hudson Line from the pedestrian overpass to some parking lots just south of the Stadium, so what's wrong with that?!

Joel

What is so important about preserving the "footprints" of the old towers? That is total BS. Now is the opportunity to build a structure larger than what was there in the past, or at least equal in size. Restricting the "footprint" area imposes too many needless restrictions. Lets look forward, not back.

I have had it with all the memorializing. Where is the anger, where is the resolve to bury those who attacked us? All I saw today was a bunch of bleeding hearts. So I watched the Discovery channel and watched documentaries on how the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and Hoover Dam were created. Much more productive use of my time. My motto "No WTC, None of the Time!" What really ticks me off is that these 3,000 or so who died are somehow more important than other people who have died in the U.S. Their families get millions of dollars, there is endless TV programs and memorials created. What the hell is the difference between them and other people who have died in this nation's history? A member of my family died recently and we got no money, so I am supposed to feel sorry for a family who has lost a family member but is now a millionaire? Get real.

Disclaimer: This post has NO railroad content.

rickrailrd wrote:

What really ticks me off is that these 3,000 or so
> who died are somehow more important than other people who have
> died in the U.S. Their families get millions of dollars, there
> is endless TV programs and memorials created. What the hell is
> the difference between them and other people who have died in
> this nation's history?

Yea, Or the thousands that are killed by gang warfare.

How about those who are over in Afghanistan right now, putting some effort behind the words "Payback is a b***h"? So much was dedicated to those who lost their lives needlessly a year ago, but I hardly heard anything about the thousands of members of our military that are over there hunting those terrorists down and are getting shot at in the process.

Quite frankly, I would hate to see a ballpark occupied by Steinbrenner and his team of overpaid crybabies stinking up that place of honor and rememberance and tragedy. And yes, I am still a baseball fan, and yes it's America's pasttime, but not with that bunch of drooling yahoos. Put a small market or minor league team there and we'll talk.

-Eric