Infrastructure

After the greatest boom in its history, New York City's public infrastructure is in at least as bad shape as it was when I first arrived in the City in the dark days of 1991. At that time New York had a 13% unemployment rate, the crack epidemic raged, squeegee men ruled many street corners, and Hell's Kitchen really was truly Hell's Kitchen.

Now, of course, the City is superficially gussied up and safe, but what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Manhattan to be born?

I worry a lot about the fact that the only subway station to be built in Manhattan in decades has been delayed because its platforms were built to the wrong specifications and this was only discovered when they tried to run a train into the station. Meanwhile, the Second Avenue Subway - an on-again-off-again project that's been in progress since the 1930's - is promised in (get this) 2015! We're talking about a subway line that has only three new stations!

If funding holds.

If costs don't escalate.

If there's a contractor who can build to spec.