CLICK SANDY'S DINER AND MOVE YOUR CURSOR
ROCK & ROLL AT SANDY'S DINER
Posted on 04/19/2003 5:09:10 PM PDT by MadIvan
When Goldman Sachs, Wall Street's most powerful investment bank, decided to build itself a new skyscraper it also planned a fast new road to its door.
It reckoned, though, without Andy Diakos and the thousands of customers who eat at his old-fashioned Flamingo diner, which stood in the path of the proposed road.
In an upset tagged the Big Fat Greek Diner for its echoes of the hit film My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the local authorities last week prevented the demolition of the Flamingo.
Instead, they told the bank that its 6,000 besuited employees who are to occupy the 800ft tower must struggle through traffic, or walk from the local stations, like everybody else.
The story, like Nia Vardolos's film, has struck a powerful chord in New York, playing on traditional themes of family values immigrant hard work.
"I came from Greece to America to work hard for a better life and for 35 years I have been in this kitchen seven days a week. To take it from me would be a great injustice. Now I am saved, I feel like a new man!" said Mr Diakos, 59.
The new Goldman Sachs building towers over a financial district being built in Jersey City, across the Hudson River from the site of the World Trade Center. Leading Wall Street companies have been lured to downmarket "Jersey" by low corporate taxes, cheaper land prices and lower rents.
Goldman's plans for its new tower entailed flattening Mr Diakos's four-storey redbrick building - a scruffy leftover of the original waterfront - to make way for a four-lane approach road to its new headquarters.
Jersey City drew up a compulsory purchase and demolition order and offered $1.5 million (£1 million) for the Flamingo. But Mr Diakos, his extended family and customers from the old dockyard area decided that some things were worth more than money.
Mr Diakos's three daughters, Kalliope, 30, a graduate of the London School of Economics who works in television, Joanna, 28, and Maria, 27, hired a lawyer and organised a protest. Twelve thousand residents signed a petition and hundreds crowded into planning meetings to make their voices heard.
Joan Colletti, 53, a social worker, summed up the mood of residents as she tucked into moussaka at the Flamingo. "This is the heart of the community, and while people in Wall Street might not notice, there is a community here," she said. "This is the only place we have left for good food at low prices, any time of the day or night."
Mayor Glenn Cunningham finally got the message. Last week, he announced that he was lifting the demolition order. Goldman Sachs workers would instead have to negotiate a system of one-way streets to reach their office.
"I've listened to the people. God bless the Flamingo and may she fly for ever," he said. "I'm pretty sure Goldman Sachs would have preferred the building to go down. But I've checked their voting address - and they don't vote in Jersey City."
A spokesman for Goldman Sachs said that the company was unruffled by the change of plan. Privately, however, its executives have a different message.
"This smacks of political opportunism," one said. Another said: "They should get real: 6,000 people are going to try to get to work in that building and this will create a safety problem in the streets they will have to use."
To Kalliope, such complaints miss the point. She had watched her parents work around the clock to build up a business with loyal customers and make a modest fortune.
"All my father ever wanted to do was to go on running the Flamingo. It is because of his hard work that we could do all that," she said.
Mr Diakos, surrounded by a family of women whose chatter with the customers is a part of his diner's allure, prefers to toss burgers and stuff cabbage in the background, and keep his thoughts to himself.
Why had he refused the $1.5 million which could have provided a comfortable retirement and an end to his 16-hour days? "Money? I don't mind so much for the money, but all my life I wanted something, a business, to leave to my daughters, and it is here," he said.
When Goldman Sachs announced it was moving, it was a coup for New Jersey. It is considered Wall Street's leading investment bank and when it was publicly floated in 1999 its partners received a record-breaking windfall.
Gavyn Davies, now the chairman of the BBC, was then its chief international economist and saw his shares valued at £100 million.
The present recession, which caused the bank's profits to fall eight per cent last year, prompted a characteristic response: Goldman Sachs fired 2,900 staff.
Thanks for the link and I am off to reading it!
they contend that in order to have the most efficient worker flow to their new office complex No they do not. And please do not misuse the terms such as "worker flow:" this term is from a different course, Cuban; try to stay with the subject at hand. No need to impress us with the terminology that is irrelevant. The company is concerned with ease of access by its employees, not worket flow.
they need a four lane road. Yes. It is not clear from the article to what degree that was negotiated beforehand.
they need to condemn a long established business that serves the community and provides the only 24 hour restaurant in the area. That is not true at all. THank G-d you are not defending me in court.
It is the condemnation of the real property owned by the business that is in question.
In particular, the business may relocate into the towers once they are built and need not be terminated.
Again, when you recite the facts, try to stay on the subject.
None of the workers that will work in the office building live in Jersey City. Not a fact at all, and, given your pretense at rigour (which apparently extends only to using a writing template given to you in school). One could possibly assume at this point that a majority of workers of that office do not live in Jersey City. Moreover, even that will change once it opens: I assure you that the janitors --- and there will be quite a few needed -- will not be coming from Brooklyn.
The office building is in keeping with the local urban renewal plan. That is a hint that you are missing something REALLY important. If none of the "workers" (you should abandone this term so favored by socialists: try :employees" instead) is connected in any way to the community, why does it help the urban renewal? Explore that question, and you'll understand.
Not at all: it is your prejudicial flavoring of the "issue."
The real property is not the same things as business and no one is destroying teh business --- although the owners portray it that way. The business could (i) move to another property a few hundred yards away, or (ii) rent the space in the towers.
tangential benefit You cetainly do not know how to do benefit-cost analysis in general and do not know the results of this one to claim that the benefits are tangential.
WHat's more disturbing, is that your "reading" of the situtation, down to the terms you use, is verbatim from texts on "scientific communism." With such views, what are you doing on a concervative board? Of what interest is it to you?
I HATE YUPPIES! I can see now why: they are an emblem of capitalism. They embrace and utilize the opportunities it provides, and move up as a result of their self-reliance. You, prefer otherwise, that is clear.
To us that much money is a God send, to people like the Greek diner owner they calculate earnings over a lifetime--several lifetimes even.
Reserve that kind of language for your dog, please.
Civility of discourse is one of the things that made this country great, Mr. Conservative.
Your post looks very nice devolve. I hope everyone sees it.
. . Thanks potlatch - I got the doors to open
I found some once of a ‘town’ and in each scene you could click on each person and it would bring up a larger picture telling about them. It was a 1950 thing too.
.
I worked just like the black cat .swf did - took me a bit to figure it out
Center row of links is audios of horns and cars starting
Top row is links to other sites
[Center row of links is audios of horns and cars starting]
I know, I wrote all that to you last night, did you see it?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2270082/posts?page=44#44
I thought the first car on the left in back made a tiny tune sound but you know my hearing.
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