It’s probably never a good idea to offer Yankees fans free tickets for showing up and forming a crowd, because then you’ve got a crowd of Yankees fans with nothing to do, and that’s not going to end well. In this case, after the fans found out that Pepsi over-promised the number of free tickets it was giving out, they turned hostile.
Ride For Free On Jet Blue (If You Can Get Yourself "Trapped" In The Cargo Hold)
By April 2, 2009
A Jet Blue employee hitched a free flight from JFK Airport in NYC to Logan Airport in Boston this past weekend, after getting trapped in the cargo hold before takeoff. Police aren’t charging him with a crime, but they told the Boston Globe that, “Even after talking to him, we were a little uncertain as to how it happened.” He apparently called the company from the cargo hold once the plane was in the air—which is exactly what we would do to deflect suspicion in a scheme like this. Tokyo, here we come via new part-time job as a baggage handler!
By March 13, 2009
The MTA will be the first entity to refuse to refer to the new Mets stadium as “Citi Field.” The subway authority refuses to spend its own money rebranding the station with a corporate name — so it’ll be known as “Mets/Willets Point.” Hey, that’s better than “Bailout Park.” [Gothamist]
Store Accidentally Sells Peppers Stuffed With Cocaine
By March 9, 2009
We love chile rellenos, but this is just silly. A store in NYC sold peppers stuffed with cocaine to three different customers, none of whom knew they were getting a little something extra in their produce.
NYC Police Commish Says TD Bank Is Too Easy To Rob
By March 6, 2009
The NYC police commissioner, Ray Kelly, is super annoyed at TD Bank because he says they’re just too easy to rob. In one example of this phenomenon, a robber was thwarted by three Chase branches before successfully robbing a TD Bank. And get this, 17% of this New York City’s bank robberies occurred at TD Bank branches.
NYC Mayor Wants To Spend $45 Million Retraining Investment Bankers
By February 18, 2009
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to spend $45 million in government money retraining investment bankers, brokers and others who have lost jobs on Wall Street, says the New York Times.
NYC Restaurants Caught Sneaking A Tip On To Your Bill
By February 9, 2009
Sneaky! The New York Post caught several restaurants in NYC sneaking a gratuity on to the bills of unsuspecting customers. Tsk, tsk. That’s not allowed.
Subway Launches Text Message Ordering In NYC
By January 29, 2009
Subway has launched a pilot program called SubwayNow where New York City residents (Manhattan only at the moment, it looks like) can register to place pick-up orders via text message. According to IntoMobile, after registering with your address and providing payment info, which they keep on file, you set up a list of sandwich orders that are saved as a personal menu. When you’re ready to use the service, you text “menu” to the Subway shortcode, and Subway sends back your pre-set menu. Then you text back the menu item you want, and Subway responds with a pick-up time.
NYC Baker Sells 'Drunken Negro Head' Cookies, Doesn't See The Problem
By January 23, 2009
Ted Kefalinos, the proprietor of a bakery in Greenwich Village (a neighborhood in New York City), can’t understand why the media is having such a field day over his Drunken Negro Head cookies. They’re fun! Nobody complained about his dead geese cookies last week! He’s got a Cuban brother-in-law! We’d be more willing to believe it was just a bad marketing decision if it weren’t for the follow-up comments a customer alleged he made.
Police Make You Give Your iPod To A Cab Driver As Payment
By January 23, 2009
We’re not like, positive or anything, but we doubt there’s a law that says you have to give your iPod to a cab driver if your credit card is declined. The New York Post says that a woman was forced, by JFK Airport Police, to hand over her iPod or be “taken downtown.”
By January 2, 2009
New York City doesn’t publicize it in any way, but they offer a guaranteed reduction on parking ticket fines if you challenge the ticket in person, online, or via mail.[New York Times]
By October 9, 2008
Delta is selling airline tickets from New York City to Chicago for $79 each way. You must depart October 11th and return between October 13-14th. [TravelZoo via their Twitter feed]
Our National Debt Has Outgrown The 'National Debt Clock' In NYC
By October 8, 2008
Now that we’ve hit double-digit trillions, the “National Debt” clock that’s been running constantly since 1989 in New York City’s midtown can no longer properly display the total. Brian Williams says they’ve had to temporarily adjust the display while they build a new one, slated to go up next year. We’re not sure anyone should be spending money on a fancy new hi-tech clock right now—maybe they should just hang a big chalk board, and hire an unemployed investment banker to write the new debt each day. See the video below.
America's 10 Most Stressful Cities
By September 18, 2008
Forbes magazine has put together a list of America’s most stressful cities and as a product of Chicago, the winner of the dubious distinction of being America’s most stressful city, I have this to say: “Yeah, so? Shut up and let me eat my hot dog in peace for once, goddamn it. No, I’m not yelling. Why are you always saying that I’m yelling? It’s not like you never yell! Pass the sport peppers before this gets ugly.”
By September 9, 2008
Astroland, the Coney Island amusement park, is closing for good this Sunday, says its owner. You can buy the rides at www.rides4u.com. Sorry, the wooden Cyclone coaster and the Wonder Wheel are part of another amusement company and won’t be sold (they’ll continue to operate). [New York Times]
By September 3, 2008
Gothamist says that there’s a company (in NYC) selling purified New York City tap water in bottles. We can vouch for the goodness of NYC tap water, but really, all you need is a cup, or as Consumerist readers recommend to me, a stainless steel canteen. [Gothamist] (Thanks, Avi!)
Dear Radio City Music Hall, Christmas Is Not "Right Around The Corner" In August
By August 14, 2008
Reader Scott says he spotted some nasty summertime Christmas Creep in the free NYC area paper “Metro”. Apparently the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular is under the impression that “Christmas is right around the corner.” In August.
Macy's Confirms It Never Did Business With Queens Sweatshop
By July 30, 2008
Last week, news broke that a sweatshop in Queens, NYC was producing clothing for several large U.S. retailers, while overworking its mainly Chinese immigrant employees and cheating them out of wages. At the time, Macy’s announced it was cooperating with New York’s Department of Labor and investigating the matter internally. Now the company has confirmed that it never did business with the sweatshop—in fact, it investigated it twice in 2007 while evaluating potential suppliers and rejected it for shoddy record keeping. Use your crazy Macy’s coupons all you want, readers.
