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Since 1897, the 22-story, 138 guest room, 3 restaurant Yale Club in midtown Manhattan welcomed the upper crust of local society to its hallowed halls. However, times changed. New money needed to be raised. That's when old-money members of the club's 11,000 total members complained that the Ivy’s interiors were being rented to crowds of inferior crumbs. The weekends were the worst with weddings and room rentals with people from the… heaven forbid… outer boroughs! It’s hoped that all strata of society have since learned to peacefully co-exist.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog is a quick comment on an older New York City news headline. Unforeseen NYCo website development delays prevented it’s publication before now. For readership continuity, 100’s of older headlines are to be posted in chronological order until this blog is current. Though some of the stories may no longer be as relevant as they once were, they remain interesting news items worthy of this site’s mention and viewer comments.
[This is a copyrighted editorial, originally published on http://www.NEWYORKCITYonline.com/NYC-Online/blog.php. We invite you to post your comments and reply to others! This piece may be duplicated or printed with permission.]
Between the poor economy, prostitution raids and beaten clients who are deadbeats, local dommes are taking a beating! Some say business has been beaten down up to 70%. Many places along New York’s notorious “Dungeon Alley” in midtown have scaled back their sessions. Fear pervades the industry now and ("I've been a bad boy.") johns are too nervous to make appointments. Will things improve? One dominatrix says, “The uncertainty is torturing us.” To fight back and protect their interests, many are now looking to form a political-action committee and union. Unlike escort agencies and prostitutes, many in the BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism) business believe their business is legit. The law is unclear. “DomPAC” will soon lobby lawmakers to exclude BDSM practices from prostitution. (Could prostitutes legally become sex surrogates?) Dommes hope this may lead to legal unions, 401(k)s, insurance plans and unemployment benefits. One wonders if Sonny and Cher’s hit “The Beat Goes On” will still be a hit with the "S and M’rs" in 2009.
New York City’s newest pedestrian-friendly islands won’t be making good buddies of midtown drivers anytime soon. Broadway’s pedestrian plazas merge four traffic lanes into two between Herald Square and Times Square. They’ll undoubtedly create additional traffic problems and pollution for midtown. For those who wish to be surrounded by speeding traffic and vehicle exhaust fumes, “Welcome to Fun City!” Other new traffic-related projects in Manhattan include a bicycle lane on Ninth Avenue between West 16th Street and West 23rd Street, bike lanes on both Washington Street and Greenwich Street and a bus-only lane along 34th Street. Let’s hope city officials are monitoring the popularity, safety and impact all these new initiatives have on both foot and vehicular traffic. It's not smart to play in traffic, or with it.
