Sports Afield
“Stadium of Dreams” [by Craig Horowitz, June 21] explains why taxpayers don’t want $600 million picked from their pockets to help Dan Doctoroff build his field of dreams. It is impossible to estimate the amount of new economic activity these so-called public benefits will generate, and even harder to believe that Jets owner Robert Wood Johnson IV can’t finance the new stadium on his own. If this investment is such a great deal, let him float some bonds, take a bank loan, or issue stock.
—Larry Penner, Great Neck, N.Y.
Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff seems like the reincarnation of Robert Moses, whose egomaniacal attempt to dismantle Canal Street and replace it with a superhighway leading from nowhere to nowhere was stopped dead in the road. One would hope that Mr. Doctoroff’s similar ego trip will end the same way.
—Marvin Warren, Manhattan
Craig Horowitz presents a useful analysis of the pros and cons of the current redevelopment plan for the far West Side, even if he does seem to focus too much on the stadium and too little on the total package. I am among those who support Mr. Doctoroff’s proposals, although I wonder if we really need to allot $2 billion to expand the No. 7 subway line. The cost and disruption just are not needed.
—Stanley J. Brunman, Hillsdale, N.J.
Good-Buy Girl
I can’t help it, but Kimora Lee Simmons reminds me of Imelda Marcos [“Kimora Lee Simmons, the New Queen of Conspicuous Consumption,” by Phoebe Eaton, June 21], and not only in the flaunting of her fortune. There is even a certain physical resemblance. If it were not for the age difference, one could reasonably ask whether Kimora and Imelda were separated at birth.
—RoseMarie Mueller, Manhattan
I want to commend Kimora Lee Simmons for her generosity to our organization and her leadership of our stunningly successful gala. Her competitiveness in our silent auction’s Manolo Blahnik shoe-naming opportunity promoted bidding into the thousands of dollars, from which the Martha Graham Dance Company, and the public, will most assuredly benefit. We wish we could have held the opening curtain for this vivacious, wonderful woman!
—Marvin Preston, Princeton, N.J.
Kimora Lee Simmons is the personification of a tacky, nouveau riche society wannabe. Perhaps instead of moaning over not having a pair of Manolo Blahniks named after her, she should learn the art of quiet consumption and stop flaunting her wealth in public.
—Jon Whitney, Hoboken, N.J.
Half-Nots
Okay, so New York Magazine has to address its target demographic. Still, when selecting the subjects for “Bloomsday New York” [June 21], couldn’t the magazine have been just a little bit more imaginative than to pick four white, middle-class New Yorkers—two of them in the arts? Perhaps instead of profiling Jaime Wolf, the writer, A. M. Homes, could have profiled Mr. Wolf’s cleaning lady, who is represented in the piece by what I assume is supposed to be a Hispanic dialect. It wouldn’t hurt readers to learn what goes on in the daily thoughts of the other half—the often overlooked and ignored half—rather than the middle-class or wealthy.
—Nancy Wartik, Manhattan
Weed Control
Some focus-group participants go far beyond giving false information. I’ve had eager panelists return with wigs and phony accents. Fortunately, it takes just a few moments for an experienced moderator to discover the truth.
—David L. Schneider, Palm Springs, Calif.
Chevy Caprice
After reading “Saturday Night Lives” [“Intelligencer,” by Logan Hill, May 31], I must add a few things about my husband, Chevy Chase. He has not become “The Fadeaway,” as Hill writes. In fact, few in his field have approached his longevity. In 1995, we chose to move from L.A. and raise our three daughters in the Northeast, where for the last nine years Chevy has been tirelessly helping many charities. However, I’m happy to report that he is back to work, having just shot a scene with Naomi Watts for a new film, and is being considered for several others as I write.
—Jayni Chase, Manhattan
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