In reporting on the unfolding events in Times Square right now, the New York Times‘s City Room blog lapses into almost Onionesque territory when it mentions a vendor who reported a suspicious duffel bag earlier this morning:
Mr. Elbaz, an immigrant from Egypt who lives in Jackson Heights, Queens, said he was relieved. It was only his second day running his Little Cupcake Lover cart. He sells coffee, bagels, croissants and other pastries in the morning before the red velvet, Oreo, Nutella mint and ocean-sprinkled cupcakes arrive.
At least one commenter on that post found it a little over the top, too, saying, “Was this an advertisement for the Little Cupcake Lover cart? If so, it worked.”
That passage also reminded me of the seemingly gratuitous amount of detail in last week’s Times Square car-bomb reporting by the paper, which was even crazier. Witness:
Some theaters were evacuated, but many were not, according to a spokeswoman for the Broadway League, the trade group of theater owners and producers. The spokeswoman, Elisa Shevitz, said she would not have all the details about how many theaters were affected until Sunday.
For some Broadway shows the curtains went up 15 to 30 minutes late. Shows that started late included “Red” and “God of Carnage” — which are both playing at houses on the block of 45th Street where the bomb was found — and “In the Heights.”
And this:
Gabrielle Zecha and Taj Heniser, visiting from Seattle, had tickets to see “Next to Normal” at the Booth Theater on 45th Street but could not get into the 8 p.m. show because the area was blocked off. But they made the best of the spectacle. “It’s a whole different kind of show,” Ms. Heniser said, adding, “It’s almost the equivalent of a $150 show.”
Wow, lady. Thanks. I’m glad the potential deaths or maiming of hundreds of people was the equivalent of an orchestra section ticket to Lion King.
Anyway, this part was also a bit priceless:
A group of people on a high school senior trip from Jacksonville, Fla., said they were stuck for about an hour and a half in the Bubba Gump restaurant at 44th Street and Seventh Avenue.
Well, as you know, life is like a box of chocolates.