NY offered $1.5 billion.
@BunsenBurner No, it should be Butthalves!
^^Hind-quarters?
So glad they aren’t coming to our area.
“National Landing” will just be confused with National Harbor, which is in Maryland. They should have stuck with Crystal City. Only the locals know that it is a funny misnomer. Anyone else might think it evoked a pretty Oz-like fantasy city, and Amazon could have played off that with it’s buildings.
Has anyone else seen Patriot Act on Netflix? It’s a 30 minute comedy show by Hasan Minaj and he has a funny skit about being addicted to Amazon. Those small shops that sell on Amazon? They are being observed closely by their overlords for eventual takeover. It’s not a long term kindness to shop that way.
Steve Carell was hilarious as Jeff Bezos on SNL! 
I hate it when they change names. No one is going to call Crystal City National Landing. It’s like the Triborough Bridge - no one calls it the RFK or the Tappen Zee which was renamed the Mario Cuomo Bridge.
Didn’t even know they changed the names of the Triboro and Tappan Zee. I guess I didn’t even notice when we went over the Tappan Zee in Sept.
I agree, noone will call Crystal City by Amazon’s preferred name.
Quietly, Apple picked Austin. And our city will apparently see an influx of 1000 appleites (but not necessarily new residents).
That was interesting. What contrast!
I had to go to LIC today for work and I passed through the Citicorp Center, which is where I believe the new HQ will be. The walkways from the various subway lines were very crowded and I can only imagine that it will get worse when the HQ actually moves in.
However, I would be thrilled if one of my sons got a job there. The commute from our house would involve an LIRR ride of about 30 minutes and a subway ride of about 10.
@BunsenBurner, thanks for the info about Austin. I read: “Along with the 6,200 employees that Apple already has in the city, its new 133-acre development is expected to make it the largest private employer in Austin. Apple expects the new campus to accommodate 5,000 employees at first, though it will ultimately have a total capacity of 15,000.” Yikes.
My sister told me she is seriously thinking of moving out of Austin soon. She has lived there her entire life, and she is 53. She is fed up with the crowding and traffic. 
I think the LIC location is a good choice. Part of the reason for the choice is the zoning law. It’s about 10-15 minutes (ferry plus walk) from Cornell Tech, which I assume is one of the reasons for choosing it. That and someone on the Amazon board is a dean there! Cornell Tech must be doing back flips!
^Maybe. From what I heard the up and coming tech kids find established company not too interesting.
When the economy hits the fan and VCs shut their wallets, a position with bottom of the payscale salary at an established company would look very, very superubergood. Betcha that is what Amazon is counting on.
Maybe so. I would think talents from Cornell shouldn’t have trouble finding a job anywhere, anytime.
Story in the NY Times today about the role of Cornell Tech in Amazon’s choice of LIC.
Buyer’s remorse has already begun in New York. It certainly hasn’t helped Amazon’s image that Apple will build a substantial facility in Austin, with no large freebie subsidies from the local government.
^With the sad state of monetary affairs in Austin’s schools right now, I think there would be a riot if Austin had given any subsidies!
Cornell Tech had a hand in the decision:
“Cornell Tech’s dean and vice provost, Daniel Huttenlocher, sits on Amazon’s board of directors, and Amazon executives visited the campus as part of the city’s efforts to woo the company.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/17/nyregion/cornell-tech-startup-jobs-amazon.html
Side comment: I’ve visited the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island and it’s beautiful. If you’re ever in the city I recommend taking the tram and visiting it