Bright lights, big city — and big dreams about landing Amazon’s second headquarters.
New York City is sending a signal across the country to Seattle on Wednesday night by turning the lights on landmarks and venues to “Amazon orange” in a show of support for the Big Apple’s official bid to become home to HQ2.
The stunt comes a day before Amazon’s deadline for cities to submit their request for proposals to the e-commerce giant in hopes of someday landing 50,000 tech jobs.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said the case for Amazon choosing New York is simple: “We are the global capital of commerce, culture and innovation. No city has stronger talent, greater diversity or a more dynamic economy. We welcome today’s show of support from institutions, businesses and civic leaders united behind the city’s bid.”
Buildings such as the Empire State Building and One World Trade will glow orange starting at 9 p.m. EDT, according to a news release tweeted by Gloria Pazmino, a City Hall reporter for Politico New York. Pazmino said, “This is NOT a Halloween drill” and also noted, “it’s Amazon orange, not any other average orange out there.”
.@NYCMayor really wants @amazon to come to NYC so he’s turning every light orange in the city tonight. This is NOT a Halloween drill. pic.twitter.com/EuwrtOtG9s
— Gloria Pazmino (@GloriaPazmino) October 18, 2017
New York buildings, especially the Empire State, are often lit in assorted colors for any number of holidays or special occasions. During the 2012 presidential election, the spire was lit in red and blue to capture in real time the electoral vote race between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
Some who saw the news about Amazon orange on Twitter weren’t entirely excited about the mayor’s plan. Especially those who looked past Amazon and tied that color to another entity.
Orange is the main team color of the Houston @Astros, currently playing the @Yankees for the American League campionship. Tone-deaf!
— Young Ideas (@DickYoungsGhost) October 18, 2017
We always knew @NYCMayor was an @astros fan…
— Seth (@sethbuck12) October 18, 2017
Others just wanted to vent and show off that New York charm.
#nyc does not need a slew of @amazon execs coming in and sky rocketing real estate. Ppl can barely afford to live here as it is.
— Ben Rosenbach (@Rosenbach_Ben) October 18, 2017
Gah. This cheap gimmick is so LA of New York.
— Priya Desai (@priyadesai) October 18, 2017
What a ridiculous waste of $$. How about returning the night cleaning crews to the subways. No one wants to move to a dirty city.
— Meg Caprino (@calicobayfarm) October 18, 2017
Can we do this when @realDonaldTrump comes to town too?
— Richard Blakeley (@blakeley) October 18, 2017
Watching cities bend over backwards for Amazon is painful
— Deathocracy Expert (@democracyexpert) October 18, 2017
