The Queen is dead and New Yorkers rejoice!

[Falcon9]

I was an Ny'er for a long while. I recall reading a lot of details in the New York Times about the tax case and how the US Government chose to highlight it unmercifully as an example as it is apt to do. Very similar to others in large corporate settings, it was revealed she and her husband too apparently had bad advice from accountants and advisors. The types of mis-quotes became legend and easy fodder for SNL. Real estate in NYC is huge game and there are certain rules (not always easy to interpret) that work to favor it, since, in the end, it beautifies the city and employs so many. It is easy to forget what her husband Harry did for all of New York after a financial fiasco trips it all up. The Donald also gets things thrown at him and so quickly people forget what his many contributions are. Those that despise a city for having successful progressive architecture possibly have different values. As a resident there, I was actually thrilled by what these kinds of individuals could do to enhance that kind of environment. May she rest in peace. (I hope someone vacuumed that coffin thoroughly though!)

 

[D_Gunther Snotpole]

Her money to charity was a tax write off and an attempt to look better to the public.

That could be all it was ... but .... who knows?

 

[gjorg]

She was made up by the media as a meany and the whole country fell for it. Remember when that BITCH payed for the lighting of the empire state building in lavender for gay pride!!!!! Or the millions and millions she gave to charity. What an extreme BITCH may she burn in hell.
Her real claim to fame was , I am paying you so do it right. You got a problem with that. CERTAIN people love to hate the rich.

 

[Osiris]

Classic case of narcissistic personality disorder. I have no sympathy for her and I'm sure legions of mistreated employees and taxpayers have none either. If there's any karmic justic out there, be on the lookout for a newborn Pekingese with too many teeth and a hellacious temper.

Maybe she knew something. Afterall, she did leave her dog, Trouble, $12 million. :wink:

 

[B_Lightkeeper]

I wrote her a letter while she was in prison. I don't know if she ever got it - I never received a reply - but I'm now wondering if I will share in her wealth. Oh...I forgot, she left everything to her dog(s).

Just call me Fifi! :wink:

 

[CUBE]

She was made up by the media as a meany and the whole country fell for it. Remember when that BITCH payed for the lighting of the empire state building in lavender for gay pride!!!!! Or the millions and millions she gave to charity. What an extreme BITCH may she burn in hell.
Her real claim to fame was , I am paying you so do it right. You got a problem with that. CERTAIN people love to hate the rich.

Again, PR was her game in a few big donations. She was unkind to many industry people because they were gay. This was proven in many cases settled out of court. When she was caught she did some tail spins to make it appear that she was caring for these people. She might have been an example in her famed court case....but they had not payed like they tried to claim. Oh, and to leave money to a dog ...wow...some great benefactor of charity.

 

[silvertriumph2]

My 5th floor office window looked out on the 50th Street entrance to The Palace Hotel. The office was quite noisy, so I kept the door to my small
office closed most of the time. This was before they replaced the small indows that could be opened inward at the bottom just above the window sills.

At least once a day, if not more, I would hear a commotion outside my window. I could almost make bet on it that it was Leona yelling at an employee. She was not bashful about having everyone, within hearing of her shouts, hear her degrading or lambasting of whomever she had on her s**t list for that day. Her language was saltier that an old sailor, and she used words that....well, we will just say her language was not very proper or lady like!

The Palace lobby had become a place to meet people for lunch and one day I arrived before my luncheon companion (my boss whom had decided to take me to lunch and asked to meet me there) and took a seat in the lobby. She came in yelling at someone, with 4 or 5 of her employees trailing behind her. When she got to me she stopped and said, "Sir, are you a guest in this hotel?" Stupidly I said no, that I was waiting for someone. She then asked "are they guests of this hotel?" I replied no, and at that moment she snapped her fingers and called the Doorman over. She said to me, "Sir this is not a 'public meeting place' (stressed), but the 'private lobby' (stressed) of a Five Star Hotel. I kindly ask that you leave the hotel immediately." Just about that time my boss arrived.

Our company used the Palace Hotel to house our visitors when in the City.
My boss advised Mrs. Helmsley that he had heard the conversation and her rude behavior. He advised her that she should consider our company's corporate account with her hotel terminated immediately. He also added that he would send her written confirmation within the hour through his attorney. She fell all over him trying to get him to change his mind, but he refused to speak to her again. Speaking not to her, but to one of her "followers" he said to them, "Please advise Mrs. Helmsley that from now on
I will only contact her through my attorney."

I had thought him a good man, but that day he was a GREAT MAN!

It was shortly after that that she went to the slammer for tax evasion!

 

[mattyacht]

Can I have power of attorney over her dog's 12 million dollar estate?

HOW PREPOSTEROUS!!!!!

How can people go to their grave and embitter the lives of their family like that?