Even the Empire State Building Supports the New York Jets

It’s not St. Patrick’s Day, but green and white are the colors to display this weekend in the city in honor of the New York Jets football team. Even New York’s Empire State Building is getting into the action—the building will glow green and white all weekend in honor of the team’s making it into the playoffs.
The official lighting ceremony took place on Friday; former Jets wide receiver Wayne Chebret had the honor of flipping the switch that set the building aglow in the team’s colors. The Jets ”Flight Crew" cheerleaders and some former players joined fans for the ceremony.
The Jets are heading to San Diego, CA for the divisional playoff game on Sunday, at 4:40 pm. They play the widely favored San Diego Chargers. The Jets, if they win, will be one game away from the Super Bowl.
However, the Jets, for those keeping track, have not made it to the Superbowl in more than 40 years--since 1969.
Can’t make it to San Diego? Well, at least you can turn on your TV—and also go gaze upon the Empire State Building.
By the way, upcoming lighting schemes for the Empire State Building include red, black and green for this Monday, January 18, and the celebration of Martin Luther King Day; all red for the National Heart Association “Wear Red Day” (February 5); and red, pink and white for Valentine’s Day weekend.

Construction On New Meadowlands Stadium Ahead Of Schedule

Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the soon-to-be home field of the New York Giants and Jets football teams, is under construction and months ahead of schedule. The stadium will still open during the projected time frame of December 2009 to April 2010.
Meadowlands Stadium is replacing Giants Stadium, with the construction taking place nearby in the parking lot. Giants Stadium will be demolished when Meadowlands is completed to free up more parking lot space.
The new open-air stadium will have 82,500 seats, including 200 luxury suites, four large video boards in each of the four corners, and a fenced in security perimeter. It will be the second-largest stadium in the NFL behind FedExField, home to the Washington Redskins outside of Washington D.C., with a capacity of 91,704.
Environmentally friendly initiatives are being taken to create one of the greenest sports venues there is. Meadowlands Stadium will be partially built with 40,000 tons of recycled steel and stadium seats will be constructed from scrap iron and recycled plastic. Water use and construction waste are being cut, and concessions will use biodegradable utensils, plates and cups. Construction costs are currently estimated at $1.6 billion.
The opening of Meadowlands Stadium follows the open of Citi Field in March 2009 and of the new Yankee Stadium in April 2009, both in New York City.