'The Gates' drapes city in $

[Renew Deal]

Forget saffron. "The Gates" bathed the city in green - with some $254 million spent by 4 million visitors to the 16-day art extravaganza in Central Park, officials said yesterday.

That's more than three times the $80 million the city expected when the first saffron panel was unfurled Feb. 12.

"You can say what you want about the work of art, and wasn't it fantastic that millions did say what they thought," Mayor Bloomberg said. "But 'The Gates' also boosted the wallets and spirits of so many New Yorkers."

Those who shared in the bounty included restaurants, hotels, museums, garages, horse-carriage drivers, hot dog vendors and shops around the park - all of whom claimed receipts two to 10 times higher for the normally bleak, midwinter period.
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http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/286631p-245404c.html

Just imagine if we got the Olympics!