Our story about a “scruffy” man living in an RV on Riverside Drive and 74th street ended up on the cover of the New York Post today, under the headline “RV-Side Drive.” The piece includes an interview with Rabbi Steve Blumberg, who has lived in the RV on and off since 2007. He thinks Upper West Siders need to lighten up about his mobile lifestyle.
“If you want a gated community, you should live in Creedmoor [Psychiatric Center],” he said. “Otherwise-liberal West Siders have very serious middle-class scruples about what should or should not be in their neighborhood.”
We first learned from commenters on our story that the resident about whom neighbors had complained to the police was actually a rabbi. Blumberg, 62, said he lost his home in Riverdale and had the bright idea to buy the used ’84 Chevy Pathfiner for $8,000 from South Carolina. Since then, he’s lived in it at times, and also allowed friends to crash there. He sometimes uses it to meditate and pray.
The Post, however, reports that Blumberg may be breaking the law, although neighbors say the police at the 20th precinct have done nothing about it.
“Leaving a mobile home on a city street for more than 24 hours is illegal, according to a Department of Transportation spokesman, who cited a traffic rule that also prohibits parking boat trailers in the same spot for more than a day. Enforcement is typically complaint-driven. Fines start at $115, the NYPD said.
We have heard of several other RVs around the neighborhood too. The inhabitant of a Dodge trailer on Central Park West wouldn’t talk to the Post.
Fun fact: The West Side Rag has been mentioned in two front-page New York Times stories, including Zabar’s lobster-salad-gate. The site has also served as fodder for several New York Post stories, including one about a bird stalking a chihuahua. In fact, newspapers and TV stations regularly use the stories that we break, often without credit. The Post’s RV story, sadly, didn’t credit the Rag.
The Post is a tool and a troll. They never credit bloggers from whom they got the original news from. “No citing blogs” is a company policy https://www.newyorkshitty.com/williamsburg/24642.
Is he breaking the law?
Yes.
This man needs to go and live in an RV park. Allowing this to continue will result in more VRs spring up on UWS streets. If people think it is no big deal, they need to think again.
thank goodness it is not a problem now!
when it becomes one, we’ll solve it!
Can i just say that the ugly camper is an eye sore for everybody including my entire building..It is covered all in tape to hold it all together..honestly u walk past it late at night and u will think other and walk far away from it…Does he honestly have to keep parking in front of our building?
The argument that his habitation will create a precedent is a flimsy one. His RV has been parked in the UWS since 2007…and it has yet to spark a flood of RV residents in the area. Thanks to (as he puts it) uptight neighbors, this guy will lose his home/synagogue, and you all will move on to the next shiny object.
If it torks off even ONE snooty UWS resident, then I’m all for it. Mazeltov!
Doesn’t he need to hook up to electricity for heat and light?
Does this poor guy have to deal with alternate-side parking with an RV??