The world of hedge funds and expense accounts is setting up shop on the Upper West Side on Friday, as the Showtime series Billions shoots in the neighborhood. Look for Paul Giamatti screaming at someone for disobeying the pooper scooper law. And move your car if it’s parked in the mid-70’s between West End and Riverside. As our tipster Priscilla wrote, “no parking for you plebes.”
Plebes don’t own cars. Buggies, at best.
That letter has no legal authority. Only the NYPD and DOT can issue such edicts.
This is an informational posting. City permits are posted in all areas affected.
The letter says they’re working with the full cooperation of the Mayor’s office, etc. Isn’t that enough?
The thing I love most about these production shoots is that they take up half a block with a commissary truck in neighborhoods where delis are found every 50 feet.
Way to support local businesses.
Your local deli will get a good amount of business out of the fact that a film shoot is in the neighborhood. Sometimes the crew will prep for several days before the shooting day and guess where all of the set dressers, technicians, gaffers, grips, teamsters and production people get their food. – at your local deli and restaurants. Also your local hardware store is where the prep crews will buy supplies if needed on the day. But it is simply not possible to feed an entire shooting crew of 200 or more people food from a corner deli within the one hour lunch break. Logistically these places are not able to provide space and supply that is required.
Does parking determine where locals shop?
Inasmuch as the food needs to be free, how to you propose to work that out with local merchants? It’s completely impractical.
Perhaps the company providing the catering is NYC based. Not “local” enough for you?
They ALL ARE.
Not if they’re not paying rent like our delis do. Also I notice some of these trucks are hooked up to generators. They should pay the city for the environmental costs of running them.
you are so right !!! with the number of restaurants that keep closing and lack of decent supermarkets, our local delis are even more vital now. All future agreements with the Mayors Office of Film and TV should include the stipulation that no craft services will be allowed.
These businesses are not closing due to film production. They ARE closing due to greedy landlords raising rents to unsustainable levels. And show me a block that has a deli every 50 feet, especially west 70s near west end Avenue.
Taxpayer-funded free storage for private vehicles needs to come to an end. TV and Movie production provides jobs and should take priority.
I will endorse the Presidential candidate that supports free curbside parking for all.
I love this “storage” word! Right out of “Transportation Alternatives” propaganda sheet!
Film shoots are a temporary nuisance, true, but overall tolerable if spaced apart.
Two questions I would like answered, however: How many members of Community Board 7’s Transportation Committee “store” their cars in private garages in Manhattan; and, just as significantly, how many members of this board own cars and keep them in their private garages at their second homes upstate?
I own a car. I pay taxes. I paid NY sales taxes when I bought it. I pay local taxes when I service it. I pay local taxes and federal highway taxes when I gas up.
Taxpayer funded bike lanes has to end. Parks should not be free. Educatuon should not be paid for by people without kids. Get real
Most of the reserved spots are completely empty. Ridiculous. Does anyone know how much a permit to take up a block costs?
I do not think you need permits anymore. All the anti trump protest lately have not had permits
It is great for the city to have a shoot here. Jobs and exposure are a good thing. Also kinda fun; we live in a place where people *want* to film. Surely we can put up with some temporary parking constraints.
Another horrible disastrous miserable unfair day for UWSiders who see their streets, their home entrances and their parking spaces taken over by people who spend not one penny locally but pay fees to the city’s grandiose office of film which then spends that money…how?
The film commission generates thousands of jobs yearly- technicians, actors, production rentals, teamsters,Equipement rentals, production assistants as well as high fees to use locations and ALL THE TAXES CONNECTED TO THEM. Police use for security is drawn from a special film and television unit dedicated for that purpose. Many of the same police used to protect parade goers and protesters alike.
Film trucks and crew are noisy and take up parking spots, but it is fun to have them filming here.
Maybe this was the only couple of blocks in the City they could find with no scaffolding for their exterior shots? If there are any.
I have to say that, for the most part, film crews are NOT noisy. Some of their production assistants who are mostly young and eager shout too much. Most of the crew goes about their jobs in silence when possible.
That’s what you focused on? Noise? Not a real issue. It was about the scaffolding in every exterior shot on TV and Movies filmed in NYC nowadays. Yeesh.
This is good. Good for the local economy, good for the dozens of crew that are employed. And isn’t it nice to see your neighborhood on screen? I’ll bet there isn’t one New Yorker who doesn’t look for a familiar landmark when they watch a film shot in the city. People complain about losing a parking spot for a day. Can’t say I feel sorry for that,given the benefits to so many others..Keep them coming!
A day without complaints is a wasted day.
The uncomplained life is not worth living.
I’d love to see Paul G scream at a non pooper scooper on Billions. Maybe some would wake up and smell their dog’s poop!!
There would no place for them to buy food if they tried to find a deli in my hood! Mid-high 60s has no “delis” left. It’s so sad.
Why does the ‘staff’ working on the show need free street parking while the residents are forced to look elsewhere? Eqiupment, dressing rooms, ok, but the highly paid workers get free parking?
The staff is not even allowed to park in any of the permitted parking spots. Only equipment trucks with commercial license plates have permission. If a non permitted passenger car (even from a staff member) parks in any of those spots it risks getting a ticket just as anybody else.
If you ever saw a call sheet of these film shoots you would notice that they always say “no crew parking on set”.