Photo by Carol Brewer in Riverside Park.
May 17, 2021 Weather: Mostly sunny, with a high of 73 degrees.
Notices:
Our calendar has local and virtual events.
Monday marks the return of 24/7 subway service.
Eating out or taking out from a local favorite? Make sure they know about the Restaurant Revitalization Fund — money to provide eating establishments with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss. More information and application assistance can be found through the Small Business Adminitstration or by phone (1-844-279-8898).
News:
The decaying of Riverside Park is widespread, dangerous and daunting, writes Justin Davidson in Curbed. “You might expect Riverside Park to be a manicured standout, second only to Central Park in its lacquered gloss….Yet in what should be the pride of the Parks Department, the state of deep decay is alarming and accelerating. Flagstones lie shattered. Orange traffic cones sit in sinkholes. Century-old staircases have crumbled into rubble. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument, once the gem of the Upper West Side, has been fenced off and left to gracefully decompose. A dozen or so street lights always seem to be on the blink, casting mugger-friendly stretches of darkness on winter afternoons.” The needs and potential costs of repairs are so great, Davidson writes, that Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver refers to the Master Plan compiled in 2016 as “aspirational.”
You may have seen him on Columbus Avenue around 74th Street, a young man with long red hair and a beard, sweeping in front of his possessions, lined up neatly alongside a building, beneath a scaffolding. He’s known as Ethan Freckles and he told the New York Post, “I’m a yogi and live a yogic lifestyle…” But then, the Post reported, he said of those aggravated by or unaccepting of that lifestyle, “Mostly the conflict is that I’m young, athletic, and intelligent and they are old, fat, and stupid.” Not very yogic of him…
An esteemed epidemiologist and University Professor at Columbia University, Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr directs two initiatives currently dedicated to helping vulnerable populations here and across the globe navigate the pandemic. She hasn’t missed a day at her office during the pandemic, always bringing fresh flowers, and derives solace and inspiration, she told The New York Times, from her home on the Upper West Side. “I have a beautiful view of the Hudson River, which is very soothing. I take a moment to stare out the window. To see the change of the seasons connects me to nature.”
“More of Andrew Yang’s campaign donors live outside of New York City than in it,” THE CITY reported. But when they do live in the city, they are concentrated on the Upper West Side, especially in zip code 10023. Second in contributions from the UWS was Scott Stringer, followed by Ray McGuire, both scoring high in zip code 10024. “It’s not a surprise that Yang has lots of outside money, considering he ran for the presidency, and he doesn’t necessarily have a longstanding base in New York,” said Christina Greer, a political scientist at Fordham University. “What you really need to do is make sure that that money translates into voters.”
“Stars from Broadway shows have teamed up with iconic New York eatery Tavern on the Green for ‘Broadway at Tavern,’ a special series of live concerts under the stars at the restaurant,” CNN reported. The concert series begins on May 25th at 8:30 p.m. with a one-night-only performance by “Hamilton” cast member and star of Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story,” Ariana DeBose. The show will be followed by performances on June 8th and 9th by Broadway star Shoshana Bean, of “Wicked.” For more information and tickets, click here.
200 Amsterdam, the tall tower that achieved its height through the creative use of zoning laws, appears to be getting creative as well with apartment designations, offering “two duplex penthouses situated on the top four floors,” according to YIMBY. “Developed by SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan America and designed by Elkus Manfredi, the 668-foot-tall tower has a total of ten penthouses, which begin on the 41st floor and encompass eight full-floor homes in addition to the two duplexes.” How can that be? Isn’t a penthouse located on the top floor of a building? Not anymore, according to Business Insider, which says the term has “evolved.” So have asking prices. At 200 Amsterdam they are $40 million and $38 million — an extra $2 million for the top.
That Ethan fella is an absolute blight of the neighborhood. His “minimalistic” approach consists of a dozen pails, three carts and what I believe is a grill of some sort. He’s obvious not mentally ill (enough) to warrant living on the streets. From what I know, every one in NYPD/Sanitation/Local gov’t knows about him, and does nothing about it. This is not a single street homeless person down on his luck. This is a man who moved to NYC with the intention of setting up camp on a busy commercial street.
The owner of the building he “lives” in front of should be fined $5k a day he’s there. Not only is that storefront empty, but they are allowing this to happen.
Agreed!! And why is this “rag” and NY Post helping to make him a celebrity of some sort?? We need to have a protest or something in front of that building. What kind of landlord allows such a thing and for such a long time?? Is the fact that “Freckles” has made that corner and then some his home preventing the empty storefront from being rented?
Yogi Ethan Pickles: Link to NY Post article is incorrect (links to Yang article)
So sorry. Fixed.
People should not be allowed to almost permanently set up shop on the street. I am admittedly not sure how to legally differentiate people like this from those selling books and such in front of Zabar’s, but the difference is very obvious.
Numerous people have complained about the “resident” in front of Artie’s on Broadway who is allegedly selling books, but is greatly narrowing an already very narrow stretch of sidewalk (particularly with the scaffolding up). Is anything being done about this?
Issues like this offend me a lot more than the Roosevelt statue at AMNH.
Riverside Park is undergoing Many renovations as noted on the RSP Conservancy FB page.
One way to help Riverside Park is to respect the plants and trees that grow there. Setting up a hammock like the one shown in the photo is BAD for trees. It scrapes the bark, inviting in fungus and insects. It puts tremendous pressure on limbs and trunks. Every tree in the park is precious. Please don’t attach hammocks or climb trees, even to fetch a kite or frisbee (several young trees were lost last year from people doing this).
Yes!
yes. the health of nature is the short trees. Riverside volunteer scrape and sweep the underbrush away, causing erosion, the cancer of forest.
Every time you walk on grass you kill something.
Every time you eat a peach you are destroying a new tree.
Every breath you take, every move you make, I’ll be watching you.
Both Ethan dude and Artie’s book dude have been cleared out of their “residence” a few times by the city, only to return within days.
So what can we do?
You can vote on June 22 for an UWS City Council representative who will take this problem seriously. And yes, there is a Democratic candidate who does.
Two ideas to start:
1) Have repeat offenders of quality of life violations face meaningful consequences. They have been told numerous times not to be there. There should be a penalty.
2) Similarly, have owners of commercial spaces be more responsible for monitoring the area in front of those spaces. Just because you don’t have a tenant doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be responsible for not letting someone set up in front of a storefront.
If I pitched a tent in front of a fancy building while wearing expensive clothes, what would happen? Same should apply here.
Why is it a problem for some dude to sit in front of a storefront?
Have you ever walked past the person in front of Artie’s? The path is already narrow from the scaffolding. And they are blocking almost half of the remaining path. So it is very challenging for a wheelchair or stroller (or anyone else) to get through.
Also, there are these things called “laws.” And society generally functions better when we obey them. Because one person getting an exception leads to others seeking bigger exceptions. I don’t know why people feel this constant need to engage in whataboutisms and defend things like this.
I think we have found Pickles, or Freckles, whoever this person is.
☺️
Agree completely, Carlos. A big problem is that many use locks to chain items to scaffolding (not legal). I’m not clear if a member of the public can complain to the NYPD to have the lock cut and the items removed, or if the request has to come from the building’s owner.
I’ve always liked the contrast of the neighborhood feel of Riverside Park compared to the manicured and touristy vibe of Central Park, particularly below 86th Street.
I walk in both parks multiple times a week, and Riverside Park looks just dandy to me, I really don’t notice a difference. There is lovely landscaping with flowers everywhere, flowering trees, lawns all around – some lush, some less so – all kinds of birds, plenty of hardworking squirrels and their growing families.
I have always thought of Riverside Park as the one for the locals. It’s for us to go in our lawn chairs and read our Sunday Times if we wanted, without the intense crowding from Central Park. So if Riverside Park looks a little more “rustic,” I barely notice.
The playgrounds at Riverside Park all look good, and the new southern extension of the park is a testament to the creativity and vision of modern landscape architecture.
I’m sorry to hear the Soldiers and Sailors Monument has gone into disrepair, but it can’t be too bad as I pass it at least a few times a month and haven’t noticed.
Except that the swings in the playground at W. 77th are in serious need of oiling, so that those of us who live nearby do not have to listen to the constant squeaking as the swings go back and forth.
Aw C’mon,
Bring a can of WD40 and spray it yourself!
The Soldiers and Sailors Monument is in terrible shape. Much of the binding material is gone and the building is falling apart. It’s shameful that nothing is being done to rehabilitate it.
https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2019/05/25/a-rare-look-inside-fenced-off-soldiers-and-sailors-memorial
To UWSer,
I feel the same as you about Riverside Park, and as I live on Riverside Drive I am there often. And I agree that Riverside doesn’t have, nor should it have, the manicured feel of Central Park. But, we have to admit, and can’t be oblivious to, the decay that’s obvious in much of the park, especially north of 96th street, where there are sinkholes, cordoned off stairs, badly cracked paving stones, and drainage problems. All depicted in Mr Davidson’s article. And as for the Soldiers and Sailors monument, surely you’ve noticed it’s been fenced off for a while now. The Riverside Park conservancy seems to be doing its best and makes a positive difference, but the park needs substantial public funding to reverse the decay.
Yes, the area north of 96th but especially north of 108th is scruffy: turf eroded, pitholes all over, cracked and dangerously uneven walkway next to the wall and also in the main walkway. No money appropriated north of 108th compared to that farther south. How come?
Re: Riverside Park — does anyone know if the city or MTA has done a structural assessment of the rail tunnel beneath the park? The promenade is buckled by a foot in several locations in the 100s. Are the trusses beneath still sound?
Not sure what the connection is between the rail tunnel and the MTA. That line is owned and operated by Amtrak.
how do we get tickets to those Broadway Shows at the Tavern on the Green? and how much do they cost??
What’s with the clothes line? That’s so vulgar and rude.
And I agree about harming the tress as well. I wish there were park rangers to patrol.
Don’t get me started about the off leash dogs, especially in the wildlife sanctuary area.
From the post article on Freckles the Clown, quoting him: “DHS has been attempting to move me around and ultimately bring me into their socialist fold for years now. … They continue to work on the behalf of whoever complains about me rather than work in alignment with my interests and desires.”
“Work in alignment with my interests and desires”?! What a douche-y narcissist.
People who are camping on our streets and parks have expropriated public property. If we view their homelessness from that perspective rather than viewing them as “victims of capitalism”, we might be able to convince the city council and the new mayor to pass and enforce vagrancy laws.
Excellent point David. I am still trying to understand what laws changed 2012 to curtail enforcement. Perhaps someone who knows more about this can explain.
For those asking about monies to repair Riverside Park, WSR had an article describing future/past development happening.
https://www.westsiderag.com/2021/05/06/city-invests-348-million-to-rehabilitate-riverside-parks-flood-weakened-core
I live a block from Riverside & will walk the extra blocks to CP
I have been accosted repeatedly in Riverside by a sexual predator
The NYPD take 30 minutes to arrive (which I get…it’s not as serious a crime as some) & he is on his bike & miles away by then
He is in his mid-60s & looks for women sitting alone
Riverside Park will continue to decay until it takes on the aura of an abandoned house that can only be remedied by tearing it down and selling the property to a developer. And guess what? The first hundred answers are probably right and similar: high-rises.
Come on, how many times has this happened? Money talks and ******** walks. This is New York.
Have to agree with all the comments here – that guy is an absolute nuisance.
Maybe some of that $850 million given to the Mayor’s wife could have been used to spruce up Riverside Park…
Re Riverside Park–I hope that repairs will be made, but it should be left in a more natural state than Central Park.
So the person in front of Artie’s moved in on the sidewalk and elbowed out the two gypsy women who were living there(known for grooming their toe-nails in public).
He then built a half block of junk like luggage, wheels, chairs, and yes lots of books that he tries to sell (without a vendor license). He gets angry when the Miss Maisel crew come in to film there and shouts that it is his right to be there and not the people who are filming and that he is not going anywhere, this is HIS place. So the rumor has it that he gets paid or at least he is put up in a hotel and the crew packs his stuff and brings them back after filming. So explains why the stuff comes back within a day. Nice gig, don’t you think? This person should accept help from the city to house him but he does not want to and his stuff is growing everyday. Artie’s owner is responsible to do something. They just use the restaurant for filming Miss Maisel.
Where are the laws and common sense to do something about this?
How is the Artie person’s presence on the sidewalk not an encampment? The person who had a lot of junk on Columbus and 78th was removed. This is similar.
The encampments on 72nd street did not have coverings other than temporary scaffolding for approximately 2 months out of the 8 months that they were there. Possibly there was a glitch with the 311 system before but it seems to be working now.
We had a similar problem on 72nd btwn B’way and WEA from April through October/November of 2020, when a massive street-fair style encampment with 3-5 men was finally removed.
This link will take you directly to the page to report an encampment: https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-02253
Don’t stop until the city posts a PUBLIC notice with a move-out date, at which point sanitation will show up. You can register and create an account or do this anonymously. There will also be a case number to follow the progress.
Thank you. I filled this out for the person at Artie’s. I got a reply within 10 minutes saying there was nothing wrong there.
I believe that the focus is on “encampments” which have to have a roof. Since this person is under the scaffolding they have not built any type of roof so thus do not qualify. But I am not sure.
I am tempted to lay out some of my junk across the rest of the sidewalk there to completely block it and see if this finally generates a response.
I’m so sorry, that request definitely did not go through the proper channels. This is extremely disturbing. Ten minutes wasn’t enough time to log the request and send someone out there, much less get a response. I wonder if the city has set up bots on the 311 line. 🙁
An expansion of Kendra’s law and actually applying it would be a great start. I believe that some people running for office have suggested this. I wish this would be discussed more in candidate forums.
In the efforts to “protect” the street homeless, we are just letting them rot away. This is a lose-lose. I am all for civil rights but taking them away to a place where they can receive help is in everyone’s best interest.
Ethan Freckles is the worst.
Totally agree with you, Brian. Freckles has some variation of “mental/emotional” illness. I friended him for a bit, though stopped as he is an entitled emotionally unwell individual, and needs much more help than any of us can provide. His mission/intention is to live a zero-waste life and does this by living outdoors. He “wants” the UWS to follow suit, live outside, and not in their homes. I think his intention with zero waste has merits though the way he is going about it and wanting the UWS to follow suit is on the border of delusional. I don’t know if he is a trust fund kid or what, though his outdoor lifestyle is intentional and is by choice, he is not homeless. Working on clarifying information on a restraining order by a woman and her family in Brooklyn, and have also heard, though not verified, that he had abusive encounters toward the Church caretakers on 76th & CPW where he was previous to 74th & Columbus. Maybe the Post should have dug a bit deeper. Listen to his fb lives, if interested, you’ll get further insights from these. One of the Homeless Outreach organizations shared there are several individuals like him throughout NYC who are trust fund kids living on the streets to make political statements. It is time for him to pack up and go.
Yet if we all live zero-waste lives Freckles life is over since he survives off and on our ‘waste’. Then lectures us for consuming. He has made an art out of making the very people he leeches off of feel guilty for the lives that sustain him and feel priviged to give to suport his ‘zero-waste’ lifestyle. Just make him say ‘thank you’ before accepting any hand outs of your waste. You’ll see the truth Ethan.
This homeless fellow Ethan Schneider is running a homeless encampment on 74th and Columbus, with a steady stream of homeless men joining him and creating a filthy, dangerous environment. Then when Homeless Outreach posts notices they are coming, Schneider cleans up and puts on a front. He presents himself on some sort of mission, but several truths undermine his stance. He’s had a protection order taken out against him for harassing a woman, several neighborhood women have complained about him, most times the corner is filthy and filled with homeless men. One has to ask if Schneider was a person of color would he ever be able to pull off this scam? In addition, he rails against a system, then spends all day hooked up to usb terminals provided by that scion of capitalism, Mike Bloomberg. He strikes me as delusional as he’s entitled, playing some kind of of bizarre game in his confusion, pretending to a life no one willfully chooses, then finding every angle to exploit the city while he freeloads on our streets.
situation on UWS is ridiculous… in Vienna (no campers on sidewalk) it is ILLEGAL to be homeless— they house the folks away from the city with mental health and vocational services as needed. Yeah, the taxes are high, but the quality of life is HIGHER… for EVERYONE
For everyone complaining about “Ethan” and the rest…if you don’t VOTE for candidates who WILL do something about it with changes to laws, NOTHING will change. You do realize that our current laws allow this to go on. Now is your chance to make a difference on June 22nd. This is it.
What candidate will do something about a freeloader like Schneider?
Certainly not Lindt and forget about Brewer as well this time around.
Seems like Maria Danzillo is the best person. She seems to understand this issue and cares about the UWS, rather than her political soundbite.
Sadly, all of the commenters missed the main/true point of the Riverside park decay reference.
I’ve said it more than once on WSR before – do yourself a favor and walk into and around the 101st (aka 102nd) st soccer field. Read the sign dated 2018 that says the steps into this area from the RSD concourse above will be completed “any day now.”
Spoiler Alert: it still looks like a backdrop for the original “Warriors.”
There are roughly seventeen dozen other US cities that put us to shame vis-a-vis recreational infrastructure.
But, hey, yeah, you got your dog walk all figured out.
Riverside Park has a wonderful volunteer outreach program called Park Tenders. I started volunteering last summer around 79-73rd Streets, and I confess that I get the most benefits of anyone. It’s good for my mental and physical health, and as I tidy up the planted areas, park users see the improvements and take more personal care of the park themselves. We need more volunteers, so contact the Riverside Park Conservancy and participate.
“Freckles” has turned that corner into a squatters camp. He has pulled this stunt for years, going back to the 76th Street Starbucks which he used as his personal morning shower in the am while paying customers couldn’t use the bathroom for an hour. He’d sit at the corner in the winter and summer enjoying the ac and heating, paying for nothing, and making locals who bought him coffee and food feel as if he was doing them a favor allowing him to. He’d spout off about how he was teaching us all about organization and safety and environmentalism and saving the earth. his ‘low carbon’ footprint it not possible without the carbon footprint of everyone else. It isn’t the fact that he is a leech it is the fact he acts as if he is doing us all a favor. Perhaps if he replaced all his is Jordan Peterson slogan signs with ‘Thank You UWS for all the food and clothes and coffee!’ he might be more welcome. “Freeganism” comes at a cost to everyone else. When we say ‘Jesus Christ!’ when we pass you Freckles, we are not doing you homeage we are pleading for mercy from your presence. From one of the ‘old’ and ‘stupid’ upper west siders who is utterly sick of you.