Photo by Leslie Farinacci.
November 1, 2021 Weather: Partly cloudy, with a high of 58 degrees.
Notices:
Our calendar has lots of local events!
Tuesday is Election Day! Read our guide to the ballot questions here.
News:
311 complaints about missed sanitation pickups throughout the city have more than quadrupled in the last week, since a vaccination mandate was announced for all municipal workers, Gothamist reported. “’I’m assuming it is related to people expressing their views on this new mandate,’ Mayor Bill de Blasio said of the missed pickups….Harry Nespoli, president of Local 831, the union representing sanitation workers, denied there was some kind of trash pickup slowdown…” but acknowledged that “unvaccinated members were angry and demoralized about the mandate.” An interactive map shows pickups relatively stable on the UWS.
An artist who placed a sculpture of a heart at the Southeast corner of Central Park said he was trying to honor healthcare workers and Covid-19 victims. But he didn’t have a permit. “The Italian sculptor behind the large red heart, Sergio Furnari, said he was walking by Grand Army Plaza on Thursday afternoon with friends when he noticed that his Heroes Heart monument was gone,” the Guardian reported. “Furnari conceded he did not have a permit to place the heart in the park but considered a $4,000 grant from the city government to be permission for a temporary installation.”
A lawsuit is attempting to overturn the city’s plan to make the Open Restaurants outdoor dining program permanent, the Real Deal reports.
Famed rappers Jay-Z and Jeezy [were] driving on CPW next to Central Park, when Jay-Z made a startling confession,” according to UPROXX. Said Jeezy, “He was like, ‘You know what? I’ve been here my whole life and I’ve never been to that place.’ He’s so focused on doing and being what he is that something as peaceful as a park, he never took a minute to go….”
The first condo sale closed at 200 Amsterdam “on the 4th floor for $4.4 million,” The Real Deal reported. You think they planned that?
Comment of the Week, re: Governor Kathy Hochul’s “stature” — “I’m shocked that people would judge others by their height. Seems so stupid. Trump is very tall….. didn’t help him much IMO. Bloomberg is short…. Certainly didn’t hinder him.” – js
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Fantastic Halloween Photo!
The sanitation slowdown started even before the vax mandate went into effect. This may turn out to be a really effective way to weed out the MAGA bums from city uniformed services. They won’t be missed.
This is true: it was way before the vax mandate. I actually was discussing it with other people: So what is up with that. For sure it slowed way down… including the UWS
I can’t wait to see how that lawsuit regarding outdoor dining turns out. I can understand it being allowed temporarily while restaurants get back on their feet, but should it really be permanent?
This lawsuit is similar to the lawsuit that tried to block the CPW bike lane. It will be thrown out, mark my words.
As for charging rent to the restaurants, hasn’t the restaurant industry suffered enough? That’s no way to end the scourge of empty retail storefronts in our neighborhood.
In the meantime, let’s replace the metered spots that were taken by the sidewalk sheds with metered parking elsewhere to make up for the revenue loss!
If outdoor dining structures are allowed to stay, they should be taxed on a per square foot basis. People complain about cars getting “free” parking. Well, restaurants are getting free space, when there are a lot of empty storefronts all around.
It was a great idea at first when restaurants couldn’t have people indoors. Now that indoor dining is becoming safer, let’s charge for this. If they want to pledge the incremental tax revenues directly to programs to feed and shelter the poor, I am all for it.
Outdoor dining is great. I think it’s nice to be able to sit outside. It frees up more space indoors for people who prefer to sit there. It helps local businesses generate more revenue. Why would we ever go back?
What do you think of the rats and other garbage strewn about the shelters.
Most of the shelters around me are not strewn with rats or garbage. Sometimes there is garbage next to a shelter at night put out for pickup, but that would be there on the sidewalk if the shelters weren’t there. The restaurants keep the shelters neat because their customers are eating there. It doesn’t make sense for them to be messy. If people litter around there overnight, the same litter would have just been deposited on the sidewalk if they weren’t there, and it all gets cleaned up in the morning when they open, just like the sidewalk would without the shelters.
Maybe it’s just me. I just think those sheds are so unattractive and decorating them does not help at all.
Attractive is relative. Are they more attractive than a park? Probably not. Are they more attractive than a parking lot? Definitely.
311 is a joke. No matter what the complaint they will report it resolved with absolutely no action being taken. Do the NYPD and DOT just straight up lie or do the complaints never even make it that far?
I have a different experience with 311. I have seen quick responses to a rat issue and a restaurant that wasn’t honoring the required 8 feet of sidewalk space. Nothing is perfect but it works.
I too have had positive experiences with the 311 system.
Me too.
Watched college-student looking young folks picking up garbage on my block. Maybe desk workers at sanitation. The young lady was working her butt off. She was certain to be very very sore the next day. Puts the shame to those well-benefited, well-pensioned union workers.
If I was the landlord of a restaurant that had outdoor space I would double the rent. Double the tables, double the rents. This should be interesting.
I was never a huge fan of dining al fresco in NYC with the traffic, exhaust and noise here, and I found it much more appealing in European cities or locations where it’s less dense and a nicer ambiance. BUT – if outdoor dining would allow restaurants in NYC to space out their tables more inside, I’m all for it. I don’t think there’s anywhere else I’ve ever been where diners are packed in so closely like we have here inside NYC restaurants. Keep outdoor dining and space the indoor tables farther apart – I’m all for it!
Parking is private use of public land too. Better it be used for dozens of people’s meals than one person’s car.
Same as the citibike stations. Anything is better that one person’s private car.
My only issue with the dining sheds is proximity to bike lanes. If they are going to be made permanent, the sheds should be moved against the sidewalk and any bike lanes should be routed around the outside of the shed with bollards around the bike lane protecting it from traffic. This makes it safer for everyone – pedestrians, diners, and bike riders.
Hey, Free. Dozens of people cannot eat in the space where one car is parked. You obviously hate UWS citizens owning a car. For many it is a necessity. Be better.
Free parking too is wrong and most likely a private car owner that seems to feel threatened. Dozens of people CAN AND DO eat in the space where one car would park. It’s called turnover.
Both Free’s are right in their numbers, looking at them differently. On a per day basis, dozens more people will make use of the space of one car parking spot. On a per moment basis, it won’t be dozens, but could be up to a dozen or so, depending on how they set up. And I am all for the use of parking area in front of restaurants being used for seating. And wait for it – I am a car owner on the Upper West Side!