Street Clutter in Brooklyn?
City Room, a New York Times blog, published a rant from Julia Willkie over the weekend about the cluttered streets and sidewalks in Manhattan. She cites sidewalk vendors, superfluous “honor boxes” for free publications, and an excess of phone booths among her primary woes. She quite dramatically writes: “The center of the Upper East Side…
City Room, a New York Times blog, published a rant from Julia Willkie over the weekend about the cluttered streets and sidewalks in Manhattan. She cites sidewalk vendors, superfluous “honor boxes” for free publications, and an excess of phone booths among her primary woes. She quite dramatically writes: “The center of the Upper East Side is beginning to resemble a hardened hooker of the night.” What we would like to know is if street clutter has become a problem for any of us in Brooklyn. Readers, what do you think—do the crowds of Seventh Avenue in Park Slope or Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg get you down? Is there a Brooklyn equivalent to Ms. Willkie’s slightly overwrought description of Manhattan’s crowded streets?
Complaint Box: Street Clutter [NY Times]
Photo by makemusicnewyork
i really have the urge to say the “C F” word right now. is that really a bannable offense?
Ditmas, I am amazed by that. I honestly have never encountered any ‘tude. Funny how things can be so different.
Mothers w/ kids are the worst. Yesterday at the curb of 7th Av & Garfield there were 3 mothers w/ strollers plus 5 kids ages 4 or 5 standing solidly on the corner chatting. Further along, in front of the church near Key Food, 2 more stroller moms w/ 3 kids – standing between the wall of the church fence & the substantial planters when there’s that huge, roomy plaza in front of the bagel place not 8 steps away. Both groups were totally oblivious to how they were blocking passage for anyone else.
i’ve never gotten hit by a stroller, but i have been hit by obnoxious bikers.
*rob*
Waah Waah – I mean I agree their are far to many payphones in Manhattan (can’t we just remove the phones and put up a few billboards and be done with the pretext?)
But if the cities problem is that it is too crowded, then you really dont have too many problems.
I can’t believe it took that long for the stroller debate to start.
> any ideas that strollers are unpleasant to share the sidewalks
> with are completely unfounded
I respectfully disagree. During my years in Park Slope, it appears that some folks have mistaken their Bugaboos for a icebreakers, and other people on the sidewalk as obstructing ice.
“The center of the Upper East Side is beginning to resemble a hardened hooker of the night”
So true! And yet for completely different reasons than the ones the author is asserting…
Well said ENY.
The only time I notice “clutter” on 7th Ave. is on Sundays, which is pretty understandable.
Older people – middle-aged people I mean – are the most oblivious on the sidewalk. They stop to orient themselves at the top of subway stairs, or suddenly on the street, without ever moving to the storefronts to get out of the way. Or they walk abreast with a three foot gap between them.
I am at Ground Zero of strollerdom; any ideas that strollers are unpleasant to share the sidewalks with are completely unfounded. Most of the moms and nannies fall all over themselves to be polite.