Photo taken by a doorman at 258 Riverside Drive of a nearby crash Friday morning. We haven’t been able to find out the condition of the driver yet.
August 10, 2015 Weather: Sunny, with a high of 79 degrees.
Notices:
Check out our calendar for this week. The JCC is hosting a free screening of Rosenwald, about a philanthropist and Civil Rights leader, and The Lorax is playing in Riverside Park. There’s also lots more music, dancing and readings.
Lowe’s on 68th and Broadway now says it’s opening the week of August 17, instead of today. “We hit an unexpected delay,” a spokesperson tells us.
The Central Park Conservancy is urging people not to fish in the Harlem Meer and the Central Park Lake because of “potentially hazardous levels of blue-green algae.”
A lost cat alert from Sunday night: “I was just walking my dog at the edge of CEntral park, right inside the entrance at 86th & CPW, and saw a lost cat. I think it’s a lost pet, because it is all alone, looks in pretty good shape, but was afraid to come to me even when I brought food.”
Council members Helen Rosenthal and Mark Levine joined Yankee Manager Joe Girardi at Lasker Pool to hand out Summer Meals to children. Photo below by Madeleine Ball for the NYC Council.
News:
A 26-year-old was in critical condition after getting beaten up on Saturday night, according to the Daily News. “The man was jumped by three or four suspects and struck in the back of the head with an unknown object on West 107th St. and Amsterdam Ave. at 9:25 p.m. Saturday, police said.” It’s not clear what sparked the violence. Police were also called to 840 Columbus Avenue because of a report of shots fired. We plan to follow-up to try to get more information.
A townhouse on 71st street will set a record if it sells for the expected listing price of $29 million. “The 7,134-square-foot townhouse, in a historic district, was completed in 1892 from plans filed in 1888 by the architects Hugh Lamb and Charles Alonzo Rich. A century later, it received a museum-grade restoration that cost about $1 million and re-established it as a grand single-family residence, after several decades as a 10-unit apartment building.”
Re: Townhouse Record
But killing 10 rental units was no record, I guess?
No, the Paris takes that cake.
This house seemed unoccupied a great deal of the time. The professional-grade Christmas decorations sometimes remained until they were replaced by the Easter ones. The tired Easter arrangements, some years, would remain until the elaborate Halloween ones replaced them.
dannyboy, They converted that in 1988, so to the extent it was evil, it was evil done a long time ago (during a time usually referred to as the good old days, by those who deplore the current developments on the UWS).
That said – these old houses are worth preserving in their original form, if only as an example of the past glories of this neighborhood. I am glad someone is preserving some of them.
Also, I wonder whether you would rather that people with money abandon the city and move to the burbs, or stay in the city and spend their money here. I would rather they stay here, and live in big houses, and spend their money (and taxes) here. In fact, growing up outside DC, and now living here, I’ve always thought that those with means have a moral obligation to stay within the city limits of the city from which they benefit or otherwise to give their tax dollars to support the amenities that they enjoy. I don’t mind them living in the style to whcih they are accustomed, if they’re doing it in a place where the dollars spent (and associated sales tax and jobs) benefit the neighborhood.
No, no, no, EricaC, in your charming naiveté you’ve gotten it all wrong!
Today the UWS watchword is “We don’ want no steenkin’ classy “rich” people; we want low-life’s who toss garbage out their windows, have screaming arguments at 2:00 a.m., play deafening music from their car-radios, “tag” every public surface in view, etc. etc.
THAT’s what makes a neighborhood “authentic”; and when a neighborhood becomes sufficiently “authentic” then RICH TOURISTS from France can come visit so they can post Instagram photos and Facebook posts showing how tres-trendy they are to have visited those up-and-coming quaint neighborhoods of Nouveau York.
ScooterStan, don’t think you’re going to have me in your camp either. I do think that the rich should pay more taxes. Not confiscatory taxes – I’m still a believer in incentives – but the idea that you should come into this city and benefit from it without paying your fair share of taxes is as ridiculous and selfish as the view that the rich should pay for everything.
Noreaster, I think the rules for absentee homeowners shoudl be changed, but there are a lot of people who have enough money to live in Westchester or wherever, and ocmmute into the city to work, but are far from being billionnaires. I would rather have those people here, paying income, sales and other taxes, than having them in Westchester. And, at the risk of repeating myself, I don’t mind too much if they live well (I will avoid the flip characterization so as not to confuse people).
“let them have cake” – something Upper West Siders abhor
Well, that’s assuming that the “people with money” actually pay their fair share.
“Why Billionaires Don’t Pay Property Taxes in New York”
https://www.citylab.com/housing/2015/05/why-billionaires-dont-pay-property-taxes-in-new-york/389886/?utm_source=SFTwitter
Bravo, EricaC.
Erica C,
I am speaking on behalf of the 10 neighbors who are gone from “a 10-unit apartment building.”
You focus on “people with money” who replaced them “living in the style to which they are accustomed”.
dannyboy, as others have noted, those 10 people had to have been paid to leave, or they left on their own. It is difficult to get rent-controlled tenants to leave if they dont want to. I’m not advcating making it easier, just noting that my response is based in part upon my experience that when rent-controlled tenants leave, particularly in teh context of a private townhouse as opposed to a large commercial landlord, it is generally a very tough negotiation and the tenants are in some senses in the driver’s seat.
Assuming that everyone knew that, I was focusing on the loss of ten units, not teh loss of ten homes – there is a difference. If we were talking about 10 tenants dispossessed and left homeless, I woudl have a different view – but of course, that’s not what you said in your original comment, so I did not respond to that.
Also, your citing the reference to my comment on the style to which they are accustomed takes it out of context – as I suspect you know.
It is not really right to try to set yourself up here as the champion of the tenants and me as the champion of those with money, at least not based on teh comment I made. It is rather rude, actually.
OK I’ll fix my parphrasing:
“So, let’s just put them out on the street.”
Wrong yet again. That’s my real name.
dannyboy, you may be paraphrasing yourself, but that is not a fair paraphrasing of what I said. As I think you know.
Nothing like anonymity to bring out the best in people!
We’re talking almost 30 years ago here folks. Those 10 tenants are probably long gone along with the money that they extorted from the building owner for them to move out of their rent stabilized/rent controlled apartments for the privilege of them vacating. I know an older guy on my block that got a 6 figure payout plus a 1BR apartment in a nice elevator building to give up his 4th floor walk-up studio apt.
Plus, have you seen some of the apartments that get carved out of brownstones? Some are absolutely beautiful but I’d wager that at least half of them barely meet the minimum light/ventilation/plumbing standards for housing.
As to the cat – if anyone wants more details, let me know. Please get the word out; this cat looks like it belongs on someone’s couch somewhere (and Central Park is no place for a domestic caat in any event).
Cats get more concern than people on this forum.
Meow! What a catty statement.
-Duck
Dear Duck,
I know that this Comment is not yours, it would have been “Quack!” instead of “Meow!”
I have been living with cats for about 20 years.
Again, dannyboy, not a fair summary. The difference is that it is obvious what to do about a stray cat – fixing housing problems is much harder.
it’s just too hard
Erica C — any way you would post this to Facebook (with a picture) and we can share with my neighbors and local rescue groups? Perhaps you can post a FB link here?
I couldn’t get a picture, as it was too dark, so I don’t have anything to post – but if anyone wants to get in touch, I’m happy to figure out how, so I can give more details to the extent I have them. The cat seemed to be light colored, with somewhat fluffy hair – but not truly a long-haired cat. It was a pretty average sized cat, from what we could see. We tried to get near it, wtih treats and a can of cat food, but it just kept running further into the woods along the inside of the fence, and I was getting a little uncomfortable being in there at that hour. It went up a tree as we were leaving (so I hope it was reasonably safe for the night).
Without speculating too much,I have to imagine speed played a huge role in this car accident! Otherwise, how in the heck did this car manage to flip over going up hill?! Either way, hope the driver is safe. It’s a shame though-walked by on Friday night and one tree was completely destroyed and another damaged.
Does anyone know what happened with the shootings at 100th and Columbus on Saturday night?
The story on 101st-102nd street shooting was two people opened fire in project courtyard to a large crowd, nobody was hit, looking for shooters [channel 7 news online]. I figured shots were fired as heard about 3 pops and then heard cops sirens after about 5-10 minutes, then saw cops were patrolling/searching in packs up 100th btw columbus n CPW n up manhattan ave and then a group stopped eventually at columbus n 100th. Helicopter was patrolling with spotlight as well for a short period.
Ch. 7 is reporting that 2 reprobates shot into a large crowd of people assembled in the Douglass Projects. I really don’t know what it is with black youths shooting into crowds of other black people. There’s a very weird self-hatred going on there that totally debunks the #blacklivesmatter nonsense being shoved in our faces.
“There’s a very weird self-hatred going on there” – Scott
Shooting another person is very different from self-hatred. Self-hatred would be shooting yourself.
Self-hatred, Dannyboy, is also defined as hatred of one’s own group.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-hatred
Finally – something we agree on!
Erica,
We agree on quite a lot. For example cats.
Minor disagreements are what the Comments section is for; to listen, debate, learn, refute…
On the other hand, Scott’s Comment, in response to you, is just annoying.
Prosaic thinkers unite!
Scott:
It takes TONS of COJONES to even think about daring to defy the zeitgeist and speak an opinion such as yours, especially on a site constantly patrolled by the PC-POLIZIA.
Congratulations on your bravery; but get ready for in-coming!
P.S.: this writer prefers the #ALL LIVES MATTER hashtag.
I see the merry little band of drama queens have checked in.
Yes, it’s SOOOO brave to comment anonymously on a blog. Wow, ScooterStan, Scott’s an American hero.
Re: “Wow, ScooterStan, Scott’s an American hero.”
YES, in a way, because it takes REAL COURAGE to openly defy ‘public opinion’ and speak one’s mind, opening oneself up to all sorts of attack and vilification.
Much easier to either run with the herd or just keep silent.
It takes no cojones at all to post comments anonymously. Keyboard courage, they call it, I think.
Obviously, the acts of a these people do not either obviate the concerns about police actions against black youth (and now women). You have to be blind not to see that there is an issue – and while of course all lives matter, you must be able to understand what that slogan is getting at, right?
Scott,
You probably don’t really mean what you wrote. Consider the issue from two perspectives.
Do you think that because some black people commit indiscriminate acts of violence against other black people one should conclude that black lives do not matter to black people in general?
If so then wouldn’t you have to believe as well that because some white people commit indiscriminate acts of violence against other white people then white lives do not matter to white people?
From the other perspective:
Do you really believe that law enforcement officers approach black citizens with the same respect and forbearance with which, by and large, they approach white citizens? If so, then how do you account for the disproportionate number of unarmed black citizens amongst those unarmed citizens who are shot by law enforcement officers in routine encounters such as driving infractions.
Robert, I do think black lives matter to black people. But I’d like to see the blm activists talk about this. They keep yammering on about the cops when statistics show the real threat to their sons and daughters is from gang members with Tec-9s.
As for whites committing random acts of violence against their own, when they approach outdoor parties and just start spraying gunfire randomly, in the numbers we’ve seen the last couple of years, please get back to me. Google “barbecue” and “shooting” to see what I mean.
You’re a little late to the party Bruce. What happened? You’re slipping.
wow… what a horrible, and horribly ignorant, comment.
apparently you haven’t paid any attention recently to mass killings by people who are not African-Americans? it seems like almost all these mass killings in movie theaters, schools, etc are carried out by white males.
your comment is particularly hurtful when we remember that one of the largest massacres recently was carried out by a white racist in an African-American church… and specifically targeted the church goers based on their race.
This incident “totally Debunks black lives matter”..jesus. That does not debunk anything, facts are within ethnic backgrounds kill each other at high rates..guess what Caucasian people kill each other at a high rate and greater number as they make up a large amount of the population but that is never mentioned in the media. It’s ignorance that perpates the idea that this is a concept exclusive to African Americans. Black lives matter is a response to the injustice that occurs for minorities especially with police officers where they are not held accountable for wrong doings
Let’s go back to the photo heading this post. How incredibly fast must this car have been going down Riverside Drive to have ended up overturned? In spite of the new, lower speed limit that has been imposed, many drivers continue to speed down our streets, unimpeded by any sort of patrols. There needs to be some level of enforcement if these laws are going to be respected and our streets are to be any safer.
I’m in complete agreement with you, Mike. There is almost no traffic enforcement going on. Plenty of parking tickets, but no moving violations. If people started getting fined, it would make an impact to some degree.
Totally agree!! I don’t understand why NYPD blows off the neighborhood concerns on this EXTREMELY important quality-of-life issue.
When I’m on foot in the neighborhood for a short time each day, I try to count the number of incidents of cars running red lights or trucks speeding on our residential streets, unchecked, until I see a single patrol car or officer out doing enforcement. It ain’t a pretty picture.
A-Remember that our “elected’s” are the ones pushing to “decriminalize” must of the quality of life issues you are mentioning.
B-City Hall has made it clear at the precinct level to back off on enforcement re homeless conditions and/or panhandling, no matter how aggressive.
C-Walk around the precinct more and you will see them, the 24 has a car doing enforcement at 96 and B’way almost 24/7. They are also at several other locations in the area regularly.
“Walk around the precinct more and you will see them, the 24 has a car doing enforcement at 96 and B’way almost 24/7. They are also at several other locations in the area regularly.” – Robert
That’s because 96 and B’way is one of those hyped up Vision Zero ‘improvements’ (improvement of an improvement, of an…). Pols don’t want anyone killed there until after they have taken the credit for the ‘improvement’.
I think maybe my comment wasn’t clear- I actually support the push to decriminalize low-level offenses. I think dangerous driving is a serious quality-of-life issue.
I appreciate the times I see the cops out, but I’m walking around every day, see violations every time, and don’t often see the cops. That car didn’t flip at 25 or 35 miles per hour. (It’s strange the driver’s speed isn’t investigated and reported as a standard part of the NYPD report to the public).
pride
Why isn’t the garden at Verdi Square being maintained? It looks horrible. And that new Subway Station could use some work too.
We all need to remember that our “elected” are the ones pushing to “decriminalize” must of the quality of life issues you are mentioning.
City Hall has made it clear at the precinct level to back off on enforcement re homeless conditions and/or panhandling, no matter how aggressive.
That is why the area between the bench’s and planters from 72 to 73 has become basically a permanent homeless encampment. The stench of urine this summer reminds me of the 70’s and 80’s when you avoided that park like the plague. They are also using the park area behind them for other bodily functions. Open air drug sales and use are also flourishing in the park area. Rats are also quickly becoming an issue at this location.
I thought that you would be interested in this BBC piece on NYC quality of life and homelessness problems.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-33872595
Well, conflating being homeless, suffering from mental illness, and open-air drug sales is silly. The first two aren’t illegal and demonizing or mocking them, like the Post and the SBA seem to be doing, is cruel. Of course NYPD should be enforcing laws on open-air drug sales.
Several years ago I was in Cafe 71 when John Tucker wandered in. The man working behind the counter looked up and said to him, ‘eat poison and die.’ After hearing that comment, I’ve never gone back.
“John Tucker Must Die” is a movie I think.
imdb says you’re correct. 🙂
That was such a hideous response at the time from the guy behind the counter. This was back in the Bloomberg years.
Yes but the gardens themselves are overrun. How do you know drugs are being sold there? And those booksellers across the street are disgusting. I want a quiet place to sip my latte.
Not that stop signs would have changed the outcome of the accident on Riverside – but I live on 99th, and as you come up Riverside Drive from 97th st there are NO stop signs until 100th st – I don’t know why.
The other two incidents were in the Douglass Houses. There was some type of cookout taking place and an unidentified person discharged their firearm therein.