A September Potpourri
Hurting businesses on Second Avenue; Sept. 11; and Rosh Hashanah
By Bette Dewing
Yup, a New York Times review’s claim that no one’s sensibilities would be offended by Eat Pray Love actually got me out to the movies. Except for a few offending words, I left the theater with a glow which made East 86th Street’s maddening crowds seem almost friendly. Do you ever miss the going-to-the-movie experience where your sensibilities weren’t offended and earplugs and deep pockets weren’t needed? Read more
Three Muggings and a $100 Profit
Learning from having your adrenaline switch tested
By Susan Braudy
Thank goodness muggings are pretty much a thing of my past. Some things are getting better—a lot better—in our town. My first mugging took place at dusk on the University of Pennsylvania campus. A man pushed a wad of dollar bills into my coat pocket after showing me the top $100 bill, then invited me back to his hotel room. When I refused, he pushed me down and kicked me toward an open car door. Read more
Double Standard
To The Editor:
I have a complaint that I think you will agree is a legitimate grumble. Let me set the scene. I read most of your stories but never miss your “Crime Watch” section, which covers assaults, thefts, robberies, petty crimes, etc. One unique feature of the section is that you never print the name of the person who allegedly committed the offense in your headlines. That is, until your Aug. 12 issue with the bold-faced “Guiliani’s Daughter Arrested” instead of something like “Young Lady Arrested,” which would have been the headline any other time.
I can only deduce that you used Caroline Giuliani as a foil to take a low, cheap shot at her father who was hailed throughout the land in 2001 as “America’s Mayor.” Or did you forget?
Joe Morrone
Upper East Side
New Solutions to East Side Problems
Creating jobs, housing and infrastructure repair top agenda
In my campaign, I’ve traveled from the Lower East Side to the Upper East Side, from Astoria to Long Island City—and everywhere I go, I hear the same fundamental concern from voters: for the first time in generations, parents are worried their children will not have the same opportunities that they had. And more than anything, people in New York—from artists to taxi drivers to teachers to bankers—are anxious about the economy. They’re worried about a jobless recovery with no end in sight and politicians in Washington and Albany that are failing to act. Read more
The Cuomo Conundrum
Lazio, a surer bet to beat than junkyard dog Paladino
If you were Andrew Cuomo, who would you rather run against: Rick Lazio, the Republican middle-of-the-roader who is as American as apple pie and Howdy Doody, or his conservative, tea-partyish opponent, Carl Paladino? Cuomo is beating the stuffing out of both of them in the polls. You can be sure that this question is being discussed a lot in the Cuomo organization and between Papa and Junior Cuomo. Read more
Quest For The Perfect Parking Place
Finding a space for their cars drives Manhattanites to insane lengths
One reason I’ve loved living in Manhattan for the past 27 years is that I don’t need a car. Whenever I do, I rent.
I’ve always believed that I had the whole “car thing” down, so I’d shake my head in disbelief as my car-owning friends engaged in the insanity of alternate-side- of-the-street parking, monthly garage fees the price of studio apartments and having conversations with a guy whose name is embroidered on his shirt along the lines of, “It’s making a noise like, CACHUNGA. Think you can fix it?” Read more
No Segregation For Seniors
To The Editor:
I am opposed to segregation of people in public facilities based on race, age, sex or religion, and so I naturally oppose an “old people only” section of a public park (“At John Jay Park, You Must Be This Old To Enter,” July 15) or a public anything. The elderly are marginalized enough in our society without creating separate areas for them in public parks. Public parks should be places where all members of society are encouraged to mingle freely. Read more
Small-Businesses: The Forgotten Victims of Second Avenue
City should exempt businesses affected by subway construction from taxes
The construction of the Second Avenue Subway is killing a generation of small-businesses. As it moves southward, the construction is acting like a virtual Grim Reaper, felling everything in its path.
The Second Avenue Subway has been hailed as a project capable of relieving congestion, generating thousands of jobs and providing for the expansion of the East Side economy. Read more
Going Topless?
Women shouldn’t give up the mystique and power of their breasts
By Susan Braudy
Let me tell you why the accelerating—and alarming—trend that has women baring their breasts in public places other than locker rooms may turn out to be bad for us. Up until very recently, most women wore transparent fabric that beguiled, teased and almost showed a woman’s breasts.
I see this as smarter than going topless. Read more
Harsher Penalties in Traffic Crimes
There must be zero tolerance in hit-and-runs like the one that killed Michael Ward
By Bette Dewing
“We need as much to be reminded as informed,” Dr. Samuel Johnson so rightly opined.
An August 5 Our Town letter about the death of Michael Ward, who was killed in a hit-and-run on the East Side, needs repeated informing of the desperate—but slighted—need to prevent what we need to call traffic tragedies, not accidents. Read more
