Even in the Big City, there ain't always a McDonald's or Starbucks on hand. Sometimes you've just got to let it fly, which creates significant problems for others. Today we'll offer up two posts that deal with public pee pee. While using the bodily function to achieve dramatic effect, in both cases the Yellow River leads to discussions on much larger real estate topics. The first chapter: skateboarding comes to SoHo, and culture war erupts. A reader writes:
Everyone in my building (I live in the "Big" loft - as in, the movie), and every building within a 2 block radius was fuming mad tonight, because of a party at a new shop that led to fights in the street, lots of drugs, ignorant dumbasses urinating all over storefronts and residential entrances on Greene St.
Eventually, after enough residents complained, the NYPD shut down the party and cleared the street - thank god, since it could be heard from 4 blocks a away (even in West Chelsea - WeChe, you can't hear the music for more than about 50 feet away!). It did take calls to be escalated to the Precinct captain, and one resident called 911 after being assaulted for asking people not to drink on his stoop. I fear there will be more of these parties - and it infuriates me that the restos and bars in north TriBeCa may get shut down, while this crap is allowed to happen (at least for a while).
After discovering that it was the opening party for a new Etnies skate shoe store in Soho, I checked the website and saw this... ...a skateboard ramp on the roof of a landmark building. Considering it has taken some of my neighbors years to get the permits for landscaping their roofs, let alone build penthouses, I somehow doubt that the mini skate park is legal. Any idea? Has this ever been seen before?
Above you will see the photo of the ramp from the Etnies website. Now, as we all know from various Nike ad campaigns, skateboarding is not a crime. But how in the hootenanny did they get permission to go ahead with that rooftop ramp? And wait a second: WeChe? Whaaaat!!!
· etnies 20 Year Anniversary Team Signing in NYC! [etniesskate.com]