Pope Francis' upcoming visit to New York City is causing an absolute headache for residents on the Upper East Side, as the NYPD and Secret Service prepare the street where the pope will be staying.
The pontiff will be spending next Thursday to Saturday in a townhouse owned by the Holy See's UN envoy, Archbishop Bernardito Auza. The house is located at 20 East 72nd Street, between Fifth and Madison Avenues, and now, the whole block is being turned into what The Post describes as a "war-zone military base."
Security precautions will include concrete barriers and sand-filled trucks lining the street (to protect against vehicular bombs), rooftop snipers, and a "bulletproof passageway" that will allow His Holiness to get to and from the Popemobile. There will also be standard security checkpoints with bomb-sniffing dogs, where the block's residents will be searched and required to show identification. Plus, the street will be cleared of all cars and every building on the street, as well as manholes, sewer grates, and mailboxes, will have to be inspected.
All things considered, people seem relatively level-headed, with one neighbor saying that "It's very inconvenient for me but, nevertheless, it's the pope."
If only presidential visits were greeted with that level of understanding.
· Pope's visit will have the Upper East Side looking like a war-zone [NYP]
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