New Yorkers have been recently arguing about the fact that advertisements are blocking people's view and getting in the way of people's sight seeing. For example: how most people go visit the Statue of Liberty, and their view gets interrupted and blocked by an advertisement. Or when tourist pay a numerous amount of money to go see the Manhattan skyline and advertisements like "the walking dead" once again blocks your view. Some New Yorkers and tourist don't mind the ads, but others are very vocal about how it should be banned. Times square is full of ads and people don't mind it at all. But when it comes to locations where people want to look at its natural beauty, people/tourist do not want to see ads especially if the ad will block your view. When tourists go visit the Statue of Liberty, tourists want to be able to see the whole view of it not a "Grinch" the movie ad in the way of the Statue to the point you can't see it. These ads are very large and bright with big lights, but not every billboard is like this. As much as people want these advertisements gone, the Ballyhoo Media (that operates and are responsible for these ads/billboards) said they were "undeterred" and plan to keep using them.
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We need to ban *all* billboards in this nation. For those who might be disquieted by the thought of what a life without them would be like, go to Vermont or Maine, the way life should be.
Having *floating* billboards is pure schlock.
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The billboards are still operating! One just floated by. What can be done to enforce the law?
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These billboards are the dumbest and ugliest thing to ever happen to our rivers - and I mean OUR rivers.
Good riddance- I would never buy or do business with any company or brand using these obnoxious things -
That goes for any brand advertising in a NYC taxi as well.
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Years ago, it used to seem that every nine months or so a New York Times reporter went down to Di Fara's and gave it a rave review. We used to joke that the owner must have a friend in the city section.
So of course we tried it. Not the best by far; a little burnt.
Now it's closing. Some people think they're too good to pay taxes.
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Why should the high rise tenants be immune? Their buildings have definitely blocked the sight lines for tens of thousands of New Yorkers. So boo hoo to them!
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Floating billboard eysores are just another step in the Trumpification of America into a mean, greedy, everyone for himself third world swamp, as is the business owner’s claim that laws don’t apply to him. People with no morals or social conscience see Trump getting away with lawless, immoral behavior and say “why not me?”
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Why would you wear a flip-flop on the Subway ???
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@ron shapley, that was my thought exactly. Flip-flops belong at home or at the beach. Certainly not on city streets, subways, buses, or stairs.
- I also hate when people where them to work - where you have to hear that annoying flip-flop noise all day. Not to mention the gnarly, dirty feet!
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Coney island isn't the last stop on the R train - the train ends in Bay Ridge.
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@Laura H - As I read that, I thought the Diary writer had meant that yard by Coney Island where they do overhauling. Lots of people (like me) thought (before we found out what's what, which for me was only once the internet was here) that was just the place where the trains all went any time they were out of service, maybe to get washed and de-bubble-gummed.
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These floating billboards aren't only an eyesore, but a dangerous distraction to marine navigation -- something that needs to be taken into consideration in waters as congested as New York's.
Besides, don't we have enough "light pollution" as is?
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Regarding the NYT article about cyclist deaths and the lack of charges against drivers...
There have been a number of articles about the challenges cyclists face.
It would be appropriate to see some discussion about the egregious behaviors by most cyclists, posing dangers to pedestrians - blowing through red lights, going wrong way, weaving around pedestrians etc.
(BTW pedestrians who are hit by cyclists but don’t die immediately are not counted in the fatality data.)
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@SLM, they also weave in & out of traffic, putting themselves in greater danger, especially in a street packed with trucks and buses. Even in neighborhoods with bike lanes, they ignore the lanes and ride in bus lanes and in the middle of the road.
People often blame the delivery cyclists, but actually, the recreational cyclists - mostly young white males - are often the most aggressive, ignoring all traffic rules, and deliberately riding toward pedestrians and throwing out insults if we're "in their way."
It's time for cyclists to be licensed - and follow traffic laws or be ticketed.
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I went to high school at the Yeshivah at Avenue J and East 16th Street, so during that time, I only went to that (non-kosher) pizza place on Avenue J and East 15th Street on Saturdays, when the teachers wouldn't see (it was more out of respect, the teachers knew many of the students didn't follow kosher rules strictly). So I never experienced slow service there, and when sitting and waiting, the time passed pretty quickly, and they liked feeling busy, so no one ever rushed us out.
But I always thought the tastiest pizza on that stretch of Avenue J was the kosher pizza (of course closed on Saturdays) on the corner at East 12th Street, but there was no place for a family to sit there, though they did a very brisk to-go business. Jerusalem II was popular, and the pizza was always predictable but that meant reliable. And the pizza place diagonally across from the Midwood Theater was a family favorite, and far enough from the yeshivahs that we felt comfortable going there, just made sure to pocket the yarmulkes.
But on Saturdays, Avenue J and East 15th was the place to go for pizza. Now I feel sorry not to have gone last time I was in the area.
It might sound like I did nothing between classes but eat pizza. There was Chinese food too. Joy Fong near Coney Island Avenue was really great, even better than the terrific Jade Pagoda by us in the Trump Shopping Center (not kidding, it was next to the Trump Cinema) when we moved to Luna Park.
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