4 posts tagged “new york”

The respondent appeared at the hearing. Mr. Budiac did not dispute the allegations contained in the notice of violation (NOV). Rather, he testified that the signage prohibiting leashed dogs on the cited lawn was inadequate. He states that the only signage prohibiting leashed dogs on the lawn was an 8 1/2" x 11" laminated sign hung from the wire mesh fence around the perimeter of the central lawn. The mesh fencing rings the lawn next to the pedestrian pathway around the lawn. The sign was posted about 10' from the entrance to the lawn, visible to pedestrians entering from that direction. Mr. Budiac states that because he entered the lawn from the other direction he did not pass by the sign and therefore was not adequately notified that he could not bring his dog onto the lawn. Mr. Budiac adds that the posted sign, referred to above, conflicted with the more visible, more permanent "Park Rules" sign posted at the main entrance to the park itself. That sign, in relevant part, simply restricts, "unleashed dogs, except in designated areas." The NOV is sustained. I find Mr. Budiac's testimony to be credible. However, he does not dispute the allegations contained in the NOV nor does he establish a defense to those allegations. I credit the sworn allegations contained in the NOV and find that on the date cited in the NOV a violation of the cited section of law did occur. Accordingly, the NOV is sustained and I impose the Board-approved penalty.

A few weeks ago, I received a reply to my love letter to the New York Environmental Control Board:

To the Respondent or Authorized Representative:

We have received your letter of 7/28/08 requesting a hearing by mail. Unfortunately, this case does not qualify to be heard in this manner and must be resolved through a personal appearance.

Therefore, you are hereby directed to appear for a hearing at the above location on 11/14/08 at 8:30 am, at which time you should be prepared to answer and defend the allegation set forth in the Notice of Violation described above.

Beta and I stopped and listened to "Loose Marbles" in Washington Square Park this afternoon, on our way to the dog run. Apologies for the crappy quality; here's a better video of them playing on Royal and St. Louis in New Orleans. A cursory Google search turns up no official website, so I suppose this post to the New Yorker's New Orleans Journal will have to do:

The Loose Marbles is a sort of Amalgamated Jazz Corporation that creates subsidiaries around the city, to maximize tips and minimize boredom. The fifteen musicians play clarinet, trumpet, banjo, washboard, accordion, trombone, guitars, sousaphone, standup bass, and guitars, but you're likely to see only seven or eight performers at any given gig. And since you rarely see the same configuration of instruments twice in a row, you rarely hear the same kind of jazz. If Patrick McPeck is there with the accordion, you'll hear the Marbles' repertoire of spooky, minor-keyed, Gypsy-influenced songs. If Alynda Segarra is there, with her banjo or washboard, and Jason Jurzek is on string bass instead of tuba, they'll be playing songs that sound as if they were first performed in a hobo jungle during the Hoover Administration. In Washington Square, in New York, they split into two groups, one anchored by the tuba and the other anchored by the bass, and they play on opposite sides of the park. Halfway through the day, they'll mix up the configurations to give both the musicians and the crowd a change of pace. At the end of the day, they pool all the tips and divide them equally. I've seen days here in New Orleans where they have a stack of bills that's so thick it can't be held in one hand, and that contains a lot of portraits of Hamilton and Jackson.

I love this city so much.

I ran into a neighbor in the elevator on the way out to the market this evening. Her carbon monoxide detector was going off, and she was understandably freaked out. She had no idea what to do, but she knew she shouldn't stay in her apartment.

I asked her if she had called the super. She had, and his response was, "I'll take care of it in the morning." See, Kevin works weekdays from 7 am until 3 pm, and he can't be bothered after hours. He'll call the coroner in the morning to pick up the body.

I told her to call 311 and report the leak. In the time it took me to walk to St. Mark's Market, pick up some tortilla chips, and walk back home, the fire department was on the scene.

In conclusion, the New York Fire Department: awesome. Our superintendent: douchebag.