Fairway transforms UWS block into "Calcutta"

By A. Ready | January 21, 2011 - 4:26PM

Recently The New York Times City Room Blog asked readers, "What is the state of your block? Turns out it's not just street noise and adjacent neighbors that affect New Yorkers' quality of life. It's also grocery stores.

"What has destroyed our block? THE FAIRWAY MARKET around the corner on 2127 Broadway. They have taken over our street little by little over the years. Our street is besieged with 18-wheelers day and night spewing toxic fumes and causing gridlock on our narrow little street. Our sidewalks are also blocked with skids, loading equipment and trash piles, with Fairways appropriating public walkways as their personal warehouse. Then there’s the giant rats from filthy sidewalks and trash left out. You would think I was describing a street in Calcutta."

Food Emporium is the bane of another commenter's existence: "East 87th Street, East of 2nd Avenue – the block has been destroyed by 2nd Ave. construction equipment stored on the West end of the block. This blocks the receiving area for Food Emporium. The Food Emporium trucks begin arriving at 3:30-4am, and the screaming of their backup signal is louder than any alarm clock. Neither the 2nd Ave. liaison person nor Food Emporium managers care at all about destroying the quality of life for residents on my block. How would you like to have alarm clocks going off all night long?"

(NYTimes City Room blog; previously)

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