Last year one section of Shore Road Park looked lush and green like this.
With winter having pounded the area all season long, this is the scene now.
While the trees and the weeds are waiting to blossom, it looks like the day after.
New York City: Unsure About Everything
About a week or so back we had a post about the ‘cost of poo’ and the various fines that people can levy upon others if they are caught. Since then we noticed that there aren’t only various fines per department within the city, but also confusion as to what the various fines are within each department.
For instance, the NYC Parks Department uses Public Health Law 1310 to get a $100 fine for not cleaning up after your dog at Mount Prospect Park by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
However, the very same NYC Parks Department used Public Health Law 1316 to get a $1,000 fine for people not picking up after their dog along Shore Road Park in Bay Ridge.
Oddly enough we cannot seem to find any supporting documentation saying that Public Health Law 1316 exists in New York and the Department of Sanitation can only give out of $250 fine if they catch you not picking up after your dog.
That said, the Department of Sanitation isn’t any better with their lack of confusion when it comes to fines. If you are caught dumping along Shore Road in Bay Ridge you’ll get a $20,000 fine.
But if you’re caught dumping along the service road to the Gowanus Expressway in Bay Ridge, you’ll face only a $12,500 fine. Neither sign sites a law stating that the Department of Sanitation actually has the power to give out such fines.
While we’ve never heard of anyone receiving a fine for not picking up after a dog or for dumping, we cannot help but wonder just how much the people at the various departments are just making things up as they go along with their jobs.
It’s almost as if they just keep throwing spaghetti against a wall and seeing what sticks.
Public Bathroom Mysteries
Walking into a public bathroom at a park in New York City is always a new and different experience. In fact, it’s probably best to always walk into one with the assumption that something weird or dangerous is going on inside so that you don’t end up falling victim to something.
That said, we were totally thrown off guard when we walked into the men’s room at the Bay 8th Street park in Bath Beach.
Yes, yes it is a SPOTLESS stainless steel set up that appears to be scrubbed down on a daily basis with Brillo.
It has no privacy once inside due to no doors or walls around the toilet which makes the fact that the outside door remains propped open all the more chilly and raises the question: Is it indecent exposure to be bottomless while on the toilet when the only door around is wedged wide open?
Also, this mystery soap had us scratching our head.
What happened to the soap dispenser that is clearly on top of the sink? Why isn’t that good enough to be used? Did they lose they key? Also, who in their right mind would use a pink liquid that is inside of an old Poland Spring water bottle that is labeled ‘soap’ in a public bathroom that is in the middle of a park?