In the 74th – Lower East Side

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 11:15:03 -0400

Our John Koblin couldn't keep himself off the streets Manhattan's 74th Assembly District in the Lower East Side, where freshman Assemblywoman Sylvia Friedman lost the New York Times endorsement to challenger Brian Kavanagh.

He is riding the Reform Albany message to the hilt. The message worked on 43rd Street, but what are people saying around East 12th Street? Koblin conducted some random interviews and has this dispatch:

I come home at night and I see all these rats and shit in the garbage cans here.

-- Christian Sordelete, 18, student at School of Visual Arts,
interviewed outside his apt on 12th and A

-- Azi Paybarah

Kolbin interviews from the 74th AD:

The school system is underfunded and there are horrible injustices. I'm lucky that I was able to go to private school and that my son will have the same benefit, but I don't think it's fair for the masses. I also have some local gripes. There are too many homeless people and the police department is disrespectful; they park wherever they want.

--Florie Huppert, interviewed at e. 22 and 2nd avenue, lifelong Murray Hill resident

Rents are skyrocketing out of control. New York City can't just be a place for rich people to live and sometimes it seems that way. I actually have a pretty good deal now, but If I lose that, I'd be fucked; I'd have to move to Coney Island or something.

-- Ned Stresen-Reuter, 28, artist/bartender, interviewed at 12th and A

What I'm really unhappy about is that there are no parks around here. There is a park on 29th street but it smells bad, it smells like urine and there are all these bums there. The Madison Square Park is just gorgeous, it's gorgeous, but I'm always looking for a bathroom and can't find one. They don't have a ladies room.

Oh, and the bus station at 28th street for the M15 is very crowded. I think it's from all the people who walk over from First Avenue from Bellevue.

-- Muriel Weiss, 80, interviewed at the corner of 24th and 2nd avenue

Observer » In the 74th – Lower East Side

In the 74th – Lower East Side