***New York*** (1 Viewer)

[Nick Vermeil]

Great marathon day today. Walked 5 blocks out of the house with the kids, saw the elite runners and tens of thousands of other runners. Bumped into a ton of friends and friends of kids. Had some excellent food. Loaded up on four crowlers of rare beer for election night. All within walking distance of home. Definitely a reminder of why I live in New York kind of day. Please don't attack us tomorrow. 

 

[Koya]

Please don't attack us tomorrow. 

Or anyday, for that matter. 

 

[[icon]]

You guys still alive up there?

 

[Koya]

You guys still alive up there?

Other than the Knicks? Sure thing GB.

 

[El Floppo]

You guys still alive up there?

You call this living?

 

[El Floppo]

WashPost article about a book or exhibit or something involving "old" NYC pics (80s).

will never get over the amount of graffiti on the trains... I got here at the tail end of that.

 

[Nick Vermeil]

They are bringing in the permanent concrete barriers to Trump Tower.  Two semi trucks full parked in front of my office.  Time to start looking for a new job.  

 

[Nick Vermeil]

Finally picked up a Citibike membership a few days back.  Last night, on my third ride, I stopped at a red light.  I was in a left side bike lane.  After traffic cleared, I turned left into another left hand bike lane.  Got pulled over, $190 ticket.  Unmarked cop car on bike duty.  Great use of resources NYPD. 

 

[El Floppo]

Finally picked up a Citibike membership a few days back.  Last night, on my third ride, I stopped at a red light.  I was in a left side bike lane.  After traffic cleared, I turned left into another left hand bike lane.  Got pulled over, $190 ticket.  Unmarked cop car on bike duty.  Great use of resources NYPD. 

damn- at least you've got some kind of luck. that ####### stinks. and I'm sure there were people double-parked and walking in the same bike lane- without a blink from the same cop.

fwiw- there are pretty consistent sting locations around... you'll get to know them the more you ride. where did you get the ticket?

according to my app, I've got close to 3,000 miles logged on citibike- about 7,800 redlights run, and never been ticketed. (knocking on wood like an OCD, turrets riddled polish carpenter)

 

[Koya]

Manhattan is going to have to bite the bullet sooner rather than later on denying (most) vehicular access.  It's great to see that we are getting more complete streets/bike lanes, but the ethos of those enforcing the laws is stuck in the 1980's. Think about it, you have a bunch of cops who live in the 'burbs, drive around all day and see the world from an auto-dominated standpoint.

Meanwhile, Manhattan thrives in everything but... it's time to reclaim the streets (quite literally - by permanently closing some you open up tremendous economic value that is now tied up in nothing more than letting the most efficient transportation option work a little less poorly).  Close some permanently, restrict others to limited hours and to cabs and other semi-public transit.  Emphasize the assets NY has - walkability and transit.  

Because as it stands now, those using alternative modes of transit like biking get penalized - or worse, they get killed because we still gear everything towards auto traffic - while someone double parked in a bike lane usually gets off scott free... and is often the damn cop themselves.

 

[El Floppo]

Manhattan is going to have to bite the bullet sooner rather than later on denying (most) vehicular access.  It's great to see that we are getting more complete streets/bike lanes, but the ethos of those enforcing the laws is stuck in the 1980's. Think about it, you have a bunch of cops who live in the 'burbs, drive around all day and see the world from an auto-dominated standpoint.

Meanwhile, Manhattan thrives in everything but... it's time to reclaim the streets (quite literally - by permanently closing some you open up tremendous economic value that is now tied up in nothing more than letting the most efficient transportation option work a little less poorly).  Close some permanently, restrict others to limited hours and to cabs and other semi-public transit.  Emphasize the assets NY has - walkability and transit.  

Because as it stands now, those using alternative modes of transit like biking get penalized - or worse, they get killed because we still gear everything towards auto traffic - while someone double parked in a bike lane usually gets off scott free... and is often the damn cop themselves.

if self-driving cars become the norm the way an auto-insider I know is convinced they will (within 10 years, according to him)... that hopefully eases up on the risk to pedestrians and bicycles and maybe changes the dynamic of even having cars in the city.

as with anything else that gets left to people- they ruin good things. we get shiny new bike lanes- and cars/trucks park in them, pedestrians use them instead of sidewalks and joggers decide it makes sense to jog in them (even at rushhour). not to mention too many cyclists who aren't thoughtful considerate neighbors and do everything from run redlights, go against traffic and even just stop for the redlight, but right in the middle of the crosswalk. I tend to overthink all of this stuff- how I engage public NYC- and probably put the rest of NYC ahead of myself at times because I figure if everyone was doing that, it would be a pretty amazing city. I run every possible red light I can- but I treat each one as running three separate intersection: first cross-walk, street, far cross-walk. if anything I do makes anybody going through any of those three interesections have to even blink... I've done it wrong. I don't ride in front of pedestrians when they're crossing (unless they're jaywalking) just to minimize the psychological impact of having a bike whiz by in front of their face. 

 

[Koya]

if self-driving cars become the norm the way an auto-insider I know is convinced they will (within 10 years, according to him)... that hopefully eases up on the risk to pedestrians and bicycles and maybe changes the dynamic of even having cars in the city.

There will be limited application by that time, but you have to understand that we have an infrastructure built for human error, and the transition between a period of "some" autonomous vehicles and all is going to be an interesting dance.

That said, two thoughts

1. Manhattan would be a PRIME location for automated cars ONLY.  That would go a long way.  

2. That does not solve the issue of folks who drive INTO the city, at least those who won't have automated cars for closer to say 15, 20 or 25 years.  More importantly, automated driving will make auto's more efficient, but it will STILL be one of the least effecient means of transportation.  Just think of the physical space a car takes up - on the road (even with automation, you need a couple feet between you), in every parking spot it needs throughout the day, in terms of unused road that has to be available for "peak" hour traffic.

To your point though, I believe automated cars can change the dynamic, especially in dense urban areas where you shouldn't rely on a car to begin with.  I could see Manhattan being automated only years before other places can think about it, which could then provide more impetus to use existing transit lines which are still far more effecient, and leave it to the burbs to figure out their last mile connections on the other end. 

 

[fantasycurse42]

More DOE complaints here, so if the school system isn't an issue for you, you can stop here.

Last year my son went to a private 2's program, he was the 2nd oldest and all feedback was great, he really excelled in the program, he was born at the tail end of 2012. This year he is in the same school, but a PreK program, he went from 2nd oldest to youngest in his class. The school assesses all of the children and told us while our son is okay and doesn't require any special services, a year of maturity and a repeat of PreK next year would be great for his outcome. Basically they recommend a redshirt here.

Obviously we know the NYCDOE sucks balls and have no wiggle room here at all. I'm left with limited choices as my wife does not want to move. 

• Send him to K next year and see where the dust settles - I'm not a fan of this option
  
• Send him to private for the next few years - $30k a year is also not a great option
  
• Hire a lawyer and file suit with supporting documents from current school (which participates in the NYC EEC PreK program). Hate to say it, but I'm leaning in this direction. My underlying tone/thought with this is cost/benefit/outcome. I think I can hire a litigator here and my initial costs would be sub $5k. The hope would be simple - the DOE would want to sweep it under the rug and avoid having to deal with 1000's of others who feel the same as I do and concede to us. If they wanted to battle, at that point I'd have to start weighing what the costs to litigate and go to court are and the private school option starts looking like the more viable option.
  

Any opinions on this? My thought on the NYCDOE just wanting to get this handled and away from anyone else who might be thinking the same as me has to be somewhat of a rationale thought?

 

[fantasycurse42]

I'm taking step one right now and sending a note to our community Superintendent to request a meeting.

 

[shadyridr]

More DOE complaints here, so if the school system isn't an issue for you, you can stop here.

Last year my son went to a private 2's program, he was the 2nd oldest and all feedback was great, he really excelled in the program, he was born at the tail end of 2012. This year he is in the same school, but a PreK program, he went from 2nd oldest to youngest in his class. The school assesses all of the children and told us while our son is okay and doesn't require any special services, a year of maturity and a repeat of PreK next year would be great for his outcome. Basically they recommend a redshirt here.

Obviously we know the NYCDOE sucks balls and have no wiggle room here at all. I'm left with limited choices as my wife does not want to move. 

• Send him to K next year and see where the dust settles - I'm not a fan of this option
  
• Send him to private for the next few years - $30k a year is also not a great option
  
• Hire a lawyer and file suit with supporting documents from current school (which participates in the NYC EEC PreK program). Hate to say it, but I'm leaning in this direction. My underlying tone/thought with this is cost/benefit/outcome. I think I can hire a litigator here and my initial costs would be sub $5k. The hope would be simple - the DOE would want to sweep it under the rug and avoid having to deal with 1000's of others who feel the same as I do and concede to us. If they wanted to battle, at that point I'd have to start weighing what the costs to litigate and go to court are and the private school option starts looking like the more viable option.
  

Any opinions on this? My thought on the NYCDOE just wanting to get this handled and away from anyone else who might be thinking the same as me has to be somewhat of a rationale thought?

And whats wrong with the option of having him repeat pre-k? You say he is the youngest in the class.

 

[fantasycurse42]

And whats wrong with the option of having him repeat pre-k? You say he is the youngest in the class.

This is what I want to do, the NYC BOE does not allow this.

 

[shadyridr]

This is what I want to do, the NYC BOE does not allow this.

I guess Im confused. They recommend him repeat Pre-k but they dont allow it?

 

[fantasycurse42]

I guess Im confused. They recommend him repeat Pre-k but they dont allow it?

The school he is in says it would be highly beneficial for him. This school only goes up to PreK and is an EEC (early education center), basically all of their classes are private except PreK which participates in the NYC UPK program. So they have no say what actually happens to him and BOE is very strict about their redshirting procedures.

 

[fantasycurse42]

District Superintendent already wrote me back, not a bad first step.

She'll meet with me in a month, I'll take it. 

 

[Sammy3469]

I guess Im confused. They recommend him repeat Pre-k but they dont allow it?

They force you into whatever grade that corresponds to the year you were born, no matter when you enter the NYC system.  So if you were bron in 2011 you are in K now, 2010 only in 1st.  So as a 2012 if he repeats pre-K and then enters the NYC DOE system he'd have to go into 1st not K.  Even if you are successful, you lose priority at your zoned school so if you go to one of the in-demand schools, you have to hope their is a spot in K.  

As someone with a late in the year boy, the system sucks, but that's what it is.  I've heard of 1 or 2 people succesfully redshirting, but the vast majority of people concerned with this just go the private school route.  At this point, it is what it is.  

 

[shadyridr]

They force you into whatever grade that corresponds to the year you were born, no matter when you enter the NYC system.  So if you were bron in 2011 you are in K now, 2010 only in 1st.  So as a 2012 if he repeats pre-K and then enters the NYC DOE system he'd have to go into 1st not K.  Even if you are successful, you lose priority at your zoned school so if you go to one of the in-demand schools, you have to hope their is a spot in K.  

As someone with a late in the year boy, the system sucks, but that's what it is.  I've heard of 1 or 2 people succesfully redshirting, but the vast majority of people concerned with this just go the private school route.  At this point, it is what it is.  

What happens if they put him in K and he doesn't do well? Dont they just have him repeat K the next year?

 

[Sammy3469]

What happens if they put him in K and he doesn't do well? Dont they just have him repeat K the next year?

Yes, I guess.  I think he straight out has to fail though which is almost impossible for K.  

 

[fantasycurse42]

Sammy is pretty spot on with all above and redshirting is practically impossible, the Superintendent is the only person who can approve such a request. Personally I'm yet to hear of 1 successful redshirting story, so the fact that he knows of 1 or 2 is encouraging for me. 

I've got supporting documents and a meeting with the person who can approve it, healthy first step here.

My understanding is they put a kid in special education before they leave them back school system here sucks so bad and the 2 comma earners just go right around it.

 

[mr. furley]

More DOE complaints here, so if the school system isn't an issue for you, you can stop here.

Last year my son went to a private 2's program, he was the 2nd oldest and all feedback was great, he really excelled in the program, he was born at the tail end of 2012. This year he is in the same school, but a PreK program, he went from 2nd oldest to youngest in his class. The school assesses all of the children and told us while our son is okay and doesn't require any special services, a year of maturity and a repeat of PreK next year would be great for his outcome. Basically they recommend a redshirt here.

Obviously we know the NYCDOE sucks balls and have no wiggle room here at all. I'm left with limited choices as my wife does not want to move. 

• Send him to K next year and see where the dust settles - I'm not a fan of this option
  
• Send him to private for the next few years - $30k a year is also not a great option
  
• Hire a lawyer and file suit with supporting documents from current school (which participates in the NYC EEC PreK program). Hate to say it, but I'm leaning in this direction. My underlying tone/thought with this is cost/benefit/outcome. I think I can hire a litigator here and my initial costs would be sub $5k. The hope would be simple - the DOE would want to sweep it under the rug and avoid having to deal with 1000's of others who feel the same as I do and concede to us. If they wanted to battle, at that point I'd have to start weighing what the costs to litigate and go to court are and the private school option starts looking like the more viable option.
  

Any opinions on this? My thought on the NYCDOE just wanting to get this handled and away from anyone else who might be thinking the same as me has to be somewhat of a rationale thought?

wait, all this over your kid going to pre-k?

as someone who skipped a grade and was the youngest in my classes throughout (sometimes by nearly 3 years)... it sucked. making a kid repeat pre-k when they won't remember a single thing about it in a year is not worth the trouble.

 

[Koya]

redshirting is practically impossible,

Wasn't redshirting a growing issue some years back? Everyone wanted their kids to be the oldest and ####, and would purposely delay entry? Not sure if these rules predate that, or are as a result of.

 

[El Floppo]

still trying to figure out why sending the kid to K is a problem?

 

[fantasycurse42]

still trying to figure out why sending the kid to K is a problem?

The school assesses all of the children and told us while our son is okay and doesn't require any special services, a year of maturity and a repeat of PreK next year would be great for his outcome. Basically they recommend a redshirt here.

Maybe I'm selling my own book a little here bc this is the direction I wanted to go before. IDK, he is literally the youngest in his class and prob would be for the rest of his schooling. 

 

[El Floppo]

Maybe I'm selling my own book a little here bc this is the direction I wanted to go before. IDK, he is literally the youngest in his class and prob would be for the rest of his schooling. 

we all want to do right by our kids- so I don't blame you here.

that said- and I've brought this up every time you have... I've watched my oldest's classes straight along- now in 4th grade. yes- in K, there were some kids in the Nov-Dec bdays that were clearly younger and developmentally behind the older ones (caveat... G&T- so all of them were developmentally capable of sitting still solo with a strange adult for 45-60mins and answering questions). at that age, 11 months naturally makes a big difference- especially at the beginning of the year when it's clear some kids are just oversized toddlers and not too capable of self-sufficiency and some are already cooking their own breakfasts. by the end of school year... you couldn't tell which were which. 1st grade- not even an issue. 2nd grade- more of the same. 3rd grade- becomes a big problem because... no- I lied. more of the same. 4th grade. yep.

point being- unless your kid has genuine developmental issues, he's going to be fine being the youngest in the class. but he won't have a year's advantage over the other kids. if you're really that concerned- roll the dice with the superintendent or just go private/parochial. or move to the suburbs where I think the bday calendar is school year, not calendar year.

 

[Random]

Any word on the Hyatt House in Chelsea?  We have reservations to stay there in April for 3 nights (with kids).

 

[Koya]

About 95% sure I saw Adam Shefter from ESPN last night at my wife and my fav japanese spot, Kotobuki in Roslyn.

 

[El Floppo]

might watch teh balloons get blowed up tonight... first time ever for me and definitely for the kids too.

also- link to shadyholeNYC, Dec 4th at Stout. still hoping to make it somehow, in spite of other plans. 

 

[fantasycurse42]

might watch teh balloons get blowed up tonight... first time ever for me and definitely for the kids too.

also- link to shadyholeNYC, Dec 4th at Stout. still hoping to make it somehow, in spite of other plans. 

Did you do this? If so, kids loved it I assume?

I'm such an idiot! I took my son to the Rangers game last night and told him we'd go see the balloons afterwards. We left MSG and walked over to Macy's, then it hits me when we get to Macy's; why would any of the balloons be where the parade ends? So dumb! 

I didn't go to the UWS, it was already almost 10pm. 

Cant do Shadyhole, west coast trip in a week.

 

[shadyridr]

Did you do this? If so, kids loved it I assume?

I'm such an idiot! I took my son to the Rangers game last night and told him we'd go see the balloons afterwards. We left MSG and walked over to Macy's, then it hits me when we get to Macy's; why would any of the balloons be where the parade ends? So dumb! 

I didn't go to the UWS, it was already almost 10pm. 

Cant do Shadyhole, west coast trip in a week.

Too bad cstu has confirmed

 

[El Floppo]

Did you do this? Ifitso, kids loved it I assume?

I'm such an idiot! I took my son to the Rangeris game last night and told him we'd go see the balloons afterwards. We left MSG and walked over to Macy's, then it hits me when we get to Macy's; why would any of the balloons be where the parade ends? So dumb! 

I didn't go to the UWS, it was already almost 10pm. 

Cant do Shadyhole, west coast trip in a week.

Office closed at 4:30 and I had assumed wife wss bringing kids uptown directly after school pickup. Nope. They went home, which Is the apathetic kiss of death. Was all I could do to get them to Leave the house go out for dinner around the corner... a trip to the UWS from the LES was never going to happen. Sucks, because youre right- they would have loved It.

 

[fantasycurse42]

Movie being filmed in my neighborhood, parking going to be a disaster for the next 2 days as there are like 5 blocks with no parking Mon-Tues. 

Im parked a block away in a Thursday spot that's fine, but I need to move it soon. There is an Asian couple that owns a hole in the wall Chinese restaurant a block from me - I know the couple bc I know their minivan, they're like clockwork leaving at 11pm every single night. If I need their spot I'll just pull close by at 1055 most of the time and wait, after doing this for years, they recognize me.

Brings me to today - I'm about to go into their little takeout restaurant and ask them to move their minivan into my Thursday spot, so I can snag it back tonight. 

It should take them about 5 minutes of time - two things of concern as I'm going to do this shortly; them understanding what I'm asking and how much money to offer them... I'm thinking $10 gets this done.

 

[fantasycurse42]

No kids this weekend and everything has gone right for us, literally everything. 

I went downstairs and I took a walk to the block I was on to see if the minivan mentioned in the previous post was there, it wasn't which was expected. As I'm walking back towards the restaurant, this care goes driving by - I chase him down to the next light and ask if he was looking for a spot and pointed out where I was. 

He hardly understood that, no chance he would've understood me trying to get him to move into my spot. 

 

[Nick Vermeil]

So the E train has officially become a homeless shelter. Every morning there are at least 3 cars during rush that are uninhabitable due to the smell. It's cold out there for sure, so I don't blame them. But this is a major failure on the city's part. My train this morning rolled up with packed cars and then one empty car.  Doors opened and two guys were passed out on the floor in a pile of recycle cans and food debris. Wtf?

 

[El Floppo]

So the E train has officially become a homeless shelter. Every morning there are at least 3 cars during rush that are uninhabitable due to the smell. It's cold out there for sure, so I don't blame them. But this is a major failure on the city's part. My train this morning rolled up with packed cars and then one empty car.  Doors opened and two guys were passed out on the floor in a pile of recycle cans and food debris. Wtf?

we pick up the E at w4th on the way to school in the morning... been this way a long time, IMO. 

starting at wtc with trains that often sit there for a while, seems like that's the train of choice for these guys. by the time it gets to w4, you can tell if the car is totally empty, it means somebody's camped out and stinky. C doesn't have the same issue.

 

[El Floppo]

wrote these two posts elsewhere... more NYC related than elsewhere related. sammy had some thoughts.

if any of you have already gone through the middle school process here in NYC or have more/better info, would love to hear.

thanks, gb.

and on cue, 9yo floppinho with a 102 fever complaining his tummy hurts.

*cue rant....

the NYC DOE makes it so that for middle school admissions- yes, the public school kids have to apply to middle schools, and it's basically like applying to college- one of the top criteria for admission (or failure, really) is absences; 4th grade is the grade that matters. and they don't give a #### if it's sick or otherwise.

so people in the gifted and talented program who will be competing for the top middle schools (yes- top ####### middle schools, fml) send their kids to school when they're dead on their feet... because it's better for middle school admission to show up and then get sent home than to stay home. floppinho said a bunch of kids in his class last week were feverish, one of them threw up (a girl at his table).

thanks ####### NYC type A, but not uber-rich type A #######, just pretty rich type A #######s... thanks to you, we've been running vomit soaked laundry all weekend, haven't slept and looks like the hits will keep on coming with kid #2. just keep your sick kid home for #### sake- we do. but maybe we shouldn't... maybe tomorrow, #### them- they'll get a feverish vomiting floppinho to send them home a little extra floppo holiday cheer.

our principal let us know that 3 days out trumps 9 days for ms applications. but he could be lying to us- or misappropriating the truth to ensure he gets maximum attendance.

also- from what I understand, some of the top schools are shifting or have already shifted away from the standardized test- prioritizing their own test. so along with the state test lil' skippy has to take a bunch more tests, one for each school. and of course the people with money are getting their kids test-prepped.

I think the worst thing is that you have to priortize/rank the schools in your application... and the chances of getting into one of the top schools if it isn't ranked first is practically null.

the whole thing is completely nuts (and takes energy to not get sucked into... wife is already deep down the rabbit hole).

 

[RC94]

From what I heard, Deblasio is closing homeless shelters, which is why you see so many more on the streets.  Herald Square is another area with a lot of homeless.  My parents have an apartment on the upper west side and they have said they noticed an increase in homeless in the area.

 

[Sammy3469]

wrote these two posts elsewhere... more NYC related than elsewhere related. sammy had some thoughts.

if any of you have already gone through the middle school process here in NYC or have more/better info, would love to hear.

FWIW, I also think the various districts (you're in 2, I'm in 3) are different.  This is the admissions page for the best MS in 3:

http://www.ms54.org/admissions.html

Keep in mind this is the biggest MS in the district and basically a feeder to Bronx Science, etc.  They don't per se have an attendance cutoff, but test themselves, etc.  So I'm guessing my perspective is a little skewed.  There are 3-4 other fine MS's, but if you don't get into Booker T, you're most likely looking to move (the one caveat being that a lot of people make their kids "artists" and get into Laguardia)

Of course, the DOE are now trying to solve the diversity problem at the school by implementing a rule that says 30% of the student body at each MS has to receive free lunches (ie be Title 1) so we'll see what happens (supposedly they are pretty close to that figure anyway). 

 

[El Floppo]

FWIW, I also think the various districts (you're in 2, I'm in 3) are different.  This is the admissions page for the best MS in 3:

http://www.ms54.org/admissions.html

Keep in mind this is the biggest MS in the district and basically a feeder to Bronx Science, etc.  They don't per se have an attendance cutoff, but test themselves, etc.  So I'm guessing my perspective is a little skewed.  There are 3-4 other fine MS's, but if you don't get into Booker T, you're most likely looking to move (the one caveat being that a lot of people make their kids "artists" and get into Laguardia)

Of course, the DOE are now trying to solve the diversity problem at the school by implementing a rule that says 30% of the student body at each MS has to receive free lunches (ie be Title 1) so we'll see what happens (supposedly they are pretty close to that figure anyway). 

fwiw, there are also borough and citywide MSs.

the parents at our school all want the kids to go to (in district): Salk, Lab, Clinton ... or (citywide) NeST, Anderson, Special Music School, Mark Twain (brooklyn), Inquiry (bk). 

last year, only 1 kid got into Anderson (our gb's daughter) for the first time in years... none into NeSt.

 

[Sammy3469]

fwiw, there are also borough and citywide MSs.

the parents at our school all want the kids to go to (in district): Salk, Lab, Clinton ... or (citywide) NeST, Anderson, Special Music School, Mark Twain (brooklyn), Inquiry (bk). 

last year, only 1 kid got into Anderson (our gb's daughter) for the first time in years... none into NeSt.

I don't think there are Bourough citywides (ie Lab is still just for District 2 kids).  Having said that, your district is both more complicated and more competitive (for a whole host of reasons) than District 3 that basically has 5.5 elementary schools feeding into one great large MS and 4 other fine, but more artistic MSs (the fallback being Laguardia HS where you need to have an "artistic" portfolio that many people get around with AV).  It's not civilized, but the process is at least more straightforward.  You either go to Booker T and then to a Citywide HS, know you want to go to Laguardia and aren't stressed about the MS, go private in 6th grade if you don't like either of those two option, or move.  District 3 has a much more rigid choice structure going into MS.  

 

[El Floppo]

I don't think there are Bourough citywides (ie Lab is still just for District 2 kids).  Having said that, your district is both more complicated and more competitive (for a whole host of reasons) than District 3 that basically has 5.5 elementary schools feeding into one great large MS and 4 other fine, but more artistic MSs (the fallback being Laguardia HS where you need to have an "artistic" portfolio that many people get around with AV).  It's not civilized, but the process is at least more straightforward.  You either go to Booker T and then to a Citywide HS, know you want to go to Laguardia and aren't stressed about the MS, go private in 6th grade if you don't like either of those two option, or move.  District 3 has a much more rigid choice structure going into MS.  

there are- both city and borough wide. I listed a few... there are more. there's one in d3 that our friends want to send their daughter to... center school?I think starts at 5th grade. 

but yeah, d2 is super competitive with so many feeder schools.

 

[BobbyLayne]

From what I heard, Deblasio is closing homeless shelters, which is why you see so many more on the streets.  Herald Square is another area with a lot of homeless.  My parents have an apartment on the upper west side and they have said they noticed an increase in homeless in the area.

Not sure if that is true.

I'm on Street Teams 1-2 times a week, mostly around lower Manhattan parks & Penn Station. The problem is overwhelming. We're at the highest levels since the 1930s.

http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/basic-facts-about-homelessness-new-york-city/

Over 62K spend the night in shelters every night, and of that 24K are children. More than 45K different children have been housed at least once during 2016.

 

[El Floppo]

Not sure if that is true.

I'm on Street Teams 1-2 times a week, mostly around lower Manhattan parks & Penn Station. The problem is overwhelming. We're at the highest levels since the 1930s.

http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/basic-facts-about-homelessness-new-york-city/

Over 62K spend the night in shelters every night, and of that 24K are children. More than 45K different children have been housed at least once during 2016.

hadn't heard the stat about "since the 30s"... pretty staggering.

to what what do you attribute the rise?

 

[Nick Vermeil]

Not sure if that is true.

I'm on Street Teams 1-2 times a week, mostly around lower Manhattan parks & Penn Station. The problem is overwhelming. We're at the highest levels since the 1930s.

http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/basic-facts-about-homelessness-new-york-city/

Over 62K spend the night in shelters every night, and of that 24K are children. More than 45K different children have been housed at least once during 2016.

Just to be clear, I don't like this.  But thank you for your work.  

There is a woman that sets up shop on 5th Ave and 55th every day with her <1 year old.  Breaks my heart. They should not have to live on the subways.    

 

[El Floppo]

also- what are "street teams"?

 

[Nick Vermeil]

also- what are "street teams"?

These are selfless individuals who give their time to scrimmage with the homeless.

JK.  I'm sure Bobby will give the details, but I think these are volunteers who talk to the homeless and try to get them help. While our cops are watching Trump Tower, sitting in their warm cars outside of public housing, or ticketing Citibikers.  

 

[BobbyLayne]

hadn't heard the stat about "since the 30s"... pretty staggering.

to what what do you attribute the rise?

TBH I don't know; I'm at such a micro level in addressing the problem, my guesses wouldn't be well informed. We sometimes have people from different agencies accompany us to gather anecdotal evidence, but they seem most interested in how to steer more grant dollars to their particular cause (women's shelters or job training or foster care, et al.) The system for dealing with is such a patchwork. 

The fact sheet I linked attributes it to many factors. I just know their are more in every neighborhood.

The street friends I talk with run the spectrum. People who have serious addictions or mental health issues are common. The other night I ran into a young family from upstate who lost their home and moved here to be homeless because their are more services here than in the Catskills. I meet people who are in their 20s who hang out with other homeless people their age. Those two examples are exceptions - many I speak with are chronically homeless and have been for decades.

There are a few programs like The Bowery Mission & Breaking Ground who have long term programs 12-18 months long to get folks training and permanent housing. 

It's a struggle to stay healthy or clean. Once we sell our company next month, I'm thinking about starting a non-profit venture. I'd like to invest in portable showers & a mobile dispensary. Still in the embryonic stage but we're receiving a lot of collaboration in developing the business model.