The UN
general assembly opened last Monday.
And, as
everyone who lives or works in midtown Manhattan knows,
that
means that midtown east officially became a parking lot.
A bus
driver they interviewed on the news one night said he had been sitting on First
Avenue for 2 hours. It made me wonder at
what point his passengers got out and started walking.
With
200 visiting dignitaries and their security staff it's easy to see why traffic
comes to a standstill.
They
ran an article in the paper discussing which NYC hotels are the leaders'
favorites.
Apparently
American President's prefer the Waldorf -- Astoria, but Sarkozy likes the Carlyle. Who knew?
The
other reason for the traffic jams are the protests which always go hand in hand
with the opening.
This
year they started off with a bang -- The People's Climate March, 400,000 strong
-- last Sunday.
And since
they will undoubtedly continue for the duration, I, and my fellow New Yorker's, will be avoiding
the area until the drama ends.
Here's
a link to a previous UN blog
Happy
Protesting!
PJ
(c)
2014 PJ Lehrer
