WashingtonSqParkBlog

The will to survive despite all odds

@ABC That lady moved fast!

A ferocious feline defended his home from a raccoon that snuck in through an open cat door.

@savage_acro @KennyBurgosNY Did she have cats? I realize it got untenable but I can’t imagine where this person would go live.

This is in my building; I recognize the voice. Sad story: the lady who lived there was a charismatic math phd in the 80s who …slowly stopped caring. The city spent two years trying to help her clean it up, but she would never open the door for them. She got *a decade* behind on rent and after 18 months the landlord finally managed go evict her. Even if they’re unable to renovate and lease it out, they still see it as worthwhile—no pests in the building since they emptied it.

These are so frustrating to receive. A building owner sent me this video of a 2BR Upper West Side apartment he just got back, but after he empties it out it will stay vacant going forward. The tenant lived here since 1985 and the current legal rent is $940.01 Because of the 2019 HSTPA law, a building owner is expected to fully renovate this unit to current building code (that’s a good thing), but also expected to lose money in perpetuity at the same time. This 2BD would need well over $100,000 to clean out the debris, comply with lead laws, upgrade major systems, remove the Sheetrock + much more just to make this into an apartment a tenant would actually want to live in with dignity. But the law says the $940 rent would still end up below the estimated $1300/mo it costs to operate the apt which covers insurance, property taxes, labor, fuel, and capital expenditures for the building. So if the new rent falls below the operating cost, the owner would still lose money every month and never see $1 back from the $100k+ renovation. Why would the state expect anyone to lose money like this? What bank would ever provide a loan with no path to repayment? Why do we acknowledge the cost to build housing but ignore what it takes to preserve older housing? Why do we accept this policy when thousands of New Yorkers are searching for housing in the midst of the worst supply crunch we’ve ever seen? So frustrating.

INBOX: The NYC Bar Association is renewing its call urging @RepMcClinton to ban live pigeon shoots in PA, citing the supply chain’s “direct impact on New York City communities.”

Immortalizing an icon of Central Park! ❤️ 🐿️ Inspired by the High Line’s larger-than-life pigeon artwork “Dinosaur,” we’re pleased to unveil Central Park’s newest artwork, depicting our most beloved creature: the Eastern gray squirrel.

Great turnout at the rally today to save the Tony Dapolito Rec Center! Thank you @SommerOmar1 @villagedems @DIDNYC @GrandStreetDems @CB2_Manhattan + all other cosponsors, supporters and participants. Go to villagepreservation.quorum.us/campaign/14863… to tell @NYCMayor + city officials repair now!

@1MyOnlyAccount @TheScoopNewYork @theestallion @NYCACC @nycHealthy @NYCMayor Many people assume @NYCACC is a No Kill shelter. Why? B’cuz they cannot believe that in this day & age, in the richest & supposedly most progressive city in the world, the local pound is still murdering adoptable dogs & cats by the thousands every yr! It’s literally unbelievable!

If you are looking for a new NYC restaurant to support, Ali Dogan owns Ali Baba Turkish restaurant at 224 E 53rd and kept his doors open to EVERYONE when it was below freezing out and constantly feeds his neighbors. A true 👑, man of the community and kindhearted New Yorker.

@MMF54 @craigcartonlive @Mets What is ti?

@craigcartonlive @Mets And this was him getting taken off. He was seemed kind of normal, moving his arms awake…was a big relief they had a stretcher but they didn’t have to use ti.

Crazy story at yesterdays @Mets game - Guy in section 121 had a heart attack and his wife started frantically yelling for help or a doctor or nurse to come over - One random guy in the section who said he was neither started doing chest compressions and saved the mans life. Eventually paramedics showed up to take over and assist the fallen man. The hero went back to his seat, sat down and watched the rest of the game with zero fanfare or attention. He just wanted to watch the Mets win. When the game ended he walked out like nothing had happened. Don't know his name but he saved a mans life and is a hero.

@PhaedraXTeddy Why?

Neighbors killed an animal activist and her dogs in #Mexico. They are free and she is gone.

Amazing.

@Comfortably_ill @MermaidNJ918 @BrianEntin It’s true.

@MermaidNJ918 @BrianEntin She’s a trained media person. Even her most heartfelt words are going to sound contrived.

Savannah Guthrie first interview since her mom Nancy vanished. Talking to the Today Show, she said "we are in agony" and that she wakes up in the middle of the night thinking about what her mom went through when she was taken. Full interview airs Thursday and Friday on Today.

#OnThisDay in 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire occurred in our neighborhood. Now every year, New Yorkers gather to honor the 146 victims. Discover how this tragedy shaped labor rights, and how it’s commemorated more than a century later: villagepreservation.org/2026/03/25/how…

@depressionlesss So heartbreaking. At least come back with some food. Where is this?

Please normalize adopting stray cats

@DavidSchwartz70 Don’t like how the people flanking him are laughing so hard. What he’s saying is legitimate. We’ve lost too many of our interesting people, our characters, and without that, NYC is not that interesting.

Zohran Mamdani is being heckled right now at a press conference in Brooklyn, NY, by someone whose words I can't hear, but watch how he's dealing with it. Mamdani has the unique skill of knowing how to handle and walk into every room and engage with people, no matter how toxic they are or how their feelings are against him. And many times, make them feel heard. Elected officials, nonprofit and religious leaders, advocates, and activists on both sides of the political spectrum who met with him told me that. Don't take my word for it, President Trump is pretty public about it. That's why he's currently the mayor of New York City. If you don't like his politics or you're like me, who opposed his candidacy and is still troubled by some of his actions and statements, then don't take this post the wrong way; read into it how you should be better to communicate your message. Yes, putting ego aside for any public figure is not easy.

Today’s the 115th anniversary of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which killed 146 immigrants, mostly young women, because the exits were locked. Volunteers remember the victims by chalking their names outside their homes across the city

@ABC7 He's so heartbreakingly cute. It's so interesting how Punch brings something out in people and is so relatable.

Whoa! Punch the monkey was seen trying to break up a fight at the Ichikawa Zoo.

Police in Central Park thought they were hunting down a skilled pickpocket after multiple visitors reported their phones mysteriously disappearing without anyone noticing a thing. But while officers were questioning people in the park, a raccoon suddenly ran up, grabbed a phone, and exposed itself as the real thief. After chasing it through the trees, police found a hidden stash of stolen phones tucked away in a raccoon’s hiding spot. They later announced that anyone missing a phone in Central Park could check with the station to claim it.

@StaceyDelilah @BrianEntin That's very sweet. Bittersweet now.

@BrianEntin She also posted asking about Ring or Nest cameras because she wanted to see animal activity.

The FBI has been back in Nancy Guthrie's neighborhood -- asking about neighbors who moved out before Nancy vanished and also interested in a home under construction and the names of all the crew members who have worked on the house. Latest details here: youtube.com/watch?v=62Ytrf…

The war in Iran has already cost $22.8 billion. For $22.8 billion, we could: • Provide Medicaid to 6.8 million kids • Build 2.6 million public housing units • Fund Head Start for 1.3 million • Hire 240,000 teachers • Cancel $20,000 in student debt for 1 million borrowers