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Amstredam and W 109th ST is in Manhattan by Central park North, right? Believe it or not I was raised in the bronx, but it has been about a decade since I've been back, and I have a friend who has been offered a basement apt. on the 600 block of 109th st and asked my advice. For some reason I remember that as a bad area. Is my memory wrong? Please help me out. Thanks.
Amstredam and W 109th ST is in Manhattan by Central park North, right? Believe it or not I was raised in the bronx, but it has been about a decade since I've been back, and I have a friend who has been offered a basement apt. on the 600 block of 109th st and asked my advice. For some reason I remember that as a bad area. Is my memory wrong? Please help me out. Thanks.
There is no 600 block of 109th. The numbers don't begin until Central Park West so it's 0-100 = CPW/Columbus, 100-200 = Columbus/Amsterdam, 200-300 = Amsterdam/Broadway, 300-400 = Broadway/Riverside. On the east side the 300's are the highest block of 109th also.
I used to live right near 109th and Broadway and the neighborhood is fine now. On 110th and above it has gotten more upscale, but there is a fancy French restaurant on the 109-110 block of Amsterdam too. The blocks from CPW to Broadway are more tenement buildings. The block from Amsterdam to Broadway has a school and the flags of some Latin American countries strung across the street. One issue there, at least 3 years ago, is that there were a decent number of rats on that block. The Times and Daily News each ran a story on it. I'd have that concern living in a basement there.
Meet Manuel Rodriguez: handyman by day, self-appointed rat-whacker by night.
Rodriguez has quickly become an urban folk hero by prowling his upper West Side street with a homemade bat, which he used to smash a career-best 15 rodents Sunday night.
"When I see them coming, I get into position," said Rodriguez, 53, clutching his custom-carved pine plank, crouching low. "I can't miss."
M-Rod, as some call him, is a one-man murderers' row.
His field of dreams is not a house built by some guy named Ruth but the strip of concrete bordered by trash cans and piled-high garbage bags in front of his apartment building, on W. 109th St. and Amsterdam Ave.
"I can hit seven - maybe nine - rats a night in front of my building alone," the Dominican immigrant said, cradling his club as cumbia love ballads wafted from the apartment next door. "Over three days, I kill at least 21. Easy."
At a time when the city is at war with rats, Rodriguez is an unsung soldier. Complaints soared 29%, to 19,358, during the 2003 fiscal year, prompting a crackdown by City Hall.
Rodriguez's night job starts after he puts in an eight-hour shift as a handyman, six days a week, at a homeless shelter. He returns to the basement apartment he shares with his wife, Justina, and their 13-year-old daughter, Adaiana, and showers, puts on a cotton shirt and baseball cap and hits the streets.
First, he hunts for planks from neighborhood garbage. The ideal bat is about 3 feet long and 4 inches wide. Then, he painstakingly whittles each one a 10-inch handle with a kitchen knife, and waits till dark.
"Last night I cracked two bats, so I always have to find more," he explained.
Rodriguez's rat-smashing season begins when the temperature soars and the garbage out front begins to boil with life
....................
The man deserves a medal," said Alan Eiland, 40, a business information analyst and father of two. "Now, I hope he moves on to these damned pigeons."
oh yes, I do remember all the rats on 109th St., but the block I am thinking of that was so bad was 109th between Amsterdam and Columbus. Again, this was 6 years ago.
People have had complaints about that area in the past, but I've never considered it a bad area. It might have never been a great neighborhood but certainly not a bad area.
oh yes, I do remember all the rats on 109th St., but the block I am thinking of that was so bad was 109th between Amsterdam and Columbus. Again, this was 6 years ago.
I agree. I remember alot of rats on W 106th not that long ago. At least 10 rats (or more) running out of the trash cans in the middle of night.
There is no 600 block of 109th. The numbers don't begin until Central Park West so it's 0-100 = CPW/Columbus, 100-200 = Columbus/Amsterdam, 200-300 = Amsterdam/Broadway, 300-400 = Broadway/Riverside. On the east side the 300's are the highest block of 109th also.
I used to live right near 109th and Broadway and the neighborhood is fine now. On 110th and above it has gotten more upscale, but there is a fancy French restaurant on the 109-110 block of Amsterdam too. The blocks from CPW to Broadway are more tenement buildings. The block from Amsterdam to Broadway has a school and the flags of some Latin American countries strung across the street. One issue there, at least 3 years ago, is that there were a decent number of rats on that block. The Times and Daily News each ran a story on it. I'd have that concern living in a basement there.
Meet Manuel Rodriguez: handyman by day, self-appointed rat-whacker by night.
Rodriguez has quickly become an urban folk hero by prowling his upper West Side street with a homemade bat, which he used to smash a career-best 15 rodents Sunday night.
"When I see them coming, I get into position," said Rodriguez, 53, clutching his custom-carved pine plank, crouching low. "I can't miss."
M-Rod, as some call him, is a one-man murderers' row.
His field of dreams is not a house built by some guy named Ruth but the strip of concrete bordered by trash cans and piled-high garbage bags in front of his apartment building, on W. 109th St. and Amsterdam Ave.
"I can hit seven - maybe nine - rats a night in front of my building alone," the Dominican immigrant said, cradling his club as cumbia love ballads wafted from the apartment next door. "Over three days, I kill at least 21. Easy."
At a time when the city is at war with rats, Rodriguez is an unsung soldier. Complaints soared 29%, to 19,358, during the 2003 fiscal year, prompting a crackdown by City Hall.
Rodriguez's night job starts after he puts in an eight-hour shift as a handyman, six days a week, at a homeless shelter. He returns to the basement apartment he shares with his wife, Justina, and their 13-year-old daughter, Adaiana, and showers, puts on a cotton shirt and baseball cap and hits the streets.
First, he hunts for planks from neighborhood garbage. The ideal bat is about 3 feet long and 4 inches wide. Then, he painstakingly whittles each one a 10-inch handle with a kitchen knife, and waits till dark.
"Last night I cracked two bats, so I always have to find more," he explained.
Rodriguez's rat-smashing season begins when the temperature soars and the garbage out front begins to boil with life
....................
The man deserves a medal," said Alan Eiland, 40, a business information analyst and father of two. "Now, I hope he moves on to these damned pigeons."
Yuck.
601 W. 109th street is the address given to me.
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I agree. I remember alot of rats on W 106th not that long ago. At least 10 rats (or more) running out of the trash cans in the middle of night.
