Hanging in front of your building (Pelham, Florida: renters, co-op, homes)

[frenchy93]

Originally Posted by nightcrawler

The back yard is boring as hell. People like to see other people, hence sitting in FRONT of the house or apartment

Winter here in NY is so long and endless, the first signs of any decent weather people are outside.

It is fun to sit on someones stoop for an hour and chit chat, watch the people pass by, then go home and call it a day.

We Brooklynites do it all the time.

I don't see anything low class about it. Who made that rule up?

Yeah this is the kind of things that brings life to the neighborhood. I don't see the interest in living in a depressing area with empty streets, where people stay at home and don't interact with the neighbors.

[spook617]

I dont have too much problem here with the old people. They are usually playing chess or something as I pass by. Maybe they collect social security, I dont know. The young ones bother me when they bunch up on the sidewalk. Then they laugh because I dare to pass. You know those àre up to something...

[jen5276]

I lived in an area that had this issue. It was a low/middle class neighborhood but all these people used to hang out in front of the local deli and on sit on the sidewalk in folding chairs. It was definitely a turn off to go into the deli as they would all stare you down. And they were definitely bad news, cops were always there.

[Jaydata]

Originally Posted by spook617

I dont have too much problem here with the old people. They are usually playing chess or something as I pass by. Maybe they collect social security, I dont know. The young ones bother me when they bunch up on the sidewalk. Then they laugh because I dare to pass. You know those àre up to something...

I don't have a problem with anyone hanging out in front of their own building or house as long as they
don't bother anyone else. But the young people are more problematic because they are immature and
more likely to cause some type of problem with people if they are in big groups, it only takes one bad
apple within them to start a riot like a virus in the group and harassing people who happen to walk pass
by them. Even if they might not meant to harm people in anyway and do it out of boredom, but it's still
annoying and intimidating at night especially if you are female.

I love the old people with their folding chairs sitting outside their houses on my block during the summer.
They are very friendly with people from the block and usually keep a watchful eye on children playing
outside. It's very sad one of Italian grandpa from my block passed away last year, he was like a fixture on
the block with his wife as long as weather is permitting them to stay outside during the summer and fall.
They are genuinely nice people and a good family.

[livingsinglenyc]

Originally Posted by Maxefforts95

Seriously, life is way too short to be concerned about this unless there is a reason to. be concerned. Advice to all, smile and say hello. You never know if one of them can help you out some how or watch you car etc.

Your the one so concerned you pulled up a 2 year old thread...

[rlrl]

i was once biking down the Gr Concourse between Bedford Park and Kingsbridge I noticed several families set up tables,chairs and food and chowing down on the sidewalk. is this common in The Bronx in general or just that particular area?

[rlrl]

hanging out by bldg entrances is the rule rather than the exception by me on Broadway, especially between 251st and 252nd street where there are many apartments, but nobody ever has said or done anything inappropriate. post dinner time on weekends its extremely common to see that

[ShirlMastic Beach]

People that do not like when others use public or shared space as a living room either live in crap neighborhoods where they probably don't belong, or are from a non-urban area altogether.

[Northwindsforever]

I had an elderly neighbor who was disabled. I use to help her out on the street and fold out her plastic chair. She did not disturb anyone. I guess she just wanted to sit there and watch ppl come and go and reminisce of what once was in a different time and space far away.

[Henna]

Originally Posted by G-Dale

People that do not like when others use public or shared space as a living room either live in crap neighborhoods where they probably don't belong, or are from a non-urban area altogether.

Do people really bring their folding chairs out of their apartments and set them up on the sidewalks in the nicer more upscale areas of NYC? Are people setting up folding chairs on sidewalks and sitting all day in Tribeca and Brooklyn Heights?

I have a problem with it because it seems low-class. I do NOT have a problem with stoop sitting. The difference is the actual placing of a folding chair on a sidewalk. Sidewalks were meant for walking and are not intended to be people's front yard where they can bring whatever accoutrements out with them. (Of course this is just my opinion and I have noted that others have differing opinions on this)

Next you'll be having sidewalk grills, card tables, haircut chairs, barbecues, playpens...oh wait, this is already going on in the lower income neighborhoods already. It's a slippery slope. Start with a folding chair and end up with the entire apartment out on the sidewalk.

I was in nice middle class area of Astoria across from a health food store and nice restaurant yesterday and saw a guy out with a newspaper next to him enjoying the weather on a built in city-owned sidewalk bench. So far so good. When I passed closer by, I noticed he was clipping his toenails. So he's using a bench and not a folding chair (good) but engaging in activities that should be restricted to his own apartment. I had a problem with that, too.