February 24, 2007
West Village Rat Peep Show Mesmerizes All
It's pretty funny when a story about over a dozen rats scurrying around a West Village Taco Bell-KFC location is the leading story on the local news (okay, there was a mention of an off-duty police officer shooting a neighbor, too). The footage (see here at WNBC), while totally repelling, is also amazing. And that rat dangling from the chair? No wonder everyone is swarming to 6th Avenue and West 4th Street to catch a glimpse of those huge suckers!
Then again, seeing rats in a fast food joint is sickening, but it's a story for most everyone: You can hate corporations, belittle junk food, and decry over the city's slowness when it comes to dealing with garbage and rat issues! Taco Bell-KFC's parent company made a statement emphasizing this was an isolated incident and that the location wouldn't be opened until sanitized, but they did blame the problem on basement construction. However, the Daily News spoke to a former employee who was allegedly fired for complaining about health safety! Marcus Bonner, who now works at the McDonald's across the street, said, "There's a hole in the wall behind the grill. The rats come through the back of the building where the trash is kept."
Residents all agree that the area is gross and filled with garbage. One reader who lives nearby said that when walking home last night, "There was an army of laborers/employees quickly filling up a truck full of Taco Bell appliances, garbage, etc." Here are some more of our favorite comments:
Spud Spudly - When I lived in the Village I once saw the fountain in Washington Square Park FULL of rats. It was like a moving rat carpet. Another small park with a major rat problem is the triangle on Broadway near 110th street.And the Post's article started, "Clearly, the cat wasn't doing his job." Uh, unless that cat was a cougar or had about eight other cats in his crew, we're not sure even the toughest tom cat could have matched up with these rats - they are huge!
- Andrew J. Lederer: i saw the largest cockroach i've ever seen indoors stroll confidently from behind something in that location some years back.i've been tempted to give the place another chance 'cause it's conveniently located but so far, i haven't.
- Gary Wallce:I would have to argue that there are some adult rats that are definitely bigger than others. We're not dealing w/ regular scientific conditions here... this is NYC. I've definitely seen rats that could be chihuahuas if they had longer legs and shorter tails.
Photograph of curious New Yorker peering into the Taco Bell-KFC on Sixth Avenue by Bebeto Matthews/AP
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listen, anyone who isn't comfortable with the idea of rat shit and hair in his food shouldn't dine out in nyc at all. you know those adorable places with charming gardens? el patio de ratas, baby.
You don't decry over. You simply 'decry'.
I must admit some astonishment, puzzlement and sadness over the poor copy-editing of this site, considering that many of the writers claim to have gone to top schools. As a college professor at CUNY, I realize that many people in this city have poor writing and editing skills, but I do expect better from people who graduated from places such as Columbia and NYU. However, since even some of the world's top literary writers were not always good spellers and needed the help of editors to put their prose into comprehensible form, I would suggest that Gothamist find someone who is willing to edit copy as soon as possible. There is no shame in not being expert at everything, whether one is discussing writing skills, knowledge of parts of the city usually not frequented by hipsters, music other than alternative rock, working-class culture and concerns, and other topics not necessarily within the purview of the admittedly prolific and reasonably thoughtful editors.
You don't decry over. You simply 'decry'.
As a college professor at CUNY, I realize that many people in this city have poor writing and editing skills, but I do expect better from people who graduated from places such as Columbia and NYU. However, since even some of the world's top literary writers were not always good spellers and needed the help of editors to put their prose into comprehensible form, I would suggest that Gothamist find someone who is willing to edit copy as soon as possible. There is no shame in not being expert at everything, whether one is discussing writing skills, knowledge of parts of the city usually not frequented by hipsters, music other than alternative rock, working-class culture and concerns, and other topics not necessarily within the purview of the admittedly prolific and reasonably thoughtful editors.
Michelle & Michelle:
I expect people who teach our children to have a bit more patience than you. Maybe even the level of patience to wait to see if the post I put up criticizing the editing of this fine community of contributors takes hold and appears on the site when I check it again in a few minutes before flushing the same exact post into the system.
Certainly someone as educated and cognizant of how they should use their education has something else to do in the meantime while the admittedly slow post process takes hold.
Grow up and don't visit sites where the writers deployment of their education so irks you since it does not match up with what you might produce if you were motivated enough to contribute somewhere for the public. Or maybe you do have somewhere already.
Andrew,
You are a putz. Can't you sit by why someone offers well-intentioned criticism?
Is the world going to end if someone speaks an opinion that you don't like?
Are you so inane and infantile that it threatens you that there's someone who actually expects writers in public places to actually exhibit some craft?
Go back to grade school, where it seems you're still squarely situated.
Cheers,
Ed
Andrew,
You are a putz. Can't you sit by why someone offers well-intentioned criticism?
Is the world going to end if someone speaks an opinion that you don't like?
Are you so inane and infantile that it threatens you that there's someone who actually expects writers in public places to actually exhibit some craft?
Go back to grade school, where it seems you're still squarely situated.
Cheers,
Ed
Why would you say "Cheers" when you don't mean it at all? Such passive aggressiveness. I feel for your children if you have any.
Did the world end because the article used "decry over" instead of "decry"? Also wouldn't it be more constructive if you contacted the editor with a short message such as "article X, sentence Y, it should be "decry" instead of "decry over"." instead of leaving a couple insults and pointing out your credentials (or lack of)?
i remember seeing several rats at the dojo on st. mark's place. i complained to the barkeeps, and they told me not to say it so loud. and then promised to deal with it. the place is now closed. no surprise.
I found Michele's comment inoffensive. All she wrote was nobody can be expert at everything and Gothamist should hire a copy editor. Eminently sensible and nowhere near as ill-mannered as Andrew's knee-jerk reaction.
However, what I found much more disturbing that Jen's grammatical faux pas is the inconsistency between our "news" sources. The News says Marcus Bonner claims to have been fired for complaining about the lack of sanitation. The Post says he quit. Which was it? Yet, while this was disturbing, it was alas, not surprising. News organizations aren't what they used to be, not that either of these tabloids were that ever that good to begin with, the News' Pulitzers notwithstanding.
Dear angry:
Since when is criticism 'aggressiveness' or 'insulting'? And cheeriness, aggressive? Lighten up .
For what it's worth, I am not Michelle, I have no credentials in this area, and no children (yet).
The issue I see here is that some people can't deal with certain 'types' of opinions.
Cheers,
Ed
It's pretty darn tough to edit your own work, which is likely what the Gothamist writers are doing. I would be glad to be Gothamist's copy editor. Frankly, I don't have much work right now and could use a few extra bucks. Plus, I have thick skin and wouldn't give a rat's ass, so to speak, if a commenter took issue with my work.