Dakota Residents Fight Flocks Of Tourists

The residents and neighbors of the famous Dakota building on the Upper West Side are sick of seeing tour buses filled with folks who want to see where John Lennon lived and died. A long time resident told the NY Post that, “They are an inconvenience and a nuisance. When the tourists get out, they block the entire sidewalk and you can’t get back into your building. It’s dangerous because many times, the buses block the intersection. They block the vision of the pedestrian walking across. I’ve seen people nearly killed.” According to West Side Independent, who broke the story, the buses aren't always city buses—councilwoman Gale Brewer told them, “Both I and my staff have visited the intersections on weekend mornings and have learned that the majority of the tour buses come from out-of-state and Canada."

Brewer has now asked Mayor Bloomberg to bring enforcement agents to the building on weekends, which are the busiest—she believes their presence would keep buses from doubleparking. But what about the tourism bucks those doubleparked buses are carrying? Brewer says, “It’s not that we don’t want tourism, but it needs to be done safely. It’s gotten out of hand.” This isn't the first time tourists have been shooed away by locals. The Sex and the City tours have caused trouble further downtown—and Carrie's stoop was eventually chained off, with a donation box put up to raise money for charities.

Currently bus drivers idling in front of the Dakota can face a $2,000 fine, which may explain why when the Post caught one out there he was so apologetic and understanding! He told the paper, “I’m sorry. We only park here for like 10 minutes, then take off. I can understand how it is a problem and why residents are annoyed. I wouldn’t like it where I live.” Wonder which side Yoko Ono is taking?