Tolerating the noise that spills out of bars and clubs is part of the city's social compact with its residents. We get to brag about living near fantastic amenities that we scream about to 911 every other week, and the restaurants pledge to "work with communities" by blasting Sean Paul and selling $2 jello shots between 12-2 a.m. But both the UWS and Inwood locations of Papasito Mexican Grill are drawing ire usually reserved for the "UNTZ-UNTZ" establishments. "I've been here 35 years, I've seen a lot of stuff come and go," UWS resident Kevin Krajick tells DNAinfo, "This is one of the worst things that's happened to the neighborhood." more ›

Queens city councilman Dan Halloran has allegedly been caught on tape berating the manager of an auto repair shop for not taking care of noise complaints the dealership has received. "He had anger in his eyes. He was standing a foot in front of me, pointing at me," manager Elliott Rothman told the Daily News. A video that the newspaper is selfishly not posting on the internet apparently shows Halloran saying, "I'll park every f*cking city agency down here for the rest of f*cking two years." Rothman adorably told the paper, "I couldn't believe this was a politican acting like that." more ›

Last night's General Assembly meeting in Zuccotti Park was "one of most contentious ever," in large part due to a heated debate over whether the drummers at Occupy Wall Street should be given $8,000 from the movement's coffers to buy more drums and equipment. It seems some of the drums were stolen or vandalized, and the drummers asked the General Assembly to help them regroup. "We have worked for you! Appreciate us," one drummer told the crowd, but the appeal was denied, and the Huff Post's Craig Kanalley tweeted, "Drummer who didn't get money from GA tonight now yelling, cursing at members of GA." Meanwhile, another member of the drum corps was lashing out at the Community Board meeting. more ›

Ever wondered who's on the other end of the line when you call 311 to complain about the Nickelback being too loud across the street? Content farm ManifestoNYC recently spoke with Tamesha, a New York City native who works the phones at 311 headquarters. Beyond the usual concerns about municipal services, she fields questions like, "Should I kick my husband out?" and "What do I do with expired milk?" more ›

In a city of garbage trucks, car alarms, crying babies and neighbors having band practice at 1 a.m. on a Wednesday night, only one noise violation has the honor of being the subject of a Times profile (this week): Loud bars. As the weather cools to being bearable at night, "unregulated" roof and backyard drinking holes are causing a ruckus for neighbors who seem otherwise fine with living in a noisy neighborhood. Michael Jones, the Liquor Authority’s deputy chief boils the argument down to one sentence: "They have a right to run a business, and the community has a right to have quiet and the ability to sleep at night." more ›

NOISE: it's part of New York City. From helicopters, tour buses, air traffic, subways, neighbors having sex, Brooke Shields doing construction on her townhouse, clubs... this city is never going to STFU. But did you know noise complaints have gone down 21% since Bloomberg's noise code went into effect in 2007? A city EPA spokeswoman told the Daily News that in February we even got an award for the marked improvement. more ›

With tens of thousands of helicopter tours above Manhattan each year, some are questioning once again how wise it is for there to be so many chopper rides offered to the public right above the heart of the city. Some companies won't offer rides above the dense city streets because they say that it's not worth the risk if something were to go wrong. New York Helicopter Charter's owner Michael Roth told the Post, "If you have an engine failure at 1,600 feet and you are on top of the Empire State Building, there's no way you are going to autorotate [glide with rotors turning] to the East River to make a landing. These are machines. Things can happen." And would you have guessed that Manhattan residents have begun complaining about noise from the helicopters? Councilwoman Gale Brewer raised the issue when one of her constituents on West 83rd Street told her, "There is no silence. It's like there is a helicopter perpetually." Last summer one Manhattan operator agreed to phase out their flights. And if urban choppers do become a thing of the past altogether, there's always hot air balloons. more ›

Those crafty stereo bike kids are back, and causing some noise complaints. The Queens Courier reports that "at the 106th Precinct’s last community council meeting, there were 'numerous people complaining about those bikes traveling up and down the street creating unnecessary noise,'" according to Officer Kenneth Zorn. Fingers point at the Future Shock crew, comprised of teenagers who are staking claim on the “stereo bike” concept they brought over from their homeland of Trinidad. The crew have been customizing bikes for others, with "6,000-watt stereo systems, flashing lights and DVD screens," they can weigh up to 500 lbs. Noise complaints aside, the paper reports that the police are impressed, and Zorn stated, "The bikes are pretty cool and the workmanship that’s gone into them - lotta talent right there." The Future Shock crew said there's "mutual respect" between them and the police, so it sounds like the community is going to have to deal with a little bit of bike bass for the time being. more ›

As if Brooklyn music venues aren't suffering enough right now, residents are currently rising up against what they call a "nuisance bar" in Park Slope. That bar is Union Hall. Jon Crow, one of those spearheading the campaign to shut the venue down, emailed us about an upcoming public hearing regarding the renewal of Union Hall's liquor license, admitting, "those of us fighting this nuisance bar are fully aware this hearing won't close it down." more ›

Two years ago Studio B promised/threatened to bring Miami to Greenpoint, and for better or worse, the venue/club/bar has delivered ever since. Currently they're raising the bar by creating a palm tree adorned rooftop oasis -- and the neighbors are just thrilled. more ›

On the evening of April 3rd it was announced that Sound Fix, the record shop/cafe fixture on the corner of Bedford Avenue and N 11th Street in Williamsburg, was shut down. Since first mention the Dept. of Health has been blamed with locking the doors, but noise complaints are generally at the root of every establishment's demise. more ›