2439705891_5528f8cc79_m.jpgThe confusion about public drinking continues! It's illegal, but Bloomberg created a huge gray area when in 2003 he declared that wine consumption at Central Park concerts was a-okay. Now Brownstoner focuses in on stoop drinking after a Park Slope man received a $25 open container violation ticket for enjoying a brewskie "after Biden's speech" when a patrol car with an observant cop came by. The officer "explained that if I was behind a fence or gate I would be ok. Since we don't have a gate, the set-back from the sidewalk didn't matter." The NYPD press office hasn't responded to our question about whether stoop drinking is okay yet, so we'll take that as a yes. Besides, in 2005 the NY Times all but encouraged stoop parties.