Car owners on the Upper West Side are facing some tough times. For one, residents as the swank Apthorp apartment building, at West End and West 79th Street, had their "cars evicted" from the building's parking garage . And further north, cars parked along one street have been broken into--sometimes up to 2 to 3 cars a day.
At the Apthorp, building inspectors found the garage had numerous violations, leading to the garage management to move the cars somewhere else. The Post reports owners "were told that their cars could be brought to them within an hour's notice and left waiting on the street in front of the garage." One resident complained said, "We pay more to park in the garage per month than some people pay to rent an apartment" (parking spaces go for $680+/month).
Not everyone can afford parking garages, so they take their chances by parking their cars on the street. On Amsterdam Avenue between 99th and 100th Streets, at least 17 cars have been broken into over the past week and a half. In some cases, a GPS system and tape deck were stolen, in other others, nothing was taken, suggesting cars are being vandalized for the fun of it.
And to make matters worse, there's a police precinct right across the street. One resident told WCBS 2, "It's disgusting. It's an unsafe feeling. You don't feel like walking here or parking your car here. You feel violated."
