the airing of grievances

[runawayjim]

You've got a lot to learn girlie. Cell phones are for use only on buses, and only in chirpie let the whole world hear about your life's problems mode.

does chirpie = nextel noise?

[runawayjim]

What I'm amazed at is the fact that a condo conversion ongoing here just ripped up the old sidewalks to put in an entrance for their parking lot. After they were done, they repoured a new sidewalk in its place.

The whole process (ripping up the old sidewalk, putting down the wood boundries, and pouring the new concrete) took about a day and a half for that 1/3 of a block or so, and that includes them putting down the larger parking lot. This didn't look that hard for these guys to do.

So my question for development savy people is how expensive and time consuming would a decidated project be? On Westminster, for example, how much would one block (both sides of the street) cost? Based on watching the project here, I bet it would take at longest 2 weeks...

Ideas?

There was a recent poll asking people why they don't use blinkers, and I think it was 18% that said laziness. This is moving the turn signal stalk with their finger while driving... Incredible...

- Garris

they put in a new sidewalk on huxley by PC recently. it took about 2 weeks with a total of 5 days of actual work (they worked lots of half days and it rained so they coudln't do much some days). putting in a sidewalk doesn't seem to take a long time if you ask me...

as for the turn signal, i forget sometimes, but my hand moves in the same direction i'm turning, so i think it's easy. i'd rather peopel didn't use it at all than turn it on while they're already in teh intersection making the turn.

[Garris]

they put in a new sidewalk on huxley by PC recently. it took about 2 weeks with a total of 5 days of actual work...

How long was this segment? Blocks? Both sides of the street? Side streets too?

- Garris

[runawayjim]

How long was this segment? Blocks? Both sides of the street? Side streets too?

- Garris

one side of the street including corners and crosswalk ramps on the other side. the length they sidewalked is just under half a mile. this included planting grass and paving the road. there was currently no sidewalk, so they had to put in new curbs (the granite ones or whatever they're made of).

[Cotuit]

It doesn't take long at all to lay sidewalks, they were laying sidewalks at the Hilton when I walked by this morning, and it looked like they might be done by the time I walk home, tomorrow at the latest. It doesn't take long when you're not putting in stupid 'decorative' brick accents. They laid new sidewalks near my office earlier this summer and it took forever because they had to inset a decorative brick strip which just ended up looking dumb anyway.

The best sidewalk replacement I've seen in the city is outside Gracies at Aborn and Washington. The stone aggregate is showing and it looks real sharp. Probably a bit more work, but not as much work as brick accents, probably didn't take as long, and in labor and materials, probably cost less. I would be happy to see all sidewalks in the city look like those.

[AriPVD]

We will be continuing our sidewalk (thank you, Cotuit) all the way up the street and around to the new Cuban location.

[Cotuit]

We will be continuing our sidewalk (thank you, Cotuit) all the way up the street and around to the new Cuban location.

Is Cuban going in the space that was a design gift shop at Christmas time on Aborn, or the New Yorker location on Washington?

[AriPVD]

The design shop on Aborn. I have another prospect for New Yorker that I hope to announce soon.

[Liamlunchtray]

i'm not feeling well today so i suspect i'll be all about the complaints, but last night someone was laying on their car horn for hours. no joke. from 8 pm until well after 11 someone would lean on their horn for 10 seconds or more, at least 10 times an hour. clearly someone's parking spot was blocked or something but it was making me insane.

almost as a crazy as i am when the house across the street uses the car horn as the doorbell for the entire four apartments. Cheezes, just use your cell phone if you're to damn lazy to drag your sorry carcass out of the car and walk the 15 ft to the door to ring the damn bell.

cars registered in Providence should have their horns disconnected.

This is so common in our hood that whenever we hear a horn beep at our house Sarah and myself yell out "Ride's Here!". It has become a long ongoing joke...

Our neighbor's house is plagued by this and whever we hear it, my wife and I say DOORBELL! really loud to each other. Nice to see it annoys others too.

Ha! Just read this after I posted my other comment.

[quente]

This is so common in our hood that whenever we hear a horn beep at our house Sarah and myself yell out "Ride's Here!". It has become a long ongoing joke...

Ha! Just read this after I posted my other comment.

If I happen to be outside, I've actually asked the honkers if they'd like me to ring the doorbell for them - it usually gets the message across.

Oftentimes it's a taxi (usually at 10 at night!) or a pizza delivery guy. When that happens, I contact their work place and complain. Effective? I really don't know, but I figured it can't hurt to raise awareness. I live on Broadway and between the emergency vehicle sirens and incredibly loud motorcycles, I try to do what I can to limit the amount of noise. Overall, I think it's gotten better.

Kent

[ruchele]

I live on Broadway and between the emergency vehicle sirens and incredibly loud motorcycles, I try to do what I can to limit the amount of noise.

Yeah, what is the deal with the sirens? I live in the Armory, and the sirens are CONSTANT, and go on for REALLY long stretches. From my house, I can hear ambulances for 10-15 minutes straight sometimes- I would think they'd be beyond city limits in that amount of time! I don't honestly remember it being quite as bad when I lived right off Broadway.

Do the emergency vehicles use routes 10/6 as a connector to get to different neighborhoods, and I can hear them for the whole stretch? Are they starting at the Public Safety complex and fanning out along Broadway, Westminster/Cranston streets? Are ambulances really called to Olneyville several times an hour, all day and night? What, exactly, is the deal?

Anyone else in the neighborhood have a theory?

[ruchele]

Re: the horn honking: When I lived in Boston, it was called "the Dorchester Doorbell." In New York, I've heard it called "the Puerto Rican Doorbell," or the "(insert other ethnic slur of your choice) doorbell." Believe me, as obnoxious as it is, the problem is hardly unique to Providence.

My husband and I tend to yell "Your boyfriend's here!" to each other when it happens.

Also, to anyone living in the Sycamore/Hudson street vicinity, I apologize for my jackass college student neighbors who were laying on the horn at 6:50 Thursday morning. Also, for their frequent and horrific late-night top-volume vocal renditions of '80's pop songs, with all the windows open. Which local school has a major in "A**holery"?

[eltron]

Which local school has a major in "A**holery"?

That would be Johnson and Wales.

though I think all the other schools at least offer one class...

[Cotuit]

That would be Johnson and Wales.

though I think all the other schools at least offer one class...

Every other apartment in my building besides mine is now J&W students. I don't really find them to be much of a bother. We had one last year who was a menace, but we laid down the law with him and the weeknight partying stopped.

[provid]

Are you allowed to speak of the New Yorker now that the construction has started?

The design shop on Aborn. I have another prospect for New Yorker that I hope to announce soon.

[AriPVD]

Not yet. There is no finalized deal and the space is still available for lease.

[Liamlunchtray]

Last night there was a party at the house behind us. They had given us a heads up that afternoon and I was really clear that we have bedrooms at the back of our house and that noise travels pretty well. She said that it was her husbands birth day and that he and his friends have a "special drinking game they have to play outside". Awesome. She said to come over if there were any problems, so at 1am after one of our kids had been woken up my wife went over and the woman was all wound up and confrontational about it. Say that "its only 1am" and "it IS Saturday you know". She also claimed that any noise ordinances dont start until much later than 1am and certainly dont apply to Saturdays. Oy Vey. In the 6 years we have lived here we have only had to ask neighbors to quiet down twice and surprise surprise, it was these same people both times. I was under the impression that they were J&W students or something, but it turns out they are 30 and she's a school teacher. Terrifying. Granted its much better than when we lived near PC and this happened at least 3 or 4 times a week, but it still scares me that the party hardy crowd is moving into the neighborhood. Sometimes I like it when a place isnt gentrified enough to let the "bad" element in :-)

On the upside they said they are selling their condo at the end of the year. Of course it was a total hack job so they will have a hell of a time unloading it...

[jencoleslaw]

Last night there was a party at the house behind us. They had given us a heads up that afternoon and I was really clear that we have bedrooms at the back of our house and that noise travels pretty well. She said that it was her husbands birth day and that he and his friends have a "special drinking game they have to play outside". Awesome. She said to come over if there were any problems, so at 1am after one of our kids had been woken up my wife went over and the woman was all wound up and confrontational about it. Say that "its only 1am" and "it IS Saturday you know". She also claimed that any noise ordinances dont start until much later than 1am and certainly dont apply to Saturdays.

i don't understand why you just didn't send the cops over. Loud is loud, regardless of the time of day. there is no time stamp on the noise ordinances. It was nice of her to give you a heads up regarding the party (always a good idea) but going over there when they've been drinking all night was not a good idea on your part. In the future, call the fuzz and have them go over there and bust it up, or quiet it down; that is what they are there for.

[Liamlunchtray]

i don't understand why you just didn't send the cops over. Loud is loud, regardless of the time of day. there is no time stamp on the noise ordinances. It was nice of her to give you a heads up regarding the party (always a good idea) but going over there when they've been drinking all night was not a good idea on your part. In the future, call the fuzz and have them go over there and bust it up, or quiet it down; that is what they are there for.

We were trying to be nice and figured a simple "hey can you quiet down" would work, especially since they had explicitly told us to do so if there were any issues. Oh well - next time its the cops and prolly a follow up letter to their condo association.

[runawayjim]

We were trying to be nice and figured a simple "hey can you quiet down" would work, especially since they had explicitly told us to do so if there were any issues. Oh well - next time its the cops and prolly a follow up letter to their condo association.

a friend of mine had problems with neighbors who were really loud with partying all the time. she taped a copy of the noise ordinance to their door. problem solved.

[Garris]

a friend of mine had problems with neighbors who were really loud with partying all the time. she taped a copy of the noise ordinance to their door. problem solved.

Interesting idea. Did she leave anything there indicating it was from her, or did she leave the origin of the document vague, leaving open the idea it could have come from more "official" sources?

- Garris

[runawayjim]

Interesting idea. Did she leave anything there indicating it was from her, or did she leave the origin of the document vague, leaving open the idea it could have come from more "official" sources?

- Garris

just the ordinance, no note or anything.

if it came from more "official" sources, there would've been a knock on the door by a cop.

[matt]

So, I'm glad we have meter maids, and the city can benefit from those who don't pay to park when they're supposed to.

BUT what really sucks is when you go out of your way to get change for the meter, get back to your car 5 minutes later than expected, and arrive JUST IN TIME to see the meter-man putting a ticket on your windshield.

After you go over your limit of time you've paid to park... the meter should start counting up. And once you get beyond 5 minutes, THEN issue a ticket. Prior to that... a warning would suffice. At least for me

[runawayjim]

So, I'm glad we have meter maids, and the city can benefit from those who don't pay to park when they're supposed to.

BUT what really sucks is when you go out of your way to get change for the meter, get back to your car 5 minutes later than expected, and arrive JUST IN TIME to see the meter-man putting a ticket on your windshield.

After you go over your limit of time you've paid to park... the meter should start counting up. And once you get beyond 5 minutes, THEN issue a ticket. Prior to that... a warning would suffice. At least for me

the purpose of a parking meter is so you pay for the amount of time you park. if you go over that, then there's a fine. if they wait 5 min before ticketing, people will say they should wait 5 min more. meters are not expensive, put in an extra quarter if you're not sure how long you'll be.

and they aren't that bad with ticketing... if you park just before 6, they don't ticket. i can't tell you how many times i've parked on empire at 5:30 and never paid or paid until 5:45 (or even 5:30 in some cases) and never got a ticket.

[Frankie811]

and they aren't that bad with ticketing... if you park just before 6, they don't ticket. i can't tell you how many times i've parked on empire at 5:30 and never paid or paid until 5:45 (or even 5:30 in some cases) and never got a ticket.

Meter maids go home at 4pm ( which of course means they don't ticket after 3 ) and the cops don't really bother with meters, only parking violations like parking too close to a hydrant.