Rita's Spur to Action

I have counted literally hundreds of balconies just between 57th and 86th street on Manhattan’s east side.There are any number of residential buildings with terraces and balconies totally devoid of greenery. I don’t understand why anyone would pay for a terrace that they never use, that they never put a plant on, that they never seem to sit on. If every terrace and balcony in New York City had plants on them, what a difference this would make to the air that we breath, to the sights that we see, to the quality of life that we live in this great city of Manhattan. I travel the world, and this is the only city in the world that I have ever seen with empty balconies. I have a very small terrace outside of my  apartment, I have all kinds of things growing there. I buy small plants that are very inexpensive at Home Depot or other places, and I plant them in pots on my terrace and have the p[pleasure of seeing them grow. In  some cases I have run a heavy duty electric cord in order to hang a sunlight lamp on the terrace in the winter when it is cold and dark, but plants don’t need much, once a week watering and light, not always direct sunlight.If weight is a problem,they don’t have to be very heavy The pots can be partially filled  with earth, They can be filled partly with Styrofoam bubbles. Every one of these empty balconies in Manhattan can be a source of greenery and enchantment. The city would look less like a block of cement. and more as though people enjoyed life and living.  What Bette  Midler has done on the ground to create community gardens, you can do on your balcony in miniature Breathe a little.. Boys, girls, men and women, Do it. Buy a plant today.

 

I really think that it behooves all of us to object to this crazy new skyline in Manhattan.. Not only are these buildings  ill-conceived so as to make the City a world more cavernous than it already is..but this is not even mixed usage. After some hour like, 5 PM the streets will become empty dark caverns, open invitations to crime and sidewalk sleepers and  garbage.Worse than even all the rest is the fact that these buildings WILL SHADOW CENTRAL PARK.. We will loose from this City one of the greatest parks in the world. To have a  green park you have to have sunlight and one of the glories of Manhattan has always been that we could have the skyscrapers and we could have the Park. Now we will have higher and higher buildings and less and less Park.Colder in the winters and Hotter in the summers. Isn’t there anyone in this City who isn’t a money mad insane power nut? Who do we have to reach out  to get something done, or undone. . Please tell me. I’m in a real fighting mood . First the Supreme Court destroying the country. i thought that was as bad as it could be.. and now we have the city being totally transformed into a dungeon and it’s not even the fault of the Supreme Court. Who can we blame? Who can we badger? Who can we thwart? On whom can we declare War? If nine  eleven seemed like a tragedy, just imagine what would happen if one of these buildings should ever come under attack. The entire City would be destroyed.. No one needs these monstrous,tall,ugly towers. They are virtually parking lots for  foreign money. This is a a disaster. People!  Get off your buts,don’t sit on your hands. Men ,Women,Boys Girls,Hit the streets. Protest now before it’s too late. this is a call to action.