Laying in wait with a telephoto lens should destroy any legal defense. This is not street photography, in which behavior is expected to be public. This is not merely glimpsing something happening through an open window. And identities are not even protected in all of these images. Svenson is using technology to see more than the naked eye can see, laying in wait for particular activity, then distributing and selling those images. Whatever a court might rule on the letter of the law, a considerate judge would have to agree that the spirit of the law does not protect the artist. — Rob on The Voyeur Next Door

What type of parent moves into a neighborhood that is known for its overcrowded schools and has people photographing their children in their apartments with tele-photo lenses? — Buzz on Is P.S. 150 Being Moved to Chelsea?

ConcernedM, There will be no PS 150 in Chelsea. It simply will not, and cannot exist in any of the same format. 1) It is a fact that over half of the parents will refuse to send their children to the proposed new site, resulting in a possible closure/ rezoning of the new school before it "opens". It will force the school to either immediately accept students from throughout the West Village/Chelsea (particularly PS 3 and 41) who are also severely overcrowded. This effectively changes the entire concept of the small arts based community school that we are known for. 2) You will become severely underfunded and hence, might be forced into some extremely difficult decisions. The school, by order of the bylaws, will not be able to participate in Taste of Tribeca, which is our major funding source for the year. There will be no short term solution to recoup those losses. 3) You are accusing families of being inconvenienced. Accuse away. We will indeed be extremely inconvenienced. Not to mention, the local businesses who have relationships with families in that school. So it appears that what you are saying is that community failure is something not worth maintaining. 4)70% of public school, elementary aged, children attend their zoned public schools (I think the percentage is closer to 90% in Manhattan) - is it wrong to have expectations that our children experience the same as everyone else? Or, do you sense that because we appear to be of a different wealth class that we should be able to afford to make the adjustments to facilitate the migration? Either way, it's a discriminatory statement to make, something that we do not teach our children in these schools. 5) The topline curriculum statement at PS 150 last year was "empathy", now more than ever is this word more prescient. 6) You have been welcomed to join the conversation to express your viewpoint, but unfortunately, you have chosen the passive aggressive anonymous route. Knowledge is key in this proposed move. I am of the mind frame that you do not have all of the substantive information at your fingertips. I am honored to be a part of this process of people of all walks coming together so quickly to maintain a key component of our community in the name of our children. This is a life lesson for us all. — AnotherConcernedFather on Is P.S. 150 Being Moved to Chelsea?

I have not read a substantive topical argument in this thread yet. Overcrowding is not an issue that is isolated to Tribeca, but rather, rapidly becoming of epidemic proportions throughout gentrified areas, particularly the Chelsea/West Village/and southern Manhattan. There are loads of new apartments (2 bedrooms!) but not enough seats in schools. Families are not at fault here. The issue will only become exacerbated with the voluminous amount of new construction occurring all over the island. This city is about growing capital now, this is a fact, but there seems to have been a lack of provisions regarding infrastructure. Again, the families are not at fault. Frankly speaking, we should all applaud those parents for desiring to get the word out that they wish to maintain their sense of community for their families be it at a film festival, street fair, or supermarket. These issues are worth fighting for, and forcing the city to plan properly should translate into a better quality of life for us all. Who would argue against that? I would not wish to uproot my children and send them out of the neighborhood at that early of an age either. This isn't an issue of wealthy, entitled families behaving as such, this is a common issue that rings at the core of most families. — NatureoftheBeast on Is P.S. 150 Being Moved to Chelsea?

do we know if they will light the tip of 1 world trade if it go's up today???? — darcy on Seen & Heard: 1WTC Spire Postponed

§ 250.45 Unlawful surveillance in the second degree. A person is guilty of unlawful surveillance in the second degree when: 1. For his or her own, or another person's amusement, entertainment, or profit, or for the purpose of degrading or abusing a person, he or she intentionally uses or installs, or permits the utilization or installation of an imaging device to surreptitiously view, broadcast or record a person dressing or undressing or the sexual or other intimate parts of such person at a place and time when such person has a reason- able expectation of privacy, without such person's knowledge or consent. 2. For his or her own, or another person's sexual arousal or sexual gratification, he or she intentionally uses or installs, or permits the utilization or installation of an imaging device to surreptitiously view, broadcast or record a person dressing or undressing or the sexual or other intimate parts of such person at a place and time when such person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, without such person's knowledge or consent. 3. (a) For no legitimate purpose, he or she intentionally uses or installs, or permits the utilization or installation of an imaging device to surreptitiously view, broadcast or record a person in a bedroom, changing room, fitting room, restroom, toilet, bathroom, wash- room, shower or any room assigned to guests or patrons in a motel, hotel or inn, without such person's knowledge or consent. (b) For the purposes of this subdivision, when a person uses or installs, or permits the utilization or installation of an imaging device in a bedroom, changing room, fitting room, restroom, toilet, bathroom, washroom, shower or any room assigned to guests or patrons in a hotel, motel or inn, there is a rebuttable presumption that such person did so for no legitimate purpose. 4. Without the knowledge or consent of a person, he or she inten- tionally uses or installs, or permits the utilization or installation of an imaging device to surreptitiously view, broadcast or record, under the clothing being worn by such person, the sexual or other intimate parts of such person. Unlawful surveillance in the second degree is a class E felony.  — James on The Voyeur Next Door

ConcernedM and Buzz - I couldn't agree with you more. Of course parents value their children's education and should try to make the best decisions for their family. But I'm not sure that upper-middle class entitlement and protesting at a film festival where there are no decisionmakers present is the best strategy. As a family living in NYC, we expect the changes and inconveniences that come with urban life. City life is not geared to children and families only, but to a very broad range of people. I think the building of "Triburbia" (fka Tribeca) provided a false sense of suburban comfort (and homogeneity) for many parents, but the reality is we live on a tiny island with millions of people and there is nothing convenient about that, period. When I was a young single professional, I felt the inconveniences of city living just as much as I do now as a stay-at-home mom. I'm shocked that parents expect any sense of ease living in such a dynamic and busy city, especially with kids. I consider us so lucky that we can get food, groceries and laundry delivered!! While the news about 150 is shocking and disappointing, is it really a surprise? City politics has always been loopy - not just in NYC but in SF and Chicago, too. Basically any major city will offer strange solutions. Local government is notoriously riddled with silly proposals and insensible priorities - like the recent proposal to ban large sodas - really??? What a waste of time. It's certainly not surprising that they'd do the same in the education arena. They don't care that your rent or mortgage is killing you. I'm entertained by parents who want to stay in the city for "urban life" because they are too cool for the suburbs or find them "inconvenient," but then place suburban expectations onto the city and point fingers at everyone for not providing what they're looking for - which is a suburban existence in Manhattan. Hello, there is no such thing. Also, I'm not sure the Triburbian expectation for convenience was ever attainable? Have parents considered that maybe they are at fault for buying or renting into a real estate boom downtown without researching whether the DOE and City were building any infrastructure around the new residences and the quadrupled population in Lower Manhattan within the past decade? Or perhaps parents were too gullible - falling for obvious marketing tactics of real estate developers? Do just a tad of homework on the District 2 site, LMDC, local news, string together some dots, and it's easy to see that moving downtown for public schools is like playing roulette. Big game of chance. But people moved here anyways in lemming fashion without thinking about the realities. Are parents at fault for joining the groupthink that "TriBeCa schools are the best," then crowding them all up and complaining about them being crowded? Seems like a self-induced problem too, not just a Bloomberg and DOE issue. To echo ConcernedM - no one is forcing families to stay in Tribeca, pay exorbitant rents and mortgage, be riddled by school application stress, or contend with DOE politics. It all feels very "petulant child" to watch parents huff and puff about normal city life. Stinky commuting with everyone is part of city life. So is climbing stairs, paying attention to crosswalks, and strollering on the side of the sidewalk and not the middle. Coincidentally, Triburbian parents hate these things. If you want your kid to be a "city kid," should they not have the true city experience? This might actually mean a commute to school, gasp! I think generations of Manhattan kids have been commuting to school for ages, why now is this such a terrible thing? If the argument is that you pay a lot for property in Tribeca - then join the club and relate to any group of dwelling owners in the city. Its probably generally safe to say that city schools are not worth the $2-10mil premium you're paying for that apartment, and you'd feel equally annoyed on the UWS, UES, etc. If you can't hang, move to the real suburbs and get what you need. Oh right, the suburbs are "inconvenient" too, in that they are far and too "burbs-y" for our self-identified downtown cool. I think the take away from all this is "convenience" and "child-rearing" don't always go hand-in-hand - whether in the burbs or in the city. Add on top of that exorbitant cost of living, a city whose infrastructure doesn't prioritize young families (but a huge diverse population) and a kooky local politics scene, then you have the makings of normal city life. Perhaps a lot of Triburbian parents are just frustrated by chasing the unicorn of suburban life in the city, as opposed to being upset that just one choice elementary school moved within its district. The school moving within district lines is a completely "normal" city response when you factor in bigger pictures. Missing the old Tribeca, UrbanMom — UrbanMom on Is P.S. 150 Being Moved to Chelsea?

Hmm, sounds familiar... lurker waiting in the shadows armed with binoculars or telephoto lens waiting for a glimpse of someone's personal moment in the privacy of their own home. Where have I read that before? Oh yeah, every news story of a peeping tom ever written! — Disgusted on The Voyeur Next Door

I had an opposite experience and would not recommend this restaurant. Maybe we just didn't like the the menu that evening, but nothing we ate was overly delicious, it was interesting at best and some were borderline bad. Service was pleasant enough and room is very pretty. Plenty of other good places to spend $100! — Livingston on First Impressions: Le Restaurant

So this guy admits to watching these people from the "shadows" throughout the day and night with a telephoto lens? It's not like he snaps a photo and then is gone - he's got to be sitting watching them for some time. And you think that's "neighborly?" — Jim Smithers on The Voyeur Next Door

Actually, a full bike rack is going to be a complete barrier, instead of parked cars, which often have enough space for someone to pass between. So it could push dropoffs down the block in either direction, which could mean more car congestion. Does anyone know what the proportion of bikes to rack spaces is expected to average? I can't see that DOT expects to fill all of them to capacity since that would lower the probability that you'd find an open space at your destination. Erik, a suggestion for a one time reverse "where in NYC" in a few weeks once the bikes arrive... where you send us all searching for a Citi bike rack (the more bikes, the better) sited directly outside a competing bank! — N on Seen & Heard: 1WTC Spire Postponed

They're fricken gorgeous. — Andrea on The Voyeur Next Door

@Adam: It was a (dumb) joke :) — Erik Torkells on Photo Safari!

That's not the band's name. Note the dividing line between Galactic (one band) and Toots & The Maytals (a ska/reggae legend)... — Adam on Photo Safari!

I think it's one thing to be glimpsed, another entirely to be photographed and have those frozen images shown. That woman with a towel on her head sitting on her bed is in no way expecting to be seen. I would not be at all happy with the idea of someone with a telephoto lens looking into my bedroom! — Liat on The Voyeur Next Door

People do have an expectation of privacy in their homes. And the subjects are ordinary people and not public figures. Some appear to be minors (children). Since these images are being used in an exhibition and are being sold for profit, I would hope this photographer has the subjects' consent. Although I admire and appreciate art, I am not sure "gorgeous" is the word I would use here. — strollerlesstribecahottie on The Voyeur Next Door

@T Bone: I do, all the time: https://tribecacitizen.wpengine.com/index.php?s=gorgeous&post_type=. But I wouldn't be caught dead saying "fricken." So maybe we should all just live and let live? — Erik Torkells on The Voyeur Next Door

@J Allen: I suppose you're right. — Erik Torkells on Seen & Heard: 1WTC Spire Postponed

I don't think the bike racks change anything in terms of taxis having to double park to drop people off. Before the bike racks, there were cars parked there - it's not like the bike racks are using curb space that was previously unoccupied. — J Allen on Seen & Heard: 1WTC Spire Postponed

Who fricken uses the word "gorgeous"? — T Bone on The Voyeur Next Door

I think this is a horrible intrusion into people's private lives. It's noteworthy that none of the photos show his neighbors 'exhibiting' themselves at all; he's captured intimate moments that they expected to be private. His disclaimer that he's shooting them with 'the curtain raised high' isn't evident in the shots themselves, which show him peeking through their curtains 1/2 the time. Most people in the city inure themselves the fear that someone is watching them all the time by hoping that nobody bothers; we can't close the blinds all day long and stay sane, so we prey our neighbors are decent enough to leave us alone. Not so here. Gross. — lalaland on The Voyeur Next Door

I love Bikini Bar, but that statement doesn't exactly clear things up. Oh, well, I guess we'll see in June. BTW, "by appointment"? So, if I want to get coffee at BB, I have to make an appointment beforehand? That's a level of life planning that I just cannot achieve. Whatever works to keep them open. It's one of my favorite spots in Tribeca. — Doug on Seen & Heard: 1WTC Spire Postponed

General vicinity is just Below Canal. — Jim Smithers on The Voyeur Next Door

@strollerless: Think of it as a bonus "Where in Tribeca...?" — Erik Torkells on The Voyeur Next Door

Erik, it would be a favor and a warning if you ID’d the building or at least the general vicinity. — strollerlesstribecahottie on The Voyeur Next Door