"They're not really respectful of everyone else in the neighborhood - they're more concerned about taking selfies in front of the bridge," griped 15-year resident and local dog walker Audra Gullo. "There's garbage on the streets, there's more food vendors. ... Sometimes there's 10 to 15 [tour] buses lined up," Gullo said. "All of that goes hand in hand."
The crowds began to get out of hand about five years ago, according to several residents - who added that local calls to address the issues they're bringing with them have fallen on deaf ears. "We're losing the essence of our neighborhood," a resident said during a November virtual town-hall meeting addressing quality-of-life issues with local pols. "The neighborhood is trending ... toward something like Times Square."
City Council member Lincoln Restler, who represents the area, stressed during the meeting that tourism is an important part of the neighborhood. "We've got to figure out how to accommodate the people who are visiting, the people who live there and people who work there," Restler said.
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