Street: , ,

Fontana’s Patrons Treat Eldridge Street Like Bathroom

6:39am February 16th, 2011 | 46 Comments

There is no doubt a direct correlation between the proliferation of neighborhood nightspots and cases of public urination and puking.  Just walk around on any given weekend to see party-goers heaving or dropping trou in dark spaces.  But bars and restaurants continue their takeover of the Lower East Side nonetheless.

One Boogie reader is having such problems with Fontana’s at 105 Eldridge Street, and is at wit’s end.  Our tipster sent the following letter and photo evidence:

I was wondering if you guys/gals have any comments or advice to this annoyance I am having with customers of Fontana’s Bar. I am a resident who lives in the building next door to Fontana’s. Ever since the bar opened, my building has become a public restroom for their clients. This has died down compared to the first few years it opened. Unfortunately, there are still people peeing, loitering…and vomiting at the front door…

Honestly, my building is already not as clean as I wish it would be, but I’d appreciate it if their customers didn’t contribute to the situation. Imagine coming home to this…[please view the pictures I took on Feb 5 and Feb 6]. I’m tired of having to avoid stepping into a puddle of urine while trying to get into my building on the weekends….I don’t even know where to begin in regards to the STENCH it leaves….

What can I do? Call 311?

What say you, dear readers? Creative solutions?

Pin It
Filed under: Food
  • http://evbarf.blogspot.com/ EV Heave

    I’d like to help, but I’m stretched a little thin these days….

  • Shah

    There is nothing you can do about that. If the bar is the source/nuisance then first communicate to the owner (I would do it anonymously so there is no ability for retaliation, call it cowardice but people are nuts) about the problem. Explain that they have a responsibility to keep patrons from drinking too much and why that is a problem. While I am sure that will result in nothing, it then gives you the right to then get on the business for various violations (health, noise, DOB). Look at their entire business practice/operations and see how you can get inspectors to harrass them. The owner will figure out that someone is out to get them and with the letter asking for solution, then they will realize what they need to do to appease you. Also get your Community Board & specifically your city council rep involved. After reviewing the practices of the business and noting the violations, complain about those AND your gripe to those parties. The key is to get the business to cooperate and mostly that means harrassing them with no end in sight. Beyond that: move.

    • NCL

      Shah- Your comment has the tone of a bitter motherscratcher who has grown sour towards citizens who try to run any business in a fair and honest way…your underhanded advice is sickening for sure.

  • BubsyBabe

    I have met the owners and the people who run Fontanas are really nice and responsible, and the bouncers are FOREVER telling people not to stand in front of your building. That said, they can’t police every patron who leaves the bar. More likely than not this disgusting shit is happening well after they’ve called last call to boot. The lower east side is AMATEUR NIGHT on the weekends which is why I never go to Manhattan anymore, and I don’t know who’s to blame, the bar or the quality/type of people who are attracted to the neighborhood. Chicken and Egg and all that.

  • Joey

    Suggestion – move to the upper east side. You can’t have it both ways. Either you want bars and restaurants and nightlife at your fingertips, or you want pristine, urine free sidewalks, stoops, etc. Judging by the fact that you are writing in to blogs to solve your problems, and thinking about calling 311 about urine, it’s pretty clear you are a newcomer to the neighborhood (like, last 10-15 years.) Whether or not you predated any particular bar, you knew exactly what you were getting into. Let me tell you a story about the lower east side from not too long ago – people used to piss in elevators! And nobody wrote in to complain about it, because they realized it was pointless. Your statement that “your building is not as clean as you wish it to be” is also amusing. I’m sure there are other things you would change about your building, your block, the neighborhood, to make it perfectly tailored to your needs. Well, somebody else’s needs is to take a leak, and this is not Carnegie Hill, so as long as the cops aren’t cruising by, they are gonna do it. Put up a sign or something.

    • M. C.

      From your comment sounds like you’re one of those culprits who pees at other ppls front doors. At least this person is doing something about it, if everyone was like you and the other ppl you mentioned who just kept their mouth shut then they deserve to live with pissed elevators. Cause they didn’t have a back bone to speak up/do something about it. And of course this happens everywhere, but just because there is a bar around doesn’t mean that the ppl who live in the neighborhood should have to deal with these idiots. Also, I’ve lived in the neighborhood for more than 20 -25 years and this bar has only been here for a few years, so even though this person wish that their building could be cleaner doesn’t mean that they have to put up literally with their shit, piss and puke from their patrons. And bars are EVERYWHERE, whether it be downtown, midtown, or uptown, so does that mean that we all should just keep our mouths shut??!! You know why ppl in the upper east side may not have this problem..hmmm…let me think cause they have money and they would speak up like this person did, and not take this shit. So Joey next time, if you don’t have anything helpful to contribute, then just don’t respond. It’ makes you look ridiculous and ignorant.

      • Joey

        Sure, there are bars everywhere, but not like on the L.E.S, and dollars to donuts this person lives here at least partially for the nightlife (otherwise, how can the rent be justified?) The issue is not so much whether this person needs to “put up literally with their shit, piss and puke.” I’d be upset too. To me, the issue is transplant whining about something that was pretty obvious in the first place. You want fun nightlife with a dose of “grit,” then don’t be shocked with the piss that comes with it. Next thing you know, these people are going to complain that “Chinatown doesn’t smell as good as I’d like it too, and can they please stop spitting on the sidewalk.” Take it or leave it man – you don’t like people pissing on the sidewalk, it’s the L.E.S., you knew what goes on here. Nobody is telling you to keep your mouth shut, just know that it comes off as comical. Sure, put up a sign or something. But complaining on a blog about people peeing outside your building is just so “stuff white people like.”

        Also, not sure why you threw in how long *you* lived here. Relevance? Good on you. Respect.

        • Smile

          This person isn’t whining about the situation. If you read closely, he/she is obviously seeking advice from the blog and the community. You sound like you are so sure that the person lives there for the nightlife…Do you even know the writer personally?

          You say… Sure, there are bars everywhere, but not like on the L.E.S….? It doesn’t matter when/where or WHY this person is living there. Just because there’s a bar there, it doesn’t mean the community should just accept that there WILL be urine and vomit in front of their doors and there isn’t anything they can do about it. You may not mind stepping into vomit and urine, but there are many children and seniors that still live in the area (perhaps even in this building!) and that in itself isn’t safe.

          You may laugh and criticize all you want, but keep it to yourself if you’re not offering helpful advice.

          • Joey

            Fair, I certainly don’t make any claims to being helpful or useful. This is the internet, after all. But spare me the “won’t somebody think of the seniors and children” reprieve. When I was a child here, I collected crack vials for their fun little colorful caps, stepped over syringes and was quite adept at running into pizzerias to avoid being mugged. THAT wasn’t safe. A little urine that comes with increased street presence of people that don’t mean anyone physical harm isn’t going to hurt anyone.

            I don’t know the writer personally. My assumptions (that this is a white person under 40 who came here as an adult) can certainly be wrong. Note that I said “this person lives here ‘at least partially’ for the nightlife.” I don’t know how much more hedging I can do, by blog comment standards. If the writer is an old Chinese lady, and not a 34 year old white person from, say, Ohio, I stand corrected.

            However, the “Honestly, my building is already not as clean as I wish it would be” says volumes, doesn’t it? Why is this relevant? Did someone force you to move into this building? That line specifically is what caused me to comment. It suggests an attitude of “pick and choose” – gosh, I sure would like the cleanliness of the UES, the restaurants of the West Village, the art scene of Chelsea and the grit of Brooklyn. If only there was such a place!

          • Smile

            It would be hard to determine the tone in writing and be sure about it so I won’t assume what attitude it is portraying.

            You collecting crack vials when you were a kid is obviously not safe, but it still doesn’t mean that the kids and residents here should be ok with something like this. You can’t fix the past but you can do something about the present.

            Things today compared to back then has obviously changed. You don’t see the same things as you did back then, which is why it makes sense why this person is seeking advice on how to fix the problem. If no one does anything how can there be change?

          • Joey

            You’ve won me over with your clear-headed, non-confrontational line of argument. I concede that there is nothing really wrong with this person’s request and that I was just being pissy (no pun intended.) Good day to you.

          • Dave Gustav

            This may be the first time I’ve seen a flame war on the Internet result in educated debate instead of regressing to name calling. Thank you for helping to restore some of my faith in humanity.

          • NCL

            Joey again states it plain for the sane majority of our neighborhood—I’m still baffled why this great website decided to report this tipsters bullshit…

      • Joey

        Also, if you’ve lived here for 25 years and never once pissed outside, what can I say, you’re doing it wrong :)

        • M. C.

          I really don’t know why there are ignorant ppl like you in the world. You’re so freaking idiotic that there is no respond for you that you would be able to comprehend. How in the world do you know how long this person lived here and why they are living there in the first place?? Do you know this person??!! Maybe this person has been here as long as I have, so how could it be as you put it “To me, the issue is transplant whining about something that was pretty obvious in the first place”. And what is the difference whether the person lived here for 20 years or 2 years (which is why I pointed out how long I lived here, cause I want to know where the difference is that idiots like you see) ?? So it’s okay to write/speak up about only if you lived here longer?? For your comment “you don’t like people pissing on the sidewalk, it’s the L.E.S., you knew what goes on here” Read and look at the pictures!! PPL are PUKING and PISSING at the front door and it’s leaking into the entrance!! It’s not the freaking sidewalk! You should really read what you’re responding/commenting on seriously. And this comment of yours “But complaining on a blog about people peeing outside your building is just so “stuff white people like.” really shows how ignorant and sterotypical you are. This blog is read and blogged by many of the community (white, black, asian, etc!!), which is most likely why the person wrote on it, to get some helpful feedback. Not useless feedback from ignorant ppl like you who doesn’t know what they’re talking about.

          • Joey

            M.C., thanks for the “respond.” I’m sorry people are pissing in front of your door, I mean, sorry, “the person’s door.” If you’ve really been here 25 years, then you are likely getting a sick deal on rent, so you do not have my sympathies. If, on the other hand, you, I mean, “this person” moved here recently, then they don’t have my sympathies for the reasons I outlined above.

            Also please note how after castigating me for making assumptions about the complaint-maker, you then proceed to make some of your own (i.e. this person is “most likely” writing to the blog because it is read by whites, blacks AND asians, to harness the collective wisdom of such a rainbow quorum.) I posit that this person is writing to the blog because they are a relatively recent transplant from a place that didn’t have people urinating on the street, and is upset that the diversity, glamorous griminess and fantastic nightlife he/she was seeking comes at a price. We are both entitled to our assumptions. Anyway, I’ll work on my ignorance, and you can work on your internet rage issues, deal?

          • M. C.

            Seriously?! Wow, besides your ignorance you should really learn to read too! I didn’t write that the person was blogging because it was read by whites, blacks AND asians, I wrote that they wrote here because this site is read and blogged by the “COMMUNITY” (hence one of the reasons for this site) which includes all different races (meaning not only does “White PPL” as you put it “complain” about their issues and asks for advice). Furthermore, just because some ppl may pay less rent then YOU oops I mean others (which seems to be the case with the way you keep on emphasizing on how you don’t sympathize with them), doesn’t mean that they deserve it more or less than you. So stop feeling sorry for yourself because you got screwed on your rent. Oh yes, it’s a deal please do try to work on your ignorance and since I don’t have “internet rage issues,” I just have issues with ignorant ppl like you, who don’t know what they are talking about and talk out of their other end instead of using thier brain. I will try to work on ignoring ignorant ppl like you, cause as you can see it goes no where since they can’t comprehend what you’re saying. So please grow a brain and think before you speak/write/blog thanks..

          • Joey

            U mad?

          • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=811905 Ricky Rubio

            MC terrible rant! I couldn’t comprehend anything you were saying.

          • M. C.

            You probably wouldn’t be able to comprehend…so sad…maybe you should get together with Joey. Maybe you’ll understand each other.

          • NCL

            M.C. quit taking pictures of your entryway and walk down your block and just come to grips that you’re wrong to blame the bar next door—

          • M. C.

            NCL why don’t you learn some manners, stop using vulgar language and calling ppl names. There is no need for it. Grow up seriously. You’re obviously one the patrons or is/am close to the owners, so read!! The person is not blaming the Bar but it’s patrons and was looking for advice on how to deal with the situation.

          • NCL

            M.C. please…relax…our comments are above us for all to see…and it’s easy

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=811905 Ricky Rubio

        IMO people in the Upper East Side have doormen to take care of the pissers and shitters. And those that don’t, well dont live by fun bars:)

    • Azra

      People still pee in our elevator :S

      • Joey

        Baruch? Jacob Riis? Vladecks?

    • NCL

      Thank you for saying what most everyone that lives around here knows–well put

  • Pingback: Guest of a Guest | NYC Nightlife: Everything You Need To Know Wednesday

  • http://twitter.com/notmusic Seth Gordon

    Put up a sign that says “YOU ARE BEING VIDEOTAPED” and stick a fake camera or two up in the corner of the doorway.

    • Dave Gustav

      Always sounds like a good plan, but you could end up in big trouble if anything happens.

      Legit security companies usually won’t install or sell fake cameras to customers. The false sense of protection they provide can become a legal nightmare if anything happens and actual footage of the incident isn’t available.

      • http://twitter.com/notmusic Seth Gordon

        Okay, then put up real cameras. Even better.

  • Pingback: Tweets that mention Fontana's Patrons Treat Eldridge Street Like Bathroom - Bowery Boogie | A Lower East Side Chronicle -- Topsy.com

  • DC

    Just move. Chinatown is the one of the worst places to live in. Youre probably better off in Flushing.

  • Csgersbeck

    How bout you move somewhere else you nimrod? Fontanas is one of the great hidden gems in this city and the owners and staff are some of the nicest people on the planet with only the best intentions. You picked the wrong bar to pinpoint.

    • M. C.

      Hey, Nimrod, you are obviously not from the neighborhood it’s either that or you leave Fontana’s so freaking drunk that are you one of the disgusting irresponsible people with lack of respect for others puking and pissing in front this building. Since you don’t know, i’ll point it out to you, this building is right next to Fontana’s and Fontana is also the “ONLY BAR” on that street, so let me see which bar should this person pin point?? Hmm..difficult one..Another thing, this person is not questioning whether or not the owners/staff are nice, and since to you they are the nicest people on the planet with the best intentions, then why don’t they do something about their patrons. So it’s okay for them to make money and not care about others in the neighborhood? I get it…just as long as their patrons don’t puke and piss all over their place. I’d like to see this happen to your building where you have to avoid stepping on piss and puke every night and then see how nice you’ll think they are then. So next time before you call someone a nimrod and tell them to move somewhere, why don’t you stop being a nimrod and stop coming to our neighborhood and screwing it up. And if you do live in the neighborhood then you should really smack yourself for the lack of respect you have for your fellow neighbors.

    • Smile

      Wow, is that a threat?
      You should definately read the letter again. The person has been referring to their customers, not the owners. I suppose the writer is ‘pin pointing” people like you since you’re obviously a customer……Why are you name calling anyway? We’re all grown ups here, you’re making yourself look like a fool.

  • Piglet1023

    I dont understand why ppl below comment that you should have to move….First off, You dont need to move to accomodate those ppl that are disfunctional and lack any self respect. Maybe the owners are nice ppl, but it doesnt excuse the fact their patrons are making themselves trashy and disgusting. But,Why should the owners give a shit, we know as long as money comes rolling in the owners could careless. Thats the sad part about it. IF the ppl running Fontana are nice and reponsible, they need sure as hell need to step up to the plate. Cause obviously nothing is being done to remedy this situation.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=811905 Ricky Rubio

      I once returned to my apt on new yrs with a girl i wanted to get with, the entire hallway was smeared with and smelled like shit ruining any hope. I moved….

    • NCL

      I’m disappointed in the BOWERY BOOGIE site by reporting this tipsters photos and comments without the bar being able to tell their side of the story…Eldridge btwn Broome and Grand was a total shit/puke/junkie homeless block before that bar opened–what entryway doesn’t have that stuff happening weekly? Relax its better now bitch or time to move

      • M. C.

        Yeah, um there is no story to tell from their side. The story is about their patrons (You maybe?), so calm down before you call someone a bitch. And I am sorry but you obviously don’t live here, this block being mentioned was never a homeless block, and not every entryway has this shit happening. I don’t believe your does, does it? Really, stop being so immature.

        • NCL

          My opinion was not at all immature except for the misuse of the word ‘bitch’ which meant to openly complain in an obnoxious way and then turned into an insane opinionated woman…btw I live here and I’ve not once been a patron of that bar–

  • Adam

    Why not have the landlord install a very bright light with motion detection. I would think a bit of illumination might persuade random drunken passerbys move on to the next stoop before completing their “transaction”.

  • Shana

    Did you ever once try to talk to the owners of the bar? They are some of the nicest and most reasonable people you’ll ever meet and residents of the neighborhood.

  • AFS

    I am amazed that you singled out Fontanas and forgot to mention the Chinese restaurant next door. I see extremely intoxicated patrons stumble out of that restaurant daily. Just because did something disgusting on Eldridge street doesn’t mean they came out of Fontanas.

  • Pingback: The Best Hyperlocal Journalism in NYC, Week of Feb. 14, 2011 « New York Hyperlocal

  • Mdxcash

    The LES is a neighborhood people strive to move out of. This has been and will be a grimy part of the city. If this is what you can afford or choose to be here then this comes with the territory. Its like living in Harlem and complaining about gangstas on your block. Jeezus.

[X]