|
|
The Buzz Icy-cool imposter: A renegade Mister Softee truck has been tormenting Penn South residents with its infernal recorded jingle. According to Laura Morrison, chief of staff of State Senator Tom Duane, Duane’s office has been deluged with phone calls from irritated Penn Southers complaining about the truck, which parks on W. 26th St. between Ninth and 10th Aves. in the afternoons between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. So, like the good chief of staff that she is, Morrison did some research. She spoke on the phone with a Mr. Peter Bouziotis in the Bronx, the Mister Softee dispatcher for the Chelsea area. He told her that they, in fact, know about this truck and that it is — get this — NOT an official Mister Softee vehicle. Apparently, whoever this renegade ice cream vendor is, he has diabolically stolen the Mister Softee truck labels and signature tinkly music. Morrision said Bouziotis told her that Mister Softee and the Bloomberg administration actually recently worked out a deal under which the company’s ice cream trucks are not supposed to play the saccharine music at all while they are “idling,” apparently meaning when they are parked. But the renegade Mister Softee doesn’t play by those rules — and Penn South residents are paying the price as he plays his music. Bouziotis said they actually know this guy — well, at least know of him. They were on his case two years ago, but he eluded them. And when people call police, the Mister Softee impersonator is always gone by the time they show up. Although the ice cream truck con man has everyone fooled with his use of the Softee signage and tune, there is one way to distinguish him: his truck’s license number — which, Morrison reported to us, is 13545JT. “Basically, people should keep calling the police,” she recommended. “It’s hard to nab a renegade Mister Softee. He’s a wily one.” Love That Barge: Morrison also tells us about e-mail testimonials pouring into Duane’s office on behalf of John Krevey’s Pier 63 Maritime. The railroad barge, where the lightship Frying Pan and the old fireboat John J. Harvey are moored, will move to a new berth upriver at Pier 66A, the old railroad float bridge. But barge faithful are concerned that the two-story shade structure at the end of the barge might not be able to stay. The Hudson River Park Trust has decided to let the structure remain for one season so that park users can decide whether it blocks the view from other points along the river. In return for the photo, which will be displayed prominently on Mama’s wall, Penley got to throw a tequila party there. The event was heavy on East Village photographers and former High Times editors/leftist conspiracy theorists. Penley said he snapped the photo, which ran on the front page of the New York Post, when Koch and his bodyguard — apparently he still had a city-issued bodyguard from his days of being mayor — were returning from a movie and came upon an Act Up protest on University Pl. Act Up and Koch never had a good relationship. In fact, Penley said, it was terrible; they hated Koch’s guts, feeling he wasn’t sympathetic to the plight of gays and AIDS/H.I.V. Yet, Koch brashly strode right through the throng. The Act Up members angrily started shouting at Koch and pointing their fingers within inches of his face. For a look at the photo, check it out at Mama’s. What’s happening? Hear something good? It’s all about The Buzz…. Hearing some Buzz? Got something you think is Buzzworthy? O.K., Buzzster, give us a call at our newsroom at 646-452-2464 or 646-452-2467, or e-mail us at news@chelseanow.com.
|
View our previous issues >our latest family addition:
|
|
Chelsea Now is published by |
Written permission of the publisher must be obtainedbefore any of the contents |
