William Randolph Hearst was famous for his influence, so why wouldn't a hotel he built try and keep the tradition? The Warwick Hotel, which Hearst opened in 1926, wants to open an sidewalk cafe...but first it would like the city to move a pesky, filthy bus stop down the block. Wouldn't want tourists to have to breathe in any of New York's famous fresh air!
The issue for the hotel isn't the people who wait for the M5 and M7 on the corner of 54th and Sixth Avenue. They say it is all those pesky fumes. "Our problem is the buses, not the people," the hotel's general manager Sam Kapadia says. "They're frequent enough to cause people to be uncomfortable consuming their food and beverages."
The hotel brought its idea of opening a cafe attached to its Randolph's Bar & Lounge and moving the bus stops at a recent Community Board meeting but were told to present the idea to the MTA and DOT (who deal with bus stop locations). Those agencies say they will evaluate the request once they get it. Of course, we always thought the charm of sidewalk cafes were the hustle and bustle (and exhaust fumes) of the street. For outdoor dining without the pollution the city is already chockablock with options.
