# Car Alarms
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-alarms/723511
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
**Created:** [June 26, 2015, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-alarms/723511 "2015-06-26T03:51:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)
#### Post date: [July 8, 2015, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-alarms/723511/21 "2015-07-08T19:30:15Z")
> [@drewder](#):
>
> The thing that keeps me out of NYC is the smell. Rotting garbage mixed with urine, no thank you.
Where exactly were you sniffing?
Powers &8^]
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### Author:  [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)
#### Post date: [July 8, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-alarms/723511/22 "2015-07-08T22:13:03Z")
> [@drewder](#):
>
> The thing that keeps me out of NYC is the smell. Rotting garbage mixed with urine, no thank you.
When was the last time you were in New York? 1978?
Look. New York isn’t the cleanest place. It can be big and overwhelming. There are homeless people around. Police cars and ambulances zoom by with their sirens blaring. However, New York is no Black Hole of Calcutta.
I’ve been all over Manhattan. I was in Haarlem and Washington Heights yesterday. These aren’t touristy destinations. They’re a bit shabbier than midtown. But, these areas were clean and filled with activity. The biggest threat to my life yesterday was the humidity and heat while walking around.
The overwhelming smell? Most likely the roasted nuts or the jerk chicken food carts that are everywhere. Maybe all those Rays Pizza places that sell pizza for $1.00 per slice.
Garbage? When they planned out Manhattan, they decided to eliminate those garbage filled alleys. Unfortunately, without alleys, you have to put garbage on the sidewalk. However, the trucks come by everyday and pick it up. Large buildings are required to handle their own garbage disposal.
New York isn’t like that 1970 movie [The Out-of-Towners](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Out-of-Towners_(1970_film)) with garbage piled in the streets, everybody on strike, and muggings taking place on a regular basis.
The biggest issue is the overwhelming number of things going on and all the schtick aimed at the tourist. Take Times Square (Please!). There is a Hershey’s and M&M store. Tourists flock into these stores and come out with bags of candy. Really? They don’t sell Kit Kat bars in Omaha? You can’t get peanut M&Ms in Tempe? I just don’t understand it.
I had some relatives who insisted on going to this [LEGO exhibit](http://www.discoverytsx.com/exhibitions/art-of-the-brick). Nathan Sawaya makes these big sculptures in LEGOs. You weren’t allowed to take pictures inside, and my friend was so disappointed. I took him to the LEGO store in Rockefeller Center where they had the same sculptures. Except you could take pictures of them, and you didn’t pay $35 per person to see them and wait 45 minutes to see them.
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### Author:  [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2015, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-alarms/723511/23 "2015-07-12T01:00:41Z")
> [@qazwart](#):
>
> They don’t sell Kit Kat bars in Omaha? You can’t get peanut M&Ms in Tempe? I just don’t understand it.
Variety.
Powers &8^]
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