.... told beautifully, and quite sadly, by The Times:
N.Y. / REGION
A Hole in Old Routines After OTB Parlors’ Last Day
By MICHAEL WILSON
Published: December 13, 2010
As bettors collected their winnings, regulars mourned the loss of a favorite hangout in one of the last New York City OTB parlors to close.
For those of you who are so eager to see OTB close, think of it this way—instead of heading on down to the OTB, the next generation will most likely do their gambling in the confines of their own homes, via their computers, over the internet. Probably without the friendly camaraderie that comes from years of the same old daily routine. Possibly with no one to warn them when it's time to stop.
It's different if you lived right around the corner from the OTB, walk by there at 11 at night, and see people smoking, drinking, and asking for handouts after a day of gambling. It is quite scary especially when I have my children with me. Constantly smelling the cigarette smoke is certainly not good for anyone, but especially young children.
ReplyDeleteHey! That was me you saw there smoking, drinking and asking for handouts after a day of gambling! How dare you! :)
ReplyDeleteNo, seriously, I didn't know that it was that bad in front of the OTB... I have walked by there many times. And yes, there can be a few characters out in front on occasion, but I never saw people asking for handouts or drinking. Smoking, yes, plenty of that.
ReplyDeleteThat was you Drake? Now I know what you look like. lol. j/k. There are definitely smokers outside all day. As for panhandling, that's happened to me as well, but only like 3 times, and each time was after 8pm. I don't have children, but I understand the first poster's concern.
ReplyDelete