Post-Marathon

For many boroughs, The New York City Marathon brings more than just thousands of runners from all over the world to their front stoop. Surprisingly, the race leaves things a little better than they were before it.

I’m sure drivers parking in Long Island City love the fact that alternate side parking, a weekly program requiring cars to be moved so that street sweepers can clean, isn’t required in our ‘hood.  I hear it’s a headache, but for those of us without cars this means little more than dirtier streets. Once a year, though, our very own Vernon Blvd. gets a thorough cleaning before and after the marathon. By six pm Sunday the crews were out sweeping up thousands of water cups, athletic clothing shed by runners, posters, and other trash from the street. Today our streets and sidewalks look as clean as they should be year round.

The marathon is quite the exciting event when the route is right outside your apartment. On Sunday morning a group of us gathered at our neighbor’s apartment instead of trying to go out because it's impossible to just cross the street for hours. We ate and caught up (while tracking our marathon-ing friend’s location online using my awesome new smart phone :) ) before heading downstairs to do some celebrity hunting and cheer on our pals Dan Moy and Louis Thornhill. They both finished the race in good time and are doing all the recovering. Whoop Whoop!