NYC is a Movie

I had to make an update to this post. I received this email from Notify NYC, the City of NY's public notification service. Everyone should be signed up for this service by the way.
"Opening fire hydrants without spray caps is illegal, wasteful and dangerous. Illegally opened hydrants can lower water pressure and put lives at risk if there is a fire. Children can also be at risk, because the powerful force of an open hydrant without a spray cap can cause serious injury. New Yorkers should call 311 to report open hydrants. Hydrants can be opened legally with a City-approved spray cap which can be obtained by an adult 18 or over, free of charge, at local firehouses."
The moral of the story, folks are NOT supposed to be messing around with these fire hydrants!


I often joke that NYC is like a movie. The truth is I’m kind of not joking. Walking down the streets everyday the sights I see are like real movie scenes and the people are definitely characters. Not to say that there are not characters in NEO but there are some real characters in NYC at every turn. Since summer has arrived in full force with temps shooting past 100 degrees, I’ve observed a quintessential movie scene play day after day, people playing in fire hydrants.

Now, for a girl from Ohio, this is something straight out of a movie. There are so many questions that run through my head each time I see this phenomenon. Is it legal? How do they get the hydrant opened? What tool do they use? Is this a tool that is in most households? How do they know how to open it? Is the water cold? Does the water hurt? Who pays for the water usage? How do they stop the water? How do they get the cap back on if there is such a thing? Do people get mad when the drive through and get their cars wet? How do you determine who does and who doesn’t want to “play” in the water? For those playing, do they care whether you want to play or not or are you a victim regardless? I must admit, that when I see the hydrant open I cross the street to at least attempt to be behind the summer fun and not get soaked.

If anyone knows the laws on this in Ohio, and NYC, I’d love to hear. As a bit of background, one would NEVER see this in Ohio, and for anyone who has please send a picture for proof. I grew up on the corner house on my block so the hydrant was in our yard. I saw it functional one time my 18 years living there, when there was a fire! Very few movie scenes in Ohio I guess. Enjoy a couple pics of the NYC makeshift water park.
Cleveland or NYC; You Decide…