Harlem Chuck E Cheese Experience Starts With Ominous Warning
Welcome to Chuck E Cheese's in Harlem! The welcome starts with an ominous set of rules posted inside the front door. Among them, #1, no gang style apparel (including hats, buckles, bandanas, etc....). Um, okay, didn't know that a kids pizza arcade, attracted such an element. Number 2, "no gang style conduct or behavior, including verbal slogans, greetings, hand signs.....".Wow, this place must just be a mecca for gangsters! I can just now see them doing battle over the 4' diameter miniature carousel. Then #3, "no weapons or tools whatsoever, including knives, chains, screwdrivers, glass cutters, scribes....". Holy crap, you'd think you were walking into a prison or something. I had to look up "scribe", which with the help of a friend on Facebook, I found was not a blogger or author, but an etching device, which in Chuckee's gang land could be equally useful as a shank.My experience at Chuckee's was nice. My daughter wanted to have her 6th birthday party there, and the only one on the island of Manhattan is at 124th and St. Nick. Sure, it was chaos, but it was kiddie chaos, just like you would have whenever you put a few hundred kids together with each other, arcade games, and sugar. Parents watching after, supervising, and sharing in their kids' joy is just that whether in Harlem or Tribeca, or Minnesota. What strikes me is that I'd be willing to bet that they don't have these signs in Minnesota and they wouldn't have them if there was a Chuckee's in Tribeca (correct me if I am wrong). I wonder who up the corporate chain, sitting behind a desk decided that a Chuck E's in Harlem was a gang risk? Is this racial or socioeconomic profiling? Straight racism? Have they had a big gang issue there that we haven't heard about? I'm not sure, but maybe someone should keep an eye on Chuck E Cheese himself, after all, he has an over sized baseball cap with a big "C" on it, and keeps hand signaling with his thumb.
Andrew:
ReplyDeleteInteresting post about the Rules of Conduct. I live on 123rd just a short walk from the Chuck E. Cheese, and I agree, the R of C that they post are bit disturbing, but not too surprising.
In the 3 years that my wife and I moved to Harlem from the UWS, it has been a bit of an adjustment, but it has generally been a pleasant experience. I feel safe, and slowly but surely we are beginning to get some of the services that I took for granted on the UWS. We have a new dry cleaners, a new super market and some good restaurants to choose between. This spring we are getting a beer garden. Instead of running in Riverside Park, I run in Morningside and Central Park.
I know that for many trading the UWS for Harlem would never happen. But we sold 650 sq feet for 1900 sq feet and a backyard...and as a fellow real estate guy, it is kind of cool to be part of an emerging neighborhood to boot!
Best,
Rich
Rich Bouchner
Bouchner & Co. Real Estate
www.BouchnerRealEstate.com
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTypo on the last one. Rich, thanks for the feedback. You have an interesting perspective. Do you see any prejudice in the placement of this sign?
ReplyDeleteYou are definitely wrong about it being a Harlem phenomenon.
ReplyDeletehttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB122878081364889613.html
I think this is more for the parents or guardians taking the kids.
ReplyDeletebut lets be honest, kids are more rough than we like to think.
@Rich Bouchner How does Harlem qualify as an "emerging neighborhood"?
ReplyDeleteHey, we need this posted in Staten Island!
ReplyDeleteYou know there was a chuck e cheese last year that actually errupted into a gang battle in california. The signs isn't meant for the kids but for the adults whom can't let their outside life go as their kids are having fun!
ReplyDeleteI freaking can't stand people like you when anytime something is put in place in an attempt to keep the peace you pull the stupid ass race card! You go grow up they are just trying to keep the kids safe, probably from retarded people like you!
ReplyDeleteyes, because blacks have no higher incidence of violence than any other race...
ReplyDeleteoh wait, I forgot about that 80% percentile responsibility for violent crime....my bad.
Oh, good grief, Charlie Brown! You mean there are STILL Chuck E. Cheese "restaurants" around?! I thought an attack of good taste and common sense had sent those awful places into the mists of horrible history by now. Children should NOT be encouraged to behave in public in the manner promoted by the overlords of this awful chain.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder kids are personna non grata in REAL restaurants (and aboard planes for that matter, or in theaters); their indulgent "friends" (i.e., so-called "parents") are eager to foist off their undisciplined children onto the underpaid staff in ANY situation and we're all the worst off because of the parents laziness and lack of will.
Your kids want to run and jump and scream? That's what parks are for, not restaurants.
Facts people. Don't take my word for it because I just happen to live here and know more about the safety of my own neighborhood of South Harlem (where incidentally this Chuck E Cheese is located) than those of you who like to regurgitate the same ol' negative generalizations. Just plain facts:
ReplyDelete"The crime rate in the South Harlem area is roughly comparable to that of the Upper West Side precinct directly to the south, according to police figures. In the 28th Precinct, which stretches from Central Park North to 127th Street between Morningside and Fifth Avenues, there have been 869 crime complaints so far this year.
The 24th Precinct, which runs from 86th Street to 110th between the Hudson River and Central Park West, has recorded 946 crime complaints so far this year." ~ The New York Times (12/09)
Actually, it is a company wide thing. The sign is in Phoenix,AZ location as well.
ReplyDelete@Andrew Fine UUUUUUUUUUHHH EAT MAI SHIT YOU MUTHA FUCKA COCK SUCKA!
ReplyDeleteI work at the Chuck E Cheese in Waterbury and the publicity of people is pretty bad there. If I were you, I wouldn't make fun of this sign being that it only makes you look like an idiot. This sign is posted in every Chuck E Cheese Restaurant meant to keep family and kids safe. Your town might be safe and "gang free" but this sign is just to make sure of your safety. Don't bash what protects you, that's just wrong. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. Appreciate the fact that someone actually cares about your safety and kids. Have a nice day.
ReplyDelete