Nuria Flores has lived across from the United Nations headquarters for 12 years. And every year, she said, she dreads the week when world leaders and dignitaries descend on her neighborhood for the gathering of the U.N. General Assembly.
Once, she said, she was stopped by men with machine guns while she was walking her dog. Another year, when she came down with a bad cold and felt faint, she had to rely on food cooked by a neighbor because grocery deliveries to her building were not allowed.
She has often considered moving but then changed her mind once the chaos subsided. “It’s just one week, but it’s a very intense week,” Ms. Flores, 52, said.
The 79th session of the General Assembly will convene on Tuesday, and for the rest of the week Manhattan’s East Side will host more than 100 heads of state and dignitaries. That role is more of a headache than an honor for many New Yorkers who live or work in the neighborhood.
The city’s Department of Transportation designated the week as one of the year’s worst for traffic congestion. Street closures, security protocols and protests will snarl vehicles up and down Manhattan. At a news conference on Friday, Philip Rivera, the chief of the Police Department’s Transportation Bureau, urged commuters to find other ways to get around, like walking, biking or taking public transportation.
Chief Rivera said road closures began earlier than usual this year to accommodate Summit of the Future, one of several events that are part of the U.N.’s “High-Level Week.” The summit, where leaders discussed sustainable development goals, ran from Sunday to Monday.
Allison Arthur May, 50, lives on East 44th Street, one of several that will be closed to traffic between First and Second Avenues until the General Assembly concludes, according to the police.
Ms. Arthur May said she typically used Citi Bike but that even that could be tricky during High-Level Week, when she has to navigate unusual traffic patterns and quick-moving motorcades.
“Heads of state don’t follow any traffic rules,” she said.
For people who have no choice but to drive, like Ibrar Tipu, a taxi driver, the road closures and gridlock in Manhattan will be an unavoidable pain. Even late last week, he said, traffic was growing worse in the area — and drivers were behaving aggressively.
“I have seen at least eight or nine accidents over the last month,” he said.
World leaders began arriving in New York over the weekend, before the most closely watched part of the week, the general debate, which begins Tuesday and concludes next Monday.
President Biden will be among the first speakers to address the assembly on Tuesday. He will participate in the proceedings Monday through Wednesday, according to the White House.
Beyond the U.N. headquarters, organizations are planning events across New York to coincide with High-Level Week. Bloomberg Philanthropies, for one, will hold its Global Business Forum on Tuesday at the Plaza Hotel. Climate Group, an international nonprofit, will host events over several days as part of its annual Climate Week.
Though some parts of High-Level Week stay the same each year, Ms. Flores said the level of security could vary depending on the political situation.
“This year I expect to be insane,” she said.
John Chell, the Police Department’s chief of patrol, said at the Friday news conference that the department was anticipating significant protests this year. Since last October, Mr. Chell said, the department has responded to more than 4,000 demonstrations, many of them protesting Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.
“That changes the dynamic of the U.N. General Assembly,” Chief Chell said. “But we’ve been handling this every day, about 12 protests a day. We will keep people safe.”
New York’s interim police commissioner, Thomas G. Donlon, said at the news conference that the department was working with federal and international agencies, including the Secret Service and the Diplomatic Security Service, to make sure the week ran smoothly.
For New Yorkers who work at businesses near the United Nations building, the week isn’t all bad. Business booms, though the rush can be stressful.
Azmat Reheat, the owner of a nearby drugstore, said dignitaries and their aides visit in search of essentials, like vitamins, bobby pins, slippers and facial products.
“Everybody stops by,” he said. “Every kind of person on earth. It gets busy.”
Juana Rivera, who works at a dry cleaner a few blocks away from United Nations Plaza, said the conference meant fast turnarounds, many more deliveries and late hours.
“I’m not exactly looking forward to it, but it’s good for business,” she said.
The one exception to the rush will be the area’s food trucks. Ahmed Mostaque, who has run a halal cart in the neighborhood for almost 15 years, said that business had ramped up before Saturday but that the carts were then required to clear out for the next 10 days. Another cart worker, Ahmed Badawi, said that while profits might suffer, he didn’t mind being forced to take time off.
“It’s crazy now,” he said. “But soon, I’ll get to sleep.”
The post New Yorkers Brace for Gridlock and Headaches as U.N. Convenes appeared first on New York Times.