By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MIDTOWN EAST — A nightmare web of limited parking, ID checkpoints, and restricted street access greeted Eastsiders on the first day of the U.N. General Assembly Monday.
Although many long-time residents are used to the extraordinary security measures taken for the annual diplomatic meeting, several said the restrictions had become more severe in recent years.
On Monday, residents of The Manor Residences at Tudor City were prevented from using their sun deck, which overlooks the U.N. complex at First Avenue.
"This is just going to get worse and worse as the week goes on," said Rafael Melendez, 58, a hair stylist who said he would take the week off after Wednesday because the lockdown would make it difficult for him to get to clients.
Janice Johnson, a 15-year resident of East 52nd Street, said the security seemed to get tighter every year.
"I think 9/11 changed things dramatically," Johnson said. "This is the first year we've had the signs here that you can't park overnight."
Chris Wangro, 52, a Midtown east resident and event producer, said that when he tried to lock his bike up outside his apartment, police told him he'd have to secure it on the west side of Second Avenue.
"Telling people who live here that they can't lock their bikes to a local pole is ridiculous," said Wangro. "We all have to use our heads and be mutually respectful and there's not a lot of that going on at the moment."
Ursula Hayn, 90, a resident of Tudor City since 1947 — when the neighborhood was still full of slaughterhouses, according to Hayn — said the intense security keeps her indoors.
"I'm a retiree, I just don't go out," Hayn said.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg acknowledged the hassle residents experience during the U.N. summits, but underscored the important role the diplomatic community plays in the city's economy.
"While the inconvenience is annoying this week, rest assured a lot of these diplomats and their staff is spending money which is good for us," Bloomberg said in remarks Monday.
Police chief Ray Kelly said that the security is expensive — he estimated that the city spends between $5 million and $7 million per U.N. session — but said that New York gets some reimbursement from the State Department. He also said he understood the problems residents face during the two-week long event.
"It's an important week for us. Challenging for the department, challenging to the residents of the city," Kelly said. "We understand any one driving into Manhattan this week will have a difficult time certainly during business hours, but this is what makes this city the capital of the world."
Security is especially tight in anticipation of President Barack Obama's address Wednesday and Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Ahmadinejad's speech on Thursday.
As the U.N. meetings continue through Sept. 30, residents will be waiting to get their neighborhood back.
"Thank God it's only one week a year," Melendez said.
