I swear the camper in this picture has been parking on this street for years. Years.
Right around the corner from this block is a Manhattan office building that is routinely rented out by film productions. I’ve worked out of there on numerous movies, and over the course of a job, you end up driving down this street countless times. And if there is one thing you can always count on seeing, it’s this RV.
It’s been there for as long as I’ve been working in film production, back to my PA days. It’s even on Google Streetview, just one block west of where it is today:
The obvious answer is that it’s the base camper for some sort of construction in the area. However, as far as I can tell, 1) there’s no construction going on anywhere nearby, 2) if there is construction, it’s been going on for a very, very long time, and 3) I’ve never seen anyone going in or out of it. Plus, look at some of the items on the sidewalk: a dog crate, some wooden shelves, a lawn chair, lots of junk…
I’ve always wondered if someone lives here permanently. Sometimes, this doesn’t move for weeks at a time. Street cleaning regulations require cars to move two mornings of the week – if you don’t, you risk a fine. But if you think about it, $120 or so a week in tickets is damn cheap rent to pay for this type of location in NYC.
Finally, note that enormous antenna above the driver’s side door.
An FBI stake-out? A CIA covert operation? The mysterious Aristocrat (see the rear bumper) reveals no secrets.
-SCOUT
PS – Yes, I know I could just go and look to see if they have a construction permit, or knock on the door or something. But in a way, I’d rather not know (in another way, I’d rather not approach a bizarre camper that looks like it drove out of a Rob Zombie movie).
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