New York welcomes millions of visitors every day, on top of the over 8 million residents who already live there. It’s no surprise that, with all of the city’s foot traffic, people will be looking for a place to sit. But now a popular commercial building known for its peaceful views is gatekeeping all of that.
“Apparently, you can’t sit here,” says TikToker Scourgebliss as he outlines his experience when visiting The Gardens, a commercial business space in NYC. It offers indoor gardens, networking spaces, a coffee bar, and more. Scourge went to check it out and, while recording, he was told by an employee right away that he couldn’t record right outside their space.
According to Scourge, the building went viral after employees were told to deny people their public seating, including the elderly. There are indents for people to sit down, but employees will tell you to move if you actually sit there. Why? They claim they don’t want people “ruining the aesthetic of the building.”
Visitors in the area speculate on the issue in the viral video. As one person claims, “They want the front of it to look nice for the rich.” That means vacating all visitors, tourists, and residents alike. In one of the clips, an elderly man asks, “Why do they have it carved in the granite,” referring to the ‘welcome’ sign on display.
In a particularly funny self-own, employees are seen telling an older couple to leave. A good Samaritan lets them know, “It’s a public access plaza. I’m just letting you guys know, you can sit here lawfully.” But when he says this, the employee points to a placard outside the building titled, ‘Rules of Conduct.’ The conduct list states their space is reserved for the general public.
“So, basically, they only want rich people sitting there,” Scourge argues. The building developers actually get “tax break incentives” for having public spaces. And yet, employees at The Garden insist on picking and choosing who gets to sit in its public seating. Some are even getting outright hostile with locals. Doesn’t seem very welcoming!
People Drag The Gardens Online and Suggest Taking Action
Not only were people in the comments of Scourge’s TikTok video dunking on The Garden, but many were also offering humorous ways of protesting. One viewer even sarcastically commented, “I’m telling Mamdani!!”
“I think people forget the power of the internet and how petty people are 😂,” wrote another. Proving that point, among the top comments, one user wondered, “Where my NYC teens atttttttt” and another remarked, “Bout to make a Facebook event for us to all go sit together in sweats and pjs.”
Many took turns making fun of the building’s aesthetic, calling it “boring corporate minimalist” and “not special.” It’s clear from the response that people aren’t taking The Garden seriously and may just be the next example of the Streisand effect.
