ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
Returning to his French Quarter townhouse complex last night, local man Maurice MacGinnis said he was pleased to see at least one other person was home.
Mr MacGinnis said he usually gets home to see none of his neighbours’ lights on as pretty much every other townhouse except his is listed on short-term rental marketplaces like Airbnb.
“Of a weekend, nearly all the lights are on. Especially if there’s a football game on or something. People come in from out of town and carry on. Music, people smoking on balconies. Young lads getting into non-descript cars to do a lap of the block. Getting their cocaine. The drinking to excess. People swearing and that. You know, the person above me rents his place out to these bastards and they stand on the little balcony and smoke all night. They ash in my garden. I hate to sound like an old man but how would you like it?” he said.
“Which is why I was so surprised to see somebody at home on a weeknight. Everything must be fine. I’m glad Airbnb hasn’t fucked our community like they have near the cost and pretty much every city in the western world. It’s great. I’ve read about having apartment blocks like this where it’s essentially a glorified hotel that creates an artificial scarcity of housing because there are no real long-term rental options for people. And it’s also a problem created only by human greed so yeah,”
“It’s great to live in such a vibrant community that isn’t affected by such a socially-malignant pox on society like Airbnb.”
More to come.
