Washington Square Park Will Keep its Hot Dog Carts

The battle over the hot dog carts of Washington Square Park has ended in a victory for the vendors, who the Parks Department will allow to return come spring. After it was revealed last month that a private conservancy group had convinced park officials to banish the "unsightly" carts in favor of more high-end options like the Otto gelato cart, local supporters rallied to protest the decision.

Now Cathryn Swan, the local blogger who first broke the story and organized the rally reports that the Parks Department says it has "evaluated the feedback received," and is going to bring the hot dog carts back. Although it did allow the contracts of the original vendors to run out, it will be putting out a new Request for Bids for two hot dog vendors soon and hopes to have them in the park by spring. No word yet on whether the old vendors will be allowed to return or if these will be new carts entirely.
· "Hot Dog" Vendors at Washington Square to Return in the Spring [WSP Blog]
· All Coverage of Street Carts [~ENY~]