Vendy Madness Begins

This fall, for the third year in a row, New York’s Urban Justice Center is hosting the Vendy Awards, a fundraiser cum tribute for their street vendor project, which fights for and protects the rights of NYC’s 10,000 street vendors. Street vendors are an integral part of the NYC sidewalk life. From coffee and donuts to falafel to fruit, they’re ubiquitous. And they have some of the best food in the city. My personal favorite: Thiru Kumar, a 2005 Vendy runner-up and the Sri Lankan purveyor of the best dosas and uthappam this side of…well…that I can find in NYC. The long lines for his $5 fare prove it.

So I was happy to see that he has been nominated again for a Vendy. See all the nominees here, or in the video below. It’ll make you appreciate those street vendors and the life they bring to the sidewalks, even if you grumble when their presence on the sidewalks makes it tough to keep up your quick pace.