Is Public Drinking Good For the Neighborhood?   [Illustrations:
Robyn Lee]  Yesterday morning I had to make an appearance in
front of a Judicial Hearing Officer at the New York City
Criminal Court located at 364 Broadway, just a few blocks south
of my office. My crime, you ask? No, it wasn't any sort of
society rotting business like jaywalking or running a stop sign
on my bicycle. I didn't commit the ghastly offense of urinating
in public or using the emergency exit in a subway station
(though I did have to sit through a couple cases of that
nature).  Nope, I was in court to deliver my plea on an open
container citation I was given back in November for drinking a
glass of wine. On a private stoop.  My options: a) pay out $10
(reduced from an initial fine of $25) to the city and make the
whole thing go away, or b) fight the damn charges tooth and
nail.  Before we get to my decision, let me back up a bit:
Neighborly in New York  I found it very difficult to move back
to New York after living in Central Square