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NYC's Maple Syrup Smell Is Still A Mystery
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 6, 2009
Modified Jan 6, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 6, 2009
Modified Jan 6, 2009
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It's been almost 24 hours since the intoxicating and overwhelming scent of maple syrup assaulted New Yorkers' olfactory nerves again. And even though this is the sixth time the smell has struck, it's unclear where the smell is coming from.
The Office of Emergency Management told us that there were 37 calls to 311 between 9 p.m. and midnight last night about the smell. Department of Environmental Protection inspectors were dispatched to investigate, but the calls—and smell—seemed to taper off around midnight. So there are no answers yet again! Maybe it is Northrax for all we know.
Our own Joe Schumacher says, "With a light wind and stable air the weather conditions would have been ideal for the smell to travel a fair distance," which explains how the smell could be noticed all the way up in Harlem and down in Soho and even in parts of Queens and Brooklyn. One commenter suggested, "That smell is coming from the New Salt Substitute about to be used on the streets by the Sanitation Dept. Salt has become to expensive, so they are trying this stuff which is Salt mixed with a chemical that smells like Maple Syrup." Which could make sense—but would this explain the previous smellings in past years?
For now, we'll just have to examine the map—click on the icons for some details— and develop other hypotheses. But for every person who thought "I thought I was going crazy. We had pancakes for breakfast on Sunday, and I was looking for where I spilled the syrup!", know this: You are not alone.
Tagged
breakfast
chemicals
hungry
maple syrup
maple syrup smell
nyc
pancakes
SALT
smell
snow salt
waffles
weird
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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