Recent travel4seniors.com articles hint that costumed street performers are pests and dangerous to tourists. Do you ever consider why they do it? Many are unemployed, homeless and/or recent immigrants, and it’s the only way they can make a living.

I’m old enough to remember pretzel and Italian water ice vendors. And as kids, we all loved the organ grinders and their monkeys. Come down off your high horse and consider that many of our parents and grandparents had to work the streets to feed their families when they first came to America. RBJ and MLJ, Jersey City NJ

A: During his teen years, our dad rode a (not high) horse and wagon around South Philly peddling fruits and vegetables.

We have no gripe against traditional street venders and performers. However, in recent Hollywood Boulevard and NYC Times Square experiences, we found some very aggressive, often frightening to kids.

Also, news reports of turf battles among them and clashes with police only add to the negative image. They need to clean up their acts and behave like some of the kid-friendly cartoon characters they imitate.