[For no reason, a photo of Hilly Kristal, which was taken by Spencer Drate. Via Gothamist]The area around 1 Jackson Square getting closer to becoming that "charming urban oasis." (Jeremiah's VNY)
Alex sees a legitimate punk rocker on Saint Mark's -- and a lovely sunset (Flaming Pablum)
Out with Madonna . . . in 1984 (Ephemeral New York)
The horror: Jill comes face-to-face with "the deep-core rottenness of the 'new' East Village" (Blah Blog Blah)
Please DO NOT take photos of the Bayview Correctional Facility. (Greenwich Village Daily Photo)
"Kinda sad to see Manhattan as it is now." (Bohobait)
Overheard on the Bowery: "Bruce Willis owns a spot around here, let's find it." (Colonnade Row)
No, No, No, No,... you were such doing a great job with your blog, being yourself, different, chronicling the day to day life and events in the EV, if not anything below 14th street, and all. Now you're turning into Jeremiah's depressing, self-aggrandizing, almost and can't wait to be vanishing blog.
ReplyDeleteWell if the stores that make up the fabric of the neighborhood keep being replaced by chain stores and condos, you can't really ignore it.
ReplyDeleteStores are only the outward sign of change because they cater to the people's demands, and when stores change, then it shows that the residents are changing. Plus, it's easy to target them as an example of how the face of a neighborhood is changing. Without having to count how many fewer Puerto Ricans are living on our block, we can tell that they are gone because the stores that were run by them are gone.
ReplyDeleteObviously we need to buy stuff but what is happening in the East Village is that there are no more fishmongers or butchers and the local merchant is disappearing. So now we have to travel miles to get fresh fish and meat, and even the produce stores are disappearing or getting ridiculously expensive. Chinatown is the closest place with fresh food.
It's not so much that chain stores are inherently evil (well maybe they are but that's a different subject), it's that this neighborhood was filled with local merchants and people who lived in a place filled with diversity, which was outwardly expressed by the variety of merchants.
Now we are finding it changing into a monochromatic shopping mall with no character but a lot of frozen yogurt. Those who moved here a long time ago liked it here because of the diversity and the character. It's very hard to watch it disappear, along with our neighbors who are heading to Brooklyn.
And the people moving here seem to be the ones who want to see that change. They appear to want to live in the suburbs from whence they came, but still have a short commute to work and be living next to a dozen bars or restaurants. The landlords don't give a shit because they are in it for the cash, so they are raking it in from the only establishments who can pull in enough money to support such excess: bars and restaurants. It's depressing.
And one more thing anonymous, why don't you get some courage and say who you are. Stand behind your comments. If you have an opinion, fine, this is a great place to air them, but say who you are, it will give you credibility. Otherwise you can't be taken seriously.
ReplyDelete