"Question about the East Village"

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From the Forum NYC:

Topic may have been beaten to death (god knows I've spoken too often for too long about the subject with long-time residents and visitors), but....

As a non-native New Yorker, who has visited often, I must ask.....

If the old days (as little as 15-20 years ago when I first visited) of a real, cultural, diverse, dangerous, cautious, and exciting place to visit (live?) in the Lower East Side/Village are indeed gone forever (as it seems from my last several visits since the y2k), where has all the art/culture/heritage gone?! Think there will be a rebound since we seem to be going through an economically depressing time? (I don't think so--- high rents forever as I see it....)

I always stay in the LES, or south of Houston in a favorite dirty little hotel (recently cleaned up), and it just seems like all the "fun" of visiting/living in the LES is gone.

Not trying to spark a discussion of why/how this energy is gone (forever?) but rather asking where it can be found in greater NYC area.... or even anywhere in the US?! LA, Chicago, NYC, even Baltimore's old dirty grimey neighborhoods seem to be lost to the yuppies for good.

Where are the new diverse cultural neighborhoods (is there such a thing as neighborhoods anymore?) in NYC, or even elsewhere in the US?!

Just a rant I suppose, but comment as you will.

Thank you.

Meanwhile, two photos that I took in the last few days...