*Everyday Chatter

Grub Street picked up on my Beatrice Vongerichtified post and expanded beautifully on it, pointing to the "dissolution of communities into an ocean of self-interested particles living together in a heartless and abstract society." And they provide the answer to my question, "What is NYC becoming as it ceases to be a democracy?" An oligarchy, of course. [Grub St]

Brownstoner comes out of the blog closet and curates a new Brooklyn flea market. [Observer]

Cosmo cocktail creator gets evicted from the neighborhood destroyed by the same people who made his creation famous. [Observer]

The Chinatown Fair arcade has a big for rent sign on it, says tipster Ben: "Now you can't even see the old ghost lettering for the Tic-Tac-Toe chicken. Worst of all, it might close! I asked the arcade attendant about the sign and he said not to worry. It was only for the apartments above. However I read the sign again and it said looking for retail tenants. Maybe this guy doesn't know what he's talking about. I hope he's right." He might be, according to the Voice. Here's a photo from Ben:


Those little buildings on 13th are coming down for Karl Fischer's 18-story luxe hotel. The rat bait's been set and yesterday the places were wide open and crawling with workers. I asked one and he swiped his hand through the air to signify demolition and said in broken English, "New building coming." What does this mean for the 13th St. Rep?

Closing: Even the CBGB's retail store can't make it in the new East Village. [Voice] via [Urbanite]

Very exciting! Coney's old B&B Carousell horses are leaving storage at the Brooklyn Army Terminal to be restored to their former glory. [Urbanite]