Scary term of the day: "Eviction Mill." Read about the diabolical plan to take your home away from you. [Voice]
Bid au revoir to Florent in a big retrospective by Frank Bruni. [Times] via [Eater]
Remember when tents in Tompkins Square Park meant Hooverville? Not anymore. Not at $25o a head. [NMNL]
Every time I see this ad around town, I think it says: "Gentrification so instant, it already happened." Which is kind of exactly how it is:
The Lower East Side is declared endangered by the National Trust who says the Vongerichtification of the place "threatens to erode the fabric of the community and wipe away the collective memory of generations of immigrant families." [Gothamist] and more at [City Room]
Bleecker continues to die as Nusraty Afghan Imports, one of the last old-timers (circa 1980), is likely closing to be turned into another swank clothier. [Racked]
Another New Yorker falls victim to the unstoppable virus of condoschmerz. P.S. Isn't that plant place the one that sells men with cacti penises in their pants? [Colonnade] via [Curbed]
Check out this lovely visual assortment of anti-yuppie/gentrification graffiti--and the news that councilmember Peter Vallone is putting his energy into getting rid of it. [Curbed]
Where were the Minetta fans reading from Joseph Mitchell when I was there? Sorry to have missed it. [Chowhound]
Starbucks says no more vagina dentata on their coffee cups. [Eater]
Isn't Peter Vallone's hair more of an urban concern than messages on a wall?
ReplyDeleteOh, oh, oh. The news about Nusraty Afghan Imports breaks my heart. As a teenager I used to browse in there a lot, and I have a few pieces of jewelry from them (mostly earrings, a couple of pins, all beautiful, all affordable, none ostentatious). They also carry magnificent textiles that are such a pleasure to look at. I was just in the neighborhood a few weeks ago and was delighted to see that they were still there, and that the window was still as cluttered and gorgeous as ever. It was the one bright spot in a melancholy walk along Bleecker.
ReplyDeleteOh, damn. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn.
i was just there myself, thinking the same thing, "wow, i can't believe this is still here and hanging on in the midst of 9 million marc jacobs clone-stores." it's always dangerous when i find myself thinking that...
ReplyDeleteMy God! Did you see those giant TV-screen-condo pictures? Boy, the wealthy sure like to waste energy, don't they?
ReplyDeleteHow many neighborhoods do you think would have to have brown-outs during the summer to keep those huge comercials going?
@joshua: Your comment threw me back to the summer of 2006, when my neighborhood (Astoria) lost power for over a week. At the time I worked in midtown. It used to enrage me when I would go to work and listen to Mayor Bloomberg and the Con Ed bigs advise me and my neighbors, fingers wagging all the while, not to watch television or run air conditioners unnecessarily (as if we could!), only to go to lunch and walk past Emporio Armani or the Gap. Not only did they have their air conditioning cranked full bore, they also kept their doors open so that the cold air would lure would-be shoppers. It might not have been intended as a giant fuck-you to my neighbors and me, but it surely did feel like it was. If great swaths of the city lose power so that some slickeeboy ad agency can run giant tv ads on condos, it will feel like an even bigger fuck-you to all of us.
ReplyDeleteQuite right, bakerina. And don't forget when ConEd turned off the power in Upper Manhattan during the summer of ‘99 (by the way, this was before Harlem and Washington Heights were “discovered”) in order to keep moneyed Manhattan on-line. Remember, they “deserve” their power, no matter what the limits of supply may be. So, I think it is best to interpret their behavior exactly as it appeared to you; a giant “fuck-you!” to everybody else.
ReplyDeleteThough, I suppose if you think about it, the wealthy really do need their air-conditioning. After all, I’m sure sweat can be a real economic threat to people who regularly spend a thousand dollars a month or more on clothing. “Sweat stains on my $800 jeans! Like, OMG!”
Bakerina & Jeremiah.....I'm Abdul Nusraty's son and I'm here to set the record straight. IT'S JUST A RUMOR!!! My father plans to stay put for the duration of his lease. So please do visit my father when you have a chance. He enjoys having conversations with his customers....so stop in and say Hi.
ReplyDeletethank you, mr. nusraty, for squashing that rumor! hear that, everone? go in and say hello, because ya never know...
ReplyDeleteMr. Nusraty, I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that. Thank you, a million times over, for setting the record straight. I will be sure to come back, and to say hello to your father.
ReplyDeleteJ. Nusraty: Thank you for your comments. I'll be sure to pass along your kind words to my father. The Village is our home and unless we are forced to leave, we are not going anywhere! I must say that relocation within the Village may be a possibility in the future. Unfortunately, Bleecker street has transformed into Broadway(SoHo) and it may no longer be a prime location for my father's business.
ReplyDelete