Wednesday, January 18, 2012

*Everyday Chatter

A fantastic collection of Village Voice ads from the 1960s--it was a city of Nina Simone, dollar-fifty breakfasts, John Giorno's Dial-A-Poem, dancing at The Dom, plus dining at the intimate Beatrice Inn. [SYC]


Very exciting Upper West Side zoning may stop banks and chains from spreading like the plague. As Avi says, "what’s the point of living in New York? You could just as well move to Connecticut." [WSR]

A 7-11 is replacing the XXX video place on E. 14th St--right next to IHOP. Enjoy your dead suburban experience. [EVG]

Poet Elizabeth Bishop's paintings on view at Tibor de Nagy until 1/21. [PRD]

They've taken the subway car out of Golden's Deli on Staten Island. The rent was too damn high. [HNY]

Art, poetry, and more coming to derelict Park Slope building, once home to eccentric art bar the Landmark Pub. [BP]

Read an excerpt from East of Bowery by Drew Hubner and Ted Barron. Luc Sante calls it "raw and lyrical." Buy it in print at St. Mark's Books. [SS]

Coney Island 'possum rides the D train. [NYT]

Who lives in the Village today? Multimillionaire guys who love "adventure stuff" and who decorate their apartments like "super-luxe" hotels. [NYT]

3 comments:

Grand St. said...

Love when Streets You Crossed runs those old Voice ads and blurbs. You can really get lost in them. Just learned that I lived, 20 years ago, in the building on W. 9th where Hilly Kristal once had his GV joint.

There's an excerpt from the 'Scenes' column (3/13/69 issue) about the vanishing of Figaro on Bleecker, and a Blimpie 'Base' taking over the space. I imagine Jeremiah Version 1969 authoring/distributing a pamphlet about such a calamity, and circulating another in the mid-70s when it was saved.

LvV said...

Those ads bring me back. When I was little, sometimes I'd go into work with my dad (Financial District) and look through all the old NYC phone books. "Dial-A-___" was really popular by the late 1970s/early 80s. You could dial a joke, dial a prayer ... it was great fun. Kids today can't even make prank calls! That sucks.

Ed said...

On reducing the number of chain stores, limiting the space won't do it. You just get smaller, more downscale chain stores. As the article notes, we actually have experience with this approach in other neighborhoods and that has been the result.

The only way to do it is a limit on the number of stores/ properties owned in an area by the same proprietor.