tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post4327010502976410242..comments2023-08-14T11:44:27.299-04:00Comments on Jeremiah's<br> Vanishing New York: The Loss of MarsJeremiah Mosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11791516443125872364noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-9928691134170500252011-06-22T18:15:03.793-04:002011-06-22T18:15:03.793-04:00I understand the pain of watching society move awa...I understand the pain of watching society move away from, the pain of change to your way of life, and the pain of lost relevancy. However, what i do not understand is the basis for arguing that a property owner can not do as he or she wishes with their property. Do you understand that there is always somebody on the other side of the trade - someone who is hurting because they can not prosper from their land. I work with a fellow who has three IMD tenants living in a building he owns, which is actually worth a few bucks. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children and doesn't have much else going on in terms of income. Yet, this building he owns is absolutely worthless because there are three tenants who each pay nothing to live in prime tribeca who each want $1 million dollars to vacate. I am certain that these are nice people - but do they not realize the damage they are doing to the man who's family has owned this building for 85 years? Why does he have to suffer? Why can't he live the American dream? Listen, I get all of this, and NYC is definitely changed in the last 20 years, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. The greatest thing however, about any city, is it's ability to change and evolve - to become what it wants to be. I just think that we should consider raising the level of the dialogue and not call every new building a sin and everyone who had part its construction a monster. In most cases, they are built by people like you, who have family, friends, and a way of life. I think you might consider walking a mile in their shoes - even if they refuse to walk a mile in yours. <br /><br />Thank youAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-62364892666829147482011-04-22T00:46:29.761-04:002011-04-22T00:46:29.761-04:00I moved to The East Village in December of 2002 ju...I moved to The East Village in December of 2002 just after college. I'm just glad to have experienced the tail end of it. I remember watching them close CBGB, and I knew it was the end of the end. <br /><br />The one thing I miss the most is the people. Where did they go? The young artists, the sometimes insightful junkies, the interesting people of the world who seemed to converge upon that one place? I feel lucky, and yet I somehow doubt that there will ever be another place like that. So many memories...Sometimes I wish I could drop everything and move back, but I know it would never be the same.Chris W.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-63897627898822413562010-12-28T09:07:34.805-05:002010-12-28T09:07:34.805-05:00It's been interesting to watch the neighborhoo...It's been interesting to watch the neighborhood change. Not just it's structures, but the people as well. Does anyone not realize that "capitalism" is not the only issue at hand here? We live in a Capitalist society, the idea is to earn more, grow, and prepare more for the future.<br /><br />I often miss the New York of the 70's and 80's, but then again the faces of those years are no longer either. Many of the blue collar and working class people finally had the opportunity to get out of the city and away from it's concentrated areas of drugs and violence.<br /><br />Besides, this is a never ending cycle, the residents of the East Village in the 70's and 80's were not the same residents of the 40's and 50's, nor were the businesses the same. Adaptability and change is what future is, you don't have to agree, but what is a future if it is the same as the present?<br /><br />RIP Mars Bar, there is a place in history with your name on it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-28481817856097886892010-12-27T23:49:42.534-05:002010-12-27T23:49:42.534-05:00In response to a certain anonymous commenter up to...In response to a certain anonymous commenter up top: Of course those who lament the end of this era don't necessarily prefer "vacant lots, crack, fiscal disarray, squeegie men ...". It isn't as simple as that. The fact is that for many of us the era that included those things was very important to us, and in some perverse way, those things were too. As a native of Tribeca in the 80's I just happen to have a fondness for the old rusty, wooden and grimy aspects of the city and all of the lazy spontaneity and unpredictability they engendered. It's what I know. Of course I'm aware of the consistent hypocrisy in my gripes. (My parents were some of the first to renovate a loft they got for a song and live like kings next to our rent-controlled neighbors). But it's hard not to love a home like New York. And when you love and remember a place a certain way it's impossible to avoid expressing angst and sadness at how it changes. And here's one major difference between New York and other cities: IT CHANGES SO MUCH MORE!!! Most people don't watch the home they know change and get demolished all the time. That fucks with your psyche. It's really really hard. And automatically more so for people who grew up here than for people who have just been here a long time. It's your childhood home and it hurts when things change. <br />And we happen to be at the end of a majorly depressed/blighted period in New York's lifespan (well the end was about 15 years ago honestly but we're still in the midst of it) that lasted 40 years. So for the people who stayed in NY after WWII and for the decades beyond, and for their offspring the way the city was then is how we remember it. It's not necessarily better than anything else. It's just our childhood. And we have to hold on to it as strongly as we can, if only as a memory.Gardinernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-88898239060089031092010-12-27T23:35:53.730-05:002010-12-27T23:35:53.730-05:00Yes, that was surely one of the most horrible bath...Yes, that was surely one of the most horrible bathrooms in the city. But I feel like the men's room at CBGB's was worse. That toilet sitting up on that step like a true throne but with no stall whatsoever shielding it! Hilarious. I think I have a picture of an old friend half-passed out beside it.Gardinernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-83641951678434853422010-12-16T15:57:31.200-05:002010-12-16T15:57:31.200-05:00I remember going into the restroom at Mars Bar cir...I remember going into the restroom at Mars Bar circa 1989 or 90 and wondering how such an enormous swarm of flies could be thriving in late January. It was like something from the Amityville Horror. Truly the nastiest bathroom I have ever seen. Bless its heart.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-35543928650474238792010-12-15T19:17:42.572-05:002010-12-15T19:17:42.572-05:00Hi Jeremiah,thanks for putting this together! I j...Hi Jeremiah,thanks for putting this together! I just wanted to share some other pictures from around the early 2000's which are <a href="http://bowery2point0.blogspot.com/2010/12/some-shots-from-around-east-1st-street.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>. Nothing groundbreaking but you might be interested. Will post more in the future.jwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02320281494496235159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-25169132403505643332010-12-15T17:07:12.988-05:002010-12-15T17:07:12.988-05:00"I can't think of anything that is "..."I can't think of anything that is "only in New York" any more." <br />Panhandling in the subways. “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen”…….Crazy Eddienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-17901819936720665162010-12-15T13:57:13.114-05:002010-12-15T13:57:13.114-05:00@goggla
"I can't think of anything that ...@goggla<br /><br />"I can't think of anything that is "only in New York" any more."<br /><br />Hey, we'll always have sidewalks slathered in dog shit.<br />That's something...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-58282775232776574332010-12-15T12:41:50.649-05:002010-12-15T12:41:50.649-05:00I lived in the EV back in the early 80's. Ther...I lived in the EV back in the early 80's. There were people sleeping in the vestibule, on the roof and on the upper landings of the building. I was paying almost $400.00 for apts. people say were $100.00 back in the day. I was working at a shit job and some not so shit ones. I never felt animosity for the homeless or the drug addicted people nor the "winos". I felt compassion. Matter of fact when I needed a quart of milk and went out late at night I felt secure that these people were watching my back.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-73885514086769939462010-12-15T09:34:49.016-05:002010-12-15T09:34:49.016-05:00I used to live in the East Village. I can't go...I used to live in the East Village. I can't go back there any more cos the person who loved me lives there. He doesn't love me any more so turn in all into a museum, build one more glass box after another, tear down Mars! <br />You can tsunami the whole neighborhood as far as I'm concerned.... Selfish, I know, but I can't go back to the old East Village... and I'd rather now it not exist. just my tuppence.Martinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-10243650210155763202010-12-14T23:06:21.203-05:002010-12-14T23:06:21.203-05:00"It is also a truly democratic experience - l..."It is also a truly democratic experience - literally anyone can walk in off the street and be served a drink."<br /><br />This point tends to get overlooked. Dive bars like Mars Bar aren't just cultural artifacts--although they sometimes are--but also places where people from different classes interact more than elsewhere. That kind of environment has a long history in New York but seems to be disappearing, at least in Manhattan.Map of the Sidewalkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06966056772091455243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-90463667587744570982010-12-14T22:33:48.627-05:002010-12-14T22:33:48.627-05:00Great contrast in the photos. I'm in the camp ...Great contrast in the photos. I'm in the camp of ones who used to hang out on this block in the early mid 90's. Satellite records for hours, take a leak at the gas station(bowery hotel), pick up a shitty egg role from that joint btw 3rd and 4th on the eastside, then head south and east on 1st towards a buddies place. Same drill for years. It was past the 80's craziness, but I do remember those blocks in the 90's. Yeah, they weren't so nice. :) I forget which address, but wasn't 301/303? Bowery btw Houston and 1st the ramshakle building that was all boarded up and tagged save 301 Bowery? It was the lone remaining standing building for a period of time. I'm still trying to get my head around the concept that Save the Robots on B once existed only blocks from a store currently named blue and cream. Now that's contrast..Sadly these new contrasting individuals don't recognize people that have been here for a while and some of us ain't that old like late 30's old..and I have virtually nothing in common with 95% of the new inhabitants of the area. Does anyone else recognize this?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-92043210220331713642010-12-14T22:20:31.205-05:002010-12-14T22:20:31.205-05:00to add to my comment: i used to brag about how NY ...to add to my comment: i used to brag about how NY is a colonial city. how we respect tradition. as i said this is world wide, this is "one world" government. much of this $ is from off shore. i was naive to think that NYC would have some zoning, yes they build along the water- or midtown, but restore the rest. i was not aware of the magnitude till recently, have not been to NYC in 2 years. later i will tell the story of mecca, & what is going on in U.A.E. (the arab nations). anything is possible as its the SAME corporations who are in back of this. do not forget, walmart is a super power. banks are almost all one. i have said this before, & i know its not believable: NYC is very slow in demolishing & re building, compared to the rest of the world. if this was somewhere else, entire neigborhoods would be totaled in one swoop. (not just the poor) they even level mountains. take a deep breath.lauranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-73066824081916971512010-12-14T21:39:30.345-05:002010-12-14T21:39:30.345-05:00*Stands and applauds**Stands and applauds*Danhttp://heresparkslope.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-2486042402836622242010-12-14T20:34:23.036-05:002010-12-14T20:34:23.036-05:00never heard of this "mars bar" what ever...never heard of this "mars bar" what ever. & i would never wish for derelicts or junkies like you people do. (unhealthy). i have a history that goes back before your cool drug addicts, hispanic invasion. which turned the LES into a neglected hole. (all the things your generation moved to new york to look at/& identify. most of you are from surburban envirements or very sheltered. so, i find some of these comments offensive. my grandmother lived on ave B & 9th w/her parents. my grandfather- ludlow st, w/his brothers. grandparents on my fathers side were on e.14th street. the building is still there, my father was born there. 1/2 the kids on the block went to jail. (see film "once upon a time in america"). my mothers side of family got out of LES- 105 yrs ago, as even then it was considered a bad place to live. my mothers father & his 3 brothers moved upstate as well. everyone one ended up in brooklyn. cleaner than avenue B, there were diseases there. the true crime here is not the bar. its demolishing most of the old buildings. they could have restored/renovated. except theres 1000 x's more $ in sky scrapers. there is no zoning in the east village. some of you are off about this bloomburg being a "billionaire", as thats not the CAUSE of this. its his values that created this, not his $. the new buildings are really ugly, looks like upper 2nd & 3rd 80s/90s. i understand midtown (offices/corporate apts) but i do not like it. i remember when it was almost all 5 story walk ups. the EV will be another commercial district, will resemble 3rd ave beginning 59th street. (that was a lovely area). what if the buildings were well kept in the EV? do you think this may have happend anyway? most likely, its world wide. yes tourists will continue to visit. most people are morons, airfare is cheap. but as long as NYC has its museums, you will have some good visitors. meanwhile the rest will shop the "outlet" stores.lauranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-1700228432176984112010-12-14T16:05:15.852-05:002010-12-14T16:05:15.852-05:00and thanks again to everettsville for the amazing ...and thanks again to everettsville for the amazing before pictures. it really shows how mind-boggling the changes are, in such a short span of time.Jeremiah Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11791516443125872364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-44128668683718217792010-12-14T15:51:33.163-05:002010-12-14T15:51:33.163-05:00Heck's Kitchen! salvaged morning glory seeds f...Heck's Kitchen! salvaged morning glory seeds from a vacant lot now lost. the memory of flowers in the shape of dogs. 17-year-olds who yearn for the old days. Mars Bar recreated, brick by brick, as an art installation. <br /><br />there's poetry in these comments.Jeremiah Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11791516443125872364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-39853145819712991742010-12-14T15:42:48.885-05:002010-12-14T15:42:48.885-05:00Just move on.Just move on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-6418662743802182412010-12-14T15:14:51.979-05:002010-12-14T15:14:51.979-05:00I think the Dead End sign says it all.I think the Dead End sign says it all.Marty Wombacherhttp://www.aguywalksinto365bars.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-1827153393260194682010-12-14T14:38:22.364-05:002010-12-14T14:38:22.364-05:00Don't ever believe a building project that pro...Don't ever believe a building project that proposes housing for low to middle income people. It's a straight up bait and switch.Jasonhttp://silentseeing.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-64341944419300338572010-12-14T13:12:56.971-05:002010-12-14T13:12:56.971-05:00I'm glad you were able to take the "now&q...I'm glad you were able to take the "now" photos. I knew then that I was taking "then" photos and that someday there would be "now" photos to contrast them. I'm kinda sorry that "now" is now though.everettsvillehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/38222723@N06/sets/72157620138641976/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-55682253347440146902010-12-14T13:06:50.663-05:002010-12-14T13:06:50.663-05:00Wow, what a terrific post.
I don't know if su...Wow, what a terrific post.<br /><br />I don't know if such changes can be stopped... not sure if we really want to stop them. But the people who live in the area should have a right to help shape the changes. 12 stories is just to high for the small about of low-income housing that this will provide, and that could have been a community negotiation. But if owners of the spaces, like the Mars Bar guy, keep this to themselves, then he tied our political hands until it's to late to organize. That's not right.Bowery Boynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-40367091283704497162010-12-14T13:06:41.865-05:002010-12-14T13:06:41.865-05:00Mars Bar is a truly authentic and unique NY experi...Mars Bar is a truly authentic and unique NY experience. The single stall bathroom is legendary in its squalor. The layers of filth and graffiti on the bar and walls combine to form an incredible history of decades of drug fueled debauchery. It is also a truly democratic experience - literally anyone can walk in off the street and be served a drink.<br /><br />Maybe we (the people) could team up to buy the entire bar brick by brick and reconstruct it somewhere as an art piece and/or functioning bar.fredonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-683382864156505640.post-31302792241481675802010-12-14T12:36:23.707-05:002010-12-14T12:36:23.707-05:00Good post, Jeremiah.
What's most disturbing t...Good post, Jeremiah.<br /><br />What's most disturbing to me is not Change in general, but the fact that businesses/blocks/neighborhoods are being replaced with Nothing. The luxury glass tower blocks offer nothing culturally valuable to the city. It's not as if these 'run-down' areas are being improved and replaced with new things - they're being erased and replaced with nothingness.<br /><br />How can this city remain a tourist destination if there is nothing to be found here that can't already be found in the suburbs of Anytown, USA?<br /><br />Before I lived in NY, my parents would make trips here and return with amazing photos and stories. Everything about NYC was over the top: the art, the drama, the spectacle, the seediness, the glitz, the opportunities...I remember my mom showing me a picture of a florist whose storefront was stuffed with flowers sculpted into dogs. We'd never seen anything like that - only in New York! <br /><br />I can't think of anything that is "only in New York" any more. Eventually, people will smarten up and ask why they're paying so much to live in or visit a city that has nothing to offer and they will stop coming.Laura Goggin Photographyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15517481509431547970noreply@blogger.com