New York Times Profile of Bowery 2.0

The New York Times just spilled a whole lot of ink on a Bowery profile in today’s paper.  There really isn’t much new information here, just a regurgitation of what the local blogosphere has been covering for years.  A primer for the masses.  But it’s definitely great to see our friend Eric Ferrara of the Lower East Side History Project quoted on page one!

“Historically, what happens in New York City has almost always been reflected on the Bowery,” said Eric Ferrara, the director of the Lower East Side History Project and the author of “The Bowery: A History of Grit, Graft and Grandeur.”

“So in this age of high-rise condos and hotels, gourmet cupcakes and chichi boutiques, it is not surprising that the Bowery would be vulnerable to gentrification.”

The Bowery Alliance of Neighbors is also name-checked with regard to its tireless preservation efforts.  Here are some additional snippets:

New Yorkers tend to mark the demise of neighborhoods by their own personal calendars, choosing to define the feel and texture of a place by how it fit into a formative period of their lives. For some, the old Bowery died the day the music stopped at CBGB, the punk haven at 315 Bowery that was replaced by a John Varvatos boutique selling $200 T-shirts. For others, it was when the Bowery got its own scent, Nouveau Bowery, $150 for less than two ounces at the perfumery Bond No. 9, just off the avenue.

Today, the farther south one goes on the Bowery, the more it clings to its working-class history. In fact, a stroll underscores how varied the avenue remains.

Restaurant supply stores dominate several blocks, with the wares spilling out onto the sidewalks. And, farther south, lighting stores shine on. As the Bowery morphs into Chinatown, dozens of jewelry stores are still bustling.