With our economy edging closer to the brink of collapse, it’s only appropriate to show Depression-era footage of NYC. This vintage silent film brilliantly documents past struggles for survival on the Bowery. Definitely a far cry from the musuems and galleries popping up along the thoroughfare now.
“The port of missing men is the New York Bowery.”
Point of interest – note the Dry Dock Savings Bank (:37) which once stood at the corner of Bowery and Third, now home to the uber-trendy Bowery Hotel.
Gawker has a cool little map on post-recession New York, and the possible rollback of gentrification in some neighborhoods. Apparently the East Village is too far along, while parts of the LES might have hope [Gawker]
Looking at the current similarities to the Panic of 1873 [Cityroom]
Band Fucked Up will play a 12-hour show beginning at 2PM today. Head over to the Rogan store at the corner of Bowery and Bond [EVG]
With Mondo Kim’s on St. Marks shuttering, its owner is looking for a sponsor to take on his entire collection of films. That’s right, they’re doing away with rentals [JVNY]
An important announcement: What happens to you if your landlord defaults on his mortgage? GOLES is hosting a meeting on the impact of the financial crisis on NYC housing, this Thursday, Oct. 16, 7pm, 535 E 5th St. (between A&B), ground floor community room. More info, call GOLES: 212-533-2541 [SLES]
The beloved graffiti exterior of 139-141 Ludlow is now extinct. Once upon a time, this facade was a canvas for some exhilirating artwork. Now, much like the street itself, the building has become a ghost of its former existence. Another charming piece of the neighborhood gone. The new MO in these parts, clean up and get out.
This address houses Kleen-Stik Industries, Inc. [link], a manufacturer of pressure sensitive transfer tapes. In layman’s terms, a form of double-sided tape. The business also distributes new and used tape applying equipment. It’s rather heartening to see commercial industry on Ludlow, something other than nightlife.
The fro-yo wars are getting ugly. Several Tasti D-Lites around town were recently purchased by a new franchise dubbed The Lite Choice. Jeremiah has the scoop [JVNY]
A stroll down E. Broadway shows that the street is still very much an immigrant stronghold. Indeed, Chinatown is holding on for dear life. “Things change slowly here. Old buildings survive, and a low-scale architecture dominates. There is also still a sense of mystery and willful isolation to the area which one simply does not get in neighborhoods brimming with chain stores and fresh condos.” [LC]
One building in Little Italy has a rooftop farm. That’s right, a rural setting in an urban landscape complete with chickens, vegetables, and fruit trees [NYMag]
Apparently people still purchase kid’s sweaters for $1,395 [NYO via JVNY]
Courtney Love wants an East Village walk-up to call home. Please stay away [EVG]
Being frugal in the city ultimately leads NY Times columnist Matt Gross back to his old Lower East Side stomping grounds. Back to a neighborhood that is swiftly becoming the “hipster version of crowded Times Square.” A dead-on comparison.
Today, the Lower East Side is a magnet for young people with pop tastes and a lot of money (or a lot of credit-card debt). Velvet ropes abound, and the mobs of partiers transform the tenement-lined streets into a hipster version of crowded Times Square. Below Delancey Street, the scene was cooler and calmer…”
“I’d heard that a new club, the Delancey, was giving away cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon from midnight to 1 a.m., but when I saw the velvet ropes, I knew I wasn’t going in.
Let’s hope the impending doom eliminates such velvet ropes from the downtown scene. These bars will likely struggle in the upcoming months.
[Photo: Picture History]
