Stop Calling the East Village ‘Midtown South’
This image has been archived or removed.
Photo: WallyG
There are many who believe that the SPURA Essex Crossing development will be the death of Lower East Side. Not entirely true. What about the real estate industry rebranding (nay, redefining) our borders as an extension of midtown? Yes, it’s very real, and it’s happening for sure.
If a recent overheard conversation is any indication, that “Midtown South” broker-babble – popularized in listings for 51 Astor Place – is already gaining some unwanted traction amongst the masses. Some Murray Hill folks hanging out at The Edge (the f*cking irony) told their friends on the receiving end of the iPhone: “come to Midtown South. Yeah. East 3rd Street. I’ll meet you outside.” Fingernails on chalkboard
But is “Midtown South” and the wave of real estate speculation really a death knell?
Clearly you can’t turn back demolition. 150-200-year-old buildings are now bones beneath the streets. A fine balance once existed between preservation and progress. In the last few years, progress has KO’d preservation with money as the right hook.
This image has been archived or removed.
Rubble of 185-191 Bowery, August 2012
SPURA was a 47 year scam, the bargain district is gone, Essex Crossing makes me nauseous…
What the hell are we fighting for? You can think about it, but the answer is clear.
We are fighting for home. This is NOT Midtown South.
This image has been archived or removed.
This is the Lower East Side, after all. As the Gateway to America, it represents our collective heritage, ancestry, our tenements, and is therefore one of the most historic neighborhoods in all of New York City’s five boroughs.
Just once before I die
I want to climb up on a
tenement sky
to dream my lungs out till
I cry
then scatter my ashes thru
the Lower East Side.
So let me sing my song tonight
let me feel out of sight
and let all eyes be dry
when they scatter my ashes thru
the Lower East Side.
From Houston to 14th Street
from Second Avenue to the mighty D
here the hustlers & suckers meet
the ****s & freaks will all get
high on the ashes that have been scattered
thru the Lower East Side.
To the mighty…
Recent Stories
The Bizarre ‘Mumming’ History of Thanksgiving Masking
What follows is a reworking of a post originally published on Bowery Boogie in 2014. There was once a time when Thanksgiving customs more resembled Halloween masquerading than traditional turkey and history lessons. That’s right. So get out your masks, people! Thanksgivoween is upon us. Two key words: masking and mumming. To surmise thousands of […]
Children’s Magical Garden Files Lawsuit Against Developer Over Alleged Intimidation Tactics
The Children’s Magical Garden on Stanton Street is again battling its longtime nemesis, owner-developer of the neighboring parcel, The Horizon Group. Garden advocates led by Kate Temple-West filed a civil rights lawsuit Monday in New York State Supreme Court alleging that principal David Marom, who purchased the adjacent lot from Serge Hoyda in 2013, engaged […]
Pregnant Woman Shot by Parolee Boyfriend on LES Dies
A pregnant woman shot by her parolee boyfriend earlier this month died of her injuries last Thursday. The 27-year-old victim, who was about three months pregnant with the gunman’s baby, had been on life support since the November 11 incident, according to published reports. As previously reported, the perp – Bronx resident Dennis Fredricks, a […]
30-Story Tower at Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Site Takes its Spot in LES Skyline
It’s not enough to have Essex Crossing dominate the Lower East Side skyline around Delancey Street. Now, another. The hulking tower rising from the literal ashes of Beth Hamedrash Hagadol is already halfway to the top, currently sitting at a healthy fifteen stories. This much after the better part of a year under construction. As […]
Uncapped: CAINE ONE Forever
Hey Boogie faithful! Guest writer, Freddy Alva, joins us again to go beneath the paint with us at Uncapped. The following is a stylized excerpt from the Queens Graffiti Legend’s Black Book containing interviews with LADY PINK, ROGER, Martha Cooper, FREEDOM, NOTCH 56, JIMMY 131, ZAR, PHANTOM and CAINE, childhood friend Eileen Galindo. Head over here […]
