Susan and i made a trip from BK to Manhattan today. Nice trip overall. But there's more. Isn't there always? So, i followed her lead to Pearl Art Supplies. She bought some Mylar for future cel-art. She was warned by the floor clerk dude with the beret, "those are heavy metals you know...they are highly toxic." I thought, yeah, so? Then i looked over to Susan, who was testing them out by brushing a little bit of each one onto the anterior part of her thumb. Arggh--glad i didn't say anything.
A few minutes later, as the clerk behind the register rang up her few purchases, the same guy reprimanded me as he made his way across the floor toward then passed me. "Please don't lean against that." I was not really leaning against the swatch display. I was just sort of fake-resting against it, but without putting any weight on it. I adjusted my position to the surly man's satisfaction. He and i made direct eye contact--the silent confrontational kind. I kept stoic. I didn't like him. He didn't like me. He was in a foul mood. I was grumpy. It was a moment made for Hallmark Greetings to positively ignore or pretend never happened.
As Susan and i marched up Broadway, we noticed a lot of stores--the big chains have been closing some of their individual stores--a rash of vacant properties where major franchises once occupied. They sort of rested there for many years, before some surly floor clerk asked them to move. National Wholesale Liquidators, Pottery Barn, Kenneth Cole, Virgin Megastore, Circuit City, Starbucks, Kim's Video--all have had one or more of their stores in NYC close in the past 4 or 5 months. If one were to look back over the past 18 months, one could add Barnes and Noble at Broadway and 9th st. to the list. Since i moved to NYC in late 97, Tower Records, HMV, Nobody Beats The Wiz, and finally Virgin Megastore have all packed up shop completely and headed out of here...no brick and mortar music chain outlets period. If you want to purchase music the old fashioned way--off a physical shelf somewhere, you only have a few independent stores in the village like Bleecker Bob's and Generation to choose from. (I'm not making the case that there is anything wrong or inferior about these stores, because i actually prefer them.)
This is the begininning of: The New, New, New, New, New York...
1. 1996: New New York--Larry Clark's "Kids" movie and Disneyfied Times Square
2. 2001: New New New York--9-11 and aftermath. Giuiliani's Mayoral tenure ends. Bloomberg's administration begins.
3. 2003-2008: New New New New York--Big gentrification psuh--econ bubble and eminent domain. Boxy-looking condos begin sprouting on every corner throughout BK and parts of Manhattan. End of Joe Torre's golden tenure as Yankee Manager
4. 2008-09-beyond: New New New New New York--Beginning of the end. Invincible chain retail outlets close. Serious questions loom with regard to the future of our economy.
After listening to my jaded outlook on the future of society and the continuing automation of humans and humanization of machines, Susan offered to buy me a drink over happy hour. We went to one of those St. Mark's Place, basement Japanese restaurants--trendy interior, friendly Japanese wait staff, deep cocktail menu. I ordered a tofu duck with ginger and a couple Sapporos. After ranting to poor Susan and her generous ear about how we live in a predatory society, i just couldn't bring myself to eat a real duck. Susan got calamari and shrimp appetizers with a couple cocktails. It was good.
I hope the restaurant which appeared to do a healthy amount of business on a Sunday night, is still here tomorrow.
When we finally returned to Susan's, we shared with her husband, Marco how astonished we were by all the vacant retail spaces. He said, "It's the beginning of 'The Big Suck.' "
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