In Shaw field trip
Went on a little field trip to take a quick peek at gentrification elsewhere. It is the same everywhere I guess. When there is a housing crunch, where the housing stock is not enough for the population, people with some money begin moving into neighborhoods where poorer people are. But there was cool stuff too, which I'll share in pictures.Went through Harlem. I don't know where the gentrification began there. It is pretty near the Park at 110th. Which I think is the bottom of Harlem. I could understand the reasoning behind paying big bucks to live near Central Park. The further north you went from the Park, the less gentrified it looked.
I wandered through the East Village. What jobs do odd looking goths have to afford these crack fueled rents? What jobs do to the people of Greenwich Village have to afford any of these NYC rents? Yeah, yeah, NYC greatest city in the world, blah, blah, blah, known for high rents, but still $4,000 a month for a 3 bedroom walk up? Crazy.
The good things I found in the city, besides decent buskers on the subway, were the thousands of little grocers thoughout the city. My roommate thinks DC needs more of these kinds of stores. Even in the less nice parts of Harlem you will find stores with fresh veggies and fruits, like this one, where people can get the ingredients to make meals from stratch. Scratch, instead of some high in sodium, fat and sugar prepackaged crap that is sold in many a DC quickie mart, next to the 40s.
Also walking around the city that never sleeps..... well it does sleep, on a Sunday morning 'cause that's the time to find a parking spot.... I digress. I noticed some great architectural details. Not just on the buildings of note but the everyday ones. I say doors and ironwork that was just inspiring.
Labels: business, gentrification
posted by Mari @ 26.9.04
3 Comments:
Manhattan has density. DC doesn't. Most American cities don't. So those endless little grocery stores can survive because within three blocks of them there are enough people needing to food to keep the cash register humming. Same for the identical store five blocks away. DC, with its endless mid-rise residential buildings, can't keep those stores alive.
You're squishing my dreams John. All I want are fresh veggies a block from the house. Too much to ask for. Can't a girl dream? And if not for me, for poor Jimbo. Poor man has to troop all the way from T street for veggies. Well I guess you're right but I'm gonna dream.
Yeah, I have to GROW my own veggies in order to get some fiber in LeDroit! Or I haul it home on 2 wheels from the Soviet Safeway on 17th St. Anyone need any acorn squash (seriously...I have plenty)?
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