I understand if you don't give a damn about New York. But after returning to the city I lived in for three years, my trip was an eye opener. NYC appears to be returning to a dirtier, poorer and bleaker past. And that's good news for the punk rock!
15 comments:
Tuna
said...
Just back from 5 days in NYC. I came along as moral support for my wife who was attending her 20th HS reunion. She went to my 8th grade reunion, so I really had no choice. It had been a year and a half and a different economy when I was last in the Big Apple. Some take aways:
1) If you wanna really turnout weird daughters, send them to an all girls school in NYC. I saw attitudes and hairdo's that were unbelievable. Thank God for Jim Beam.
2) NY appears to be in a free fall. I met LOTS of unemployed people and saw vacant store fronts everywhere. I was told real estate prices are cratering and the city has run out of money.
3) On the bright side, I went to a great used record store owned and operated by a father and son. All vinyl shop on Bleeker street and got the Max's Kansas City record by the VU. Could this be the funky economic future of Gotham?
Verdict-I think regardless of a national economic recovery, the city is in for tough times. The financial industry pays 1/3 of the city's budget and it has laid off ~200K people many of whom worked in NYC.
The broad theme playing out in our economy is that people are going to have to actually make something for a living. No one has made anything in NYC since the 1950s.
I am forecasting decay and a return of rock n roll in New York. Hell, even the Yankees suck again.
Oh, and tell your wives I had breakfast sitting next to Justin Timberlake and Jessica Alba. No joke. After telling him how much I dug N Sync, I slipped him a copy of a Busted Lives cd. We're going to be rich, Sonny.
you're right- I don't care about NYC- although I understand why you do. If somebody could explain to me why all those financial guys earn their mid-six figure incomes perhaps I could get on board, but alas, all have failed. Maybe this will be a purge of sorts, but I doubt it. Maybe Spike Lee will get a movie out of it, but Wall St. will rise again. Dazzle 'em with math, mystery and possibility and they'll eventually pay for your penthouse. I had a large Green Flash today while listening to the Stones and talking to a very out bartender- my bliss stops there
Final word on NYC. History indicates the city does not do well when the financial industry is in decline. In an interesting article in the New Yorker I believer, the writer tracks the city's fortune from the Great Depression to the 1970s. Prior to the depression, the city was awash in speculative money from the financial markets, which employed many of its citizens. Leverage, or borrowed money is what had made so many folks rich. And then the market collapsed due to abuses which occured as a result of weak or no regulation of capital markets. Does this sound familiar???
NY then went on a slow decline in which tax revenues couldnt cover costs and the city became the pit we all remember by the 1970s. Real estate prices came way down relative to the broader national economy's growth.
Why does this matter? Because the city became more affordable for freaks, artists and many of my heroes...The VU, Dolls, Ramones, etc. I think this could happen again bc NY for all of its insularity and over exposure, is a pretty damn fun and creative place for the young. It's nightlife, pace never stop. And it draws creative types from all over the country/world.
For the last decade or so, though, its been over run by $. I think a more gritty, cheaper Gotham might be a shot in the arm for this thing called Rock N Roll. Bring back the rock. Viva the Rock!
Hey sorry, I didn't catch the Saturday offer after the job news- sadly, i could not have made it anyway, with Mother's Day shopping, paper-writing, Little League, family visits, etc.
I could do something tonight if you're up, but I assume you'll be at Pliche, eating oysters, drinking cosmos and telling strangers why Sabean is the anti-christ.
Your put downs don't hurt me! I can drink cosmos with my female friends with no shame, Sonny. And if your watching the Giants right now, you'd think the Sabean is an incompetent ass, too.
Your SF Giants are currently the worst offensive team in the NL. This could be liberating in one sense. Outside of three offensive players (Lewis, Sandoval and probably Buster Posey) everyone else is expendable or young and a mystery.
The problem is that I simply don't believe Brian Sabean has the skills to acquire a power hitting free agent or two to go with the younger homegrown talent. The moves that he has made (Dave Roberts, Oscar Renteria, Aaron Rowan) have been less than stellar.
I think this team finishes .500 and maybe even second their division, which is to say SF's starting pitching is pretty damn good AND the Padres, AZ and Rockies are truly god awful. Sadly, I'm not sure this gets Sabean fired.
And yet I watch. Exactly like drunken fool cursing Sabean you paint me out to be. What sort of idiot am I?
what else are you going to do? Work in the yard? Read Russian literature? Drop acid? Baseball relaxes me if I leave the emotional investment at the door. And I really like to say Little Panda.
Let's get drunk tonight. I've been doing family since 7:00 this morning, and Lucas' team just laid an ugly late afternoon egg. They all looked they were on dope. One kid was literally picking daisies, when the ball went past for a stand-up homer. They turned a 10-5 lead into a 21-14 defeat. Unacceptable. Heads better roll.
By the way, I was playing baseball with Lars in the backyard and decided I'd like to take a few swings. First pitch he threw a tennis ball instead of the wiffle ball and I put threw the only window in the backyard. Man ball, or idiot head?
sorry I missed this. We'll nail down a date maybe this next weekend? I feel the need to have an Elder The Pliny and talk about ME. My childhood, my junior high sports accomplishments, the women I have lived and yes in some cases lost. And I'd appreciate if you let me do all the talking. Afterwards, I'd like to play some Xbox 360 with your boys.
As much as long for five hours of YOUR STORY, I think I'm out this weekend- the annual teachers go sloppy at PacBell is Friday, and I believe we have a few more events that preclude poor behavior on College Ave.
"the women I have lived"- the gifts keep on coming.
And it's Pliny the Elder, to differentiate him from Pliny the Younger. Did you not study Classics at Isla Vista? Was it all punk rock and volleyball?
Yes, I have a job the start date is probably dome time this week. Or not. I had to take finger prints and a drug test today for the new job at Credit Suisse.
Does bourbon count as a drug?
And it was ultimate frisbee and punk rock, Sonny! Hrumph.
Congrats on the job- do you now have to wear stylish suits and show fiscal discipline? Do you get annual vacations to Lucerne? What a beautiful country that is- I remember waking up by the river after 86 hours of sleepless travel and watching six guys play soccer in a park, and it was that moment that transformed my feelings about the beautiful sport- that day, it was just that.
Good for you- it was a long haul, but you made it.
15 comments:
Just back from 5 days in NYC. I came along as moral support for my wife who was attending her 20th HS reunion. She went to my 8th grade reunion, so I really had no choice. It had been a year and a half and a different economy when I was last in the Big Apple. Some take aways:
1) If you wanna really turnout weird daughters, send them to an all girls school in NYC. I saw attitudes and hairdo's that were unbelievable. Thank God for Jim Beam.
2) NY appears to be in a free fall. I met LOTS of unemployed people and saw vacant store fronts everywhere. I was told real estate prices are cratering and the city has run out of money.
3) On the bright side, I went to a great used record store owned and operated by a father and son. All vinyl shop on Bleeker street and got the Max's Kansas City record by the VU. Could this be the funky economic future of Gotham?
Verdict-I think regardless of a national economic recovery, the city is in for tough times. The financial industry pays 1/3 of the city's budget and it has laid off ~200K people many of whom worked in NYC.
The broad theme playing out in our economy is that people are going to have to actually make something for a living. No one has made anything in NYC since the 1950s.
I am forecasting decay and a return of rock n roll in New York. Hell, even the Yankees suck again.
Oh, and tell your wives I had breakfast sitting next to Justin Timberlake and Jessica Alba. No joke. After telling him how much I dug N Sync, I slipped him a copy of a Busted Lives cd. We're going to be rich, Sonny.
you're right- I don't care about NYC- although I understand why you do. If somebody could explain to me why all those financial guys earn their mid-six figure incomes perhaps I could get on board, but alas, all have failed. Maybe this will be a purge of sorts, but I doubt it. Maybe Spike Lee will get a movie out of it, but Wall St. will rise again. Dazzle 'em with math, mystery and possibility and they'll eventually pay for your penthouse. I had a large Green Flash today while listening to the Stones and talking to a very out bartender- my bliss stops there
yawn
It appears I will finally ahve real paying job for the first time in over a year. The nation's economic recovery is offically on.
Even more important, I have nothing to do this Saturday. Who is up for a Top Dog and trip to Amoeba? I dare you.
congrats!
Thx.
Sonnis that you? Are you in or out Anonymous?
Final word on NYC. History indicates the city does not do well when the financial industry is in decline. In an interesting article in the New Yorker I believer, the writer tracks the city's fortune from the Great Depression to the 1970s. Prior to the depression, the city was awash in speculative money from the financial markets, which employed many of its citizens. Leverage, or borrowed money is what had made so many folks rich. And then the market collapsed due to abuses which occured as a result of weak or no regulation of capital markets. Does this sound familiar???
NY then went on a slow decline in which tax revenues couldnt cover costs and the city became the pit we all remember by the 1970s. Real estate prices came way down relative to the broader national economy's growth.
Why does this matter? Because the city became more affordable for freaks, artists and many of my heroes...The VU, Dolls, Ramones, etc. I think this could happen again bc NY for all of its insularity and over exposure, is a pretty damn fun and creative place for the young. It's nightlife, pace never stop. And it draws creative types from all over the country/world.
For the last decade or so, though, its been over run by $. I think a more gritty, cheaper Gotham might be a shot in the arm for this thing called Rock N Roll. Bring back the rock. Viva the Rock!
Hey sorry, I didn't catch the Saturday offer after the job news- sadly, i could not have made it anyway, with Mother's Day shopping, paper-writing, Little League, family visits, etc.
I could do something tonight if you're up, but I assume you'll be at Pliche, eating oysters, drinking cosmos and telling strangers why Sabean is the anti-christ.
Your put downs don't hurt me! I can drink cosmos with my female friends with no shame, Sonny. And if your watching the Giants right now, you'd think the Sabean is an incompetent ass, too.
Your SF Giants are currently the worst offensive team in the NL. This could be liberating in one sense. Outside of three offensive players (Lewis, Sandoval and probably Buster Posey) everyone else is expendable or young and a mystery.
The problem is that I simply don't believe Brian Sabean has the skills to acquire a power hitting free agent or two to go with the younger homegrown talent. The moves that he has made (Dave Roberts, Oscar Renteria, Aaron Rowan) have been less than stellar.
I think this team finishes .500 and maybe even second their division, which is to say SF's starting pitching is pretty damn good AND the Padres, AZ and Rockies are truly god awful. Sadly, I'm not sure this gets Sabean fired.
And yet I watch. Exactly like drunken fool cursing Sabean you paint me out to be. What sort of idiot am I?
what else are you going to do? Work in the yard? Read Russian literature? Drop acid? Baseball relaxes me if I leave the emotional investment at the door. And I really like to say Little Panda.
Let's get drunk tonight. I've been doing family since 7:00 this morning, and Lucas' team just laid an ugly late afternoon egg. They all looked they were on dope. One kid was literally picking daisies, when the ball went past for a stand-up homer. They turned a 10-5 lead into a 21-14 defeat. Unacceptable. Heads better roll.
By the way, I was playing baseball with Lars in the backyard and decided I'd like to take a few swings. First pitch he threw a tennis ball instead of the wiffle ball and I put threw the only window in the backyard. Man ball, or idiot head?
You decide.
sorry I missed this. We'll nail down a date maybe this next weekend? I feel the need to have an Elder The Pliny and talk about ME. My childhood, my junior high sports accomplishments, the women I have lived and yes in some cases lost. And I'd appreciate if you let me do all the talking. Afterwards, I'd like to play some Xbox 360 with your boys.
How does that grab you, sir?
As much as long for five hours of YOUR STORY, I think I'm out this weekend- the annual teachers go sloppy at PacBell is Friday, and I believe we have a few more events that preclude poor behavior on College Ave.
"the women I have lived"- the gifts keep on coming.
And it's Pliny the Elder, to differentiate him from Pliny the Younger. Did you not study Classics at Isla Vista? Was it all punk rock and volleyball?
I'll let ya know about next weekend.
Do you have a job?
Yes, I have a job the start date is probably dome time this week. Or not. I had to take finger prints and a drug test today for the new job at Credit Suisse.
Does bourbon count as a drug?
And it was ultimate frisbee and punk rock, Sonny! Hrumph.
doesn't ultimate require running?
Congrats on the job- do you now have to wear stylish suits and show fiscal discipline? Do you get annual vacations to Lucerne? What a beautiful country that is- I remember waking up by the river after 86 hours of sleepless travel and watching six guys play soccer in a park, and it was that moment that transformed my feelings about the beautiful sport- that day, it was just that.
Good for you- it was a long haul, but you made it.
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