Complete and utter randomness from Lydia and Curtis
Lyd writes 16 Mar 2007 08:11 pm
Lyd writes 14 Mar 2007 01:09 pm
On account of the temperature hovering around 70 degrees in Brooklyn today, I decided to take to the streets. After another nice breakfast of slow-cooked oatmeal and a nonfat latte at Naidre’s, some window-shopping, a new wallet, and a yummy bagel at Bagel Hole, I stopped into a pet store to make preparations for the arrival of Prince Tiger. Worried about having to maneuver a cat tower, litter box, litter and food back up to the apartment, I was delighted to discover that this pet store – and all the others – have free delivery.
As if I wasn’t thrilled enough in the first place to ditch the car, the car insurance and the gas money, I have been ecstatic to find that life without a car is a cinch. When mom and I emerged from Bed Bath & Beyond in Chelsea last week with armfuls of crap, an employee fastened a handle to the air mattress box, then a doorman escorted us to the curb, hailed us a cab, and loaded in our purchases.
Why the heck can’t all cities work like this? Public transportation that crosscuts the whole city, reduces pollution and is affordable to all; fewer cars with fewer accidents and less gas consumption; more walking for the good of public health; more jobs with the high demand for cab drivers, train operators, and personal service employees; extra money for small businesses with delivery tips and customer loyalty. It all sounds very Utopian, and NYC sure is compared to L.A. and S.F. I’m sure I’ll feel less warm and fuzzy once I get mugged.
Lyd writes 12 Mar 2007 04:54 pm
Ironically, the thought occurred to me while sitting in a Barnes & Noble.
I ducked in to kill an hour and survey the many tables full of NYC-focused books. This time I settled on Suburbanization of New York, a collection of essays by New Yorkers on the subject. I had spent the earlier part of my day in Midtown with some old friends – Macy’s, Express, Victoria’s Secret. I went there because I figured I’d feel safe and calm among the familiar standbys. So it was fitting that I ended my day reading about the very mall in which I’d just wandered.
A few of the authors lamented the loss of the gritty, more polarized aspects of the city (a lament I don’t currently share, considering I value feeling safe where I live). But the underlying theme that really hit home with me was that this entire place is so consumer-driven. Duh, it’s the financial/commercial center of the universe. But isn’t it also the cultural epicenter?
Apparently during a big push by contemporary NYC mayors – Giuliani included – to clean up the city, a lot of the esoteric, eccentric features of the city were washed over and homogenized to draw in the yuppies and make them feel safe. Enter Curtis and Lydia.
Park Slope was recommended to me – and I chose it – because it is safe, clean and comfortable. But there I was, sitting in a Barnes & Noble (probably located on the very spot where a cute indie bookstore was once family-run for generations), reading about the expulsion of culture and diversity in a city that prides itself on cultivating those ideals. Did we come to NYC expecting a hardcore metropolitan lifestyle (I don’t mean bullets whizzing past our heads) and end up in the suburbs?