Vanishing New York Backup

Now and then, with camera in hand, I will brave the touristic, Olive-Gardenian horrors of Times Square to hunt for elusive remnants of the old neighborhood. It's not unlike hiking through the bush in search of endangered species, the last northern white rhino, the last passenger pigeon, the last Tasmanian tiger. There are dangers, of course, in this kind of exploration. The tourists aren't friendly. They own the place now, and they will take you down if you even try to walk like a New Yorker. All their blushing out-of-towner shame is gone, replaced by steely entitlement. Bump them and they bump back. It is best to keep your camera visible and meander with a slow, zombie-like gait so as to move among them undetected. You need patience for this work. It might require standing on a street corner for long stretches of time, waiting for something real to happen. Generally, if you wait long enough and watch closely enough, you will encounter the Real. Pushed out, stomped and crus...

This Saturday, May 2, #SaveNYC is sponsoring a rally concert/performance at Arlene's Grocery. Organized by Blazes, " Brooklyn's musical superhero ," the show will include downtown legends like Penny Arcade and DeeDee Luxe, along with several others. Ann McDermott from #SaveNYC will be there to speak about our mission. Admission is $5, with the money going to the performers and the space. The first 20 people through the door get a free #SaveNYC t-shirt. For more info, and to purchase tickets, visit Arlene's Grocery. Blazes at the Small Biz Crawl

This weekend, May 2 and 3, come downtown for a Jane's Walk about Hyper-Gentrification and Appropriation on the Bowery . I organized and wrote the walk, while Kyle Supley from #SaveNYC will be your knowledgeable and charismatic guide. Jane's Walk is a global "movement of free, citizen-led walking tours inspired by Jane Jacobs." In New York City, the walks are sponsored by the Municipal Arts Society. Visit the site for more on the Bowery walk and many others . Here's a description: For over a century, the Bowery’s character had been of the countercultural sort. Since the late 1800s it had been the sleazy territory of outsiders—punks, artists, bums, queers, and drop-outs, drag queens, prostitutes, tattoo artists, and con men. It was a haven for homosexuals when it was illegal and unsafe to be gay. Groundbreaking artists, including Mark Rothko, moved to the Bowery in the 1950s. More artists arrived through the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, including Jean-Michel Basqu...

Filmmaker E.J. McLeavey-Fisher has made a lovely short documentary about Joe Leisner, former owner of the shop Comic Book Heaven in Sunnyside, Queens. I asked E.J. a few questions about the film--which you can watch in its entirety right here: Comic Book Heaven from E.J. McLeavey-Fisher on Vimeo Q: Something I like most about the film is its depiction of what might be called "a real New York character." Can such a breed still exist in the city? And can they still run a successful business? A: That breed can definitely still exist, but I don't think they can necessarily run a shop like Comic Book Heaven without making some serious tweaks over time. To me, Joe's "New York character" comes from that defiant, stubborn outlook that often gets equated with the overall NYC attitude. That's the charm, of course, but when it applies to a business model, it's not so sustainable. The conflict now is that people get a kick out of Joe and ...

A number of readers have written in to let us know that Angel Feet Reflexology is closing. Diane writes, "This lovely business has soothed the soles and souls of New Yorkers since 1995 in its tiny space on Perry Street. Another victim of rising rents. The women who work here are all kind, caring, and gifted and they are all heartbroken to see this community broken up." May 31 will be their last day. I got in touch with Angel Feet manager and reflexologist Chantel C. Lucier. She explained: " Regarding our closure, it was a number of things affecting our expenses, including a rent hike, and no matter how hard we tried we just couldn’t generate enough business to cover all of these expenses. The rent hike was the last straw . New York City and State claim to be supportive of small business, but the taxes and regulations are disproportionate to what a small business can actually bring in. Angel Feet was a small woman-owned business in its 20th year. We have s...

Someone is trying to let Icon Realty know how they feel about the eviction of the beloved Stage Restaurant . Reader Kate Puls sent in this photo from 441 E. 9th St.: The ICON logo has been reworked to read: "I AM CON ARTIST." The sign was also tagged with the demand, "LET STAGE LIVE!" and the #SaveNYC hashtag . This address happens to be the former home of New York School poet Frank O'Hara. Not his last place, which was demolished for a condo , but the place where he wrote enough poems, the GVSHP put a plaque on the wall . Maybe it was Frank's ghost, home from a long stroll , who marked up the Icon sign. Further along, at 445 E. 9th, he wrote the same messages on another ICON sign. What looks like a second hand added: "The rent is too fucking high, you greedy fucks!" To which someone else replied, "yes!!" A 300-square-foot retail space here goes for $5,000 per month.

This past Saturday, #SaveNYC organized a Small Business Crawl on the block of Second Avenue most impacted by the recent gas explosion. photo: Beatriz Rodriguez. Sandy Bachom and Jordy Trachtenberg. While it's impossible to say exactly how many people showed up to support the businesses, there was a lively crowd and the event was an overall success. The East Village mom and pops got a lot of positive attention from the media, getting featured on local TV news channels, including NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX5, NY1, and WPIX: To kick off the day, the crowd of supporters met outside Gem Spa, where the vintage newsstand kept the egg creams flowing. They lunched at places like Paul's Da Burger Joint, who reported to #SaveNYC's Kirsten Theodos, "It was a big help, as it pushed business up nearly 40%." The little gift shop Himalayan Visions also did well, reporting their sales were up 200% on Saturday. Small Biz Crawl supporter Jordy Trachtenberg wrote in to say, "...