George,

The article you posted about the removal of the permenant billboard in Bedford is just another sign of the decline of New York City, in my humble opinion.

I grew up in New Jersey, and as an adolescent and young adult I went to NYC quite frequently - sometimes every weekend - because it was one of the best places to go for cutting-edge art, culture and music. It was also just a good place to hang out because htere was always something new and interesting to do there. I had a number of friends who moved to NYC after high school to go to college in the city and I used to visit them regularly. I loved the City so much that I decided to live in Brooklyn for a few months in the late spring and early summer of 2001.

However, by then I began to notice a decline, well before the terrorist attacks: The innovative youth were starting to be replaced by Yuppie wannabees (and the children of Yuppie wannabees), and the once charming regions of the city such as the Lower East Side (where the infamous Pink Pony can be found) were becoming gentrified. It seemed to be the final insult for what had been the New York of Warhol, Pollock, The Velvet Underground and the Ramones; it was the beginning of the influx of people who wanted to pretend to be like the diverse groups of people who had made the city what it was.

I'm not saying that the City has totally gone to hell, just that it's losing the uniqueness that has made it the capital of the world.

It's been over a year since I've been to NYC, so I can't say how it might have changed in that amount of time. It may have gotten better, or it may not. I'm curious to know how other people feel, especially those who have lived there or who are presently living there.

Joseph Cheek (electronic mail, October 11, 2003)