If we read another mention of Busta Rhymes’ purchase of three condos in the Gretsch building as proof of the neighborhood’s arrival, we’re going to be ill. This is such a transparent marketing scheme–we lived three blocks from the Gretsch for the last two years and never heard of anyone ever seeing him in the neighborhood. It’s just another example of a celebrity lending their name to a project and then flipping their unit(s) for a big profit. But you’d think the press would be a little smarter about playing into the whole racket…Anyway, where were we? Oh, yeah. Another big news-breaking article on the arrival of Williamsburg–this one in the New York Observer. The piece’s angle is that the new Richie Rich’s moving into the hood are displacing artists and not supporting the arts. Really? Yawn.
The Hip Gets Square [NY Observer]