Wednesday Links

Of course they could have foreseen it if they had hired real IT professionals instead of someone's brother's nephew's sister-in-law's dogwalker's first cousin twice removed.

On anothe note, it seems the Coney Island plans ae another step toward making the city more elitist, and expensive. I wonder how all this will affect access to the beach itself? I have the sinking feeling some of the residences and the hotels will be asking for privilege, private areas on the beach- I don't trust Bloomberg to not sell sections of the beach to private concerns. And the new amusement park will probably be unaffordable for the average person. think Disney. Everything that made Coney Island fascinating and historic and so classically Brooklyn NY will be just another South St. Seaport fake destination. Hate to sound cynical- and I am not being NIMBY. Coney Island could use lots of help and rebuilding but i used to love South St. Seaport. It was real. then they took all the life out of it. It sucks.

Posted by: bxgrl at January 21, 2009 9:19 AM

I loved going into the main building and talking with the old sailors who used to have booths in there. They were amazing- some were old Navy guys, othes were Merchant Seamen. I think one very old guy had served on a whaler. All thrown out for a cheap fast food court.

Posted by: bxgrl at January 21, 2009 9:43 AM

No, I haven't. Have any titles I could look for on Amazon? My aunt used to live in those huge apartment buildings right down there. They used to be considered hi-end. Don't know what they are now but I remember whenever we drove home my sister and I used to shriek and gag at the smell from the fish market. Sorry its no longer there. I just hate when all the interesting areas are pushed out or disneyfied.

Posted by: bxgrl at January 21, 2009 10:03 AM

Thanks, dittoburg! I've never tried alibris but I'll check now. I was born and raised here- it kills me to see all the old, weird wicky parts get lost or torn down. There is so much history on every street and it just breaks my heart over and over again to see how pieces of it are destroyed. It isn't that nothing new should ever be built, or change made- its the way it gets done.

Forgive me for sounding ignorant on this, I really can't remember the details but years ago I read a James Baldwin book (can't remember which one. Perhaps one of you know) about a young Harlem man who takes a girl to Coney Island. She's never been out of Harlem, never seen the ocean. she disappears and never goes back. That just sort of symbolized places like Coney Island for me- the magic pulled you away. Now everything is cushioned and buffered and plasticized and dry as dust. Sorry- NYC is a passion and I see too much of its character disappearing.

Posted by: bxgrl at January 21, 2009 10:30 AM

hey dittoburg- just went to Alibris and bought 3 of them (wow! great prices! Now I can feed the need). can't wait.

do you know if he was the reporter who wrote an article on NY Harbor and all the mysteries in it? It was for one of the papers (Post?) and talked about a horse that was at the bottom. But it was so beautifully written- wish I had had the brains to keep it.

Posted by: bxgrl at January 21, 2009 11:27 AM

I hope not mopar. I love books- the parint, the paper, snuggling down for a good read. Kindle or the computer just doesn't replace them. Although I think I'm in the dwindling majority on that.

Posted by: bxgrl at January 21, 2009 2:52 PM