Which New York City would you like to live in?

1863 New York:


1970 New York:


2010 New York:


Yes, I know the top photo is actually a movie. It's just there for fun. The real point is to contrast the two videos. (The second one, which I took, is actually from Summer 2009.) In 1970, Times Square was a porn den and Washington Square Park was a drug haven. Today there are kids playing in the renovated park spaces of both.

I was in line at the Chipotle on St. Marks behind two guys lamenting the loss of the "old New York" - a common refrain. They could not believe there was a Chipotle on St. Mark's Place.* These are the same type of people upset that there is a Disney Store in Times Square. Me, I'll take consumerism over crime (and grime) any day. You can have too many Disney Stores, or you can have a much higher chance of an early death. Tough choice.


* Of course, they still chose to eat at Chipotle, and not the thousands of independent restaurants still thriving in the city (and on St. Mark's Place.)