Saturday, September 6, 2008

Apathy


Bye bye Astroland, last of the Coney Island amusement parks. I imagine the Cyclone and Wonder Wheel will remain but the park with all of the cheesy rides and sideshow games is closing this weekend for good. Last night I dropped by with dozens of other city dwellers, cameras in tow, taking pictures of what in the next year or two promises to be more condos. At this point I am almost numb to seeing new building sprout out of old homes or empty lots. That's progress I imagine and I shouldn't be so resistant to change. A new house beats and old one I guess. But when you take away something that could be enjoyed by many for the use of a few, that just doesn't seem right. To me Astroland was nothing special but it belonged there and I could see the people loved it. Not your fancy shmantzy crowd, they have the Hamptons and St. Barts, but really the lowliest. The poor could go there, strollers in tow, have some cotton candy and let their children run around for a few bucks. Who benefits from a condominium? The builders, the owners, the staff and the residents. That's it. In a city that's had a population explosion in the last twelve years I fully understand the need to build more housing. However, certain things should be allowed to remain. It's not like the amusement park was a money loser. People went, but I imagine there is even more money to be made selling the land and collecting rents and taxes so the political will was not there. Man, that just sucks.

5 comments:

Juan said...

Well you see Vlad, it is all about the green paper with dead Presidents on it. Those condos will be full of property debtors that pay taxes that the city government can plunder. What money are they going to make from the poor? Hell some of those poor people leech from the till and the government hates that.

It's no wonder that it did not happen sooner under Bloomberg. I am shocked that he has not found a way to whittle away large park areas like central park for example. They can build nice residential buildings with that land. Dinkins had started doing exactly that with Flushing Meadow park (tennis center). Thank God he was not around long enough to destroy it all. Hell those poor Mexicans playing soccer in the park are not adding coins to the city coffers you know.

So how much history and quality free use land needs to be plowed to allow "progress", which is really big commercial real estate scams in the making to finally have people say F You NYC?

Anonymous said...

Good point, since when have the poor ever counted? The only time they are ever listened to is when they pick up the sword.

Anonymous said...

They are doing it out here too - calling it emminant domain - with the excuse being either the poor don't contribute the same in taxes that the rich would - or a forest does nothing for the city.

Say What??

I am waiting for the day when the poor and the soon to be poor working class unite and the second American Revolution begins... and as I believed before - it will have no racial barriers - it will be the have not's vs the have's - the poor vs the rich - good vs evil - however you want to call it - and this is one thing you can definately count me in on... both myself and my neighbor once spoke about what we would do once the bulldozers come to take our land and homes away - I will be taught how to fire a weapon - and we will fight to the death in the name of the right to property ownership.

The only thing people care about today is the bottom line.

Will it make me rich??
Can I gain from it??

Forget about ethic's - that's gone... and it's gonna get even worse once McCain and Palin get appointed - oop's - elceted - in November. I actually at one time supported McCain - but I really have a problem with his running mate who is against everything I am for and for everything I am against - and I mean completely across the board too!! She is the most evil woman alive - which is why they will win...

But back to Coney Island... it's now a buyer's market - and nobody's getting mortgages like they were a few years ago - the times they are a changing - just because they build these condo's dosen't necessarially mean they will sell either - although I suspect they probably will - again due to the location...

- but what about all the deviant's / perverts / wino's etc... ??? What's gonna happen to them - will they be used for fuel??

I've always wondered what happpens to the rabble once a poor neighborhood becomes rich - what happens to the former residents / transients ??

What choices do they have??

None, just like the animals - they are forced to move on to somewhere else - until they all perish...

Yeah, when the revolution comes - you'll know who's side I'm gonna be on...

- rest in peace....

Juan said...

Didn't the Village Voice write a big article called "Where have all the Junkies Gone?". Or something close to that. Alphabet city is a prime example of what George is talking about. Where did all the squatters and junkies go? Where did all the wandering minstrels with guitars in tote go? Really did they all become yuppies?

Vlad said...

Where did all the low-lifes go? I was in the Lower East Side last night and I had the same thought.