As I mentioned in a previous post, there are a lot of changes going on in my neighborhood.

We moved to Noho 13 or 14 years ago when the ‘hood was still slightly dicey at night. On Bowery there were many SRO’s (single room occupancy) which gave gents a place to sleep for $5 or $6 a night. This particular street had a long history of being a place where men whose circumstances spiraled downward, came to live. There is a great book called “Flophouse: Life on the Bowery”, that tells the stories of some of these residents. Many of them depressed, most of them alcoholics. The photographs of their faces reveal the tolls their hard lives took and the conditions under which they lived.

Most of the flophouses are gone.

(The White House Hotel does remain open and is listed as a hostel for European travelers. You can imagine what these kids think when they see that the “ceiling” of the room is merely chicken wire).







Because we had two of the friendliest dogs, we were as familiar with our neighbors as we were with many of the local homeless guys. An older gent, Teddy, we nicknamed “the philosopher” because he conducted most of our conversations about current events with a historical perspective and from a philosophical point of view. He wasn’t really local; he just knew where the money was (one early morning, I saw him get into a cab to go home). Tee hee. Teddy knew I liked to read so he always brought me books. If we didn’t see him around for a while we (and I mean the entire neighborhood) asked other “homeless” guys if they knew where he was. Having severe asthma, he was often in the hospital.

From the perspective of Jane Jacobs, the community activist, Teddy was one of our “eyes” of the neighborhood. A person, a bar, a restaurant or a church also keeps an eye on the neighborhood, thereby making it safer. The "eyes" may not actively be watching for crime; the simple presence of their eyes will deter misdeeds. And woe to the driver who ignored Teddy’s parking advice.

Our tenant, the crabby owner of Plantworks, keeps an "eye" on the neighborhood during the daytime. For one thing, he seems to know more about NYU’s slithering intentions than anyone on the Community Board. Popular bars, such as Swift Bar, which is about 4 doors away, act as a policing agent at night. Any city street that is busy with walking traffic is safer than one that is desolate.

Because of the economic downturn, we watched many nearby businesses close. On the right (or wrong-grey and blustery) night, one could feel the potential for the desolation to return. So when a certain unnamed community organization does everything in its power to make sure there are no new bars and very few restaurants opening up by asking the question: “Do we really need another bar in Noho?” I always say yes. And I don’t even go to bars.

The owners of the bars, restaurants and shops have an interest in keeping the neighborhood safe. The building uses in this neighborhood are important so I will continue to protest the possibility of NYU being given permission to put classrooms and dormitories in the 'hood. Any vacant lot that becomes a classroom will be empty of people at night. Any torn-down building that becomes a dormitory will house thousands of transients who have no vested interest in the neighborhood. We have quite a few vacant lots and former SRO's waiting for some type of conversion and we all know that NYU has all the money in the world. At least the Swift regulars are regulars. And the homeless guys were always watching too.





We live on the second floor of our building and we often hear the drunks leaving Swift bar late at night. We put up double hung windows and actually are charmed by the Irish accents even when they are arguing (“Ah Bridget, why’d ya have to go and kiss ‘im?")

We haven’t seen Teddy in quite a few years and assume the worst. But perhaps he found a better neighborhood.