I really must get out more

(t-shirt courtesy of artist Lauren Bergman. go here for her "little bitches" t-shirts and BUY HER ART)


When in the city, I spend most of my time within a 4-block radius of my apartment. I know that that is the case for most New Yorkers who usually only venture farther because they have a job to go to.

This undoubtedly contributes to my becoming a bit of a crank about my neighborhood: Noho. (please note I am not the sort of crank who refuses any sort of development or progress in the ‘hood. Just the type who likes to rant about anything that strikes me as stupid)

Regarding the Sunday Times real estate article on Noho, I have decided that the writer is, oh, about 12. The article is truly lazy. He/She rarely strayed past a 2 block radius, spending most of the time between Bleecker St.and Bond St and never too far from Lafayette. Ok, so the writer might be a 19-year-old intern who is really anxious to get back to his/her pad/bar in Williamsburg. The photo essay is even worse.



First of all, who would use this as the opening photo of a slide show that is supposedly meant to make the area look appealing? And for anyone familiar with the neighborhood, do you think that the intersection of Bleecker at Mott St. is the most representative image?

Uh yeah, that sure is the best shot you can find of the neighborhood. Then, of the 10 photos, 9 are from between Bond St. and Bleecker. I guess if the photographer had become more adventurous, then the writer would have had to walk as well. For the 10th pic, the photographer became really brave and ventured one full block north to Great Jones Street. Wow!

The article is titled "Living In: Noho". The title alone allows one to explore more than the obligatory mentions of the expensive new condos on Bond St. Not only do the photos refuse to stroll farther north than Great Jones, the writer mentions a few scant businesses outside of his/her radius of comfort. One is Joe’s Pub. Uh anyone? Anyone? Anyone want to point out that the building that houses the bar also houses The Public Theater? I know we are talking real estate here but when applicable, cultural and artistic endeavors in a neighborhood also contribute to the definition of the neighborhood’s charm.




A little more, not even a whole lot more, investigation would have made the article richer. I can’t believe that Noho Star is the restaurant chosen to represent the ‘hood. There’s Il Buco, 5 Points, a little concept restaurant called “Smile”, and hell, there’s even Indochine. Eep, but the writer would have had to venture a little further in or up.

The slideshow wastes 2 pics on our poor man’s Flatiron Building, which has 2 fast-ish food restaurants. It’s all just so lazy.














Besides the lack of The Public mention, we also have the Bleecker St. Theater where NK and I have seen, Sarah Silverman and Mike Birbiglia. Go here for more. We still have Blue Man Group but am pretty hesitant to label that “culture”. I think The Public Theater would have been mention enough.


But the best part of the article is that the writer speaks to the photographer, Stan Reis (ya know THE Stan Reis) about his real estate investment. Maybe longtime resident (and neighborhood advocate) Chuck Close wasn’t available for comment. Or Sheryl Crow. Or Patrick Demarchelier . Or any of the people from the estate of Robert Rauschenberg who are planning to use his former residence on Great Jones and Lafayette for his foundation. Maybe they weren’t considered as witty as Stan.

And finally why shoot real estate like this:







































When you can have this:






























grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr