no wonder new york is changing

 I've been to New York many times, and it's a cliche to go on about how much it's changed and how moneyfied it's become, but here's the stark reality. This paint shop and the shop next door would have been part of the community and ran by working class people. The rent, 10 years ago, hit $20,000 a month, which no normal shops like these can afford. Hence the reason why they shut down, and are replaced by flagship stores or expensive housing, and Manhattan becomes a playground for the rich, while the workers commute in. London is lagging behind, and l've argued for a while that Liverpool will become the same. Good news if you own property on the outskirts of town as both will keep expanding.

Photograph by Chis Stein (yes - from Blondie).

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