The Taking of New York City...One Two Three

My hometown and first love...New York City doesn't love me anymore.
Just like a good teen relationship gone bad after (lets saaaaay) 1 year...after all the Thursday night romantic dates strolling the streets of St Marks (beer legally bagged) and consuming marijuana induced portions of constipating (but good) Rays Pizza by street light, the party has to come to end when the little things...the smile, the way she says "you play too much" just starts to become as annoying as the raggedy screeching MTA trains.

Like everything else involving change, you
fall back, deny, re-evaluate, plan and move forward. Of course you 2 may hook up for a lunch (a fuck) perhaps or take in a drink or 2 (a definite fuck with breakfast included) before you really get hit like pigeon shit with the thought that "this...is a waste of time" and probably not worth the hadaches. When the individuals middle name becomes "although the sex is great, but..." you know. Its time. To go. Either I am getting old or I am just starting to hate this fuckin city. Not the 70's to 90's pre-'Main Street' (formerly 42nd Street) Disney Square , but the Trump all up our collective a&&holes 'Westside Berlin Wall' that has become of my girl...my hometown.

With much of her pillaged thru already by the '5th Avenue Mafia' types...you know...the Trumps, Silverstein and Thor Equities types. You know, dudes that try to get one chick wet and (basically) try to rape her because of their little prick issues, these dudes have turned our girl (or guy, for our female readers) into yet another glass metropolis devoid of personality, absence of originality, too clean and worse of all...they tough Mom and Pop in the street. Backs where turned and they closed up the businesses that raised them like ungrateful children that don't want to be bothered with what has fed them. Mom, Pop and their siblings as well. The small business owner...forced into a shelter because bro or sis wants to move their new 'interest' into the house. You know who I am talking about...the Wetlands, Galaxy Army and Navys, the Empire Skating Rinks, Howard Johnsons (Times Square) and the such. Even going so far as pawning New York City family heirlooms like Coney Island and Yankee Stadium leaving the loyal surrounding merchants abandoned when the Stadium opens its own mega-gift shop. 'This what made this city great' vs 'change is growth'. I do know for certain whatever the point (money) its been made loud and clear. These bastards aren't f-ing around. That thing that made her special...the one of a kind "nowhere else in the world" appeal is nearly extinct. They want her buried...and in her place an all too familiar husk of glass and steel 'luxury condos' atop corporate mega-stores with giant red bullseye logos (red being the color of allure and such) and fancy coffee shops. Kill yourself and be trendy at the same time with your GIGANTIC channel glasses and book you aren't really reading. Cute.

Am I a nostalgia fiend? Obviously. You can tell by the length of the rant that its personal. And why not? It was personal when they literally removed the once in a lifetime PALLADIUM nightclub during 'Americas Mayor' (RUDY GIULIANI) war on
FUN and nightclub magnate Peter Gacien. A battle that also cost the notorious NYClubland
area The Tunnel and Limelight in its wake. Make him your president and kiss Free Thought goodbye. Not far, but a decade into his shameless capitalist reign to salamander lipped Mike Bloomberg carries the torch and burns the the legendary Punk Rock birthing clinic CBGB's to the ground (figuratively speaking) without or apology. Uptown, Pop Copeland of COPELANDS Soul Food losing his 60+yr spot on 145th st. in Black and historic Harlem during what has been called everything from 'Revitalization' to 'Gentrification'. M&G Soul Food, Harlem Renaissance, Harlem Music Hut and neighborhood Pan-Afrikan mall MART 125 losing their neighborhood haunt status after years of loyal service to Harlems Black patrons. In their wake are white corporate establishments such as H&M (where some purchase $20 Kufis rather than from the Muslim brothers for $5), more diabetes causing McDonalds and various others looking to capitalize off the largest consumers in the world...Blacks. To add insult to injury, Mart 125 has remained unoccupied since 2001 with once illuminated sign in tact...further proving that for Giuliani, it was a power move. Making way for his brother in neo-colonialism (yeah I said it) 'Slick Willie' Clinton...'Amerikas First Black Prez' my ass. More like 'Harlems new massa'. In 'The Barrio' aka Spanish Harlem the situation is no better and moving forward as planned...

[to be con't...]