Has NYC lost its soul? By Justin Rocket Silverman, amNewYork Staff Writer October 5, 2007
A new Chelsea high-rise will include a special elevator to lift tenants' cars to a parking space right outside their condos, recreating the suburban garage. More than 120 Chase bank branches are in Manhattan, including 23 that have opened in the past three years. And don't forget the borough's two Olive Gardens and eight T.G.I. Friday's. Is this the same New York City that inspired generations of writers, musicians and artists, from Herman Melville to Billie Holiday to the denizens of Andy Warhol's Factory? Or is some essential aspect of the city's unique character, perhaps even its very soul, being squashed in the rush to make Manhattan look more like the rest of America? ...Jacobs thought the city was buffeted by two potentially cataclysmic forces," he said. One came from government, but the other from the success of private businesses, something Jacobs called "oversuccess." "Even if a place looks like it is doing well, that success can ultimately undermine the foundation of that place's vitality," Klemek said. "The trick is to make sure that these destructive forces don't become like a fire hose that just wash everything away." http://www.amny.com/news/local/am-soul1005,0,4510283.story?track=rss or http://tinyurl.com/yoao42 Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/