Most of the pictures were taken on Rivington St, some on Broome and Orchard. Not too long ago, most of Manhattan looked like this. The skyscrapers were limited to Downtown and Midtown. The old buildings were for the most part sturdy and handsome, many with architectural details. They are being destroyed at an ever increasing rate to make way for bland luxury high rise condominiums. These are skyscrapers without any architectural details.
I would not argue that a skyscraper is necessarily ugly. Look at the Woolworth building, for example, but what is being put up today has all the beauty of a chicken coop. This uglyness is fueled by a sellers market. Everyone in the world wants to live in Manhattan. I wonder though why they want to live here? Is it just the IDEA of living in Manhattan or do they enjoy the quaint shops and restaurants? These are also being rapidly obliterated and being replaced by chain stores. I would rather have an espresso coffee in Little Italy any day over one at Starbucks or a slice of pizza at one of many great pizzerias over the bland fare produced by the chain pizzerias.
Maybe I should start a campaign to keep people from moving here. No, no, don't move here! The taste of the food is too strong and there is no shopping because we don't have a Wallmart..
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