Liz.
Dominoes, Bushwick
A few years ago, walking to the Mercury Lounge in Manhattan to pick up tickets for a show, I was surprised to find East Houston St. as overrun with tourists as Times Square. I commented to a friend that day, that perhaps it had come to the point where, in order to have an “authentic” New York experience, one has to visit the boroughs. Since having said that, I’ve noticed that even parts of Williamsburg have become home to throngs of partying visitors on the weekends.
Earlier this week I was visiting a friend in Bushwick, and I came across what was once a common sight in many New York City neighborhoods: an outdoor game of dominoes. With the gentrification of Manhattan over the past twenty-five years, many of the diverse groups that populated the island have been forced out, including many of the young artists, writers, designers and performers who are insuring that the city remains a vital creative force. I’m not against “progress”, and the exodus from Manhattan has, in fact, revitalized a lot of neighborhoods that were once run down and neglected, but walking by these men on a hot July afternoon, I longed for the days when New York City seemed less like a mall, and America’s main cultural activity was something other than shopping.
Watching from the sidelines.
A barbecue.
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