Moby : Latest former New Yorker to praise L.A (Empire: middle-class, neighborhoods)

[toomanymiles]

Originally Posted by yby1

Everything is too manufactured now. Maybe if all the artists moved into Watts. lol.

Haha, yeah... but us LA artists are too much of pansies for that. I've done my time in bad neighborhoods, thank you very much.

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by toomanymiles

New York, especially Downtown Manhattan in the 70s and 80s was an absolute dump and artists thrived in the wasteland (not that I was there or anything). We can thank that world for music like No Wave and a lot of American indie and experimental film and art. Check out Blank City (on Netflix) and Downtown '81 (sadly not on Netflix) for a view of what it was like.

I don't think anything in LA or any other city for that matter comes close to that environment today.

Yeah it was also much cheaper too of course. Actually for a look into how much NYC property has appreciated over the years..especially Brooklyn..this is an interesting read.

This guy was mostly responsible for the redevelopment of DUMBO area in Brooklyn


He started buying in 1979 and now property is apparently 50x as much in the area since 1979. A 5000% increase. He became a billionaire off his investments there.

Brooklyn Billionaire: How One Man Made A Fortune Rebuilding Dumbo - Forbes

[yby1]

Originally Posted by toomanymiles

Haha, yeah... but us LA artists are too much of pansies for that. I've done my time in bad neighborhoods, thank you very much.

But there's art and culture! What about Watts Village Theater Company?

LOL. I hear you. There's always Leimert Park.

[radiolibre99]

Idk, outside of crime, some parts of DTLA look like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NYC or Martin Scorsese's After Hours. LA is still grimy.

[UB50]

Originally Posted by jm1982

One huge eyesore in the Valley is the old Montgomery Ward site thats been vacant over 10yrs in Panorama City. There are other buildings on this site that are vacant and it's a huge space.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=walma...12,322,,0,8.65

This is a closeup of the store:
Montgomery Ward (abandoned) | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Wasn't this vacant BEFORE the Northridge earthquake?

[Matt Marcinkiewicz]

Originally Posted by jm1982

Also according to this writer at least there are still parts of Brooklyn that aren't gentrified such as Crown Heights.
The writer used to live in the East Village of Manhattan..but 'had' to move to Crown heights for cheaper rent. He complains about the lack of restaurant options in his new neighborhood. This kind of minds me of myself having moved to my current place where there are very decent places to eat and it's mostly low quality fast food.

My Brooklyn Neighbors Hate Me | VICE United States
Some pretty interesting comments. The commentators bash the writer pretty strongly

Based on the first of his two articles/posts about Brooklyn, it looks like this author will soon have to move to the Bronx...for safety reasons (which would be a first). And based on the tone (not to mention the content) of said first article, I'm kinda rooting for this guy to be forced to subsist on White Castle for a month

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by Matt Marcinkiewicz

Based on the first of his two articles/posts about Brooklyn, it looks like this author will soon have to move to the Bronx...for safety reasons (which would be a first). And based on the tone (not to mention the content) of said first article, I'm kinda rooting for this guy to be forced to subsist on White Castle for a month

LOL yeah...New Yorkers are definately super protective of their city and neighborhoods.
Someone living in L.A might post an article saying their neighborhood sucks ,but it's not going to get that kind of response.

The interesting thing is I saw a lot of people attacking him,but not many defending that neighborhood. And probably only a very small number even live in Crown Heights. In that case I don't feel they have a reason to talk.

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by UB50

Wasn't this vacant BEFORE the Northridge earthquake?

YES! I think it was! ... I'd like to find the backstory. I just don't see how a site that big stays empty for 20 years. I don't live right in that neighborhood, but my councilperson represents the area that site is on. She supposedly wants to do something..but im sure the last council person had a "plan too" . It's embarrasing and just adds to blight and depressing in the area.

There is a Walmart that seems to be very busy right across from there , but I'm sure there would be a demand for apartments or reasonable housing.

"Nury’s family history and community organizing background inspire her goals on the Los Angeles City Council. Nury will fight to attract and retain businesses that create solid middle class jobs by revitalizing the Van Nuys Corridor with a smart economic development plan. She also plans to incentivize new businesses to inhabit the old Montgomery Ward site in the heart of Panorama City."

I hope it's not sitting because the city owns the property....that would be a real disgrace. Even though it's in Panorama that land has to be worth several million.

I found this from 2011...but it's now 2014...so I wonder what happened..

"

• Former Montgomery Wards Building, Panorama City, CA: The newest and largest retail redevelopment site in San Fernando Valley located directly adjacent to the Panorama Mall and Wal Mart immediately west of the signalized intersection of Van Nuys Blvd. and Roscoe Blvd. The project will include the adapted re-use of the former Montgomery Wards building and free-standing pads. The property is operated by Santa Monica-based Lubert Adler Management West.

This is kind of interesting but sounds complicated. It's all the way back from 2008 regarding this site. It's a shame things can be done but aren't because of corruption or incompetency.
http://ronkayela.com/2008/10/you-kno...important.html

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by jm1982

LOL yeah...New Yorkers are definately super protective of their city and neighborhoods.
Someone living in L.A might post an article saying their neighborhood sucks ,but it's not going to get that kind of response.

The interesting thing is I saw a lot of people attacking him,but not many defending that neighborhood. And probably only a very small number even live in Crown Heights. In that case I don't feel they have a reason to talk.

That is one huge difference between LA and NYC. LA has a history of self-deprecation while NYC is very self-serious. In fact this is more of a West Coast vs. East Coast thing.

[BajanYankee]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

I don't know. Several ppl who live in NYC have said that NYC has been gentrified to death and is now a Disneyland for the rich. Even Brooklyn is going down that path.

Only that's not really true. The NYT makes it seem that way, but that's not the reality.

https://www.city-data.com/forum/33313414-post10.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/33313705-post14.html

There are plenty of affordable, middle class places for "Creatives" to live in Brooklyn. They just don't want to live in those places.

That said, I don't think true musicians and artists will ever stop coming here. Those are the ones who bite the bullet and live in the less glamorous neighborhoods that aren't as subway accessible.