Now is the Time to Reinvigorate the Upper West Side Amidst the Chaos!

I've been thinking about real estate, quality of life, and related issues on the Upper West Side for over a year--now certainly magnified by the pandemic that changed everything about 11 months ago. Manhattan's mass exodus, particularly on the Upper West Side where I live, has been reported on continuously for almost a year now. I think there is great opportunity amidst the chaos to emerge more interesting and affordable for those of us who never left and those who would love to live here. For starters: the architecture is amazing!

Among several observations, three things stand out to me:

1. There is more new building construction and exterior renovation happening on my stretch of Broadway in the 90s than in the decade I've lived up here. The photos I took are on or right off Broadway between 91st-96th St--only five blocks! I know there are more in the 80s, too. I'm not sure who is moving into what I assume will be condos, when apparently thousands of residents have just fled. Some of these new buildings are replacing weird one- or two-story buildings, probably left over from when this neighborhood was not so desirable. Others were pre-war building tear downs -- one of which was a synagogue -- something I don't like to see, but what can you do?
2. Even before the pandemic, stores were closing regularly along this same stretch, leaving empty storefronts for months and years at a time. Now, during the last 11 months, even DUANE READE and STARBUCKS have permanently shut down, in addition to old locally owned bodegas and Cleopatra's Needle! All national clothing chains have vanished -- Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, Mandee and Club Monaco. Grocery stores including two Gristede's...I could go on...
3. AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT STREET PARKING? First, I just learned that Lyft owns the bike-share operator that runs Citi Bike. I'll explain why this is important in a minute. There is a severe dearth of street parking on the UWS, worse than people who have lived here since the 80s have ever seen (I know this b/c I belong to a local group). Between the aforementioned construction taking up full street and avenue stretches, Citi Bike racks taking up scores of spots along Riverside Drive, 92nd Street and more, restaurants' Covid-era "outdoor" seating shanties built on legit parking spots, and mountains of plowed snow piled up on every other corner, thousands of parking spots have vanished, and so parking garages have jacked up their prices to minimums of $600 a month. And before you tell me people should take public transpo., there IS NO reasonable public transportation to and from the UWS if you regularly travel to NJ, Upstate, CT, etc., especially if you are over 40, which many of us are up here, and have luggage of any kind. I promise you, it's not sustainable. So back to Lyft owning Citi Bike: even the most ardent environmentalist anti-car resident has got to see the hypocrisy: "Nowhere to park? TAKE A LYFT!" "Don't want to take the subway? TAKE A CITI BIKE!" --Lyft is eliminating the ability to drive to and in NYC and making money from it while clogging the streets with MORE LYFTS!

OK, so what do I suggest? What do I envision? Here are my unscientific suggestions:

1. Remember the early/mid-80s when the UWS was sorta cool for an uptown neighborhood? I do. The City has GOT TO encourage landlords/building owners and managers to rent commercial space to new tenants via tax reduction incentives or credits. You get more points if you lease to mom-and-pops!  Or maybe you get penalized for letting storefronts sit empty for more than 6 months. Can't rent your store? Donate it to an educational or arts organization and display art, interpretive dance, whatever! Bring back the creativity, vision, and art that so many residents up here actually appreciate! And won't this help to...
2. ...Attract new residents to all the new buildings with money to spend? Sure, maybe when all these giant new buildings were financed a few years ago "they" envisioned top-dollar condo sales. Well, again, the City should incentivize renting to a plethora of incomes. I read a story the other day whereby big corporations are buying blocks of condos in buildings to get a "bulk rate," I suppose to be able to sell them off one-by-one when the economy starts booming again. Can the government stop this insanity?  If it can, it should, otherwise apartments will sit empty and/or Corporations will be landlords. This cannot be good for NYC culture and spirit.  Can we please return to a time when apartments were HOMES and not checkers on some investment scheme spreadsheet checkerboard?
   
3. Hopefully once the snow melts and construction is completed, we will get some of our beloved parking spots back. But what about restaurants' outdoor posts? When are those going to be removed...or will they be permanent fixtures? I know the restaurant industry has been all but destroyed so I want to provide them with every chance to recover. HOWEVER, and I'm not going to point any specific locations out because I'm not a rat, there are restaurants in my area that have been closed for MONTHS that have empty, abandoned shacks, and/or functioning restaurants with street "shacks" that have collapsed or are not being used due to non-stop snow and frigid temperatures, taking up 2-3 spots in some cases and almost full city blocks in other instances. Maybe most restaurants just can't have outdoor dining during the winter. And furthermore, if patrons who don't live in the City can't park, they'll probably just go out in Westchester or Long Island, like they've been doing the last year.
4. Hopeful that vaccinations will reach a critical mass by July, I think the city should do some radical things to get people back into town, starting with FREE BRIDGE AND TUNNEL ACCESS, FREE TRAINS INTO GRAND CENTRAL, FREE PATH TRAINS. Obviously not forever, but for enough time that everyone can take advantage of it and feel good about going back to the greatest city on earth.

P.S. Please move Citi Bike racks off the streets and onto sidewalks or park areas that have the space. Oh, and also, for the love of Jah, kill that congestion tax idea already--but that's a whole other post.

I❤️ NY 

Adam Ant: My First Style Icon. love

Adam Ant Live at Best Buy Theater, NYC - 10/6/12

Betsey Johnson Starts Its Liquidation Sale

See if you can guess...

Betsey Johnson Starts Its Liquidation Sale
For those of you who knew me in the 80s you may remember (because you made fun of me) my 8th grade grad dress, or the gun skirt, or my eyeball sweater.  Or even the bright yellow skirt with the giant silver zippers that prohibited me from sitting, or the red snakeskin belt.  They were all Betsey Johnson.  God I love(d) the 80s.  She was ahead of her time and then everyone else caught up, yet watered down. And then she got watered down.  I knew when I saw her clothes in Lord & Taylor it was all over.

80's Fashion Rant from One of GSNYC's Old School Crew

This was too good not to share publicly:

Laura, you're a fashion-ashashin' -- When are '80's high-rise jeans that come up over women's belly buttons gonna be sexy again? The question is, how was that even ever allowed to happen in the first place? Who OK'd that pattern? It's geriatric! I want to introduce a new cut in jeans, the mega high rise..."the sky-scraper." Jeans up to the armpits. That's sexy. It's the giant torso look that's so popular these days...

I Stand by the 80s

Last night, my friend was posting all kinds of photos online, mostly from the 80s, and it moved me to note at least one good thing about that time in fashion: it was fun. Call it cheesy, stupid, retarded...whatever, but at least it didn't take it self too seriously. And we were from NJ after all.

So here's me prior to a holiday semi-formal dance my senior year of high school. I wasn't really the norm among my friends in terms of my wardrobe, for I was a young Guerilla in training. I am pretty sure I bought the dress at Metropolitan(?) in Nyack, NY. I can't remember where I got the Whodini hat, but I literally just got rid of it like 2 months ago. I still have the necklace in my jewelry box - it was my mother's chain with a pendant that my dad got at a sample sale - he bought me a few things from there, I believe designed by "Krasne II" (I have to check when I get home tonight). I also know for sure that I was sporting Betsey Johnson thigh-highs, although you cannot see them. woo woo! Oh and I still have the earrings too. But probably not the lavender eye shadow.

And it's amazing what a 99-cent bottle of peroxide can do for one's hair color.

LeSportcac Sale This Week (April 24)

I don't know if you were like me, but back in the early 80s LeSportsac was IT. For all of you who follow this blog, you know I have an adversarial relationship with the almighty PURSE, but there was nothing quite like the turquoise SportSac I had back in 6th/7th grade. So! This leads me to news about a sale going on now at LeSportsac(s). I may have to check it out, for nostalgia's sake, if nothing else...

One-week sale at all LeSportsac boutiques and lesportsac.com, starting Thursday April 24th, 2008: LeSportsac Madison Avenue, 1065 Madison Avenue; LeSportsac SoHo, 176 Spring Street ; LeSportsac Beverly Center, 8500 Beverly Blvd., #750, Los Angeles

Spend $100 and receive 20% off your purchase
Spend $300 and receive 30% off your purchase

(Sale subject to product availability and applies to all merchandise. Promotion can not be combined with another promotion or discount. Maximum discount is 30%. )

The Classic: Painted Jean Jacket

Do you long for the days of yore when many a metal head sported the infamous painted jean jacket? Well, you may be in luck. The young lads above and I had a half-drunken brainstorm that we would bring that kind of sexyback to the masses -- utilizing the unbelievable skill and talent of Nelson DeCastro, the artist of this, the Metallica "Ride the Lightning" jean jacket painted in 1985. Twenty-two+ years later and the paint is still glowing strong!

A renewed trend the kids don't even yet know that they need...or one that should remain in the decade of Reagan? You make the call...I'm taking orders (soon).

Upper Worst Side Shopping

Wow, Columbus Avenue sucks. I remember back in the day when going shopping over there was a creative and sensory joy. OK, perhaps this is me glorifying the 80s once again, but I don't think so. Betsey Johnson is still there, and like I have said before, she seems to have somewhat sold out. The clothes and the staff are "nice," but they don't tend to kick ass as they once did. I found the only black pants and sweater in the joint, amidst a sea of pretty frilly dresses in sherbert colors. I think that the Betsey of the 80s would kick the current Betsey's ass and not even bother to take her name.

I am moving tomorrow, which means that I should also be getting some of my clothes back this weekend, which also means that I may be able to get some of my old life back, i.e. shopping and a computer?! I shall take one thing at a time. Bear with me!

The Necklace

Since I continue bragging about my excellent new necklace from Dori of Ike Designs, I thought I'd show it to you up close and personal, while it was taking a break from some of its office duties at work today.

As an aside, you may have noticed that I have added a couple of new links today - one to Ike Designs and the other to Konstant Kontact, a blog on DJ Stretch Armstrong in the 80s and 90s. Perhaps this seems like an odd link to include on Guerilla Shopper, but as we know I am rooted in the 80s AND I used to listen to Mr. Armstrong, so it really makes for a nice synergy, doesn't it?

Variazioni - 80s Style

I have been meaning to write about this dress for months, but knew that I had to get a photo to illustrate its sheer 80s impact. It had to be seen to be believed and comprehended. You can't really describe a black cotton spandex dress with a hot pink bolero jacket without people thinking that you were in a Poison video.

So here's the fantastic tale of a father and daughter...fighting the power, doing things "their way..." and making sure that I had a junior prom dress to put all those that came before it to shame. I think we achieved that goal and then some.

It had been a difficult time. My grandmother had just passed away, which took my family out of dodge for a week or so. Upon our return there was almost no time before my junior prom. I was without dress and I was panicked!

So my dad came up with a little rebellious plan that would not only enable me to find a dress in time for the Jr. Prom, but would also allow us to shop in a leisurely fashion, i.e. during the day on a weekday.

So as I sat in my history class the Wednesday before the prom, there was a knock on the classroom door - it was a student with a note. The teacher read it and looked over at me in a very serious, concerned manner, "Laura, your father is here. Go to the office immediately."

GASP! What could have happened? My one grandmother just passed away...who was it this time? Everyone in the class watched with grave concern as I got my things together and exited the classroom.

"Oh poor Laura, what could have happened now?"

As I approached the office door, I saw my father standing there, solemnly. "Let's go Laura," he said, as the vice principal politely opened the door to let us out.

Now that I think about it, I still have no idea what he actually told them about why he had to pull me out of school in the middle of the day, but he most certainly did not admit the truth. To add another layer of hilarity, Father G. also happened to be the Mayor of the town at that time with an impeccable reputation. I guess you might call this incident a minor abuse of power.

Anyway, we walked out of the school, into the parking lot, and got into whatever middle management mobile Father Guerilla was driving at the time. And then we pretty much "high fived" and laughed as he sped away headed for DESTINATION NEW YORK CITY: Variazioni.

I remember trying on a few insane 80's cotton spanex numbers, all of which fit me famously, seeing how I was 16 years old. I decided on the getup you see pictured here and man was it a major coup.

So whatever happened to my date anyway? Henry Nam - Funny guy and how great is the white-on-white shirt and tie combo? I think we got on the bus that took us to the prom venue, separated at the party, and after it was over got back on the bus to find out how each other's nights were. As a 16-year-old, it was a near-perfect date! Hahahahahaa....

More 80s Tales: Allan & Suzi / NaNa Shoes

So I'm feeling another little 80s retrospective coming on (scene: foggy dream sequence) - New York City Style.

Back in the days when Father Guerilla used to take me to buy prim and proper dresses at Betsey Johnson on the Upper West Side, we would sometimes meander around the hood, back when Columbus Avenue was all the rage, and not yet Westchester Suburbia South. Those journeys would sometimes bring us to Allan & Suzi at 416 Amsterdam Avenue, where I'd try on latex dresses and such. I never quite understood why we got such strange and puzzling looks by the salespeople, but in retrospect I'm pretty sure it was because I was NOT A TRANSVESTITE.

Next door was Na Na where you could find some cheap, but stylish, punk rock shoes. I bought some wicked, extremely pointy patent leather boots for $15. They finally gave out on me, but I have since replaced them with a similar (in look, not price) pair from Donald J. Pliner (see pic).

Anyway, stay tuned for future 80s postings. I have a couple more good ones up my sleeves. Oh, and I'll tell you where I got those on the cheap too.

IAN's - Not Your Mother's Store

Remember my 8th grade graduation photo from a few posts ago (see Betsey Johnson)? Well, I continued to out-do myself year after year -- my mother was so pleased (secretly she really was, though).

So for my Senior Prom I thought I'd raise the bar - about seven feet - and get a dress at Ian's on 2nd Ave. near 60th St., not to be outdone by its St. Mark's locale. For those of you not versed in the ways of Ian's...well, it hasn't changed much over the years, it's still catering to the punk-rock-metal-dominatrix-fetish set. And I swear, as a naive 18 year old from the 'burbs, I didn't really get the implications of this stuff, I just thought it would look cool in a motorcycle chick/"Wendy & Lisa" kind of way. So I topped off the black cotton spandex mini-dress with a leather motorcycle cap that I found on Bleecker Street, back when Bleecker was chock full o' head shops. Ah...memories. Anyway, to make sure it was a suitable "outfit," my dear mother found gold piping matching the dress, and trimmed the hat with it. I am laughing out loud thinking about this now - I guess she figured, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." Also, I am wearing black high-heeled Kenneth Cole shoes with a faint paisley imprint that I believe I picked up at Marty's. Does this place still exist? (The answer is yes, I found its website, but the inventory looks pitiful.)

So you might look at this photo and think - as others have - "Oh my. That poor, sweet, innocent boy must have been so overwhelmed." Yeah, well, hold your tears for someone else because Mr. Altar Boy is an international rock star/the front man of Dog Eat Dog, currently touring Europe. Lesson: Don't judge a rock star by its tuxedo.

Betsey Johnson: A Bit o' History

Betsey Johnson solidified my place in 80s fashion history among the minds and memories of the very small town I am from. My dad, who scoured the streets of New York for the coolest, most cutting-edge clothes around (read my first entry for the dad-shopping tale) introduced me -- believe it or not. I mean, what better place to outfit your 14-year old daughter for her 8th grade graduation, especially when she was on tap to make a speech in front of all of the students, teachers and parents? At the time, I think the only two stores in the city were on Columbus Ave. and E. 60th Street (both stores still exist). And if memory serves me, I bought the pictured dress at the Columbus Ave. location. See how I fade into the background among my friends? When my mother first saw me in it, she screamed in horror. (And the very red shoes, what little you can see of them, are from Kenneth Cole - Columbus Ave. Didn't anyone else's mother tell them that WHITE SHOES ARE UGLY?)

I continued for years to return to Betsey's, usually buying that which was on sale, and every once in a while springing for a full-price item, such as the bright yellow mini skirt with two giant zippers running up the front that could stand upright on a table by itself, like a lampshade. Or the tight, long red skirt with the silkscreened guns and bullets all over it. This stuff should be in the Smithsonian, and still exists somewhere in the depths of a basement...alas, all I can wear now are two belts - one patent-leather silver studded, the other a bright red (faux) snakeskin.

While her clothing accented my style, I find that she may have 'sold out' a bit in recent years. I seem to find her clothing and hand bags in malls and even discount department stores, such as Loehmann's. What happened to the sweaters with patterns of giant eyeballs or spiders? Where are the patent-leather ankle and wrist belts? Perhaps they are stuck in the 80s, and I may be as well, apparently.