“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out…”

— Hunter Thompson

Masked men and women proliferate as the stores have lines outside as people wait to get in to shop. Not long lines, of course, short lines. Some of the restaurants seem to be doing okay if you don’t mind eating on the sidewalk while wearing your snowsuit. A few places have apparently invested heavily in heating devices that seem to be sufficient for those who like heading to the Arctic for lunch.

Broadway has a decent amount of foot traffic, West Broadway is doing okay, and surprisingly, Wooster, Greene and Mercer are busy. However, there are many empty storefronts. It’s always been a question. With the Stock Market doing fairly well, where does the fact that so many businesses have failed and closed up appear in the figures from Washington and Wall Street? At Starbucks there are no tables to sit at and the workers chase you off if you sit on a sill by the window — even though you may be the only customer with three workers behind the counter. How does that work out for Customer Appreciation?

You’d think, in this environment, that they’d be so happy to see you come in to the store that they’d play the sax or bring in a Mariachi band. But, that’s Old School, isn’t it?

Next issue: District Attorney and Borough President candidates

Stay Tuned.