An Open Letter to NYC

Call me a big mook, but, no BS, this song brings a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye every time:

Vox Pop opens on the LES

I was chatting with the manager of the DPW Connecticut Muffin last week, and he mentioned that Vox Pop had opened a new location on the Lower East Side; I see from VP's web site that it's true. I wonder if Sander is simply expanding into a receptive market, or if he's thinking about the danger of keeping all his eggs in one basket. For a brief period, the Ditmas Park West section of Flatbush might have seemed poised to become a bastion of leftie politics and the punk rock ethos (or whatever it is), but as pleased as I was to see Vox Pop open here, I was a little puzzled as to the choice of location; the cafe/bookstore/performance venue does have a real LES/Williamsburg kind of vibe. As great a neighborhood as this is, it has never struck me as having a terribly strident activist/street artist feel to it. I notice the majority of customers of Vox Pop these days tend to have pretty ordinary conversations about things like roommates, real estate, babies, the occasional novel. It's not exactly the Left Bank; although one gets the sense it was kind of intended to be. Personally, I feel caught in the middle; I'd love it if there was a local cafe that fell somewhere between the poles of Vox and CT Muffin (the music choices exemplify this problem - I'd really rather not hear Matchbox 20 or Tortoise while I'm drinking my coffee...how about, I don't know...Elliott Smith...or Miles Davis?) A place like the Ozzie's on 5th Avenue in the Slope would be perfect. Maybe in the spot being vacated by the FFC...

Flatbush Food Coop

Well, despite the fact that it's 5 blocks away instead of around the corner, I've been finding myself in the Flatbush Food Co-op increasingly often since they moved across the street into their incredible new digs on April 18, taking over the old Associated Supermarket's space, which had been empty for quite a while. Some items are truly overpriced, but the overall shopping experience is very pleasant, and the selection is excellent. Keeping an eye on coupons and sales also helps. Natural Frontier is likely to continue to get much of my default/impulse business, but when I know what I'm looking for, and am on a "mission", FFC is definitely on my radar. And, although, a wide range of folks have been railing against the new FFC (and against coops in general - in different places, I've seen accusations of creeping communism and of bourgeois elitism leveled at them!), a wide range of customers, from a diverse range of socioeconomic backgrounds, were to be seen shopping there today. And, call me sentimental, but it kinda gets me right here to see the word "Flatbush" emblazoned in massive letters on an awning on Cortelyou Road between Rugby and Marlborough.