article about gentrification in Chelsea
Cheek by Jowl
The comments from the wealthy patrons of high-end dining establishments and new-to-the-neighborhood penthouse owners are particularly disturbing, exhibiting both ignorance and smug privilege.
"Many patrons, meanwhile, were oblivious to the proximity of Fulton Houses. 'Are they projects?' asked Lianne Graubart, a Chelsea resident and real estate agent, when told that a public housing complex sat across the street. 'Are they really projects? Really?'
'Housing projects? No way,' added her boyfriend, Morris Amiri, an asset manager who was wearing a white linen shirt, True Religion jeans and a tan acquired while attending a friend's wedding in Maui. 'That's sad. They're all screwed up, and we're over here having a good time. I hope they're not going to be chased out.'"
The penthouse owner:
"'It doesn't even bother me that I'm looking over this,' he said of the project. 'These people will talk with you if you talk to them. You'll see them when you're walking your dog. They'll say, 'What's up?' They'll get to know you. On the Upper East Side, no one will talk to you.'"
The comments from the wealthy patrons of high-end dining establishments and new-to-the-neighborhood penthouse owners are particularly disturbing, exhibiting both ignorance and smug privilege.
"Many patrons, meanwhile, were oblivious to the proximity of Fulton Houses. 'Are they projects?' asked Lianne Graubart, a Chelsea resident and real estate agent, when told that a public housing complex sat across the street. 'Are they really projects? Really?'
'Housing projects? No way,' added her boyfriend, Morris Amiri, an asset manager who was wearing a white linen shirt, True Religion jeans and a tan acquired while attending a friend's wedding in Maui. 'That's sad. They're all screwed up, and we're over here having a good time. I hope they're not going to be chased out.'"
The penthouse owner:
"'It doesn't even bother me that I'm looking over this,' he said of the project. 'These people will talk with you if you talk to them. You'll see them when you're walking your dog. They'll say, 'What's up?' They'll get to know you. On the Upper East Side, no one will talk to you.'"