So, I'm looking thru this magazine, 002Houston, or some such debauchery. Paul freaking Wall was on the front a couple months ago...sparkling 'grill' and all. Ouch. And I notice a tiny ad at the bottom of one page. It's for a brand spanking new condo for rich people! Besides the fact that Houston does NOT need another huge condo building for rich people...this one is going up less than one block from my house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For those of you who don't know...I live in North Montrose. It's pretty much just one 1930's sytle house after the next. Many have been turned to apartments. Some, young families buy and fix up. So, basically, they're going to have to tear down all these beautiful houses full of character and history to erect some monstrosity of red brick....for rich people! GO BACK TO SUBURBIA YOU STUPID RICH PEOPLE! Alright...I don't mean it. But seriously. I'm concerned. My artsy neighborhood is going to become overrun by these phony urbanites that probably always pay their rent on time! You know the ones...that walk around in $300 jeans and high heels on Saturday morning...perfect makeup and all. I smile peacefully as I walk by in my black gauchos...dity Converse...and glasses thinking secretly, "I wish you'd get out of my neighborhood you Crusaders for Capitolism!" Isn't that sweet and open minded of me? Eventually, they will take over all my spots. Lite Nite Pie has already felt the effect. They're skrimping on the goat cheese on my favorite pizza, the Boss Man, and they fired all they substanse-a-ly challenged employees that were always condescending and famously rude while serving you, but somehow I loved them. The infamous Midtown crew took over Friday night karaoke at the Proletriat...what's next? I can only imgine the hell these newly urbanized members of Montrose will raise while driving down the road and they see the sign for Gay.com. It just looks like a Tommy Hillfiger ad anyways. So, I prepare myself for yet another masacre on the "under privledged" in society, but this time it's really close to home...a couple of houses down. And I'm sure I'm next.
**Disclaimer**
I like to be dramatic and actually have less a problem with capitolism than this post would lead one to believe. Nor do I hate rich people. I've lived with them the majority of my life...I just wish they would not mess with my little neighborhood.
***Art work-compliments of Guacamole Boy and his mad skills***
2 comments:
I can sort of see both sides of the argument.
On the side that it sucks when there is a neighborhood with character gets torn up, I understand. Montrose is one of the only neighborhoods with character in Houston (a city that is very lacking in character). When I say "character," I dont mean a homosexual connotation as much as an artsy connotation. However, I like to refer to it as different. Most neighborhoods in Houston are pretty much the same. The Heights is somewhat different, but Montrose is very different.
One thing that certain subcultures of society has embraced, imo, is the fact that different means good. People dont like music that is played on the radio b/c mainstream music is bad. Moreover that, most things that are mainstream are bad. Montrose is anything but mainstream in this city.
I for one think its cool to get away from the strip centers, billboards, freeways, and republicans and get away to montrose. I dont live there, but I live close.
The other side of the argument that I see is the side of the developers. They see that it is profitable for them to go in and fix it up to make some nice overpriced apartments for yuppies. And, these yuppies who want to live there for two reasons. First b/c of location. five minutes from downtown, the museum district, among other places. The other reason they want to live there is b/c they want to live somewhere different, and different means good. The developers know this and they know that the "yuppies" will pay for it, so why not?
This is similar to the walmart argument in that it sucks when walmart ruins a small community of small busnisses, but if you were one of sam's kids, would you disclaim your inheritance?
Well, not to get too governmental, but I think it points to the fact that Houston doesn't have any real laws to protect its unique neighborhoods. Look at what's happened in the area between Commonwealth and Shepherd, where blocks of 1930s bungalows have been torn down for townhomes — could the city keep that from happening? Yes. But has it? Definitely not. Now, people in the Heights are facing the same situation and finding no support from the city.
To me, losing character in our urban neighborhoods is a huge problem now, but it will be an even bigger problem 20 years from now when the townhomers decide they want to move back to the 'burbs. We'll have ghettos of poorly constructed, empty townhomes where we used to have charm.
Post a Comment