Yesterday there was a NYT op-ed, "Disney World on the Hudson" by "Jeremiah Moss," nom de blogue of someone (presumably male) who blogs on "Vanishing New York."  There was no space for comment at the Times, but you could head on over to the blog itself and comment to your heart's delight (if Jeremiah let you behind the velvet rope.)  Hard to believe, but this self-anointed nostalgist was decrying the loss of graffiti and weeds, of auto shops (which I doubt he ever visited,) and of clogging by tourists on... The High Line. Tourists: you know, those unsophisticated types who spend their life savings on a trip to New York, heavily patronizing the taxis, shops, hotels, and entertainment venues; paying room taxes, sales taxes, airport taxes; and coming home to America, or Europe, or Asia or Africa with stars in their eyes?* Do they know how contemptuous the "real" New Yorkers feel towards them? Oh, and what makes these New Yorkers real? Are they descended from Peter Stuyvesant, Peter Minuit, or the Manhattan tribe itself?

*Economic Impact - per NYC Statistics /nycgo.com
http://www.nycgo.com/articles/nyc-statistics-page
2010
Total visitor spending from New York City tourism in 2010: $31.5 billion
Total wages generated by New York City tourism in 2010: $17.3 billion
Total NYC jobs supported by visitor spending in 2010: 310,156
Total taxes generated by visitor spending in 2010: $8.1 billion
Each New York City household benefited by an average of $1,350 in tax savings as a result of travel and tourism
 
Okay, I can agree with this "Jeremiah" that it's a shame that they rezoned the areas along the river for luxury condos. And I share his distress at the hipper-than-thou attitudes of the "yunnies" (Young Urban Narcissists - good one! But isn't the Sur La Table pot calling the Wms-Sonoma kettle black?) But his blaming the High Line for that...how does that make sense? And numerous of his commenters were not interested in the "contemplative space" that he so nostalgically dreamed of; rather they complained that the tourists walk too slow.

Anyway, here's the URL, complete with a copy of his op-ed, and you can read through the comments, or skip to mine by hitting "edit">"find" (on this page) >primum.
http://vanishingnewyork.blogspot.com/2012/08/disney-world-on-hudson.html?showComment=1345685946384#comment-c3419333986948756700