{"id":2007,"date":"2014-05-14T06:26:06","date_gmt":"2014-05-14T10:26:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=2007"},"modified":"2015-01-04T07:53:30","modified_gmt":"2015-01-04T12:53:30","slug":"the-new-york-nobody-knows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vweisfeld.com\/?p=2007","title":{"rendered":"**** The New York Nobody Knows"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Chinatown,<\/a>

(photo: wikimedia.org)<\/p><\/div>\n

By William B. Helmreich<\/strong>, a CUNY sociologist, who writes about his 6,000-mile walk along almost every block of New York\u2019s five boroughs. He spends a lot of real estate talking about how that\u2019s the only \u201creal\u201d way to see the city\u2014no need to convince me! It\u2019s a fascinating exploration of various themes, including gentrification, ethnicity, and community activity. The result is a kind of compendium of urban diversity, rather than the more usual portrait of individual neighborhoods. Absolutely fascinating.<\/p>\n

The author is a genial-looking sort who is apparently game to talk to just about anyone about just about anything, especially their local community. He is perpetually impressed with the gumption of the people he meets, and his genuine curiosity prompts responses worthy of pondering.<\/p>\n

Buying a bottle of water on a hot day from a young Hispanic street vendor, Helmreich asks, \u201cHow do you keep these bottles cold out here?\u201d \u201cWell, first I freeze them at home. That way they stay cold a long time.\u201d \u201cWhere are you in school?\u201d \u201cI just graduated high school.\u201d \u201cWhat are you gonna do next?\u201d \u201cI\u2019m going to Monroe College.\u201d \u201cFor what?\u201d \u201cI\u2019m going to be a rich businessman. It\u2019s a great college.\u201d New York spirit. Helmreich loves it, and so will you.
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