PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[br323206]

Originally Posted by 1487

I havent seen any studies on demographics of Gallery shoppers- I just know which demographics get all the attention. During lunch time Ive seen a variety of people in the mall (some could just be walking through) and in the anchor stores. Also, not sure that there was a rule that says any shopping district that doesn't have clientele that accurate reflects the city or region should be shut down and remade. Does Walnut west of broad represent the diversity if Philadelphia? Let me know.

BTW, If you bothered to read my previous comment you would notice I said nothing about RTM having low quality food. I said its crowded (hard to sit, long lines, constantly bumping into people) and expensive. I rarely go there or gallery for lunch. RTM is a perfect place to direct tourists, but most people I know who work in CC do not go there for lunch on a regular basis for the reasons I mentioned. Liberty Bell is a nice attraction too- I dont visit there often either.

Everyone I know who lives in Chinatown or Wash West frequents RTM, including myself. It's packed with tourists on the weekends but it's super convenient to stop and buy produce on my way home from work and it isn't packed on the weekdays (except for during lunch). Yes, it's a huge tourist attraction--but it is also a part of everyday life for people that live nearby. I do a good chunk of my grocery shopping there.

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by 1487

Also, not sure that there was a rule that says any shopping district that doesn't have clientele that accurate reflects the city or region should be shut down and remade.

I said exactly that. There is no such rule. But Center City serves the entire region and as such, I think we all do better when we have pleasant, inclusive space that welcomes all kinds of people.

If you want the quintessential white hood rat experience, hang out in Deptford or Levittown maybe; If you want the segregated, say, "inner city [*code phrase*] teen" experience, 70% of Philly is segregated. Many choices in that regard all over town. But Center City does best where it makes all feel comfortable.

Originally Posted by 1487

Does Walnut west of broad represent the diversity if Philadelphia? Let me know.

I think you don't go to the places you pontificate about. Walnut Street has not become white washed (maybe "rich washed" is better) like Manhattan. Walnut Street along with Chestnut and Rittenhouse Sq feature the most diverse pedestrian demographics in the city - far more so than the gallery - because . . . they are simply pleasant and appealing places all people want to be. You see blacks, whites, east asians, south asians, rich, poor, middle, foreigner, native all over there. Much less so at say, the Gallery.

Sure, only wealthier people (wealthier than I, certainly) can afford to actually buy stuff from many of the stores there, but who cares? I still love walking the street because it's nice, not because I can afford to shop there. Generally hoards of teens - "inner city" or otherwise (the 7-11 not far from where I grew up always had bored, noisy, crude, hoodie white teens smoking and loitering in the parking lot at all hours; just as unpleasant as any other crowd of noisy teens) - are best to be avoided.

I said nothing about RTM having low quality food. I said its . . . . expensive

It is not expensive. What on earth are you talking about?

Starr, Garces, Vetri: expensive. Olive Garden, TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesday: moderate - expensive depending on your circumstance; RTM: inexpensive. You can get a very good meal their for less than $10. If that's expensive, well . . . I guess you can go to Taco Bell or McDonald's, which are certainly cheap, but it ain't really food either. I'd rather be poorer and put some real food in me than be less poor and put garbage disguised as food in me.

most people I know who work in CC do not go there . . . . on a regular basis

I live in Center City, as do many people I know. And we all go their regularly.
Yes it's crowded and noisy, like 9th Street, but welcome to the big city. I don't go to the library to do my vegetable shopping.

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by summersm343

9th and Wharton renderings
The development plans for the empty lot across from Pats and Genos. This is what people were complaining about?! This is the perfect development for this lot.



http://www.passyunkpost.com/2015/04/...n-development/

But it's so . . . . goddamned . . . tall!!!!

And oooo, the parking.

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

But it's so . . . . goddamned . . . tall!!!!

And oooo, the parking.

Not to mention the lack of any wind-tunnel studies, dammit!

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by Philly Fan

Not to mention the lack of any wind-tunnel studies, dammit!

Shadow analysis, traffic study, parking study, wild-life impact (birds could fly into those windows; cruel and unethical cockroach dislocation) . . . .

[iheartphilly]

You forgot a new one, the "aroma study" of thinly sliced and cooked rib-eye steak throughout the day...

[1487]

Originally Posted by br323206

Everyone I know who lives in Chinatown or Wash West frequents RTM, including myself. It's packed with tourists on the weekends but it's super convenient to stop and buy produce on my way home from work and it isn't packed on the weekdays (except for during lunch). Yes, it's a huge tourist attraction--but it is also a part of everyday life for people that live nearby. I do a good chunk of my grocery shopping there.

Im glad there is a RTM. But people seem to think because they shop there regularly it means a huge proportion of Philadelphians do the same. I dont think thats the case. And lunchtime would be the time when many CC workers would venture into the market- hence why its always packed when I visit. I work downtown, I dont live downtown. RTM has nothing to do with a mall or general retailing in Center City. Id think a huge % of the folks who come to RTM never shop on Walnut street.

[1487]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

I said exactly that. There is no such rule. But Center City serves the entire region and as such, I think we all do better when we have pleasant, inclusive space that welcomes all kinds of people.

If you want the quintessential white hood rat experience, hang out in Deptford or Levittown maybe; If you want the segregated, say, "inner city [*code phrase*] teen" experience, 70% of Philly is segregated. Many choices in that regard all over town. But Center City does best where it makes all feel comfortable.



I think you don't go to the places you pontificate about. Walnut Street has not become white washed (maybe "rich washed" is better) like Manhattan. Walnut Street along with Chestnut and Rittenhouse Sq feature the most diverse pedestrian demographics in the city - far more so than the gallery - because . . . they are simply pleasant and appealing places all people want to be. You see blacks, whites, east asians, south asians, rich, poor, middle, foreigner, native all over there. Much less so at say, the Gallery.

Sure, only wealthier people (wealthier than I, certainly) can afford to actually buy stuff from many of the stores there, but who cares? I still love walking the street because it's nice, not because I can afford to shop there. Generally hoards of teens - "inner city" or otherwise (the 7-11 not far from where I grew up always had bored, noisy, crude, hoodie white teens smoking and loitering in the parking lot at all hours; just as unpleasant as any other crowd of noisy teens) - are best to be avoided.



It is not expensive. What on earth are you talking about?

Starr, Garces, Vetri: expensive. Olive Garden, TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesday: moderate - expensive depending on your circumstance; RTM: inexpensive. You can get a very good meal their for less than $10. If that's expensive, well . . . I guess you can go to Taco Bell or McDonald's, which are certainly cheap, but it ain't really food either. I'd rather be poorer and put some real food in me than be less poor and put garbage disguised as food in me.



I live in Center City, as do many people I know. And we all go their regularly.
Yes it's crowded and noisy, like 9th Street, but welcome to the big city. I don't go to the library to do my vegetable shopping.

1. Just because you were afraid to go into the Gallery doesnt mean no one that looks like you frequented the mall. First of all, thousands of regional rail commuters walk through at least parts of the complex every day, especially in the winter. They are plenty comfortable
2. CC has a diversity of options for places to eat. You can get (real) food cheaper and faster than in RTM. Your hurt feelings aside, thats a fact and not an opinion. Most people Ive worked with rarely ventured in there. You're right, its a big city and thus no need for everyone to eat at touristy locales like RTM.
3. The clientele nor foot traffic on Walnut West reflects Philadelphia as a whole. The retail options there aren't aimed at Philadelphians on the whole
4. Kids are not hanging at the Gallery when office workers are most likely to be there. Groups of kids being truant while causing a ruckus at the Gallery would be an easy target for city police. Aside from half days I don't even see many teens out and about in CC during what most would consider lunch hours. And malls tend to attract young people whether in the city or burbs. Unless the kids are doing something illegal Im not sure why their presence means that a facility like the Gallery is a failed operation. I suppose the inference is making is that ANY location in CC that may be frequented by these city teens are places you wont be comfortable and measures must be taken to keep these kids in their neighborhoods where they belong.
5. Agreed that CC is everyone's neighborhood- but your comments suggest that you believe its not actually for everyone. I hate to disapppoint but in a city where 90% of teens will never own car (if they even get a license) public transportation is the key to getting around. CC is always going to be frequented by teens because they can get there and there is more to do in CC than in any other area of the City. Changing the name of the gallery, closing down Wendys, etc. will not change that fact.
6. Your personal preferences for food dont change the fact that people of all types and incomes want something other than RTM fare to eat. I know you don't lower yourself to eating at any chain or fast food places, but I can tell you people from students to guys in suits eat that "garbage" and CC is best served to offer quick and semi-affordable options to compliment the stuff you wait 10 minutes to get in places like RTM.

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by 1487

Im glad there is a RTM. But people seem to think because they shop there regularly it means a huge proportion of Philadelphians do the same. I dont think thats the case. And lunchtime would be the time when many CC workers would venture into the market- hence why its always packed when I visit. I work downtown, I dont live downtown. RTM has nothing to do with a mall or general retailing in Center City. Id think a huge % of the folks who come to RTM never shop on Walnut street.

The point of bringing up the RTM is that it is representative of an inclusive urban space that is not simultaneously a shit-hole. This is possible.

You want to remind us all of the surprising and little known fact that the revitalization of Center City should not require the banishing of lower income people of color.

In pursuit of this, you seem to conflate crappy Wendy's, dank fast food courts, sneaker store malls and depressing dollar stores with the kinds of things that lower income black people like and that must remain in Center City in order for them to want to continue to go there. So preserving Center City's Wendy's, junk food, sneaker stores, and mass teen hang outs represents a kind of social justice for you.

I am suggesting to you that Center City can be an inclusive and truly diverse place without that junk, Reading Terminal being a case in point; Rittenhouse Square too; the Schuylkill River path; eastern South Street and 9th Street are also places like this. Even Chinatown.

I'd bet that many many black people - and poor black people - will continue to enjoy being in Center City long after Chestnut Street and Market East have been revitalized, despite the relative dirth of Wendy's and Villa Sports outlets. And we'll see alot more diversity in terms of new kinds of people who venture into the city because it offers a more broadly appealing mix of nice things to see and do.

Will we see less "inner city" teens wandering in large groups there? Yes, hopefully. Center City need not - ought not - be a playground for bored teens in large groups.

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by 1487

Im glad there is a RTM. But people seem to think because they shop there regularly it means a huge proportion of Philadelphians do the same. I dont think thats the case.

A huge portion of Philadelphians don't shop at the Shoprite at Front and Snyder, either, just the people for whom it is convenient to get there, like me, say. No single mid-priced food market location can serve all Philadelphians. That's why there are food markets in every neighborhood.

But go to Iovine's to on any day and you will see whites, blacks, asians - pretty much everybody in roughly equal distibution - buying produce there. It is a very diverse clientele because it is convenient, it offers decent variety and quality, and the prices are pretty good. Cheap like Aldi? Maybe not, but often less expensive than most ordinary supermarkets.

[Williard Mouse]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

The point of bringing up the RTM is that it is representative of an inclusive urban space that is not simultaneously a shit-hole. This is possible.

You want to remind us all of the surprising and little known fact that the revitalization of Center City should not require the banishing of lower income people of color.

In pursuit of this, you seem to conflate crappy Wendy's, dank fast food courts, sneaker store malls and depressing dollar stores with the kinds of things that lower income black people like and that must remain in Center City in order for them to want to continue to go there. So preserving Center City's Wendy's, junk food, sneaker stores, and mass teen hang outs represents a kind of social justice for you.

I am suggesting to you that Center City can be an inclusive and truly diverse place without that junk, Reading Terminal being a case in point; Rittenhouse Square too; the Schuylkill River path; eastern South Street and 9th Street are also places like this. Even Chinatown.

I'd bet that many many black people - and poor black people - will continue to enjoy being in Center City long after Chestnut Street and Market East have been revitalized, despite the relative dirth of Wendy's and Villa Sports outlets. And we'll see alot more diversity in terms of new kinds of people who venture into the city because it offers a more broadly appealing mix of nice things to see and do.

Will we see less "inner city" teens wandering in large groups there? Yes, hopefully. Center City need not - ought not - be a playground for bored teens in large groups.

Poor black folk? Some of those sneakers cost $700 or more. You will be able to buy a Gucci handbag for $400.

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by 1487

1. Just because you were afraid to go into the Gallery doesnt mean no one that looks like you frequented the mall.

Afraid? I've been to the Gallery more times than you've had hot meals. I've been going to there since it opened. I eventually stopped going after Kmart closed - certainly not out of fear, but only because it's ugly, there's nothing worthwhile to see there since I'm no longer 15 and looking for new sneakers every few months, and I don't enjoy being surround by gaggles of screaming congregating teenagers.

You can get (real) food cheaper and faster than in RTM.

Yummy Bourbon Chicken

most people Ive worked with rarely ventured in there.

Maybe you work with dull people.

touristy locales like RTM.

Sure there are tourists there along with the locals. You - who do not live here - can call it touristy if you like, but that means nothing. For us locals it's a real convenient and useful place. I'd take one RTM over 1000 Gallery food courts. I can't believe we're even discussing this.

The foot traffic on Walnut West [does not reflect] Philadelphia as a whole.

You are just wrong my friend. Unless you believe that Philadelphia should cater exclusively to a monoethnic inner city teen set.

Kids are not hanging at the Gallery when office workers are most likely to be there.

Who cares? Office workers are only here a few hours a day. The rest of us live here all week.

Unless the kids are doing something illegal Im not sure why their presence means that a facility like the Gallery is a failed operation.

It may not be failed, it's just ugly and uninteresting to most people. And it manages to have that marvelous effect through the use of a mere three solid blocks of prime land.

I suppose the inference is making is that ANY location in CC that may be frequented by these city teens are places you wont be comfortable and measures must be taken to keep these kids in their neighborhoods where they belong.

South Street is my neighborhood, so I suppose I must not be quite as you describe.

CC is always going to be frequented by teens because they can get there and there is more to do in CC than in any other area of the City. Changing the name of the gallery, closing down Wendys, etc. will not change that fact.

Probably true. So devising ways to discourage hoards of restless bored teens congregating is very importrant for Center City toi remain an appealing place to other people.

Your personal preferences for food dont change the fact that people of all types and incomes want something other than RTM fare to eat. . . . .

So true. I usually don't eat at RTM, much to my chagrin, although I do as often as I can because it is a wonderful place to relax and watch everyone in Philly having fun in the same place. There's a time and place for chain food, too. But food courts attract groups of teens like manure attracts flies. Hope to god that the new Outlets does not have a crappy food court.

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by Williard Mouse

Poor black folk? Some of those sneakers cost $700 or more.

Heh heh. Buying $700 sneakers is one very good way to stay poor, particularly if you are a teenager.

[1487]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

The point of bringing up the RTM is that it is representative of an inclusive urban space that is not simultaneously a shit-hole. This is possible.

You want to remind us all of the surprising and little known fact that the revitalization of Center City should not require the banishing of lower income people of color.

In pursuit of this, you seem to conflate crappy Wendy's, dank fast food courts, sneaker store malls and depressing dollar stores with the kinds of things that lower income black people like and that must remain in Center City in order for them to want to continue to go there. So preserving Center City's Wendy's, junk food, sneaker stores, and mass teen hang outs represents a kind of social justice for you.

I am suggesting to you that Center City can be an inclusive and truly diverse place without that junk, Reading Terminal being a case in point; Rittenhouse Square too; the Schuylkill River path; eastern South Street and 9th Street are also places like this. Even Chinatown.

I'd bet that many many black people - and poor black people - will continue to enjoy being in Center City long after Chestnut Street and Market East have been revitalized, despite the relative dirth of Wendy's and Villa Sports outlets. And we'll see alot more diversity in terms of new kinds of people who venture into the city because it offers a more broadly appealing mix of nice things to see and do.

Will we see less "inner city" teens wandering in large groups there? Yes, hopefully. Center City need not - ought not - be a playground for bored teens in large groups.

Im still not clear on what classifies the gallery as an sh** hole aside from the fact that you dont like the people who patronized it. It wasnt dirty nor dangerous. Your objections seem based around the perceived demographics and the fact that you believe the goods sold there only appealed to low class people who don't share your buying habits.

You arent about diversity of any kind- you dont want to see diversity iin terms of retail, demographics or food outlets. You are saying CC should be exclusively filled with the types of places you eat and shop and anything else is "junk". You are also deluded if you think that all the places you want banished from CC are only patronized by black teens from "other" areas. In fact, you make it clear you dont frequent these places due to your high standards, but you simultaneously claim to be an expert on who shops there. CC has a lot of retail spaces and many more are on the way. People should have a full spectrum of offerings in a major downtown like ours. This is not a mall- you praise RTM for its urban feel and unique flavor but you are also pining for CC to be like an urban version of K of P. Can't have it both ways.

The fact that you think CC is too upscale to even have sneaker stores is pretty interesting. Even nice suburban malls have sneaker stores so the real issue for you must be who you think shops in those stores- as if working people dont ever buy sneakers.

You cant police or eliminate groups you find unsightly when they haven't done anything. That is the antithesis of the big city experience. You say CC shouldnt be a place where teens hang out- but you dont provide any reasoning for that. Do you really think the idea of young people walking through or shopping in CC is a new phenomenon? As long as there is public transit access and a fair number of schools in or near CC you will find teens flocking there. When I was in HS we would go down there after half days- never crossed my mind that we shouldn't have been allowed to walk the streets or patronize places in CC because we didn't fit the profile of acceptable CC visitors.

[1487]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

A huge portion of Philadelphians don't shop at the Shoprite at Front and Snyder, either, just the people for whom it is convenient to get there, like me, say. No single mid-priced food market location can serve all Philadelphians. That's why there are food markets in every neighborhood.

But go to Iovine's to on any day and you will see whites, blacks, asians - pretty much everybody in roughly equal distibution - buying produce there. It is a very diverse clientele because it is convenient, it offers decent variety and quality, and the prices are pretty good. Cheap like Aldi? Maybe not, but often less expensive than most ordinary supermarkets.

Ive been to RTM, Ive been to 9th street. Ive been all over. I know what diversity looks like. I'm telling you that you will see multiple races and demographic groups inside the Gallery or its anchor stores. I never said the places you love and cherish didn't have diverse clientele. I just said that you can't make the argument that no one like yourself ever set foot in the gallery because it was overrun with wild mobs of truant black teens.

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by 1487

You are also deluded if you think that all the places you want banished from CC are only patronized by black teens from "other" areas.

That's what you are saying, not me. You seem to have some bizarre idea that the existing Wendy's and the Gallery serve to rebalance social injustices and that attempts to make Center City more "upscale" will discourage black people from coming to Center City.

I don't believe that. I'm saying that black people will always come downtown, like everyone else, because it is nice and interesting, not because of junk food and a hideous rundown shopping mall that wastes three core blocks with a very limited array of low end schlock dealers.

The nicer Center City gets, the more blacks, whites, Indians, east Asians, Hispanics, and everyone else, will come downtown. That is evident in a place like RTM, which is by no means "upscale", though you continue to bleat that it is; being better and more interesting than a mall food court does not automatically mean "upscale".

You seem to have a cryogenically frozen worldview from the 1980s that views Philadelphia in binary terms of black or white. There's alot more out there. Not everything still needs to be viewed in this city through the prism of social justice vis a vis black/white race relations.

[Cro Burnham]

I'm sure 1487 and I have bored the rest of the readers of this thread to death. Sorry folks. I just can't handle the pseudo-social justice nonsense conflated with junk food, teen loitering, and Chinese sneaker imports. I'll stop now.

[allovertown]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

The point of bringing up the RTM is that it is representative of an inclusive urban space that is not simultaneously a shit-hole. This is possible.

You want to remind us all of the surprising and little known fact that the revitalization of Center City should not require the banishing of lower income people of color.

In pursuit of this, you seem to conflate crappy Wendy's, dank fast food courts, sneaker store malls and depressing dollar stores with the kinds of things that lower income black people like and that must remain in Center City in order for them to want to continue to go there. So preserving Center City's Wendy's, junk food, sneaker stores, and mass teen hang outs represents a kind of social justice for you.

I am suggesting to you that Center City can be an inclusive and truly diverse place without that junk, Reading Terminal being a case in point; Rittenhouse Square too; the Schuylkill River path; eastern South Street and 9th Street are also places like this. Even Chinatown.

I'd bet that many many black people - and poor black people - will continue to enjoy being in Center City long after Chestnut Street and Market East have been revitalized, despite the relative dirth of Wendy's and Villa Sports outlets. And we'll see alot more diversity in terms of new kinds of people who venture into the city because it offers a more broadly appealing mix of nice things to see and do.

Will we see less "inner city" teens wandering in large groups there? Yes, hopefully. Center City need not - ought not - be a playground for bored teens in large groups.

This 1000%. I'm black and I'm not afraid of the Gallery in its present form and often shop there because it's convenient. .. that doesn't mean I don't think it looks dumpy and embarrassing for the tourists and wouldn't appreciate it looking nicer. I also shop at rtm and my wife shops on walnut st. 1487 shouldn't stereotype all black as preferring the dumpy gallery. All the black people I know think it's a great idea. Sorry 1487, I think you're waging a fight on the behalf of people who mostly disagree with you.

[1487]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

That's what you are saying, not me. You seem to have some bizarre idea that the existing Wendy's and the Gallery serve to rebalance social injustices and that attempts to make Center City more "upscale" will discourage black people from coming to Center City.

I don't believe that. I'm saying that black people will always come downtown, like everyone else, because it is nice and interesting, not because of junk food and a hideous rundown shopping mall that wastes three core blocks with a very limited array of low end schlock dealers.

The nicer Center City gets, the more blacks, whites, Indians, east Asians, Hispanics, and everyone else, will come downtown. That is evident in a place like RTM, which is by no means "upscale", though you continue to bleat that it is; being better and more interesting than a mall food court does not automatically mean "upscale".

You seem to have a cryogenically frozen worldview from the 1980s that views Philadelphia in binary terms of black or white. There's alot more out there. Not everything still needs to be viewed in this city through the prism of social justice vis a vis black/white race relations.

im not even clear what you mean by social justice. It has nothing to do with what Im talking about. Im talking about the notion that you believe someone with your particular tastes should be able to dictate what and whom should be found in center city. And anyone or anything that isn't your cup of tea is downgrading Center city philly. As stated numerous times- there were many common chain stores in the gallery that would be found in the average suburban mall. In fact, recent reports suggested the gallery made more money than several of PREITs suburban malls on a per sf basis. Thats a fact. The gallery was a dated design that needed updating but your statements about it being a run down shit hole full of low class stores selling junk goods classy people wouldnt buy dont line up with the facts. Nor do your claims of people being scared to go into the mall because they may have to share any space with angry mobs of teens who were roaming the property day and night. So forget social justice, Im saying that center city can be and likely will always be a place that offers products and food that cater to a wide range of tastes even (Shockingly) tastes that you don't share. When you infer that sneaker stores are low rent slum type retailers that have no place in your Utopian K of P like center city it tells me what I need to know about your perspective. IF a store is doing the business to pay the rent than the landlord is going to keep that store there. There is a nice new sneaker store on chestnut that filled a vacant space, if they can support that space and it drives foot traffic Im glad they are there. Some people need to buy sneakers even if you find such things beneath you and your social circle. Im still baffled by the fact that you feel that stores that would be gladly accepted in many suburban malls are in fact too low class for downtown Philly. HOw does that work?

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by allovertown

This 1000%. I'm black and I'm not afraid of the Gallery in its present form and often shop there because it's convenient. .. that doesn't mean I don't think it looks dumpy and embarrassing for the tourists and wouldn't appreciate it looking nicer. I also shop at rtm and my wife shops on walnut st . . . . waging a fight on the behalf of people who mostly disagree with you.

It's nice to hear this from a person who obviously has far greater intimacy with the subject than I do. I know some black people who feel similarly, but obviously my awareness of much of this issue is anecdotal and second hand. So I'm happy to read that what seems apparent to me is corroborated at least by one other skyscraper nerd who has some deeper experience and insight into this particular issue.

. . . . stereotype all black as preferring the dumpy gallery. All the black people I know think it's a great idea.

Yet again, I think the media is partly responsible for stoking this stereotype. The bent in most of the articles is that "blacks are being pushed out to make way for young white millenial outsiders"; then they mine a few crusty old folks and and disgruntled banished fake-jewelry-dealing kiosk owners for bitter quotes to substantiate the meme, and off the story runs from there.

To their credit, our ordinarily foolish blowhard city council hacks are conspicuously not stoking the fires on this. That is very unusual and indicates there is broad support for the idea of overhauling the Gallery from its present state of decrepitude.