Rates of Change

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." -Ferris Bueller's Day Off

The problem with having a favorite little place in New York is that you have no way of knowing how long it will be around. There are some establishments that appear to be here for the long haul. Bloomingdales, the Metropolitan Museum, the Statue of Liberty - I think they are pretty safe for now. It really depends on how desperately Manhattan needs more luxury condos and corporate office space.

But for the charming little places that give a neighborhood character, the ones that make you feel like "you are here" there are no such guarantees. Landlords change their minds. Developers gobble up the land from beneath you. Rents rise. Leases are not renewed.

So, Cafe Palacinka closes and the Moondance Diner does too. Sin-e closes for the second time, who knows where or if it will resurface? 7th Avenue Books and next door neighbor Park Slope Books close as well. And how can I forget to mention Sauce?

It doesn't just happen to the little places. It hits chain stores as well: the Barnes and Noble near Astor Place, the Hollywood Video store three blocks from me.

People take these changes in stride. What else is there to do? The world spins fast and ever faster. It's best that you stay in motion with it, loving what you love but always ready to embrace and seek the new.

The Poet Rumi has a line that I do not precisely recall but paraphrase in this way:
"Look long at the face of the one you love whether approaching or departing."