The photo above is the view from my fire escape, just off the front parlor of my modest but comfortable East Village walkup apartment. The mess you are viewing has been there for six months, since the day the city condemned the decrepit brick building. Aside from the fact that the monstrous green wall is an eyesore and creates a dangerous, narrow walking path along First Avenue (exposing pedestrains to its heavy, truck laden traffic), it's been hell on the local establishments that were law abiding tenants of the property, until bricks began falling from the sky.

The two most vibrant of these were the Mee Noodle Shop (which was Allen Ginsberg's favorite Chinese restaurant--he reportdedly liked the steamed flounder in garlic sauce) and a closet of a take out place (or "cuchifrito") called "Spanish American Food" that served delicious, cheap "Spanish" food (though the family that ran it were Puerto Rican). A man could eat three squares there for less than $10 a day, and many a man (and woman) did, including scores of local cops, bus drivers, Con Ed workers and others employed by the City of New York.

Sadly, their yellow rice and black beans are now but a dream. Both restaurants have been forced out of business due to the larger structural issue facing this building. In a three block radius that has, in the last two years, seen the addition of a Dunkin' Donuts, a Blimpies (replacing one that had been at the corner of 14th and 1st for many years), a Subway and a Popeye's Fried Chicken, the loss of two local favorites is particularly meaningful. Nothing is sacred in the path of commercial, chain-based mallification, but the owners of this building owe a debt to these establishments for the harm this has done to their businesses, if not the larger loss of vibrancy to what was once a lovely corner.

At the very least, they ought to clean up the mess they've made.

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