Spilled Milk
Shopping malls and car dealerships make me queasy. The former produces a distinctly chemical orange taste in my mouth, while the latter conjures up an intense aroma of sour milk.
Growing up in Indiana, I spent an obscene amount of time in the mall where the Orange Julius shop was the epicenter of cool for my friends and me. I sucked down those frothy concoctions for years before recognizing that the mall was sucking up one too many of my brain cells.
The sour milk memory was fueled by an accident in the backseat of our sporty 1979 Honda Civic. Soon after my parents drove the shiny red car off the dealership lot, my 9-year-old brother spilled a thermos of milk onto the upholstered mesh seat. The stench of milk stayed in the car for years to come; it was a gift that kept on giving.
Shopping malls and car dealerships are nausea-inducing enough on their own - so imagine my horror upon learning that these two establishments have joined forces a few blocks from my East Harlem apartment. A "one-of-a-kind-block-sized auto mall - set to be one of the fanciest auto-dealerships in the nation" - will open March 1. It will be both a car dealership and a service center. Today, the first batch of vehicles was delivered to the massive, three-story building, and a press conference set against the backdrop of Hummers, Cadillacs and Saturns ensued.
"Harlem is jumping," said Don Keyes, a general manager for the project, in an earlier interview with Newsday. "This place is happening, and that's why we're here."
"I'm here because I live here," I thought, trying not to gag.
Officials say the location on East 127th Street is ideal. Because of its close proximity to the Triborough Bridge and the FDR Drive, 350,000 vehicles a day pass by the auto mall.
I have to leave now and find myself a bagel. I hear the plain ones are good for nausea…
posted by Rachel Natalie Klein at 4:07 PM
3 Comments:
Interesting news, my fellow Harlemite. I was reading about this new development in the paper and heard that the project had originally been slated more shops and services for the people that actually live in the neighborhood but that they didn't come into fruition for some odd reason. Curious to know what you think the long term effects of the development will be.
Auto Mall officials point to the location of the development and state that hundreds of thousands of cars pass by the location each day (due to the close proximity of the FDR Drive and Triborough Bridge). The key words here are "pass by"; it's a pit stop - not a place where Harlem residents will congregate. The Auto Mall is not a place Harlem residents will stroll by, wander in and stay for awhile.
Neighborhoods thrive on local stores that can be used by residents as gathering places; to meet friends, family and loved ones. Places like coffee shops, restaurants and book stores thrive in neighborhoods because they reflect the dynamics of a community by providing an open forum for residents to gather and talk. In my estimation, the Auto Mall is simply a means to an outer-borough end; it's a place non-residents will drive to, get their car fixed and then motor right out of our neighborhood.
Yeah, the auto mall is entirely for Westchester and Connecticut commuters. Nothing wrong with that as the tax revenue and jobs help the city. But it doesn't do much of anything for the neighborhood. I'm not sure the location would work for local stores and such as it is pretty isolated.
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