Do you live or work in a neighborhood that's changing? How do you feel about it?

Have you ever lived in a neighborhood that was going downhill, or one that was being gentrified? Did you feel displaced? Relieved? Scared? Anxious to leave?

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2001

Answers

My neighborhood changed drastically before I left. Huge fertile fields -- some of the best soil in the world -- got plowed under and turned into housing developments only the incredibly wealthy could afford.

I live in a new neighborhood and new state now. This town has a stockcar race every Saturday night and everyone has a classic car they are refurbishing, so it's a place where there's always a car on blocks in someone's driveway.

I just know I'm going to start feeling nauseous if those non-operable appliances start decorating the houses on my block. Criminy, the wagon wheels are bad enough.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2001

I lived in my old neighborhood for 22 years and yeah, it changed. It wasn't really up or downhill, more horizontal. It changed from being a neighborhood of Russian immigrants and college students to one of fewer Russian immigrants and college students and way more Chinese immigrants. Which was fine, except that the shoe store and the used book stores and the interesting boutiques that I'd enjoyed went away and were replaced by vegetable markets and stores selling Chinese language books. Those weren't of much interest to me. It seemed weird that there were so many markets, too - I mean there literally were four or five to a block.

I started to feel displaced, but by that time I was totally sick of living in the city, in general, and was delighted to leave.

I still have friends who live in that neighborhood and they report that some interesting craft type stores have moved in, so I guess these things go in cycles.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2001

Marshall Grounds shot itself in the foot; they are closed every evening and on weekends. That is no way to run a restaurant! I loved the lone sandwich I ate there, but will have to be content with the Corti Brothers deli counter from now on.

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2001

Marhsall Grounds has been closed evenings and weekends for a really long time, though -- a couple of years, at least. And they were still packed at lunch time. Actually they were only open during the evenings for a very brief period.

I don't know why it's suddenly so very empty, though, when the menu hasn't changed. Maybe it's the guy with the 72 facial piercings who takes your order, or maybe it's the goth art, or maybe it's the extremely loud music, or maybe it's the not-quite-so-good sandwiches. I don't know. It's just really sad, though.

-- Anonymous, July 30, 2001