Better Off Without One

The elevator in my South Bronx apartment building worked as often as a spoiled child. Then, one day, on the sixth-floor landing, someone held a fashion show; on the fourth, someone installed a disco; on the third, movies played, drinks were served. Tenants organized street fairs. The drug dealers relocated. The cops, who had their hands full, now slept in their cars. The building became a tourist attraction. The landlord charged non-residents to enter. Then one day, he fixed the elevator. The professionals moved in. Fancy stores opened. The rents were raised. And just like that, the party was over. The post Better Off Without One appeared first on NYCTastemakers.