White Fright Flight

In 1992, way back before the Gansevoort Meat Packing District and Chelsea became the destination hot spots they are today, you wouldn't find anybody but meat cutters and hookers along 9th and 11th Avenue. And the most intrepid destination in the area remained the old High Line, a 1.5-mile elevated train track which stood decaying above Manhattan’s West Side. Today the funky Western Beef is preparing to morph into something less affordable and presumably more appealing to the wine and dine crowds, while the gangs of the fun-loving street walkers seem forever lost to time. Things change. Futhering the sadness, the Meat Packing District has become the exclusive domain of the Connecticut Sweater-Set while the formerly secretive getaways of the High Line are prepping to open Prada slipper-friendly walkways to facilitate the safe passage of champagne cocktails between ubiquitous boutique hotels. Like walking? I am afraid it's time to walk somewhere else, boys.