At the Stage

The building that houses the Stage Restaurant has been sold, reported EV Grieve, supposedly to a bunch of "young guys" who were talking about clearing out the business.

The Stage still has 6 years on its lease, but we know how that goes, especially when "young guys" are in the picture. 



So I went for lunch to soak up the atmosphere while it lasts. Locals, regulars, working men in hard hats, people speaking Polish. And then a couple of young guys walked in.

They weren't the young guys. They looked like NYU kids. They took a seat, ordered borscht and "holy bread." They meant challah, but I guess they didn't know the name or how to say it. And then they started talking.

First, I've noticed that young people in New York today talk about two things, generally: (1) Work: usually something about "marketing" and/or "advertising," about which they're very, very excited, and (2) Technology: often involving Apple products. Overhearing them talk to each other in a restaurant often sounds like this, "Marketing, marketing, iPhone, marketing, iPad, advertising, marketing, iPhone." It's painfully boring. I wish they'd read a book or see a movie or talk about anything that might indicate they have minds of their own and aren't, in reality, robots.



Anyway, these two young guys are eating their borscht with "holy bread" and talking with great excitement and conviction about both marketing and technology. Here's what they had to say:

Young Guy 1: "It's convenient. Even more convenient than going to the actual bookstore."

Young Guy 2: "In New York you can find pretty much everything locally, but there's a lot more value in going online to find it."

Young Guy 1: "It's a better experience, and that's why it holds up. Now we're figuring out how to build in single user utility."



What is it with young guys? Why don't they value the city as it exists?

To them and the ones who just bought the Stage's building: Leave New York alone. Leave the Stage alone. And for chrissakes, learn how to say challah.

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