My city.. My astoria

I can say that I'm a true Astorian, a true New Yorker. I've witnessed the tough times of the 80s,the rebirth of the city of the 90s.I remember a time when it was wasn't safe anywhere. NYC is one of those places where you either love it or hate it. But what you have to love about this place is that though it may be a grimy, hectic , and overwhelming city, you will always find some people with a lot of heart and a whole lot of soul. These the are true new yorkers.. The ones that knows, understands and experiences the true struggles of this city. These are The working class, the immigrants, the lifelong new yorkers.These are true new yorkers that are now being kicked out of their own neighborhoods because of the whole "gentrification movement". Affordable neighborhoods are now being turned into condo-lands. Astoria is one place where on every block new condos are going up a weekly basis. I remember a time when I used to tell people where I lived. They would give me a dumbfounded look like.."where?".. Nowadays, you say you live in astoria , your cool factor goes up and young people are now flocking to astoria in mass numbers.I went with my friends last week apartment hunting. On every block, I would see some young "yuppies" or hipster wannabees moving in. The apartments we saw were undeniably not worth 1400 a month. But these are the kind of ubsurd prices astoria is going for these days. I remember the days where you can get a decent 2 bedroom for just 800 or 900 bucks! While I welcome the change that is happening in this area with the influx of new "migrants" to astoria.I am also worried that the identity of astoria or any other neighborhood in other boroughs will be lost. The mom and pops shops will give way to cool trendy lounges or restaurants to cater to the younger people. Where every block and every neighborhood will become a generic carbon copy of each other littered with un-inspired luxury condo buildings. Generations of families who built the identity of a neighborhood will be lost to young people -the transients who most likely will only stay in the neighborhood for 2 years or so and then leave for another cooler/hip area.

Where will families like me end up in this condo gentrified waste land? Where will the heart and soul of new york be pushed to?