A Walk Along St. Marks Place

In a city like New York that’s constantly evolving, you often hear grumblings that neighborhoods just aren’t what they used to be.  You even have people who miss the old Times Square as gritty and crime ridden as it once was. Further downtown, St. Marks Place is frequently the subject of that kind of debate.  The three block stretch in the East Village has long had a reputation as being a hotspot for counterculture. It’s synonymous with names like Allen Ginsberg, Andy Warhol and the Ramones. But, some feel that pizzazz has been lost to gentrification.  Regardless, the tiny street has a long and rich history. Journalist Ada Calhoun grew up on St. Marks Place, and recently penned a book about it.  It’s called St. Marks Is Dead: The Many Lives of America’s Hippest Street. Ada and Cityscape host George Bodarky recently met up to take a walk through her old neighborhood.