In this hyperfuturist age of LCD chandeliers and thumbprint-operated elevators, it's only natural for there to be some kind of low-tech backlash. And indeed there is. We take you to the Upper West Side, a stodgy neighborhood currently whelping a brand new trend. It's still in the early stages, but there is already anger:
The new instant tents for brownstone balconies and terraces on West 88th Street are raising my normal anxiety level. It seems that ingenious folks (two now actually) have permanently erected huge instant tents on their 4th and 5th floor terraces in the backyards between West 88 and 89th streets (West End to Riverside Drive) on the UWS. These 10’ by 20’ behemoths seem to be of the portable, collapsing instant variety. With the next strong wind I am waiting for them to become airborne (not in my direction hopefully) and perhaps the scene will resemble the balloon festivals photos I see in National Geographic. On the other hand, maybe the City (hint: code violation) will intervene and derive us of this possible enjoyment. Tents, people, tents. It has come to this.