As gentrification continues to seep through every corner and pocket of the city, laundromats, once as ubiquitous as bodegas or pay phones or subway graffiti, are making the inevitable shift from Thing That People Need to Thing That People Take Artsy Pictures Of to Thing That Is Now a Dunkin' Donuts. Icelandic photographer Snorri Sturluson is handling stage two for everyone, and has been taking pictures of laundromats throughout the five boroughs since 2008. He recently put all his photos in a book, titled Laundromat, and also answered—quite eloquently—some questions from Jeremiah's Vanishing New York. "The Laundromat represents an old way of life, one where you are forced to air your dirty laundry in public, rub shoulders with your neighbors, be exposed to their dirty laundry and have an uncomfortable 'closeness' with their being, and vice versa," Sturluson says. "There's also a simpler answer, Laundromats in their essence, are a utilitarian service with low margins and can't survive on higher rents."
· An Ode to the Urban Laundromat [JVNY]
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