Maybe it's a jaded New Yorker thing (in honor of today being my two year anniversary living in the Big Apple), but I'm popped out. In my neighborhood alone (thanks, in large part, to the demise of St. Vincent's Hospital) pop-up shops are a dime a dozen--cupcakes, ice cream, designers, two month "once in a lifetime" chef's specials...suffice it to say I'm over it.
Until the new section of the High Line opened, and bringing with it a POP UP ROLLER RINK. Easily wooed by anything related to four wheels and red rubber stoppers, I just had to check it out.
Summer is prime pop-up time, when seasonal foodstuffs and nice weather get together to bring the East Coast a unique local bounty that is nearly impossible to come across the rest of the year. Boosted by the Colicchio's The Lot on Tap (featuring a Brooklyn Brewery High Line Hef and a series of specialty food trucks), Uniqlo sponsors the roller rink. A vacant parking lot transformed into a roller rink with beer and food sounds like my heaven, but I have to say, I was less than impressed.
Lacking the circumference of regulation rinks, the High Line roller rink feels exactly what it is--pop-up. $12 dollars for entrance and a pair of skates which have been god only knows where (and personally I prefer more ankle support) for a bumpy lot in which to perform small circles. How about we take some of the proceeds and build a permanent fixture in a neighborhood that, thanks to the High Line, is primed for a serious resurgence? And if that fixture just happens to be a smooth-as-silk roller rink for those of us who are disco-inclined, all the better.
Limited time pop-ups are selling us all short. So focused are we on the novelty of latest trends (ah novelty, one of the great American pastimes to be sure), that we are willing to forfeit quality and staying power. In the grand tradition of free-market capitalism it has become socially acceptable to get in, make money, and get out before anyone can tell how viable, socially responsible or ethically relevant a pop-up business is. Pop-ups literally do not have to do anything well to be a short-lived success--so eager for the "next best thing," we are being blinded by an avalanche of newfangled showmanship. For my money, better to spend some quality time with the super groovy folks at the Central Park Dance Skate Association....for now I'll keep working on my spins.
...and a coincidentally well-timed article on the Gastronomics of Pop-Ups
Limited time pop-ups are selling us all short. So focused are we on the novelty of latest trends (ah novelty, one of the great American pastimes to be sure), that we are willing to forfeit quality and staying power. In the grand tradition of free-market capitalism it has become socially acceptable to get in, make money, and get out before anyone can tell how viable, socially responsible or ethically relevant a pop-up business is. Pop-ups literally do not have to do anything well to be a short-lived success--so eager for the "next best thing," we are being blinded by an avalanche of newfangled showmanship. For my money, better to spend some quality time with the super groovy folks at the Central Park Dance Skate Association....for now I'll keep working on my spins.
...and a coincidentally well-timed article on the Gastronomics of Pop-Ups
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