I remember taking a trip back into my childhood neighborhood of Seward Park, right outside of Chinatown. My elementary school had been there and I spent a lot of time at the library there. When I was younger, I had always known the corner bodegas, the almost makeshift appearing fruit stand run by a Chinese lady, the food cart that sells churn fan (pronounced like churn- fun) and the little Chinese cafe on the corner that sold spaghetti. These were among the other cultural marks that I had taken for granted, all those years ago.

Going back to visit again was super strange and nostalgic. The churn fan cart and the lady running it was no longer there, the street corner was just empty. The fruit stand was still there, but it looked sadder for some reason. The cafe and bodega were gone. What I noticed was a coffee shop with vintage walls, mason jars, dried flowers as decorations and chalkboards, lots of chalkboards.

When the New York Times article spoke of Ms. Burke’s struggle with finding an affordable apartment in her childhood neighborhood, I was reminded of this memory. The places that once been laudable were now desirable and the effects of gentrification aren’t restrained. The supply and demand of the market had always made sense to me, but for situations regarding matters such as housing spaces and childhood memories, I wish the market wasn’t so strict. There is no room for childhood nostalgia when the price is right.