Sunday, February 5, 2023

Disappearing Act

Observations of a vanishing culture:

The DVD section at the Union Square Barnes and Noble is now only a few shelves. It used to be a whole room.

When people go to the movie theaters, there are usually only a few attendees in the audience. At the last film I saw in a theater, Tar, we were among a handful in the seats. Cinema chains are shutting down including the Cinepolis on 23rd street and the Regal Union Square.

On the subway, I was the only one reading an actual book. Everyone else was staring into their phones.

No one sells photo albums anymore. No one writes checks. I can't listen to CDs in my car anymore because there is no CD player. I prefer CDs to streaming music because I have more control.

It happens to me every time. I want to sit down somewhere public to read while I kill time before an appointment, but I can never find a seat and I wind up wandering through the B&N or the Strand for hours.

When visiting my mother, I noticed that the Philadelphia Inquirer no longer runs a grid of TV listings. 





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