I learned about Dimes Square so you don't have to
I'm no hero
Hello you!
I first heard about Dimes Square on the internet, mostly from cultural influencers I follow, both micro and macro. Initially, I thought it was just a designated area for hot people in the Lower East Side, which like, color me intrigued! But upon a deep dive after seeing it pop up frequently in memes from @starterpacksofnyc and NYT articles alike, I learned that it’s a small area at the intersection of the Lower East Side and Chinatown made up of restaurants and galleries where intellectuals, skaters, NYC nepotism babies, podcasters (aren’t we all), playwrights, and celebrities collide. The name is both practical and sort of an inside joke with its regulars- in 2013, the restaurant Dimes opened and became a popular hang out for tastemakers in downtown culture. The area continued to grow with the acquisition of more restaurants with European-style al fresco dining, an art house theater (frequented by Greta Gerwig and Willem Dafoe), and a skate shop which would eventually make way for a new group of skater celebrities (think hottie Evan Mock). In contrast to the cringe and touristy Times Square in midtown, Dimes Square was tiny, cool, and off the beaten path. And thus, the name was born.
Dimes Square was set up well for the pandemic, as most of it’s restaurants have outdoor dining, contributing to its popularity exploding over the last couple years. Cultural influencers like Anna Khachiyan and Dasha Nekrasova who co-host the podcast Red Scare, helped push the idea of Dimes Square into the zeitgeist, as did famous online scammer Caroline Calloway. Nate Freeman for Vanity Fair writes, “The tiny area of Dimes Square … has directly spawned an art-gallery network, a half-dozen popular podcasts, an eponymous play that had a monthslong sold-out run, a hyperlocal newspaper, a modeling agency that signs non-models found at local bars, a skateboarding scene, a radio station, and a soon-to-be-released television show lightly fictionalizing all of it.” You can watch said television show The Come Up on Hulu which follows a group of young, mostly queer twenty-somethings navigating life and love. And honestly? Its good!
But all good things must come to an end, and the innate coolness of Dimes Square has seemingly peaked. In an article titled How Dimes Square Became the New York City Neighborhood We Love to Hate, Helen Holmes writes “What once felt like an in-crowd secret is curdling. With every article, Substack entry, and half-scathing, half-affectionate tweet about Dimes Square, the scene, whatever it is or whatever it was, gets run further and further into the ground.” DAMN! Substack entry? Called out. It’s also essential to mention that the development and popularity of Dimes Square follows an all too familiar pattern of gentrification. On top of it’s bustling restaurant scene and social media fame, Dimes Square is slated for the development of luxury hotels and apartment buildings - major yikes. An Instagram post by @sendchinatownlove points out that renaming the neighborhood ‘Dimes Square’ and pushing it over social media contributes to the erasure of Chinatown and displaces the community who lives there. The post also urges people to counter gentrification by continuing to supporting Chinatown businesses.
At SEND ME THE LINK, we like to ask the big questions. How do we cultivate a sense of authentic identity with the Urban Outfitters-ication of culture? Is anything cool anymore? Can we still claim that we have free will? JK, I’m just a pop culture dingbat with a thriving parasocial relationship to New York City, and want you to know about it too.
As always, thank you for reading :)
<3Hannah
What I’m into right now:
The Patient, Hulu
Oooo this one is freaky as hell. Steve Carell plays a Jewish therapist (I’ll allow it) who’s held captive in the basement of one of his patients. The episodes are less than 30 minutes, making it super bingeable. There’s also an interesting storyline about orthodox Judaism in relation to reformed Judaism which I haven’t seen represented much on screen before. I’m typically on high alert for anti-Semitism in depictions of Jews in media (don’t even get me started on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) and I feel pretty good about how this show handles the nuance of Jewish culture. To my therapist who I know reads my newsletter (lol), don’t watch this one ok!!!
I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jeanette McCurdy
I’m Glad My Mom Died is a memoir from Jeanette McCurdy documenting the physical and emotional abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother and the entertainment industry. I devoured this book in 1.5 days and had to take several breathers because it’s that intense, but also so deeply funny. It reminds me a lot Chanel Millers’ Know My Name in that way. I highly recommend!
More to consider:
I recently found my over-the-ear Bluetooth headphones and have decided to make wearing them my personality. To honor that, I’ve made a playlist dedicated to feeling moody and nostalgic. Here’s to wandering the streets lookin like this :’’’’) for the rest of Fall.
This two part series on Lindsay Lohan from The C Word. If you like @hellotefis deep dives into Y2K celebrity on TikTok, you’ll love this.
Los Espookys is back for season 2 on HBOmax. Here’s a clip of Julio Torres talking to La Luna, played by Yalitza Aparicio of Roma fame, which will give you a taste of the surrealist/goofy vibe of the show.
This episode from Vulture’s podcast Into It with Sam Sanders about how prevalent whiteness is in fantasy, specifically discussing the outrage over there being a Black elf (played by Ismael Cruz Cordova) in LOTR: Rings of Power.
If this video of Ayo Edibiri and Quinta Brunson at the Emmy’s doesn’t make you smile, then you’re a cop. Sorry!
I love The Strangers’ Sticker Patrol series hosted by staff writer @jaskeimig because finding stickers around town to post on my Instagram stories is my passion. Here is the most recent one in Capitol Hill. We got some good stickies!
This sweatshirt from @buggirl200brand has brought me so much joy and so many compliments!! You can shop more horny and weird merch on her website.
I like to revisit the 30 Day Yoga with Adriene series when I feel a little out of whack. It’s free and restorative (but gets a little spicy!), plus she’s dorky as hell which is very endearing.
I haven’t seen the prequel/sequel to X, Pearl, yet but I’m dying to (heh). I’m thankful for director Ti West creating this fucked up cinematic universe and also for the excellent Halloween costume ideas (blue eyeshadow, overalls, tiddies out).
Puffy/textured purses for Fall and Winter. I got this one last year from CARAA Sport and one of these from @sabinalily which I’m dubbing the Comedy Birkin because all the cool comedy girls have one. FUN!
@tvscholar on Instagram for all things in telephile news and excellent memes.
Some art cool art shows are coming up in Seattle - GUM BABY opens at the Museum of Museums on Oct 7th, and Meander opens at Fruitsuper on 10/6.
Even though I want to gatekeep the recipe for this savory squash pie, I WON’T because I love you! The puff pastry at Trader Joes is seasonal so be like my mom and hoard 4 boxes before they run out!!!
Next up on my quest to get through my Letterboxd watchlist is the aforementioned Pearl and The African Desperate.
See you next time :~)