The End Is Near

 

Tribeca Citizen T-shirtsTribeca Citizen will cease publication on December 31. [Note: See the update below.] The main reason is that I’m moving to California. But I’m also ready to take on a new challenge. I’m not sure what that means yet; let me know if you have any ideas.

When I started this site in the spring of 2009, I never thought I’d be doing it nearly ten years later. If it took off, I planned on building it into something larger than just one neighborhood blog. The site did turn into a legitimate business, but for various reasons—some personal, some endemic to hyperlocal journalism—I never got around to expanding it. And while I have a few regrets about that, I have found running Tribeca Citizen rewarding every single day, in ways I never could have imagined. I have met so many terrific people, learned a lot about topics I didn’t think I cared about, and become a member of a community, which is something I hadn’t previously experienced as an adult.

I’ll save the thank-yous for later. In the meantime, please keep reading and contributing.

P.S. The site is still for sale, of course. And so are the T-shirts.

UPDATE: There has been a lot of interest in keeping the site going, and I’m increasingly hopeful something will work out. Stay tuned…. I’ll be blogging through at least January 15.

 

105 Comments

  1. Can someone please keep this site going. It’s my honest go-to for downtown news.

  2. Thank you for 9+ years of fantastic local coverage. Good luck in California. This site will be missed!

  3. So sad to hear this news, this has been such an incredibly fun, informative and smart place to visit. Best of luck in your adventures ahead and thank you!

  4. Thank you for your work

  5. I will miss this blog and you Erik, especially your humor. I learned so much about our neighborhood through the blog dispite being a 40 year resident. Best of luck to you!

  6. Oh no, another loss for Tribeca. I am so sorry to hear this, but wish you luck in your future endeavors! Your site is the one I check first thing in the morning for the news around Tribeca. The judge I work for has also benefitted from your site – he is such a foodie and I always update him on restaurant comings and goings. Again good luck, and as always, I will look forward to reading about Tribeca for as long as you publish it.

  7. This is a HUGE loss to our neighborhood. I read this site practically every day and learned so much from it. I’m am truly sad. :-( :-( :-( :-(

    Erik, I wish you the best for your new life in California and your future endeavors.

  8. Have been using this site for years for personal and business purposes. You are my go to! God speed my friend.

  9. Erik: Thank you so much for all that you’ve done. So many of the local businesses here that I support or even found out about are because of you. And because of this site I’ve felt connected to the neighborhood. Best of luck.

  10. Thank you for all you have done over these years, Erik. It’s been a lot of fun!

  11. I guess with South’s, Noir and Blau moving on so should you, but definitely a fantastic job and such an enjoyable distraction from all the other news. And your work also made tribeca actually feel like a real neighborhood getting closer, even if it isn’t. Can’t wait to see what you do next. God knows California could use you.

  12. Erik, I’m going to miss it, it was a part of my daily routine, no matter where I was in the world. thanks for keeping us all updated and entertained. Wish you the best in Cali.

  13. Huge loss for us ! This is a GREAT site
    But wish you the very best
    Hopefully someone will want to buy the site and keep it going
    I would gladly pay for a subscription

  14. There goes the neighborhood…

    Who will fight plastic bags in trees, investigate new restaurants and honor old buildings? Who will spread the gossip, and walk the streets like you do?

    I always enjoyed your sense of humor, and how you weren’t afraid to be politically incorrect at times, as well as your eye for beautiful (and sometimes not so beautiful) details of the neighborhood over the years. Good luck with your future endeavors, and thanks for making Tribeca a more interesting, and better informed place to live.

  15. I’m really going to miss this site! Can’t blame you for trying life on the other coast. Hope you find someone to take the reins of this very useful site.

  16. Good luck with your next venture. As multi-times per day reader, your contributions will be greatly missed.

  17. Thank you, Erik! I’ve really enjoyed your insights, humor and wealth of current and historical information over the past few years. Good luck!

  18. I will miss this and have definitely appreciated Tribeca Citizen. It is a great source of information for our neighborhood. Good luck with your next life chapter in California!

  19. Thanks for all you’ve done, you’ll be sorely missed. Best wishes for your next endeavors. Even if you stop adding new posts, hopefully all the existing material on the site will stay up?

  20. Thank you for your wonderful site. Erik, your plethora of local news will be missed immensely. Best of luck with your next adventure! What a loss

  21. Erik,

    Thank you so much for all your hard work on this site. I moved to Tribeca shortly before it started and have enjoyed its entire tenure. You’ve performed a tremendous service to the community in bringing us together, giving us a shared space and raising awareness of local (and sometimes not so local) issues. We are all in your debt. Good luck in California and in your new endeavors (whatever they may be). Please come back and revisit your old stomping grounds often as we’d all love to see you walking our shared streets again.

    All the Best.

  22. Tell me this is fake news!!! I Love reading your articles and was honored to have you write one on my store Balloon Saloon.
    Another void in the neighborhood. Sincerest wishes for your good health and happiness. Sharon

  23. Erik,

    Thank you for creating this monument. You will be missed dearly.

    Happy trails to you.

    Until we meet again….

  24. The fruit and vegetable wholesalers departed for Hunts Point in the Bronx and the ever alert artists saw lots of big, empty spaces for studios. The Washington Market was replaced by Tribeca. It only lacked an historian, a diarist, and you have provided the
    perfect commentary. That era has ended and a neighborhood has emerged. Thank you for your delightful, informative
    work and the very best of luck in California.

  25. That’s really too bad. I’m a part-time Tribeca resident and read this site every day to keep up on the neighborhood. Good luck in California!

  26. i read this site every day. is there no one at all who can take it over? i am truly saddened by this news.

  27. I’m so sad to hear this news. I love reading your editions. It will be a big loss….

  28. Aw shoot. This is such a sad day! I always enjoyed your site and updates. Thanks for the past 9 years! Wishing you the best,

    Olivia

  29. I feel that this site has become a gathering point for information about our neighborhood … political, historical, commercial, etc. Wondering if anyone is interested in forming a group where we could gather and crowd source info, photos, etc. after Erik leaves. I guess something like r/Tribeca on reddit would be a possibilty. Anybody have any other ideas?

  30. So very selfish of you.

  31. Your site, and your humor, will be missed.

  32. This is awful news. Hope you can find someone to continue your work and keep the website going…

  33. I checked the date to make sure it wasn’t April 1 (as your tradition was always to fool us) but when I saw it was December, I realized this wasn’t fake news! Erik, thank you for all your hard work and community spirit. And it’s good and healthy to do new things, so I wish you all the best (although California, really?) Good luck!

  34. Thank you. Your site will be missed.. Good luck..

  35. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

  36. Very sorry to hear the news. TC is a great community resource.

    That said, thank you for your contribution to our neighborhood(s). As the comments above indicate, your insights, humor and diligence were widely appreciated by a great number of people on a daily basis.

    Best of luck in your next adventure!

  37. Is is April 1st?

  38. Does this mean you can finally admit that Jim Smithers is your alter ego?

    Seriously — a huge loss. Thanks for everything (because it was clearly a lot) which went into it over the years.

  39. Another neighborhood gem gone! Best of luck in California!

  40. A lot of well deserved appreciation, love and respect in these comments. You made my transition to a New Yorker better in many ways. There’s always a spot at the counter for a Californian!

  41. Erik, you have done a terrific job turning Tribeca Citizen into what it is today, and it is the best example of hyper-local journalism I can think of. To all of the enterprising lower Manhattanites reading this – buy this blog from Erik!! It is beloved and well-read.

  42. Erik, you will be missed. It was my go to site for local news. Good luck in CA.

  43. Relish the new adventures that await you! Thank you for all you have done to make our lives better over the years. You and TC will be missed.

  44. Why must all good things come to an end? TC’s usefulness is on par with Wikipedia, with bonus wit and charm. Best of luck with your new life chapter.

  45. Oh no! So sad news. I really enjoy reading to your posts and Twitter. I learned through your eyes a lot about the neighborhood. We will miss you a lot. Good luck in the new adventure and hopefully someone could keep doing the great job your doing.
    Thanks

  46. Erik, I’ve sent you on many goose chases with sketchy tips, and you’ve always returned the truth. In all honesty, I don’t think anyone else could pull off as much as you have done for our ‘hood (except, perhaps, Jim Smithers).

    Thank you. Thank you.

  47. erik, thank you for all your work. this site has been of real value to the whole neighborhood. even when i don’t agree with your opinions (which is rare), i have always been impressed with the thoughtfulness of your presentation. good luck in california!

  48. This site will be missed and so will you. Erik so sorry to see you go….Wish someone could buy it and keep it going (though it wouldn’t be the same without you) All the best for your move to California!

  49. I can’t believe it! But of course Bon Voyage + if you have it in you I am sure where ever you hang your hat in CA can use a local online “paper.” I hope someone will carry the TC torch + thanks for all the effort and the pithy prose.

  50. Really sad news.. I can’t believe it! Going to miss the guilty pleasure of an afternoon TC visit during the work day (with coffee), and the thrill about finding out about a new spot on one’s block. Thank you for this and all the best to you.

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