This image was lost some time after publication.

Admit it. When you read in the paper yesterday that General Growth Properties had filed for bankruptcy protection and then you noticed that the giant mall operator controlled the South Street Seaport, part of you was secretly thrilled by the news. Maybe they'll finally use all that space for something useful instead of as an overpriced tourist trap for people visiting from wherever it is the lame people pictured above are from! But then you visited the Times website today and you almost cried when you saw this:

This image was lost some time after publication.

Why is it that the downturn kills off all the good stuff while the crap that should have been put out of business years ago is permitted to live on? The recession gods can be so cruel sometimes. We'll just have to hope that things even out when Donald Trump's mounting financial problems finally force him to file Chapter 11 and we get the chance to begin de-marbelizing Manhattan.

Bankruptcy Unlikely to Shut the South Street Seaport [NYT]
Photo (top): Flickr