I have WONDERFUL news! Someone marvelous has moved into the Upper West Side!
OMG!
Yes, NYC now has three Trader Joe's stores: one in Union Square, one in Chelsea and one 50 blocks down from me in the UWS. I have yet to make a trip down to visit my dear friend Joe, but it's on the agenda for the weekend. Unfortunately, also on the agenda is a separate trip elsewhere to buy wine, since this TJ's is not allowed to sell it.
Essuse Me?
Today's Fun Fact comes to you from the prohibition-era (y'all know how I love my jazz age stories). I've been thinking a lot this week about silly, antiquated laws that have never been overturned... but it turns out some of them aren't so outdated after all. For example, the city of Kennesaw, Georgia, requires its citizens to own a gun. WHAT?! That law must be a million years old. False. Created in 1982 to protect the general welfare of the city.
But I digress. New York state has a law, supposedly dating back to prohibition, that forbids grocery stores from selling wine and liquor. Grocery stores can, however sell beer... but wine stores cannot. Big grocery chains, such as Trader Joe's, can own one wine outpost in the state - TJ's has selected the Trader Joe's Wine Shop near their Union Square location, which is very sad for us Upper West Siders.
TJ's UWS does have a beer section. If only I cared.In true New York fashion, this law has turned into a culture of boutique wine shops and local brands on every block, and most people who live here just accept it as a fact of life. Recently there has been a push to repeal the law, citing that wine sales in grocery stores would boost the economy. Supporters of the law say that not only does it help curb underage drinking (?), but overturning it would put a lot of local wine shops out of business and destroy NY's wine culture. Ultimately, the proposal was shot down, but there are still plenty of people (and grocery stores!) that would like the law changed.
Before this was called to my attention in Racked's article about the TJ's grand opening, I had noticed that wine wasn't available in the three grocery stores I've been to, but I didn't think anything of it. "I don't know my way around yet, I guess I just can't find it. Maybe there are no alcohol sales at all in NYC grocery stores. Ignore that beer over there, you are imagining it. Where the heck can I find some Pink Truck around here?" Now that I'm informed about the many silly NY wine-related laws (apparently you're also not allowed to ship it, wine stores can't sell wine paraphernalia, it's pretty ridiculous), I'm a little confused.
What gives, New York state? WINE promotes underage drinking? Have you ever met a 16-year-old who is just dying to get his hands on the fruity undertones of a Pinot Grigio? NO!
Honey, I need to talk to you. Your principal called, and he's very upset about the wine tasting club you started on the playground.First of all, let's not even go into how keeping kids from drinking does the exact opposite of getting them not to drink. Maybe it's just the crowd I've seen, but underage drinkers drink to get drunk, and most of the time, they're not drinking wine. Hell, nowadays they're not even drinking beer.
Hello, my name is Four Loko, and I'm here to ruin your life.
(Source - DJ Wiky)
And also to turn you into this guy.
(Source - Recent Trends)
One concession to the supporters of this law: I have not bought wine since I came to town. I have been to the grocery store lots of times. If the grocery store sold wine, I probably would have bought wine. So congratulations, your law has reduced the consumption of wine... by a perfectly legal, 21-year-old graduate student who drinks moderately and socially, and enjoys wine with her dinner from time to time.
