Media Notes Transformative LES In Tatum O’Neal Arrest Reports

Did you notice the characterizations made by the media about the Lower East Side in the telling of the Tatum O’Neal crack buying story? From ABC: “A police spokesman said she was seen buying a controlled substance from a man in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, once a crime-infested neighborhood that has become trendy.” The AP went with: “O’Neal’s arrest Sunday on charges of buying cocaine in her gritty-chic downtown Manhattan neighborhood suggests her struggle with addiction may not be over.” So which one best describes the LES: “trendy” or “gritty-chic”?