The streets are empty. What once held bright red paint is now dried up and falling apart.
Chinese Laundry used to flood the streets of New York City — and it flourished. On the door of each of these laundromats were capitalized words in red paint: “Hand Laundry.”
Launderers’ 16-hour workdays fueled the blooming industry. Their blood is subtly imprinted on unstained shirts, but the heat of their passion and desperation to survive is no longer felt.
The spirit’s presence is gone.
Now, in 2022, there’s an ominous, yet nostalgic feeling in the air. The once-packed laundromats hum softly at the swift breeze. We step on the brown crinkly paper and faded handwritten receipts.
But hope isn’t all lost. Tradition isn’t all lost.
Instead, it’s entering a new chapter in the modern era. The old meets the new.
