The Clashing Globalisms of West 29th Street Though Adam Davidson covers the entire planet in his column (It's the Economy), he often draws lessons from what may be the greatest economics laboratory in the world, New York City. He has investigated the struggles of mom-and-pop businesses by exploring his native Greenwich Village, analyzed the phenomenon of urban revival by asking whether why the Bronx is not more like Brooklyn and scrutinized the luxury market by focusing on the fact that local tailors who create $4,000 suits are not rich themselves. This week, Davidson travels just 11 blocks from the New York Times Building to West 29th Street, where high and low versions of the global economy - a booming boutique hotel catering to information workers and purveyors of mass-market trinkets - coexist, in ways that are both a little awkward and very naturally urban. Here, Gabrielle Plucknette, a member of our staff and a photographer, gives us a closer look at some of the people involved.