Whatever Happened to the Modern Age?

When I had the idea of moving to New York I wanted to do it for the stories. New York was supposed to be such a cool place where anything and everything could happen. In 2001 The Strokes released "Is This It?" and my world changed. I was in eighth grade and knew that New York was where I wanted to go. The classic image of the Velvet Underground, The Ramones, Television, Blondie and the rest of the CBGB's scene was reeling me in faster by the moment. Rock and Roll music was back in a new form and this era was about to be reborn. That was the year of rock. The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Hives, and the Vines were all ushering in the new sound of garage rock and it was going to save music.
Well that was 2001 and a lot has changed. The Vines dissappeared after that first album. The Hives released Tyranosaurus Hives which I still enjoyed, but they lost momentum from there. Despite what anyone says Room on Fire was still a great record, but by the time First Impressions of Earth came around the Strokes and pretty much lost their magic to me. They were badass dudes from Manhattan who wrote great songs and looked ultracool while doing it. Now it has been three years and while they state that a new album is in the works, I fear that it will not bring the same energy as their first two. I am hoping to death this is not true. Finally there is Jack White. Perhaps the decades lone rockstar. The White Stripes, while never reaching the excellence of White Blood Cells and Elephant, have continued to make good music. They bring the rock and do it with style. Jack White has the swagger and style that make a great musician. He produces new material at a rate most just dream about achieveing. In fact the man has so much he needed a sideproject, The Racontuers, to display his talent.
Aside from the lack of rock, New York has spiraled as well. CBGB's closed it's doors and John fucking Varvatos moved in. The Bowery was once a place where the ordinary man would not go after dark. It was a place where you had to watch your back. Now it has designer shopping. New York has lost it's edge. A new decade is almost upon us and we need a revitalization. I agree a safer city is best and New York is still the best place to live, I'm just asking for the spark to make it alive.