
…tion came creeping in the 1980s. The Marriott Marquee, which broke ground on top of five former theaters in 1982, provided shelter for thousands of tourists whose needs, over time, the area adapted to accommodate. Religious groups crusaded against pornography and pressured city officials to crack down on the area’s already dwindling sex trade. Today the forty deuce is family friendly, lined with gift shops and wholesome musical productions. It’s a cleaner, more expensive New York, where nostalgia for the bad old days is all part of the selling point.