A View From The Upper East Side

Starting today, each Monday our resident 10021, well, resident, Betsy Perry, will be joining MainStreet to dish the dirt on what it's like to live among the hedge fund masters of the universe--and their expensively dressed and educated families--as the times get tougher and the Gucci belts get tighter. Stayed tuned and please let us know [[e-mail]] what you think of her new column, "Our Spy on the Upper East Side" .

To all of you who yell at each other--and your nannies and the doorman--across the lobby of my Upper East Side apartment building get ready for some credit crunchy times ahead when manners will get you a lot farther than your sense of entitlement. I would think that just about now you might be sweating enormous rents, private schools tuitions, mortgaged Hampton properties, and weekend jaunts to the Caribbean. Gosh, you just might have to make some changes...in your behavior.

Welcome to the world of the overextended who can no longer afford to be rude and heartless. Here's a little list on some things that will no longer fly in an economy where you no longer rule: