Vanishing New York Backup

The Villager covers the closing of Fedora . [ Villager ] Get ready for your subway ride to be 1,000 times worse. [ Gothamist ] Bloomberg: " all my friends have bedbugs ; what am I going to do?" [ BU ] Bedbugs spread --in graffiti. [ EVG ] In the verbal, persnickety (just the way I like it) Village: Please admonish! Mott and Houston , then and now. [ Dino's ] New York photos from Alex's lost box of the past. [ FP ] How to make a bench out of NYPD barricades. [ NYS ] A sad goodbye to Village Fabrics . [ Blah ] A little yunnie self love outside the LES Whole Foods. [ BB ]

Grumbling about what happens to your identity when you walk into a reality-TV shoot starring Paula Deen or a slab of bacon, etc. [ The Grumbler ] You don't glad about your status and place in society? Want to be always #1? "Very dangerous" sex and drug trafficker meets Personal Growth Lessons: Why did Gary Shteyngart leave the Lower East Side ? He explains, "I need a building that’s really weenie friendly." Although, he says, "It's still the only diverse neighborhood left in downtown Manhattan. The three H’s: Hasidic, Hispanic, and Hipster." [ TLD ] Get a slice of the High Line. [ FNY ] 13th Step Owner decries the frat rap. [ EVG ] Bowery broker wants a "cute little" wine bar . [ BB ] Jukebox at Mars Bar is "fucked up." [ SG ]

It's official. The sign on the door that used to say CLOSED MON & TUES has been folded back on itself to simply say CLOSED. Why bother writing a new sign? In the menu box on the brick wall, an image from long-ago times, a photo of a young Fedora and her husband, Henry. Fedora's goodbye is simple and true: "It couldn't have happened anywhere else. Thank you, Greenwich Village!" Somehow, this song keeps playing through my head... Further reading: A Night at Fedora A Regular Remembers Faux-dora Fedora's Last Days Fedora Returns

The new Fedora , with its "speakeasy vibe," will be serving "classic French cuisine." [ WSJ ] Arihood guest-blogs at Grieve. [ EVG ] See all of Captured online. [ Blah ] Check out the new issue of Sensitive Skin . In Chinatown: " There are a few swindlers around this area, please ignore their make up stories." [ BB ] "Over the next month, more than 64,000 incoming freshmen will descend on New York City’s campuses." [ NYT ] Long-time Fort Greene residents discuss the recent changes: "one of the things I noticed was, Whoa, where’d all the white girls come from?" [ Gothamist ] On the LES, a synagondo stuck in limbo. [ TLD ]

In a city where passersby throw their fists at shoeshine men and shoeshiners set fire to rival shine booths , let's take pleasure in the presence of Mel's Place, a shine stand just north of Times Square, blessed with originality and nostalgia. It's a ramshackle contraption on wheels. It features a bench with two chair tops that have had their legs sawed off. It has four foot rests and a roof to keep off the rain. These makeshift, personalized booths used to exist all over town. They were like the newsman-owned newsstands, like Petrella's Point , before Bloomberg turned them all into ticky-tacky boxes . Inside, the signs say, "Mel's shine brings out the soul in your shoes." Nice. And: "Mel says... When there's a shine on your shoes, there's a Mel-o-dy in your heart," which is a line from a song best known from the musical The Band Wagon , starring Fred Astaire. But here's a pretty fantastic rendition from the Lawrence Welk Show , fea

Thanks to the reader who sent in this photo--the new owner announces his win today on Joseph Leonard's chalkboard: "Every man ought to have one well-fitting Fedora." Hopefully, it will also still fit the people who kept it alive for over 60 years: Romy walks into Fedora--"a little breath of honest-to-goodness old New York caught in amber"--and her piece will make you cry. [ WIC ] $69 hot dogs for sell on the Upper East Side. [ Eater ] "Suffer yourself" with Empire , the 8-hour film by Warhol and Mekas, at Anthology Film Archives this Saturday. And those who "heroically endure" the whole thing will win a prize! [ WSJ ] Congratulate Rag & Bone for saving the bones of Cafe Colonial from becoming a bank. [ EVG ]

Last night, Community Board 2 voted to move ahead with the new plan for Fedora. We still don't know for sure what the future holds. Will the people who love Fedora today be able to enjoy it tomorrow? Or will they be pushed out by the new crowd? You have just 3 more days to experience Fedora as it is. Here's the scene from a recent night : It's 5:00, Fedora Dorato arrives from the grocery store on the arm of a young man who carries her bags of tomatoes, lettuce, and other essentials. After settling in, she sits down and quietly applies Scotch tape to her restaurant's frayed menus, wanting them to last, even though, as of July 25, they'll belong to the past. Her first customer has arrived, a daily regular. He walks on the arm of his nurse, flashes a bright-eyed grin from beneath his Stonewall cap, and takes his seat for what must be his millionth meal in Fedora's pink-lit sanctuary. Steadying herself with a cane, the hostess gets up to greet him like the old frien

Good read: " New York? The whole damn place has been turned into a suburb ," sneered David Harvey, startling a roomful of New Yorkers who prided themselves on the same things he derided: the makeover of the city's parks; the new network of bike lanes; the pedestrian malls along Broadway. [ FastCo. ] NBC Feast outlines tonight's Fedora debate . [ Feast ] On a hot summer day, take a walk through the cool and fragrant gardens of the Flower District , before it's nothing but hotels: 32-year-old Ennio & Michael forced out by NYU rent increase. [ Eater ] General Toe's Chicken and other fun misspellings from Goggla. [ TGL ] The offices of Hachette Book Group overcome by bedbugs . And the hits keep coming. [ RS ] Looking at Crustypunks . [ EVG ] LES actually stands for "Lotsa Expensive Stores." [ BB ] "Vanishing City" the film is finally complete--check out the trailer . What are you doing to make the city a better place? " If I notice

Villager, author, journalist Warren Allen Smith has been going to Fedora on West 4th for nearly 50 years. As Fedora gets ready to close and change hands this coming Sunday, July 25, I asked Warren a few questions about the place, his memories of it, and what it means to him. photo from WASM's website How long have you lived in the Village and when did you first begin going to Fedora? What was it like then? Fernando Vargas, my companion for 40 years, and I started Variety Recording Studio on 46th Street in Times Square in 1961, just across from what then was called the 46th Street Theater (where Rudy Valee and Robert Morse were starring in How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ). Because we wanted a restaurant where we could take customers, he chose Fedora's although not having been there--one of our recording engineers suggested it. But when I met her and asked about arranging a charge account, she said she only had cash customers. "What if I prepaid w

Friday: Coney Island-style fashion show. [ CIC ] Grieving the loss of Label : "the end of an era as a giant Duane Reade opens down the block and Cafeteria’s offspring, Delicatessen serves up its $10 Heinekens. See ya." [ ILNY ] Avalon Christie gets a Subway sandwic h chain. [ BB ] Learning to live with new bike lanes . [ EVG ] Alex has some Hopper fun. [ FP ] Jill reflects on the EV Blog Mafia . [ Blah ] A documentary on Basquiat with footage from 1985. [ NYT ] Jonathan Ames' "Extra Man" premieres in the city. [ NYO ] Sander Hicks seeks the truth : "I feel a little like Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver ... Like all of my life has been leading to this-to the Truth." [ NYO ]

Artist Nate Padavick did a series a few years back called Alive & Kicking: NYC Independent Business Owners . These 17 portraits of the city's "moms and pops" were exhibited at Jeffrey's Meats in the Essex Street Market, and now you can see them online here . I can't help thinking: What if these were made into action figures? Then we could play with them in Randy Hage's miniature city , and never have to leave our apartments again. “My inspiration for the NYC collection was a Russian tailor named Emilio who owned a shop on the street level of my old apartment building on 16th Street near 6th Avenue,” said Nate. “Emilio was a neighborhood fixture who could always be counted on to give you his detailed criticisms on any topic from politics to the neighborhood to the pain-in-the-neck customer who just left the shop. And to top it off, he was a great tailor. Sadly, due to rising rents, Emilio left, which is the plight of many small businesses and why I decided

This email just came in. It appears that Fedora's neighbors are concerned about the new owner's plan to keep the restaurant open late (originally proposed for 4:00 AM, changed to 2:00 AM--via Grub St .). While there are still many unanswered questions about the future plans for this business, losing the new owner may mean losing all of Fedora . It's a tough call. Wherever you stand on the issue, go July 22 to get information and have your voice heard: Dear Friends of Fedora’s, A completely unexpected and rather unpleasant situation has just appeared that threatens the future of Fedora’s. A few neighbors have suddenly expressed concerns about the future management of the new Fedora’s. Specifically they are concerned about the hours that Fedora’s will be open. Their demands are such that the new owners may balk at making the commitment needed to keep the Fedora’s that we have known and loved for decades. For generations the Dorato family has shown its deep commitment to the

Brooks weighs in on the new Fedora --with mixed feelings. [ LC ] The Stage follows in the footsteps of its across-the-avenue neighbor, B&H, and installs a new sign that looks a lot like the old sign. It loses something, but remains true to the original: Before (from Kitty Kowalski's flickr ) After Ludlow at night: "Groups of teetering girls in cocktail dresses, who may have gotten lost on their way to the meatpacking district, are also swarming... a playground for 22-year-olds." [ NYT ] Remembering when the music on Saturday Night Live was dangerous. [ SYFFL ] St. Mark's has a moment of wonder: "some strange guy putting some kind of geisha makeup on." [ SG ] The Kupferberg memorial : "the kind of event that could make an upper-middle-class twenty-something who lives in a market-rate apartment nearby—for example, me—feel that maybe, even now, there still is something to the idea of the East Village." [ Tablet ] Penis wars on the Fairey mura

Sensitive Skin magazine used to live on the Lower East Side. Now, you can only find it archived at the NYU Fales Library, a relic of the paper-rich early 1990s. But the zine has been revived, by publisher Bernard Meisler and managing editor Tim Beckett, and it's taking a new shape online. I talked with Meisler and Beckett and they told me all about it. print , 1993 Sensitive Skin was printed on paper, back in the pre-digital days, between 1991 and 1995. What made you decide to revive it and make the leap to the small screen? Bernard : I've always been proud of what we created back in the day, and thought it would be cool to bring it back. I make my living as a developer and I realized that I could really stretch the magazine, make it what I had only dreamed of 15 years earlier - include music, videos, applications, old copies of the magazine - and to do it in a way that was cost-effective, and didn't take up all my time. Tim : On my way back from a couple of years in the

Fedora asks for your memories. This sign is up in the old menu box on the building. The family "would like to give customers the opportunity to comment, express their thoughts, and share their memories." You can send in email or leave notes at the bar: Remembering the Washington Heights riots of July 1992--in two parts. [ UC ] & [ UC ] Rescuing an old, overgrown Jewish cemetery in Ozone Park. [ IL ] The "pancake lemmings" of Clinton Street. [ WL ] The battle for the Houston Wall goes on and on... [ EVG ] "The East Village is arguably the neighborhood-blog capital of New York , and its bloggers are a reflection of the neighborhood: various, and a little cranky." And here comes NYU's LEV. [ CapitalNY ] ShyMob shrines on Rivington address "our primal cravings and desires." [ BB ] July 27: Professor Peter Kwong speaks about gentrification and Chinatown , launching the project "OPEN CITY: Blogging Urban Change, where fellows collect

Last week was the third anniversary of this blog, and I sort of forgot about it. So this is a belated announcement of that, and it's also a chance to introduce a new blog. Over the past three years, I've gotten a great amount of gratification from writing this blog and especially from interacting with readers. It's also been frustrating and, like other bloggers we lost this year, I've thought about stopping. Sometimes I get tired of it. Other times, it feels like not enough. I had no grand plan when I began in July of 2007 , and launching was very spur of the moment. Since then, I've expanded beyond my original mission of preserving the vanishing aspects of the city. In some ways, I have felt that this unintentional expansion has diluted that mission. I am also feeling the need to stretch a bit. With that in mind, I am launching a new blog called The Grumbler . The Grumbler is the person who walks down the street muttering about everything that's annoying--like

Now Victoria's Secret gets infested with bed bugs ! It's becoming Biblical. [ Racked ] Happy Birthday Bowery Boogie --cheers and many more! [ BB ] Bar owners convince CB3 to approve their plans for a theater-lounge "experience" in the former Amato opera house . [ Eater ] Kicking it old-school on St. Mark's Place : The International's Molly and Shawn approved to take over Lilly Coogan's . [ EVG ] More clues about the unearthed ship at the WTC. [ CR ] July events at Stuytown's Oval Concierge . [ STLL ]

By now, you may have heard that the Fedora restaurant will be closing on July 25 and that it will be renovated and turned into a "casual elegant supper club” by successful restaurateur Gabe Stulman, who spoke of his intentions to " keep most of the cherished design details , along with the name, of the restaurant intact." Grub Street reports that Stulman said he will "restore Fedora to what it looked like in the thirties and forties." But Fedora didn't open until 1952 . Still, as Grub Street said, " fauxstalgia joints are tres chic these days ," referring to a recent New York Times piece about how "a pride of reincarnated restaurants," including the Minetta Tavern and Waverly Inn, have helped turn the Village into " a theme park of the past " complete with "a vision of a lost bohemian New York--albeit with a well-heeled clientele and prices to match." Will this be another example of theme-parking the past? We

" The fate of West Village legend Fedora has been decided : Gabe Stulman of Joseph Leonard, has signed the lease, and will be taking over operations after closing for a renovation that will keep most of the cherished design details, along with the name, of the restaurant intact." [ Eater ] Artist Paul Richard unveils a new sidewalk work , the large carbon footprint: Carpetbagging slicksters try to hoodwink CB2 about their nefarious plans for the Bowery "strip." [ EVG ] Photos of lost NYC street murals . [ FP ] "In New York City, especially in Thor’s Coney Island , if you see a building being demolished without a posted permit, say something. Call 311 right away." [ ATZ ] In the silence after the city slaughters its geese . [ CR ] Remembering Steinbrenner . [ Gothamist ] Condo launch parties ain't what they used to be: "Gone are the trapezes, replaced by fried chicken and beer." [ NYO ] Tour Woodside with Forgotten New York .

At 57 Great Jones Street, there's a little meat shop called Japan Premium Beef . It's been there for maybe a year and it has the look of the New Bowery--blank, white, expensive. Coolhunting said, "even vegetarians can appreciate its spare, minimalist decor, befitting a scene from a sci-fi flick or contemporary art installation." image source They think of their meat as art--it is definitely "curated" --and sell that super-trendy wagyu for $40 to $50 a pound. The people who go in to shop look like mega-wealthy retirees who, in their dotage, have decided to dress like rock stars, in outfits from Varvatos. Do they know the history of this address? image source Here's a flashback from the book Basquiat : "Friday, August 12, 1988. On the sidewalk outside 57 Great Jones Street, the usual sad lineup of crack addicts slept in the burning sun. Inside the two-story brick building, Jean-Michel Basquiat was asleep in his huge bed, bathed in blue television li

Last week, I wrote a post about the precarious state of Fedora . Today, we heard from a commenter here, and from Grub Street , that the address is up for a new liquor license tonight. Now, in a comment here, 365 Bars blogger Marty Wombacher writes: " It's true, Fedora's is closing, she told me Sunday night. She has health issues and can't keep it going. The last night is July 25th, go and enjoy it while you can ." photos of Fedora on my flickr

A commenter writes about Fedora : "Passed by this morning and there was a CB2 Notice of Public Hearing taped to the front door, regarding 'Little Wisco, LLC''s application for a liquor license . FWIW, the hearing's tonight at NYU's Silver Bldg." Indeed, this address is up for a new liquor license . This is very bad. See Grub Street for the heart-sickening news. Take a walk through the artificial landscape of NYC with a photo-cartoon of Douglas Rushkoff by Seth Kushner. [ Activate ] "let us older New Yorkers fondly remember a time when St. Mark's Place wasn't a benign tourist stop ." [ CR ] Faux-Irish Lilly Coogan's will be taken over by the International Bar's owners . Will they bring it back to the days of the Homestead, aka Bucket O'Blood? [ EVG ] Remembering the blackout of '77 . [ CR ]

Following up on the evolving graffiti wall of 10th Street , which is allowed to unfold more organically than another "graffiti" wall I can think of, the Paranoid Scribbler, as I have come to fondly think of him (or her, though I rather doubt it), has responded to Bloomberg's war on cigarette smoking. The Scribbler tells us to boycott every place you cannot smoke, including movie theaters , where smoking has been illegal since the 1960s. A small question mark after "politbureu" indicates some concern about his spelling, especially after other graffitists have corrected him. Spelling is not the Scribbler's strong suit. He tells us we should also boycott Medea , that vengeful Greek who killed her own children. And now the Scribbler has competition. A conspiracy theorist with access to a computer and printer has one-upped the magic-marker makings of the Scribbler with illustrated flyers about the BP oil spill and the war on drugs --both of which, the flyer-ma

Finding "Walk Away Renee" in Sheepshead Bay. [ IL ] The owner of the Houston Wall doesn't want you trespassing on private property. [ EVG ] The truth about the Skystreak elevators. [ QC ] Check out the Poets House showcase. [ NYT ] On the LES, Lush Life comes alive. [ NYT ] Vanishing domino players of Bushwick. [ TDG ] Celebrate the 80th anniversary of the first Negro League game at Yankee Stadium. [ MCNY ] What should the Whitney do with the Whitney? [ NYO ] "my 4-year-old daughter a few weeks ago stomped her feet, turned red and demanded to know why we did not own a summer house ." [ NYT ] Video of the Meatpacking stabber . [ Gothamist ]

As reported back in April by Brooklyn Paper , the Coney Island boardwalk, as we have known it, is now vanishing, bit by bit. According to a sign on the Brighton Beach end, " The existing hardwood timbers and decking will be replaced with custom-made concrete planks so that the new boardwalk is more resilient and environmentally friendly, with a lower carbon footprint and lower maintenance costs." They make it sound so virtuous, don't they? As you can see, the work has already begun. Parts of the boardwalk have been split lengthwise, with the beach side of the split done in concrete. And those custom concrete planks? They are not attractive. They're stamped with textures, a mix of pebbly and faux-wood grainy. Of course, faux-wood grainy is not the same as actual wood. Which is what boardwalks are traditionally made of. Hence the name: boardwalk. Thankfully, "The traditional wood planks will be a key component on the Boardwalk near the amusement area, from West 10