Vanishing New York Backup

Is the Subway Inn closed for good ? Not according to their Facebook page, where it says they are "Temporarily Closed...Until renovations are complete." (Hope we don't lose the aquatic green lighting .) As Cha-Cha's and Ruby's prepare for either closure or gutting, a sad auction at Coney Island. [ ATZ ] Last day (?) at Ruby's . [ OMFS ] Park Slopers are dressing their kids as food trucks . [ Eater ] Check out John Conn's photos of the NYC subway in the 1970s --a "house of horrors." [ NYT ] Saturday's snow on flowers and greenery--Hell in a handbasket: Will Park Slope's Ozzie's cafe become a Starbucks--and lose the TRUSSES signage? [ HPS ] A melee at 7A . [ EVG ] Gowanus Canal : The Toxic Playground. [ Kensinger ] Bloomberg tries to freeze out the Wall St. Occupiers . [ NYM ] And now the NYPD may be encouraging drunks and crazies to " take it to Zuccotti ." Psychological warfare? [ Gothamist ]

VANISHED Yesterday was the last day, after 52 years, for Ray's Pizza on Prince Street. Throughout the day they offered nothing but plain cheese slices--on the cheap. "Enjoy your last slice of the original Ray's Pizza," said a sign in the window, "for only $1.50." This truly original Ray's was opened in 1959 by a man named Ralph Cuomo. He didn't call the place Ralph's because, as he explained to the Times in 1991, " Ralph's might have sounded, I don't know, maybe too feminine. Besides, nobody ever called me Ralph. My family took the Italian word for Ralph--Raffaele--and shortened it to Rayfie or just Ray. All my life I was addressed that way." I went in a couple of times over the weekend for a last slice--or two. The place was busy, but not overcrowded. In steady streams, people lined up for pizza. Some stayed to snap photos and say, "This makes me sad," but most just folded their slices in hand and walked back out t...

After more than 43,000 people signed the petition to Save St. Mark's Bookshop, after Michael Moore rallied the troops at a packed house and Salman Rushdie wrote to the school president to say that not supporting the bookstore would be an "unforgivable" and "irreversible cultural mistake," Cooper Union still said no . They were asked to reduce the rent on the bookstore from $20,000 to $15,000 per month, and they said no. They said they are "broke." Said bookstore co-owner Contant to PW , "We were told yesterday we wouldn't be able to afford a renewal on our lease." Cooper Union officials told the bookshop owners they want to rent the space for $40,000 . Who can afford to pay $40,000 a month? A bank can afford it. Starbucks can afford it. Marc Jacobs can afford it. Do we need more of those? Read more on this story : Paris Review for St. Mark's Michael Moore at St. Mark's Buy A Book Weekend at St. Mark's Xmas ...

Cooper Union says NO to St. Mark's Books. [ NYDN ] Salman Rushdie asked Cooper Union to Save St. Mark's Books . [ DNA ] After losing their Upper West Side shop, now H&H Bagels might be evicted from their million-bagel bakery. [ Gothamist ] A baby becomes an objet d'art as he's born into a Bushwick gallery: "remnants from the birth will be added to the exhibition along with a video of the birth." [ RS ] Filming The Warriors while surrounded by the real gangs of New York. [ VV ] Is it Halloween or a hipster ? [ HOW ] Rocky's owner responds on Eater : "I would like to clarify that we will be forced to shut our doors not for economic reasons ...it is my understanding that in regards to the increase in rent they will be paying what we agreed to pay or that there were tons of other offers or who would want immediate access or not as the owner of Balboosta has stated. It has everything to do with them...It was for one reason and only one because ...

A few people have asked about my story on the city's newsstands and their history, originally published in Forgotten New York , September 2008. So I thought I'd reproduce it here, with a few updates and new photos of newsstands lost. In the fall of 2007, the old, ramshackle, idiosyncratic newsstands that long graced our city’s streets began to vanish, replaced by “ticky tacky boxes,” the identical steel and glass street furniture brought to New York by the Cemusa company of Spain. When their task is completed, they will have installed 330 franchise locations, seizing over 200 once-private businesses from their long-time owners . (As the New York Times explained, "Before 2003, newsstand operators paid the city a licensing fee, but owned and paid for their newsstands and, under certain circumstances, could sell them. Now the newsstands are owned by Cemusa" and "the newsstand operators do not share in advertising revenues.") Plans to replace the city’s ...

Don't forget--the Real Original Ray's closes this weekend. [ Gothamist ] Tonight at St. Mark's Books: Reverend Jen and Jonathan Ames read and sign books at 7pm. [ FB ] 10/27: A lecture on Yiddish theater by David Freeland. [ GVSHP ] Mars Bar the movie by Jonas Mekas. [ EVG ] & [ OMFS ] Masks at the new Village Paper " Halloween Party Store " on 8th St: Does your building need a tiny bedbug hotel ? [ NYO ] The former Navy Yard Cocktail Lounge gets wrapped in glass. [ BSr ] Bloomberg sees the silver lining-- OWS is a tourist attraction . [ CNY ] More on those OWS Citibank arrests . [ NYO ]

VANISHING A reader called Rocky's Regular passed along word that Rocky's Italian Restaurant , on Mulberry and Spring, will soon be shutting its doors after more than 30 years in business. The Regular says, " I was talking to Emma the owner about it, and my heart breaks for her. This restaurant is her life. She is a real New Yorker--a hard-working chick from the Bronx and such a part of the neighborhood." The owner shares the news on Rocky's Facebook page : "Rocky's Italian Restaurant ...first opened it's doors in the 70's and has been family owned and operated since myself (Emma) and Family took it over in 1994.....through the years we have welcomed friends, family, locals and tourist who come to Little Italy to enjoy a real authentic homestyle Italian meal....our dining room has become yours. We look forward to continuing welcoming you to what we call home...but sadly we are forced to close our doors after many months of negotiations o...

The 99% : A Halloween costume suggestion from Uncle Sam's Army/Navy on West 8th--complete with handcuffs: Call Cooper Union's president today--as the school decides on the fate of St. Mark's Books . [ EVG ] Save the Coney boardwalk from turning concrete and plastic. [ ATZ ] 20x200 offers shots of CBGB by Joseph O. Holmes : "alone in the dark among the empty beer bottles and broken guitar strings and abandoned drum sticks, waiting in the silence for the shutter to close." [ 20x200 ] A tiny library pops up in Williamsburg. [ Curbed ] Remembering Manhattantown --and a block party without a block. [ MF ] Following poet Hart Crane through the seedy Barbary Coast of Brooklyn now known as DUMBO. [ ENY ] In Tompkins Square Park: "The resolution of the rat problem will lead to a cultural and ethnic cleansing of the park , leaving it to the yuppies and the middle-class families in the park." [ SLES ] Look into the renovation of the Bowery's Prince Hotel ...

We got a glimpse of the new Waverly diner recently that began to allay our fears that the beloved Village restaurant would turn into something sterile and unwelcoming after its renovation . Now, photographer Joe Quint offers an exclusive sneak peek that should provide great comfort. He writes in, "I passed by this AM and Nick invited me in. The renovations look awesome and I can say with certainty that fears of the Waverly's demise (or suburbanization) are greatly exaggerated ." Joe Quint Joe spoke about the renovations with Nick who said that "he's keeping the same basic look (right down to the 8x10s of the has-been actors and, yes, the eggs served in frying pans ) but just giving everything a much-needed update. Longtime fans will not be disappointed in the least." Photos of has-been actors! Eggs served in frying pans! Dark-wood paneling! And those watered-down oxblood, diamond-tufted naugahyde booths! It looks like the old Waverly already. Joe Quint Whe...

We hear the old newsstand on Water and Fulton has been Cemusaed. Grieve has a shot of how it was before, a battered green box, tough and reliable-looking, like an old lunchbox. And now it's another blank spot in the world. In the Village, here's the one that replaced the lovely, lively brown stand at West 4th. Another nothingness. What remains? Lately, the Village's newsstands have been slaughtered . But here's one lone survivor at 6th and Waverly. It's a beauty with its pitched roof and caged storm lights, its jaunty awning like the short bill of an umpire's cap, its hunter green coat of paint. How long will it last? See Also: Newsstand Slaughter Hojo's Lost Newsstand Another Newsstand Union Square Newsstand Jerry's Newsstand Lots more about Bloomberg's destruction of the old newsstands & All my newsstand photos

Is it a real miracle? The Post reports that Zamperla's plan to shutter the Coney Island boardwalk is falling through-- Ruby's and Paul's Daughter might be staying . [ NYP ] Serenading for St. Mark's Books . [ DNA ] On the little time capsule of Jones Street , Strider Records is shuttering . [ Stupefaction ] The MONY weather beacon has lost its incandescent bulbs and neon for LED technology. [ NYN ] Joe's Bar in the EV really, really looks closed. [ EVG ] LaMama celebrates 50 years of theater. [ LM ] Naomi Wolf on her arrest at Occupy Wall St: "if DHS now has powers to simply take over a New York City street because of an arrest for peaceable conduct by a middle-aged writer in an evening gown, we have entered a stage of the closing of America." [ Guardian ]

VANISHING? A reader in the Village spotted a FOR RENT sign in the window of the former Harry Chong Chinese laundry, now the Snip N Sip hair salon, and it looks like Snip N Sip is getting snipped in half. The reader writes: "I asked the retro hairdresser next door what's up. He said he is staying but giving up the former Chinese laundry space. He said that he hopes whoever comes in keeps the 'Harry Chong' lettering on the windows. When I expressed skepticism that would happen, he added that the landlord would like the sign to stay too! I found this surprising as well as ironic if the landlord is the same one who doubled the rent which put them out of business." gothamistllc's flickr, 2005 In 2006, Harry Chong was forced to close after 60 years on this corner. Locals called the Chinese hand laundry a "landmark"--photographers took its picture and painters painted it . They worried what would come to the spot, like a Starbucks or a Keith McNally re...

Today at noon: Greet the Cooper Union president with song and pleas to save St. Mark's Books so it's not "fed to the sharks." [ EVG ] Chelsea Hotel tenants under attack : "Eviction notices have been sent to tenants in several of the 80 rental units. Other tenants say their last rent checks weren't cashed." [ NYDN ] Elaine's finds a buyer--and will likely be demolished. [ NYO ] A multimedia look back at New York in the 1970s when "It wasn’t all crime and misery." [ COS ] Popeye's Chicken gets a new space in Coney Island's Popper Building--and that means the weird little ragtag flea market will vanish. [ ATZ ] An interview with filmmaker Josef Astor who is currently raising funds for his important film Lost Bohemia about the evicted tenants of Carnegie Hall . [ NOTR ] Get your heartbeat drawn by artist Sasaki at the Ivy Brown Gallery in the Triangle Building. [ IBG ]

The vanished city comes back to us, now and then, in scenes from old movies. You don't expect it, then there it is. You squint at the screen, thinking "Is it?" You recognize a piece of the decor or a certain familiar ambiance. It is. Watching Woody Allen's lovely 1988 film Another Woman , a scene appears in Chumley's. Chumley's before the collapse . Chumley's without the Sex & the City girls and the Wall Street guys who discovered it somewhere along the line and made it impossible except on quiet afternoons. Chumley's on a quiet afternoon where a philosophy professor, a stage actor, and a director are drinking together, playing out their drama. One says, "I used to be a devoted Brechtian." And it feels like the Village when the Village was the Village. You wish the camera would pan across the entire space, capturing every detail of that lost world. But it doesn't. The scene is tight and brief. Then it shifts. It's over. A...

The majority of New Yorkers love Occupy Wall Street . [ NYO ] Bloomberg spent $5.6 million on his own PR to defend his record--and more to overcome "the challenge of convincing New York City voters that billionaire Mike Bloomberg was different." [ NYO ] Big-time authors support OWS with Occupy Writers site. [ NYM ] The corner of 1st and 13th seeks a chain store --in the former home of the late, great Mee Noodle shop. [ EVG ] Should St. Vincent's Park be a privately owned public space or an AIDS memorial park ? [ NYT ] From the Facebook of Councilman Vincent Gentile: " Hinsch's is coming back! New owners are renovating but its still going to be Hinsch's! Owners from Skinflints made a deal with the landlord and saved the place. They're hoping to be open by November 1." More at Brooklyn Paper . Enjoying a cheeseburger at Neptune in the EV. [ MAD ] An interview with LES photographer Rebecca Lepkoff . [ TLD ] 10/26: Slavoj Zizek comes to St. Mark...

Coming soon to a bike shop near you, free stickers from street etiquette artist Jason Shelowitz--made for sticking on cars and perfect for stirring up the bike-lane agita : "Please look out for cyclists before swinging door open." photo: Jay Shells Where will Mama and Papa Burger go once they're evicted from the Coney Island Boardwalk? [ ATZ ] Tonight at MOMA: Joe Dante's 1968 Movie Orgy is coming--originally screened at the Fillmore East. [ TFH ] Check out Every Night in Drag --Linda Simpson's vintage '80s and '90s photos of NYC's drag scene. [ LS ] LES thieves get wise to the cluelessness of people who leave their stuff unattended. [ EVG ] Bloomberg backs off evicting the Occupation of Wall Street. For now. [ Gothamist ] New York's " new low ." [ SLR ] Shepard Fairey designs the Times Square Occupation invitation [ WNYC ]: Visit Occupation Party

Is the Holiday Cocktail Lounge doomed again? [ EVG ] Having real, live homeless men sleeping in your boutique flophouse hotel is “an asset to the property," where underwear on a railing makes a good photo op. [ NYT ] Celebrating American Neon . [ NYN ] It's time for New York Comic Con . [ NYCC ] Eugenides in Fort Greene attracts a "sea of horn-rimmed glasses." [ CNY ] "why would anyone want a high-tech, $6,400 toilet ?" Apparently, because it reminds them of their iPhone. [ NYT ] "Now, everywhere you go, loudmouths will be addressing their pliant servant," the iPhone Siri. [ Restless ]

VANISHED In June, when the High Line's part two opened, I worried that the Firestone Bear auto shop would soon shutter. In July we first heard that the business had been given three months to live, but was fighting in court. Now, right on schedule, the shop has been emptied and surrounded by plywood. As Curbed reports , "the wrecked cars are gone, the tools cleared out and the 1-story garage is coming down." That's how fast it happens. Curbed: Bear Auto today--empty One auto-related business or another has been on this corner lot for the past 70 years , but then the High Line arrived. And, as our local tipster told us in July , "The very expensive private school that is being built between 25th and 26th, a significant contributor to the High Line" might be interested in the space. Bear Auto this summer--thriving The closure of an auto-body shop may not break every heart, but it's another sign of how quickly and completely the High Line is destroying l...

After reports of the Waverly Diner's gutting for renovation , the place suddenly looked shut down and abandoned, with the neon sign gone from the front and ominous plywood in the windows --some decorated with "Yuppies go home" graffiti. Last week Had the renovation money run out? Was this another project dead in the water? Would we soon see a bank take over the corner? All seemed lost. But now the plywood has been taken down and, above the papered half of the windows, you can see new lighting fixtures and dark-wood paneling on the walls that recall the old Waverly . New fixtures From the limited view, the new Waverly looks a lot warmer than the original renderings would suggest. There is hope. Rendering by Jorge Fontan

Saturday: Occupy Tompkins Square Park with John Penley. [ EVG ] Support the distribution of the wonderful film Lost Bohemia . [ KS ] At Coney, say goodbye to " Hey Joey ." [ ATZ ] I am enthralled by the rediscovered 1950s street photography of Vivian Maier. [ ENY ] Zizek speaks to Occupy Wall Street. [ DM ] The shuttered Lukoil on 8th Ave. is now plywooded--in a time when Manhattan is losing its gas stations: In case you missed Calvin Trillin at the Tenement Museum. [ BB ] Romy flashes back to 2004 and Skyline Books . [ WIC ] 10/18: If you're in Philly, check out this discussion of Bloomberg's New York . [ PENN ] 10/18: Dan Clowes and Seth in conversation at Housing Works Bookstore. [ FB ] 10/25: See Reverend Jen , Faceboy, and Jonathan Ames at St. Mark's Bookshop .

I keep waiting for publishers, editors, and authors to come to the defense of St. Mark's Bookshop, so I was glad to see that Lorin Stein, editor of The Paris Review , has stepped up with support. In a blog post he writes, "The staff don’t just select the stock, they proselytize on its behalf and, in their small way, help hold the neighborhood together ." He reports that the bookstore sells more copies of The Paris Review than most cities, and more than the journal's own website. Says Stein, " New York needs bookstores, too, or it will no longer be New York ." To help out, The Paris Review is now offering " a special discount to St. Mark’s patrons ...when you buy a copy of our fall issue at St. Mark’s, you’ll r eceive a coupon good for 25% off a one-year subscription to The Paris Review , starting with our next issue (it’s good for T-shirts, tote bags, and mugs, too). It’s our way of saying thank you for supporting this beloved East Village inst...

On the Bowery: "generic glass-and-steel towers, trendy hotels, art galleries and chains like Whole Foods have been chipping away at the street’s character , threatening to make some blocks resemble the sleeker stretches of Avenue of the Americas or Third Avenue in Midtown." [ NYT ] Bad news for Joe's Bar in the EV? [ EVG ] You can help get Occupy Wall Street billboards up in Times Square. [ RS ] Amusing the Zillion announces a Coney Island "Countdown to Corporatization, " counting the days "Until 7 Mom & Pops Are Kicked Off the Coney Island Boardwalk!" [ ATZ ] Part three in remembering Cornell and the Flower Stall . [ HNY ] Lisanne follows artist Edith Raw, the walking tin-can lady , down 14th St. [ youtube ] "Notwithstanding its reputation as a sex palace, the Continental Baths was a home and haven for many people who lived, played, danced, and socialized... It was a place where doctors, lawyers, clerks, waiters, and the wealthy inte...

"The lambs of historic preservation," wrote Christopher Gray in the Times last week, "fought the lions of John Portman and his hotel juggernaut at the Battle of the Helen Hayes Theater in 1982. The lions won, and the theater was destroyed, like Carthage. Later this month, anyone who wants a very substantial battlefield souvenir may bid on a truckload of 300-pound pieces of glazed terra cotta ." The terra cotta pieces are included in the warehouse sale of the Landmarks Preservation Committee-- the list of items, with photos, is now available . According to the LPC's website , their architectural salvage program began in 1980 "to reuse discarded elements from privately and publicly owned buildings across the city. The salvaged items, including wrought iron fences, grilles, brackets, doors, banisters, windows and decorative elements" were kept in a warehouse in Williamsburg. NY Times Said a commission researcher to the Times this summer, “ The idea was ...