Vanishing New York Backup

VANISHING After about a decade on Greenwich Avenue at Jane Street, Soy Cafe is closing on April 14 due to rising rent. click to read Soy's goodbye note I like Soy Cafe, in part, because they hate cell phones and they have signs like this: It was also the first (and only) place where I saw the great "More Jane Jacobs, Less Marc Jacobs" postcard on display, which led to the slogan getting on t-shirts . But the winds of the new New York blow fierce. No matter how hard you fight them, the relentless forces of Marc Jacobs, Inc., and the iPhone zombies just keep coming. And they love a prime corner spot. P. S. Most mornings, a clock repair man sits on one of the benches outside Soy Cafe. He reads a book in an Eastern European language and waits for the workday to begin next door at Timepieces , the watch and clock shop. He isn't overtly friendly. He doesn't smile or make conversation. He just sits and waits for the moment when the shop opens so he can get to work re

VANISHING After 29 years in Greenwich Village, World of Video will be closing on April 28. They have lost their lease. A sign in the window, covered with handwritten well wishes and goodbyes, reads: "It is with great sadness we are forced to announce World of Video will be closing its doors forever. We have shared great entertainment, engaged in casual and often personal conversation..." "Can you believe it," asked a man reading the sign. "Netflix," I said. "I rent here and I have Netflix," he said, "so I guess I'm as guilty as the next guy." "We all are," I conceded. A woman stopped by with her dog. "Bummer," she said. "Here comes another goddamn Marc Jacobs."

On a recent evening I was walking by the poor, old Beatrice Inn . The falling light was just right, buttery and blushed, so I snapped a photo of the battered neon sign, wondering what would happen to it now that Graydon Carter is (partially) taking over. The next day I got the answer. When you walk by and find the sign vanished, don't despair. It has been removed by Let There Be Neon and they've been commissioned to restore the sign back to glory. You might remember them from their fantastic work on 42nd Street's PEEP-O-RAMA sign . Let There Be Neon's Jeff Friedman sent in some photos of the sign, currently at their shop, and answered a few questions about what's to come. Unlike the Fedora sign , which was replaced with a replica, the Beatrice Inn sign will be rehabilitated, rust and all. Jeff Friedman What are the new owners asking you to do with the sign? What they've asked us to do is get it working. What we are going to do is: remove all neon (all broken), g

Many tears on the last night of the great Bill's Gay 90s . [ DJ ] Lost City unearth's some of Bill's secrets . [ LC ] Maybe "Girls" will be good --Emily Nussbaum says so. But will it be an antidote to the ravages of SATC? [ NYM ] Columbia's demolition in eminent-domained Manhattanville causes collapse and death. [ NYO ] The films of Sara Driver at Anthology: " New York really did have magic then, because it was such an empty city. It was very cheap to live here. You could have a job in a Xerox store and pay your rent and have your food. People didn’t want to be here…and the people who were, really wanted to be here.” [ AFA ] RADAR Lab, queer-centric lit at the Strand. [ CNY ] Susie Bright recalls the dirty days of the Meatpacking District . [ SB ] " Find a new city ," said Patti Smith. How about Detroit ? [ NYM ] Recently, at Astor Place --thank goodness for Mr. Silver :

VANISHING Today is the last day for Peep World, the porn shop across from Madison Square Garden. The cashier told me they are closing for good tonight at 6:00. Go before it's too late. They're having a major "closing down sale"-- all DVDs are $5 . The upstairs, where once were "live girls," is closed and packed with cardboard boxes and other junk. The walls are hung with the usual latex goods--synthetic penises and vaginas--along with vibrating eggs, pumps, clamps, and plush-lined handcuffs in friendly cotton-candy colors. The toys are also on sale--"Everything must go." In the back, where a sign says "No Hanging Around," men hang around. They lean against the buddy booths, waiting for other men to step inside. Many people will be glad to hear Peep World has vanished. They will say it was an offense for one reason or another. Of course, what's to come won't be viewed as worse. *Update: It became a Hooters c

After planning to do so for years, Strip House has finally expanded into the former space of once-beloved 12th Street Books. today In 2008, decade-old 12th Street Books shuttered when their lease ended and the landlord hiked the rent. Upscale chain restaurant Strip House (which replaced 75-year-old Asti) was slated to take over the spot before the bookstore had even closed, but they did not move in right away. The downstairs space stayed empty for four years, growing more blighted by the day--and we sorely missed our bookstore. 2011 During those four years, 12th Street Books relocated to Brooklyn and became The Atlantic Book Shop . Sadly, it did not last. In May 2011, that bookstore also shuttered . It has not, to my knowledge, reopened again. The Strip House Grill , once a haven of books, is now serving filet mignon sandwiches and "lobster frites ." Is it better than a bikini wax ?

Remember the BMW Guggenheim Lab in the East Village that many people wrote angry blog comments about? In Berlin, left-wing activists shut the project down with threats of violence . "Their protest was that the project would accelerate the gentrification of Kreuzberg, leading to higher rents and new luxury residential developments." Another good reason to move to Berlin. [ Atlantic ] Bloomberg bans food donations to the homeless. CBS asks, "Has The Mayor Totally Eaten Away At The Public's Desire To Do Good?" [ CBS ] Graydon Carter on New York and money: " Somewhere along the way, New York became all about money. Or rather, it was always about money, but it wasn’t all about money, if you know what I mean. New York’s not Geneva or Zurich yet, but we’re certainly heading in that direction..." [ VF ] Remembering New York School artist and writer Joe Brainard . [ LOA ] New York City loses another cobbler due to doubling rents. [ PMFA ] via [ Gothamist

From 1931 to 2007, the two gorgeous neon signs of the Jade Mountain Chinese restaurant glowed on Second Avenue in the East Village like a beacon. When the restaurant closed, taken over by Shoolbred's, the Chow Mein sign stayed lit for awhile, and the Jade Mountain sign remained hidden on the rooftop. Photo from warsze Last summer, CHOW MEIN vanished and we watched the beautiful Jade Mountain sign get crushed, then carted away . My emails to the owners of Shoolbred's, asking for the whereabouts of the signs, went unanswered. My pleas to save the signs fell on deaf ears. Until now. Thomas Rinaldi of New York Neon shares the very exciting news that the signs have been salvaged . July 2011 A mysterious someone called only "Kathleen in Canada," reports Rinaldi, first tracked the Chow Mein sign to the building contractor's junkyard where she found the treasure "partially dismantled, its neon tubes knocked out and metal faces folded over themselves, literally to

Two years ago, Carmine's at the Seaport was forced to close after 107 years in business when the landlord raised the rent to $13,000 a month. Today it's still gutted and empty. In this depressing photo sent in from reader Frank, all that remains of Carmine's is the pressed-tin ceiling. The Five Guys burger chain people were supposed to bring an upscale steakhouse here , but that was announced a year ago and the "For Lease" signs are still on Carmine's facade. As Frank says, "Wouldn't it have been better to keep Carmine's in business and get some kind of rent, instead of nothing for the past two years?" my flickr, 2008

Today is Egg Cream Day --who knew? So go check out these places --and these --for delicious egg creams. [ EGD ] Walking Greenwich Avenue . [ FNY ] Dig into the neon sign design archives of Artkraft Strauss. [ NYN ] Freaked out in Brooklyn's last porno theater. [ TWM ] “One day, you’re going to come to Coney Island and just gasp —‘Oh my god, it’s not that beautiful anymore,’” Carolyn McCrory said, eyes wide. “You’re going to feel it in your bones.” She was wearing an orange peacock dress, and her curly golden tresses added to the carnival air in the meeting, a mix of working class and Wonder Wheel. [ NYO ] The evolution of Max Fish . [ EVG ] Live at the Fillmore East . [ BB ] Please don't hug the subway pole . [ Gothamist ] NYC gets yet another Wisconsin-themed foodie establishment. [ Eater ]

The Bear auto body shop, tucked under the High Line at 10th and 26th, put out of business and demolished , is now a parking lot. today The business had been here for over 30 years. But when we watched the second part of the High Line open in June we wondered , "How long will the tourist machine tolerate this industrial view from the High Line's new 'viewing spur' before the Firestone Bear Auto Center is suddenly put out of business?" Soon after, we heard of Bear Auto's demise. A tipster spoke to an employee and told us that Bear Auto was fighting their landlord in court, and that the expensive private school going up next door wanted their space for a parking lot. The realtor posted a listing with a dreamed-up retail space on the spot. Summer 2011 Fall 2011 Winter 2011 In December, after Bear Auto closed, local mechanic Alan Brownfeld (also pushed out by hiked rent) told us that the High Line's devastating impact on the once-thriving "Gasoline Al

Frank Jump has been photographing and collecting the ghost signs of New York City since 1997. Most recently, he published many of his photos, along with essays, in the excellent book Fading Ads of New York City . This Sunday, March 18, he leads a walking tour of the ghost signs of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, beginning with a talk at Word bookstore . I asked Frank some questions about his work and the upcoming tour. Frank Jump What are some of the highlights people can expect on the ghost sign tour of Greenpoint? The Greenpoint gem will always be Syrup of Figs . Once painted over, as the paint that covers it chips away, this fading ad just keeps getting better. I need to scope out some of the route because some that I think are there may no longer be there. There is a great corset ad on Manhattan Avenue and an old depot sign on the back of someone's apartment on Nassau. Flushing Avenue going down into Williamsburg has a few treasures from the not too distant past, as is with the K

In the East Village, people leaving clothes on the sidewalk for the homeless are getting awfully fussy (and bossy) about the whole thing: Met Foods has removed the Ratner's "R" from their floor--but we still have the mosaic wall . [ EVG ] A lovely ode to the dearly departed Manganaro's , its ladies, and its neon. [ NYN ] Landlord of Harlem's famed and fabulous Lenox Lounge hikes the rent--and the owner is out. [ NYDN ] Author Christopher Bollen recalls life in a Williamsburg that has changed dramatically in just 10 years. [ PRD ] Dean Haspiel puts the Montero Bar & Grill into a comic. [ TC ] A "manifesto of gentrification" in photographs of Park Slope. [ NYT ] Help preserve the mural at the former Victor's Cafe . [ LW ] Last week, the Odessa cash mob drew a dozen neighborhood folks, including bloggers C.O. Moed , Goggla , Marty , Melanie , and One More Folded Sunset , many of whom covered the event in their blogs. What'

The last remnants of the Harry Chong Chinese laundry have vanished. Reader Ian sends in this photo of workers in action, scraping the red lettering from the window of the recently rented space. In October, we noted that the space was for rent as the Snip N Sip beauty parlor reduced its size in half. Our tipster at the time reported that the hairdresser "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!" The skeptic was correct, unfortunately. Piro Patton, flickr, 2006 Pushed out after 60 years in business here, Harry Chong originally had additional signage on its windows--reading "LAUNDRY" and "DRY CLEAN." Now, there's nothing left. By nightfall, the windows were bare.

VANISHING? A few years ago I wandered into the Roxy Luncheonette down on John Street, between Broadway and Nassau, where I never wander. It's a lovely little gem that has survived since 1944 . At the time I wrote, "It's got everything a luncheonette should have: chrome swivel stools, a quilted stainless steel backsplash, and good egg creams." Now a reader writes in to say the Roxy is about to vanish . "The construction down here is awful," says reader Frank, who lives in the neighborhood. Six different construction projects are happening all at once on John Street--including a new dorm and hotel. The local Downtown News calls it the " Hammers of Hell ." "It's been going on forever and the Roxy just won't make it," Frank writes. "I never see anyone in there. Who would want to go? It's so loud with all the jackhammering, and the streets are torn up something awful. The owner says he'll need to close in a few months in

Yesterday the recently restored Keith Haring mural "Once Upon a Time" was opened for public viewing at the LGBT Community Center on West 13th Street. Center site The mural was painted in 1989 on the walls of what was then a men's bathroom. "Completed months before he died of AIDS," writes the Center's website, "this mural is perhaps Haring’s most personal and resonant expression of sexual jouissance." That jouissance means you won't see the likes of it being reproduced on any Houston Street walls --the work is chock-full of penises and sperm. The fairy-tale title speaks perhaps to a lost innocence and sexual freedom dashed by the AIDS crisis. To walk into the Haring Bathroom is to enter a monochromatic fun-house of fucking. Anything goes. Above white toilet tiles, curling around water pipes and ductwork, headless male bodies twist and entwine with giant phalluses. Tiny men shoot from the ends of penises to splash soggily onto the backs of othe

Since western Bleecker Street's unprecedented luxury boom began in 2001, approximately 44 small businesses have vanished and been replaced with upscale shopping mall chains. Let it sink in: 44 long-time neighborhood businesses, every single one of them gone, in about a decade . How did it happen? We've looked at it before, but I keep trying to get my head around it, so I made a timeline. cupcake dancers The Wave Begins 2000: Sex & the City 's Carrie Bradshaw bites into a pink-frosted Magnolia cupcake --the cupcake that launched a thousand luxury boutiques. 2001: The New York Times reports on Marc Jacobs' arrival on Bleecker. Said Jacobs' president Robert Duffy, "If I could have 20 stores on Bleecker Street, I would." He plunks down three at a time. (Now there are six within a few blocks.) Later, a Marc Jacobs employee explains to the Villager , "Our goal was to take advantage of the huge concentration of young people who flooded into

After my post on Little Rickie and its devolution into a Starbucks, I talked via Facebook with the shop's founder, Phillip Retzky. He gives us the whole story of the shop, the time, the place, and everything... Phillip & Fanny at the first shop How did Little Rickie get started? I got a call from my then boyfriend, Steven Rubin, who owned the eponymous Paper White flower shop on 2nd Ave between 4th and 5th, next door to Bink and Bink, the great food store, that a store on 1st and 1st was available, and was I interested? I said yes to the vacant store front (72 e. 1st Street), spent some months making drawings of what Little Rickie would look like, inside and out, and began conceptualizing the whole thing, like an art project, installation, Joseph Cornell box. When I opened the store, it was totally about what I liked and had been buying all my life. I've collected flotsam and jetsam since the 4th grade. I moved the shop to 1st and 3rd in 1987, with