Vanishing New York Backup

VANISHING I don't know Capucine's Restaurant on 2nd Avenue and 19th Street, but I passed by last night and saw this sign in the window: Thirty-three years in business, but now the rent is too high to afford . It's the same old story all over again. And what kind of place is this? The kind of place that keeps getting the boot in Bloomberg's New York. The description from New York Magazine makes it sound like a place I'd like to visit, with its shopworn tuxedos and dolled-up seniors: "So enamored was he of Capucine, the French film beauty , that Gino Bossio named his old-school Italian restaurant for her in 1982. When Bossio passed away in 2005, wife Daryl assumed the reins, taking courtly two-decade veteran waiter Henry Julevic as partner. Aside from those personnel changes, a new TV at the bar, and a few coats of paint, Capucine’s hasn’t changed much since it was founded. It’s the kind of continental place you might take your parents, with middle-of-...

Back in 2011, I wrote up an extensive post about the Sahara Hotel that once stood on the northeast corner of 14th Street and 3rd Avenue, along with the prostitutes that used to roam the neighborhood. In the post, I refer to the XXX peep joint on the first floor of the Sahara (now a Duane Reade in an NYU dorm). Photos of that peep joint are rare finds, but I just came upon two of them in the magnificent online archive of photographer Gregoire Alessandrini who maintains the blog New York City 1990s , a must-see. photo: Gregoire Alessandrini Sometimes, when I find images of a lost place that is hard to find in photos, I like to post them, to sort of reconstruct the place as much as possible. The one photo I found prior to these was black and white, but here we see the lavender hue of the ALL MALE ADULT VIDEO shop. In the next shot, we see the western side of the peep joint, along 3rd Avenue. For more about this corner in the 1990s, read my post on the Sahara Hotel . For mor...

If you're not quite ready to let go of winter in New York, check out Michael Magill's snowy photos of the city in the 1980s and 90s. In the gusts and the drifts, you can't make out many businesses, but a few stand out, like the neon and awning of the old Fedora in 1993 , before Gabe Stulman upscaled it. Now another Stulman restaurant (Joseph Leonard), in 1991 this snowy corner of Waverly was Pierre's Les Douceurs de Paris . In a blizzard, the pre- upscaled Minetta Tavern shines with its neon sign in 1998, before McNally got his hands on it, back when you used to be able to just walk in for a drink, enjoy the neighbors, the comfort, the peace and quiet. There's nothing quite like sitting in a quiet bar or cafe on a snowy afternoon in New York City. Until next year...

The following is a guest post, written by JVNY reader Donica O'Bradovich, a writer and "lifelong New Yorker who can't quite get the city out of her despite a desperate desire to move to California." Back in December, the Daily News reported on yet another victim of Hurricane Sandy, a demise that wouldn’t mean anything to anyone except the baby boomers who grew up in the New York City in the 60s and 70s. Jonah’s Whale, AKA Whaley, the one-time centerpiece of the 1961 Central Park Children’s Zoo, and unofficial Rockaway Beach mascot since 1996, had been swept out to sea , leaving only its tail behind. I hadn’t thought about that old zoo for years, but lately, I’ve been on a quest to bring it back, if only in my mind. I kept wondering what had happened to all the other gloriously whimsical Disney-like structures, which were lovingly financed by former Governor Herbert Lehman and his wife for their 50th anniversary, and if anything had been preserved. When...

In business in the city for over 60 years, the Sutton Clock Shop had perched above Lexington and 61st since 1967. They lost their lease in 2012 and have since moved north to 82nd Street. (Watch author Douglas Rushkoff in the new store .) 2010 At the time, the second-generation owner told NY City Lens that the landlord had "plans to merge the space with its downstairs neighbor and anticipates a large franchise to move into the building ." 2012 The first-floor jewelry shop was also forced to close . From an old photo on the Sutton Clocks site, we can see there had been a jewelry shop in the space for many years. It made sense, the shops went together: jewelry and clocks. Solid objects that last, that get passed down through the generations. Treasures that aren't consumed and then flushed away. But so much for all that. What's moving in? It's yet another link in the ever-lengthening, sticky, gooey cupcake chain that continues to constrict New York ...

Bravo's Andy Cohen tells the Times , "I hope that the incentives for small businesses in Manhattan improve so that we can maintain the fabric of what makes this city great, which is originality ... I can’t stand going on vanishingnewyork.com and seeing what’s next to go." [ NYT ] Scorsese on the development of more Bowery high-rises--they "only create more chaos, more disruption and ultimately offer The Bowery up to the elements of conformity ." [ DNA ] Alec Baldwin fights the Mighty Quinnberg . [ HP ] A history of the Meatpacking District's death by retail . [ Racked ] Check out Alan Wolfson's miniature Village Cigars . [ AW ] Hear the stories of Midwood 's senior citizens. [ TLP ] No more Hong Wah for MacDougal St. [ WSP ] "It is safe to say that the place will not be turning into an artisanal cocktail joint any time soon. Donovan’s is going to be, more or less, Donovan’s." [ NYT ] At the Met, punk as couture. [ Me...

Now and then, I get over to Gowanus and wind through its desolate streets. You never know what you're going to find in that strange industrial wasteland. For example, a bunch of silver balloons, filled with helium, rising and falling in the wind. They look like an organism on their own. They call to you, making you wonder how they got here. Did they get lost, drop, and snag on a tree's fallen limb? Did a jilted lover leave them behind? Venturing down a muddy "do not enter" driveway, past a row of crumbling buildings, a cracked patio where a greasy cat is stalking prey, you come to the toxic waters. There the balloons are tethered--to an inflatable, gold-painted dolphin, itself tethered to a half-sunken boat stuffed with bright beach balls. (An homage to the dolphin who died here?) There isn't another human being anywhere in view. It's just you and the balloons. A moment of quiet mystery. Not for long. More condos are coming. The cafes and Wh...

Since 1954, the Grand Italian Food Center had served Little Italy--sandwiches, breads, pasta, pastries, olives, cheese. Then it vanished. It lost its lease and shuttered either in late 2010 or early 2011. Now there's a new "Italian Food Center" in its spot. 2011 This new Food Center doesn't look anything like the old Food Center . It's been made to appear old, however, with scrubby bricks and a faux-rusted sign that will likely convince the tourists into believing it's been here since there were actual Italians still living in Little Italy. The level of decor, with windows vaguely reminiscent of the High Line's colored window art , subway tiled walls, and a ceiling hung with those trendy silver bowl lightbulbs, makes me think this is not a rebirth of the Italian Food Center we once knew. But I could be wrong. There's a website . Sort of. I've tried, but I can't find anything out on this one. Any clues?

According to a commenter here, the 6th Avenue Car Wash has been closed and boarded up. Located at 6th and Broome for at least 30 years, the car wash was sold recently, much to the dismay of its employees who walked out over the sale . They made the case that the sale was made as retaliation against their unionizing. They have since been given new jobs at other car washes. So what's to become of this prime Soho space? Permits on file reveal that it's in the hands of developer PMG , a company "dedicated to its core business strategy: aggressively acquiring land and properties and successfully transforming them to high-end luxury properties ." This spot is zoned for light manufacturing. But, pending zoning approval, PMG has an application on file with the Department of Buildings for a new residential high-rise building here --18 stories high, 27 units . (We don't know what it will look like, but here's what they just developed in Gowanus .) If you...

VANISHING 701 7th Avenue, former home to the Loews Mayfair Theater, is coming down. And it will take one of Times Square's loveliest buried secrets with it. photo: Kevin Adams Reader Kevin Adams sent in the sad news with a shot of the building at 7th and 47th, where recently the signage came down, revealing a relic of the 1980s--the old Panasonic sign. That's not the lovely buried secret I'm referring to. As far as re-discovered signage goes, the Panasonic lacks a certain romance. It's no " All Live Whirly Girly Revue Big Time Vaudeville ." But it does hold the outline of the past--and it's a tantalizing reminder that, underneath all those dumb jumbo TV screens and flat LED panels, there lies treasure just waiting to be found . Imagine stripping Times Square to the shale. What fossils would we find there? But those treasures are destroyed forever when old buildings are torn down. photo: Matt Weber, 1984 701 7th Avenue was built in 1909 with...

Today: Go to the Broken Angel Eviction Party. [ FB ] Su Friedrich on the decimation of Williamsburg. [ NYT ] Papaya King is coming to St. Mark's Place. We approve. [ EVG ] Russ & Daughters on Leonard Lopate. [ WNYC ] The East Village is now the noisiest neighborhood in town. [ AMNY ] St. Mark's Bookshop on their story, e-books, and the East Village: "It’s not the neighborhood for poor, struggling artists, which it always had been. No matter if you were a filmmaker, an artist, a writer, or theater person, you gravitated towards the East Village because it was community of like-minded souls. You could be poor here." [ PS ] Domino Sugar factory cuteness on film. [ ANY ] Before he's done, Bloomberg races to rezone about a million more blocks of Manhattan for about a million more glass towers. [ DM ] A Greek souvlaki tycoon is saving Hinsch's. [ BP ] What if Bleecker Bob's gets sucked into a fro-yo vortex? [ DNA ] Gentrifying the deeper ...

Wandering around inside Grand Central station late on Saturday night, I noticed that the place is loaded with clocks. I might have noticed this before, but it's hard to pay close attention in swarming crowds. When it's late, the terminal is (relatively) empty. The peace and quiet is wonderful. And you can see things. Like clocks. I'm sure I did not capture every clock in Grand Central. As you can see, they run on time. Which makes me wonder. Who's got the job of going around and setting all the clocks forward one hour for Daylight Savings Time? Nothing so romantic. It's just an automatic " master clock ."

VANISHED Billed as "NYC's only remaining LGBT bookstore," Bent Pages of Staten Island has shuttered. On their Facebook page this weekend they wrote, "Well, It was a good run, wasn't it? Thanks to all who made the experience so rich and meaningful. Heart's hurting a little bit just now, but we'll be alright ." Opened in May 2008, Bent Pages held many community events, including "read-alouds, musical performances, sit n' knit, Scrabble Tournaments, and more." On their Yelp profile they wrote, "We are lesbian-owned and value the memory of small bookstores and mourn the loss of so many bookshops in New York City." Co-owners Robin and Katie told me: "People loved the idea of Bent Pages, but had a hard time getting off Facebook to actually come in. People simply did not come in to buy books. We were a used bookstore, specializing in LGBT titles, many of which were rare and out of print. There seemed to be little a...

VANISHED Casa Havana, the Cuban diner on Chelsea's 8th Avenue, shuttered yesterday. Suddenly and, it appears, completely. Today A reader sent in the above photo and reported that the place is empty inside. I was just there a week ago, filling up on delicious empanadas served by a tough young woman with a scorpion tattoo on her neck. Their phone is disconnected and there's no notice on their Facebook page or website . A week ago This was an authentic and inexpensive spot, but it was not the original Cuban diner that was in this space . That was Havana Chelsea , an "old-school Cuban greasy spoon that...managed to survive the area’s influx of trendy restaurants." New York Magazine wrote of Casa Havana: "When Havana Chelsea, the scruffy, long-time Cuban joint that used to be here, closed down, locals were bereft. For his spiffy successor, [owner] Vicari kept the old chef, and continues to peddle rustic Cuban fare with the same menu, prices, and hu...

After announcing the miserable news last week that March 30 will be the last day for Chelsea's 34-year-old Rawhide bar, I went by on a quiet and snowy afternoon to talk with the bar's owner, Jay Goudgeon. We sat at the bar and he told me stories. The Rawhide, Jay explained, is important because it's part of gay history in New York City. It's the type of bar where people know you, a neighborhood place. "For a lot of guys, it was the first gay bar they ever walked into, and they made a lot of long-lasting friendships here." Back in the day, he said, " you were kind of an outlaw if you came in here . And you sat next to all kinds of people. Famous people, busboys, everybody. We were here before Chelsea was 'Chelsea.'" "When the Rawhide opened in 1979, it was the first gay bar in Chelsea and the neighbors were incensed. At 8:00 in the morning, they'd start throwing bricks at the windows. Every day. Then some of the customers br...