Vanishing New York Backup

Crain's published an article this month on "the masters of derailing projects in the city." I haven't derailed anything, regrettably, as much as I've tried, but they included me on their list anyway -- along with a number of folks who are getting stuff done. NIMBYs? "Anti-change activists"? Are these the right terms for people who aim to preserve the character of New York City? Here's my bit: The shadow player Mr. Berman is one of the most visible anti-development activists. Others, like Jeremiah Moss, operate in the shadows. Mr. Moss uses a fake name and refuses to have his picture taken, yet his blog, Jeremiah's Vanishing New York, has become the go-to hub for those who lament New York's loss of character. Mr. Moss uses his online following to stage attention-grabbing theatrics, like hosting a funeral for a beloved 82-year-old shoe-repair shop under threat of closure. He recently shifted tactics from covering the frequent c

Like old barber shops, I love old shoe repair shops. Every time I see one that looks promisingly ancient and unchanged, I go in for a shine. For years, every time I went by Tony's Shoe Repair on West 35th Street , the gate was down. My timing was never right. And then it was. Currently run by Guy Pisani, Tony's has been around for 81 years--and then some. Their Facebook page reads: "Since 1934 Tony's Shoe Repair has been a family run business in the heart of the garment district on 7th Avenue in New York City. For three generations our family has faithfully served the mid-town area through thick and thin." Mitch Broder explains the lineage: "Tony is the son of Tony, who also isn’t Tony, but who is also the son of Tony, who also wasn’t Tony. The real Tony was the guy who opened the store in 1928 and sold it six years later to another guy, named Gaetano. Gaetano kept Tony’s sign, thus becoming the second Tony and setting the stage for his son Dan and

Tonight is the last night of the original Duke's "roadhouse" bar in Gramercy. Ken Pierce shares their goodbye email : “To our loyal Duke’s Customers, After 20 years in the Gramercy Neighborhood, we are closing our doors at the end of the summer. Thank you for all the great times throughout the years. Our Murray Hill location at 860 Third Avenue will remain open and we hope to see you there for more of your favorite food, drinks, staff and good times.” Are we seeing a mass die-off of the urban faux-roadhouse and honky tonk? First Rodeo Bar was booted by a rent hike, then Hogs & Heifers by a massive rent hike, and now Duke's, for reasons as yet unknown. They were all in their 20s. When will Trailer Park succumb? Can't say I was ever a big fan of Duke's. It was, for a brief time, an after-work spot when I worked near there. That's about it. New York describes the place: "The kitschy touches at Duke's begin right at the door, where a

Across 48th from soon-to-vanish Rudy's Music Stop , more is vanishing from this little old block. Earlier this spring, the Smiler's deli on the corner of West 48th and 7th Avenue closed. The building was purchased by SL Green for $41.1 million. Wrapped in black netting and scaffolding, it has been demolished. There used to be several Smiler's all-night delis in the city. Now there are only a few. In the 70s, this one was an Orange Julius and The Doll theater-- LIVE ACTS ON STAGE SEEING IS BELIEVING! Constructed in 1927, it was a nice-looking building, too. photobucket The little old buildings to the east of this one--down to what was Manny's Music--have all been acquired by the Rockefeller Group . The Post reported that SL Green will build a three-story building on the corner . Others have speculated that he'll buy out Rockefeller's parcel and put something enormous here. Winick has the rendering: "over 5,400 SF of brilliant, high-resolut

There's been all this panicked talk recently about an increased visibility of homeless people. The neoliberal media is worried about a return to the city's "bad old days." Mayor de Blasio just sent a swarm of NYPD to guard Tompkins Square Park from the people who sleep in it. Again, there has been no recent spike in the homeless population--the massive increase happened under Bloomberg's stingy policies. They're just not getting hassled, dragged away, and imprisoned like they were under our previous two mayors. The homeless have always been with us. Which brings me to a 1960 essay by Jack Kerouac, " The Vanishing American Hobo ." Wrote Kerouac, "The American Hobo has a hard time hoboing nowadays due to the increase in police surveillance." Prosperous towns "don’t want old bums any more." Bums, hobos, homeless--they don't vanish because the city takes care of them, giving them psychiatric care and affordable housing. They

In May, I reported that Chelsea's wonderful La Taza de Oro had been shuttered for a month , due to problems with the neighboring building and Con-Ed's intensified restrictions and regulations enforced after the Second Avenue gas explosion. Now I've heard some good news. When recently checking in on the place, I chatted with a man who seemed to know what he was talking about. He told me, "We're opening in November." Keep your fingers crossed.

Harlem's M&G Diner shuttered back in 2008 when the beloved soul food restaurant went on vacation and never returned. It had been around for maybe 40 years. Most of the antique signage was removed and the spectacular facade was made miserably dull. Now reader Christina Wilkinson sends in a shot of the new business in the space. It's called Capsule . They sell men's "streetwear," brands like G-Star, Billionaire Boys Club, Ralph Lauren. Christina Wilkinson Photographers James and Karla Murray took before-and-after photos of M&G awhile back. James and Karla Murray : Click photo to enlarge In the older shot, the façade is resplendent, its red awning announcing SOUL FOOD in a typeface slightly serifed, while above, neon signs fringed in lights deliriously announce “Southern fried chicken” that promises to be “old fashion’ BUT Good!” (The letter “i” is dotted with a star.) Is the “BUT” meant to mean “nonetheless,” to say that while the chicken is

VANISHING? Yesterday, the Real Deal reported that a 13-story building is coming to 572 11th Avenue. That address is the current home of the grand old Market Diner. photo: Sideways NYC One of Manhattan's very last vintage, chrome, stand-alone diners still in business, the Market has been on this site since 1962. It was a favorite of Frank Sinatra and west-side gangsters. The place closed in 2006 and reopened in late 2008 with a redesign that stayed true to its glorious mid-century roots. photo: Greenwich Village Daily Photo A call to the Market Diner yielded no information about any upcoming closure. The Real Deal reports that the new development will include 163 residential units, ground-floor retail, a second-floor gym, lounge, and a rooftop with private terraces. The Moondance and Cheyenne were picked up and moved to keep them from being destroyed, but something tells me we're not going to be able to put this one on a flatbed truck and send it off to the f

It's not often that I go to the South Street Seaport. It's full of tourists and has become the sort of place--like many in New York--that caters exclusively to the tepid tastes and desires of tourists, with suburban shopping mall stores and an outdoor food court. It's far from Joseph Mitchell's old Seaport , that's for sure. But I went recently and found a few things worth the bother. One Grand is a temporary pop-up bookshop that just opened in a store called Whisper Editions at 6 Fulton Street. They sell antler sculptures and $135 makeup bags. Bypass those to access the bookshop upstairs. Opened by Aaron Hicklin, editor-in-chief of Out magazine, One Grand is organized around the question "If you were on a desert island for the rest of your life, what 10 books would you take?" The people who answered include Tilda Swinton, Justin Vivian Bond, Edmund White, Michael Cunningham, and Penny Arcade. This is " curated " bookselling

There's a panic spreading across a certain sector of the city. Pre-Giuliani New York is coming back! For mega-realtor Robert Knakal at the Commercial Observer , crime is "increasing like wildfire." And along with all the "shootings and murders" comes "an alarming degradation in quality of life issues, which mayors Giuliani and Bloomberg worked so hard to improve." The terror? Squeegee guys and homeless people. All of this, Knakal argues, is bad for tourism and the high price of commercial real estate. "Fuck You Pay Me" guy, with anarchy tattoo, Times Square The New York Post is having a field day with this idea that New York is experiencing an increase in its homeless population. John Podhoretz is worried about the degradation of the urban streetscape . He wrote about high-rent blight, all those shuttered businesses sitting dead due to insane rent hikes, then argued about an apparent increase in aggressive "panhandlers fr

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VANISHING For decades, West 48th Street off Times Square was known as Music Row, a block filled with shops specializing in musical instruments. In the 2000s, we watched the block dwindle , like every other authentic place in this city, until there were two. Rudy's Music Stop and Alex Music are the last two music shops left on the entire block. And, after years of rumors, soon there will be just one. Rudy Pensa's original shop, opened in 1978, will be closing in August, employees confirmed. Over the phone, Rob at the shop told me, "No one buys guitars anymore. This is just one big place for tourists to buy souvenirs." Rudy's is in a little old building next to another little old building. Every time I see them huddled together, I wonder when they'll be destroyed. The fact that they remain standing feels like a miracle. I talked to Alex Carozza of Alex Music next door. He will soon be the last of his kind. He told me he has no plans to close. &qu

When the 25-year-old Jesse's Deli got the boot from its landlord in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, local customers Doug Cameron and Tommy Noonan protested with a colorful collection of " artisanal landlord price hike " posters. They created a sensation. all photos courtesy Doug Cameron Now they've turned their talents to a block of mom and pops in Washington Heights. The businesses, many of which have been on Broadway and West 162nd for decades, have been evicted by the building's new owners, again with an impossible rent hike. ( Read about their story in the Village Voice .) Doug Cameron explained to Vanishing New York: "This time an entire block in Washington Heights is throwing a ‘Gentrification In Progress’ Sale. The Punta Cana is officially rebranded as the Casa de Campo, which is the name of an extremely wealthy gated community and resort in the Dominican Republic. Posters in its windows now offer 'small plates for twice the price,' such a

John's of 12th Street is one of my favorite places. In the East Village since 1908, it's become even more precious today when we are losing all of our authentic red-sauce joints . Vanessa McDonnell made a documentary about John's, and it is now available for renting and buying online . Watch the trailer, read Grieve's Q&A with the filmmaker from last year, and go eat at John's. They almost sold the place recently, and you just never know when your last meal will be your last. (Seriously, go soon.) JOHN'S OF 12TH STREET - Trailer from Grand Motel on Vimeo .