Vanishing New York Backup

VANISHED The Paris Theater, along with the Beekman 1 & 2, has shuttered after a combined 111 years of life. In June we heard the Paris might be closing . Then in July, I was told by employees and management that it was definitely not closing and the news was just rumor. I was not convinced and wrote, "As with all rumors and denials, take it as a warning. Go, enjoy the Paris, enjoy the movie. Because you really never know when it will be your last time." Yesterday, tipster Dan Braun alerted me via Twitter that both theaters have gone missing from the City Cinemas website . The Paris Theater page goes to Page Not Found. Their telephone message about showtimes extends only until August 15. No one's answering the phone at the Beekman either. After some further digging, Joe Wagner on Instagram has posted the goodbye note from the Paris: Dan Braun says, "Both buildings which house the Paris and the Beekman 1 & 2 share the same landlord, Sheldon Solo...

The Gowanus building that houses the excellent Two Toms Restaurant is up for sale. A tipster on Twitter alerted me to the Trulia listing . It offers the building for $3 million and exclaims, "LOCATION EQUALS OPPORTUNITY! Searching for the perfect investment property found in one of the hottest neighborhoods in Brooklyn?" Also, as ominously noted, "Currently the space is occupied by Two Toms Restaurant, but this space may also be delivered vacant, if necessary." Two Toms has been in business since 1948 when it was opened by Tom Giordano and another Tom. It's been family-run since and is one of the last authentic red-sauce joints in a city where red-sauce joints are vanishing . Enjoy the wood paneling and definitely get the pork chop . Before some asshole comes along and fucks it up.

VANISHING Bill's Flower Market opened in 1936. They are closing this month. The sign in the window says the owners are retiring. It is another loss for the rapidly vanishing Flower District , which has been taken over and demolished by tourist hotels. Reader Marjorie Ingall let me know about the closing. She writes, "Jim, Bill’s brother and co-owner, said he’s ready to retire and spend time with his grandkids in Nassau and Suffolk county, but high rent is a factor too . I bought a turkey made with real feathers that I will turn into a holiday centerpiece, two rolls of beautiful floral ribbon, and a tiny nest with two eggs and a sparrow. We both reminisced about when the Flower District went from 26th to 29th, Broadway to 7th Avenue. He said, ' It’s all fancy hotels now .'" When I went by, Bill's was closed for the day, shutting down now at 3:00 in the afternoon, so I could not go in to see the artificial birds they are famous for. They used to have...

VANISHING Guest Post written by William Hennelly, an editor/writer and Seido Karate black belt Down the block from the Flatiron Building in Manhattan sits another local landmark — the headquarters of the World Seido Karate Organization. Since 1976, the school founded by Kaicho (“Grandmaster”) Tadashi Nakamura has trained thousands of martial arts practitioners at 61 West 23rd Street, where it also has operated the Seido Juku Benefit Foundation, a charitable nonprofit. Nakamura, 77, is a revered karateka worldwide, particularly in his native Japan, a status he earned in 1962 by knocking out a muay thai fighter in Bangkok in a much publicized international clash of fighting styles. But now Kaicho and his son, Nidaime (“Successor”) Akira Nakamura, 44, who is Seido’s chief instructor, are faced with a daunting opponent outside the arena — the New York City real estate market. The owners of the 1886 Italian Renaissance-style building that houses the headquarters — or “Honbu” in Ja...