Vanishing New York Backup

Good news! After an outcry from the public and small business activists, Neir's Tavern has received a new lease. One source in city government informed me that the owner of Neir's will receive 5 more years on the lease and right of first refusal to purchase the building should it go up for sale. The #SaveNYC rally to save Neir's will now be a celebration--and a rally to fight for commercial rent regulations in New York City. Because there are many more small businesses being crushed by landlord greed. Come out to Neir's tomorrow, Saturday, at 2:00pm--bring signs, make noise, fight to save NYC! View the Facebook invitation here

VANISHING After nearly 200 years in Woodhaven, Queens, Neir's Tavern will shutter. photo via NY Times Owner Loycent Gordon sent an email to his customers to share the sad news. He says: "Yesterday I was forced to make one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make. Sunday January 12th I will have to step down as owner of Neirs Tavern and I have no one available to replace me. I’ve been unable to obtain an affordable long term lease to reach our goal of the 200th anniversary in 2029. I’m operating month to month with an unaffordable rent and insufficient sales to overcome a year of losing money every month... I hope my Neirs Team will be here until Sunday in the event a miracle happens. But I have no more money after Sunday. I’m sorry i let you down. I’m sorry I couldn’t get landmark status. I’m sorry I couldn’t buy the building." Neir's has been fighting for its life ; recently, the Landmarks Preservation Committee rejected its application , though it...

VANISHING?  For the umpteenth time, rumors are floating about the demise of the Neptune Diner in Astoria, Queens. We first heard about it last winter , but it was denied. We heard about it in December , but it was some kind of a misunderstanding. Now it returns. This time, though, the rumor sounds possible. The Queens Gazette reported it on their Facebook page . "Sadly Neptune Diner Site is for Sale," they wrote earlier this month. And they pasted in a realtor's listing (but no link to the source): "As exclusive marketing and sales agent, Eastern Consolidated is pleased to present 31-05 31st Street aka 31-01 Astoria Boulevard North in Astoria, Queens (the 'Property' or 'Site'). The Property, which is well-located corner future development site with three sides of legal light and air and a maximum ZFA of ±41,760 square feet. The Site is currently improved with a standalone diner with on-site parking and will be sold subject to the existing...

A rumor is floating around (again) that the great Neptune Diner of Astoria is closing. This photo of a supposed shutter note showed up on Twitter with an Astoria hashtag: But a call to the diner confirmed they are not closing. And a Reddit reader says the sign is a hoax. UPDATE: A Facebook commenter say, "It's the Neptune Diner in Newburgh, NY that's closing, and that shutter note is from their menu. I know this because I ate there a few days ago. It's a shame... I really liked that place." The same rumor went floating around a year ago . Is this an annual, end-of-year occurrence? Anyway. The woman who answered the phone at Neptune tells me the menu for their Christmas dinner is wonderful.

A reader from Queens recently wrote in, "There have been reports of the Neptune Diner’s imminent demise over the last few years. However, community gossip is much stronger and multiple people have said the lot on which the Neptune sits was sold and the diner will be closed." So I went to Astoria for breakfast at the Neptune. It's right at the bottom of the stairs at Astoria Boulevard Station. You can't miss it with its white stone walls and red adobe-style roof, its arched windows and lighted carriage lamps. The food was good. As the paper placemat informs you, the Daily News has named Neptune the Best Diner in Queens. The place was busy, too, bustling with a Queensian mix of New Yorkers--working class and middle class, many races and ethnicities. The city. I don't know how long the Neptune has been in existence. Long enough for David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve to dine there during the filming of The Hunger , and no doubt longer. Photo by Jean-C...

What a thrill it was to round the bend on the 7 train into Long Island City and see the crazy, vivid vista of 5 Pointz, covered in graffiti art. Through the scrim of the dirty train window, all that color. You felt it in your chest. In your heart. That flutter. That sudden flooding of feeling. Remember that? from Untapped Cities Then they whitewashed it and demolished it. And here's what it looks like now when you round that bend. Just a muddy pit. The footprint of what will be more glass, for glitz, more generic towers for more generic life . New York, we are fucking everything up.

Norwood Rexall Drugs in Astoria has been in its spot for 60 years, but it was recently forced to move by a rent hike, according to a note in the window. Reader Scott Levine sends in a photo of the letter to customers from owner Syed Naqvi, who's been running the shop since 1977. He explains that the building was purchased by TK Management. And then, " All of a sudden, the new owner wants to double the rent , plus add the real estate taxes, without giving us reasonable notice." photo by Scott Levine The storefront is an antique, with curved, deeply set window displays and a vintage Rexall sign on the glass. 2014 -- photo by Nancy A. Ruhling Mr. Naqvi was featured in a HuffPo piece last year. He told Nancy Ruhling about his move from Pakistan, and how he worked hard to take over the drugstore and keep it going over the years. "The price wasn't high because the owner was retiring," he said of the time, "and the shelves were bare because he...

VANISHING Art Cove has been selling art and craft supplies in Ridgewood, Queens, for 44 years. But no more. On their Facebook page they've announced: "Ridgewood, New York, has become too fancy for Artcove. After 44 years we will be closing at the end of this year." Ridgewood Social writes: "Art Cove is a craft supply store lost in time. With its original awning still in place, they have become a staple of Ridgewood’s past. As major craft chains move towards only scrap-booking, Art Cove maintains its roots as a place to buy supplies for all sorts of crafts." But as we keep hearing, Ridgewood is the new Williamsburg . Or the new Bushwick , which was once the new Williamsburg. Anyway, it's the " next big neighborhood ." It's even got a Twitter page called Gentrify Ridgewood! So much for those cheaper rents. Think you're safe in your outer borough hideaway? Think again. No neighborhood is safe from the juggernaut of hyper-ge...

After 20 years of working on Wall Street, Chris Arnade walked away in 2012, disillusioned with the business. He kept walking, all the way to the Bronx, with a camera in his hand. In Hunts Point, he got to know and photograph the other humans of New York , the ones at the margins--prostitutes and drug addicts, living in poverty. Collected in a series called " Faces of Addiction ," the images are both beautiful and heartbreaking. Arnade has also photographed the pigeon keepers of New York , the people of Brownsville and East New York , the tricked-out bikes of New York , and much more, including the transgender sex workers of Jackson Heights, Queens. When we look to the Meatpacking District and wonder where did all those girls go -- they went here. all photos by Chris Arnade The following text is excerpted from an essay by Chris Arnade, from his flickr page : At 4:00 am the 7 train over Roosevelt Avenue provides the rhythm for Jackson Heights, Queens. Each train spill...

Barnes & Noble is removing its stores from Queens , including a location in Forest Hills that preservationists tried to save . It's ironic to fight for a chain, but the neighborhood is otherwise a bookstore desert. And what's coming to replace it? A Target . Meanwhile, on Fifth Avenue and 18th Street, the flagship Barnes & Noble bookstore ( since 1932 and closed in 2014 ) has been completely transformed into a Banana Republic. The plaque on the outside wall ("Founded 1873") has been pried off, leaving a shadowy scar on the masonry. Inside, a message for all who might still think books have value: THINK LESS. (I took this picture awhile ago, so it may not be there anymore. It was there when they opened.)

Tucked close to the Queensboro Bridge, on Long Island City's Vernon Boulevard, there's a little jewel of an abandoned building: the offices of the once-sprawling New York Architectural Terra-Cotta Works. When the company closed in the 1930s, these offices continued to function in various capacities until 1965 or so. Citibank bought it, boarded it up, and forgot about it for decades. In old photos , the building sits forlorn and mysterious, its gorgeous ornamentation covered by plywood. In 1987, Christopher Gray described it in the Times as "a burnt brown riot of pressed and shaped brick, chimneys with spiral designs, stepped gables and round-bottomed roof tiles... The entire building is a rich symphony of hard-burnt brown, cream and umber." The building was landmarked in 1982 but nothing was done to protect it from the elements. The plywood on its doors and windows was left to rot and warp. A couple of years ago, the building was wrapped in scaffolding a...

Filmmaker E.J. McLeavey-Fisher has made a lovely short documentary about Joe Leisner, former owner of the shop Comic Book Heaven in Sunnyside, Queens. I asked E.J. a few questions about the film--which you can watch in its entirety right here: Comic Book Heaven from E.J. McLeavey-Fisher on Vimeo Q: Something I like most about the film is its depiction of what might be called "a real New York character." Can such a breed still exist in the city? And can they still run a successful business? A: That breed can definitely still exist, but I don't think they can necessarily run a shop like Comic Book Heaven without making some serious tweaks over time. To me, Joe's "New York character" comes from that defiant, stubborn outlook that often gets equated with the overall NYC attitude. That's the charm, of course, but when it applies to a business model, it's not so sustainable. The conflict now is that people get a kick out of Joe and ...

The following is a guest post by Max Falkowitz VANISHING For 23 years, Rahita Raval has baked croissants and carrot cake in a 470 square foot storefront in Forest Hills, Queens. Now, as thanks for those pastries and two decades as a respectful tenant, her landlord has handed her an eviction notice. Bonelle Pastry Shop , today a fixture of the neighborhood, must clear out by the end of the year. photo: Ed B Flowers, flickr Raval isn’t facing eviction to make way for a new store that wants her space. Her landlord, the Brooklyn-based Babad Management Company, just signed a lease with Dunkin’ Donuts for a space down the street. Babad argues Bonelle would make undue competition for Dunkin’ and thus must vacate the premises. With only a verbal rental agreement, not a formal lease (it was foisted on her after her first 10 years as a leased tenant), she has few options. The Daily News and Gothamist have been on the case, and over 850 people have signed a petition urging Babad to r...

I took a walk around what's left of 5Pointz recently. You can see the destruction as you roll past on the 7 Train, looking down into rubble. And get a closer look on the ground, through a grimy plastic window in the plywood demolition fence. The entire rear section has already been demolished. Across the street, a tribute in spray paint: "RIP 5Pointz: Rest in power" and "Enjoy Your Legacy Gerry!" That probably means Jerry Wolkoff , the owner of the property who was behind the white-wash and now the demolition. Coming to this spot will two high-rise luxury towers, 47 and 41 stories tall , glittering and dull as downtown Dallas office complexes. It was also have some very bland people hanging out in its very bland courtyard, where a "graffiti wall" will give the place "street cred."

For this week's piece in Metro NY , a long walk to the Lemon Ice King of Corona. To get to the Lemon Ice King of Corona, especially on a day when the 7 train is running express, you walk from Junction Boulevard in Queens. The walk is half the pleasure. Under the elevated tracks, you go past the botanicas and tarot card readers, the driving schools and tortillerias, the women at sidewalk stands blending fruit into juice. You walk past the giant, flashing signs for Corona Oral Surgery–the ones that inexplicably advertise OB-GYN! OB-GYN!–and turn right onto 104th Street, through the land of barber shops... ...It’s Indian summer, or more Global Warming. The locust trees along the sidewalk are turning gold. The Mets have just one game left to play. At the Lemon Ice King, the candy apples have appeared, another sign of the changing season. A new crowd arrives, taking vivid colors into their hands—pistachio green, cherry red, blueberry blue. No one buys a candy apple. They’re not ...

For my column in today's Metro NY , a visit to Leo's Latticini in Corona, Queens. “Is this your first time here?” she asks from the kitchen, her hands over a basin of milky water where she’s pulling mozzarella like it’s taffy. I nod. I must look lost. “You like mozzarella? Come. Taste.” She rips off a hunk of the soft cheese, squeezes it in her dripping fist, and thrusts it towards me. Like a good Catholic faced with the Eucharist, I take and I eat. The fresh cheese is warm, silky, and delicious. “Chew it good,” she says. This is my introduction to Irene DeBenedittis of Leo’s Laticcini, also known as Mama’s of Corona. Irene makes the mozzarella and her sister Marie does the cooking—turkey with gravy, roast pork, manicotti, you name it. “I don’t use recipes,” says Marie. “I just go on instinct" ... Please read the rest of the essay here .

Photographer Tim Schreier sent in a collection of depressing photographs showing what's become of the Iron Triangle at Willets Point. What had been a bustling community of small business people and their customers is now a dead zone, waiting to be flattened by bulldozers set in motion by Bloomberg. Tim writes: "I had not been to Willets in a few months and was curious to see how the community of businesses (primarily auto repair and supply businesses) was faring since receiving eviction notices from the city. What I saw was a few businesses hanging on but, for the most part, it was like a ghost town. Willets Point was a thriving, multicultural business community. One could detect not only various languages being spoken but dialects as well. It was a very busy community, businesses thriving individually and collectively. To the small business owner, it was a place of active trade. A place where they could earn and work. To Citi Field, the city, and other gentrificatio...

People for the Pavilion is a group fighting to save the New York State Pavilion, a ruin of the World's Fair in Flushing Meadows park. Recently, they hosted a kick-off event to share their plans and engage in conversation with the community to strategize the future of this un-landmarked landmark. I asked co-founder Matthew Silva a few questions about the project. What's the story with the pavilion? Is it being torn down--and why? The New York State Pavilion was built for the 1964 New York World's Fair and was meant to showcase "The best that New York had to offer." Basically, it was a showcase for New York industry. Some of the unique features were its three observation towers, the large elliptical tent of tomorrow, and its floor, which was giant Texaco road map made out of terrazzo. [ See it here .] It was meant to be retained as a tourist attraction after the fair but due to some unfortunate circumstances politically and economically, the building quic...

The fight to save 5Pointz might very well be over. In the dark of night, with police protection, the building owners have white-washed the public work of art. This morning @5Pointz tweeted the news and Jeff Carroll posted the following photos of the destruction on Instagram : After the City Council approved the demolition of 5Pointz to make room for luxury development , the founders of the 5Pointz Aerosol Art Center filed a lawsuit to block the demolition. With their lawsuit defeated, the 5Pointz defenders held a major rally this weekend and announced their plan to seek landmark status for the building. As we've seen many times before, when preservationists seek landmarking, building owners act fast--destroying the structure trying to be saved. This morning, commuters on the 7 train are getting a shock, many of them taking to Twitter to say #RIP5Pointz . These are photos from my recent trip to 5Pointz. And yet another part of untamed New York is d...