Vanishing New York Backup

Jen Fisher runs a well-loved book table on the sidewalk at St. Mark's and Avenue A. Tomorrow, the table will become a memorial exhibit called "Before we got Starfucked: A Memorial for the Lower East Side before it became the East Village." Jen and the resident artist Ana Marton describe it as: "A personal archive of a LES resident from the late 80s to early 90s of photographs, newspaper cuts, flyers and B&W Xerox books will be displayed on Tuesday, August 1st, 2017 from 530-8PM outside, on the corner of Ave A and St. Mark's Place, where the bookstall usually is. The archive is based on 80s and 90s events such as The Tent City in Tompkins Square Park, the annual Stations of the Cross, Father George Kuhn, and the fight against gentrification as it was recorded and put together by a resident of the Lower East Side. Seen in the light of today's ongoing destruction of our neighborhood, we believe that this archive has acquired historical relevance as ...

When the 112-year-old Lanza's suddenly shuttered last year, many of us were heartbroken to lose the gorgeous red-sauce joint, especially after the loss of so many others . When E.V. Grieve reported that Joe & Pat's, a 57-year-old pizzeria on Staten Island, would be moving into the space , many of us felt hopeful. Lanza's would not become a Starbucks or an artisanal bone brotherie. It would, at least, remain Italian--and New York. But I worried about the antique murals. Now the renovation of Lanza's has begun. I recently walked past this troubling sight--scaffolding, wheelbarrows full of concrete. They're putting in a new floor, which is alright--the old floor of Lanza's wasn't anything special. What about the murals? When I peeked inside I saw plastic sheets taped to the walls--and I am going on the assumption that they are there to protect the murals. If you click the photo below twice, you can see, above the shoulder of the young man...

The Village Voice , historically the alternative voice of New York City, is struggling to save its soul. Two years ago the paper was purchased by Peter Barbey , a member of one of America's 50 richest families, according to Forbes . It looked good at first. The staff was hopeful. "The atmosphere at the Voice , though, quickly soured," Hamilton Nolan explains in his thorough piece on the story, " The Village Voice's Liberal Savior Owner Is Trying to Crush its Union ." An editor was hired and fired. The paper got a cosmetic overhaul. And Barbey "is no longer perceived as the hero who will save the day." Union negotiations have been especially tough. In his article, Nolan lays out the details of what could be lost, including Affirmative Action, child care leave, sick days, severance, and much more. In response, earlier this week, a host of respected authors and journalists signed an Open Letter to Peter Barbey . "We stand in solidarity ...

VANISHED On 23rd Street in Chelsea since 1979, Francisco's Centro Vasco has now closed. Bedford & Bowery reports: "Yesterday, a sign on the door announced that it had 'closed permanently' and thanked customers for 'over 35 years' of patronage." Last September, they suffered after the terrorist bomb explosion , but they managed to reopen. The reason for the permanent closure is not known. Francisco's was one of the last of a dwindling number of Spanish restaurants in the city, along with El Quijote in the nearby Chelsea Hotel and Spain , on 13th Street. UPDATE: The owner had a change of heart-- they're not closing .  RE-UPDATE: They closed again .

VANISHING "I stay here," says Krystyna Godawa. "I'm not moving." For the past ten years, Krystyna has run the Park Delicatessen at the edge of McGolrick Park on Nassau Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The deli has been here since the 1930s. But the landlord recently doubled the rent and Krystyna can't afford it. She's looking for another spot nearby and plans to stay put until she finds it. Customers come in and out of the shop, ordering meals to go from the refrigerated case of home-cooked pierogi, potato salad, chicken cutlets, cole slaw, and beets. They stop to ask Krystyna, in Polish and in English, "Any news? When's the last day?" They promise, "I'll keep my fingers crossed." And then they touch Krystyna--they all touch the woman they call Babcia Krysia , "Grandma Krystyna"--on the shoulder, the arm, the back of the neck. Their touches are tender and familial. They are family. Krystyna holds their h...

VANISHING Today is the last day for French Roast in Greenwich Village . Located on 11th Street and 6th Avenue since I don't know when, the bistro will close its doors tonight. (H/T New York Foodscape .) Employees were unable to say why the place is closing, but we can guess. The uptown location will remain open. *Update: Many people in the comments are remembering a Blimpie here--yes, there was. Here's that story.

Today is the official publication day for Vanishing New York: How a Great City Lost Its Soul . You can now buy it wherever books are sold. (Like your local independent bookstore.) At Spoonbill & Sugartown You can also get a copy at the launch party this Thursday night at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe , or next Thursday night at the Brooklyn launch party at powerHouse Arena . For a full list of book events, click here . In the meantime, check out two exclusive excerpts: the East Village chapter at Longreads and the tourism chapter at Vice . At the Strand Reviews: “Essential reading for fans of Jane Jacobs, Joseph Mitchell, Patti Smith, Luc Sante, and cheap pierogi.” –David Kamp, Vanity Fair “This is a very good, angrily passionate, and ultimately saddening book…. a brilliantly written and well-informed account.” –Booklist, starred review “Vanishing New York is an urban-activist polemic in the tradition of Jane Jacobs’s Death and Life of Great American Cities: Every ...