Friday, September 18, 2009

Galaxy Diner

VANISHED

To my chagrin, I only just noticed that the Galaxy Diner in Chelsea has closed. The windows are newspapered with papers dating from June.



In a neighborhood where an affordable meal is hard to find, the Galaxy was a standout. It was a real diner, with cheap lunch specials, including a meatloaf sandwich I looked forward to on a cool, almost-autumn day.

Inside, it was wonderfully and weirdly decorated with scenes of outerspace--rocket ships and planets on the walls, and the tables dusted with moons and stars. It was a place where you could go and quietly read a book among the galactic splendors.


photo by Danmeth

Wondering why it closed, I found the following comment at Destination Chelsea: "As far as I know the owners of restaurant Nisos next door owned the Galaxy Diner. Being that Nisos is now serving the breakfast that the diner used to offer, I can only guess that Nisos will expand."

Nisos also took over the spot once occupied by the beloved Sam Chinita's Cuban-Chinese diner.


photo by TheMachineStops

Above, you can see what was lost. Below, the neon-blue and stoneface replacement. Above Nisos, you can see the planet-painted wall of the Galaxy. Another down-to-earth coffee shop vanished.

10 comments:

  1. Hi--I was just thinking--whatever happened to Pisces Restaurant on East 6th Street and Avenue A??It has been closed for a long time now--no activity whatsoever????

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  2. If you promise not to J-Reap it, you can still go to Astro Diner uptown for your inter-galactic dining needs.

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  3. You know, I was walking down 8th just a few weeks ago, and wanted breakfast, and noticed that the Galaxy was gone. A shame. There aren't really any affordable places to eat along there any more.

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  4. Oh yes, and I also remember when Sam's Chinita was called Mi Chinita.

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  5. Niso's is a yuppies piece of shit.
    Look at there blue LED sign.

    I can't stand these homogenized contemporary bars, diners and restaurants. They have no character, no flavor at all.

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  6. Several restaurants have occupied that space since the late lamented Pisces. Currently Via Delle Zoccolette.

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  7. I will miss the Galaxy Diner. It was a must for breakfast when I was in Chelsea.

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  8. BAHA--is it still open?--everytime I pass by it is shuttered--they did lunch and brunch and they are never open for that.

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  9. Galaxy (which has in fact been closed since February) was my regular weekend breakfast spot - friendly staff, good eats, low-key vibe, and very much missed. Good Stuff Diner on 14th Street (just west of 6th Ave) is a decent substitute, but I do miss the heck outta Galaxy and all who sailed with it.

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  10. Galaxy was a great, cheap, late night spot too back in the day for us up-and-coming yunnies. Soaked up many good Chelsea gallery crawl drunks with a bacon-cheese-burger deluxe there. And always there was more than a few solitary senior citizens in there reading a book. Where do they go now?

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