The old sign was 1970s yellow with brown, three-dimensional, vintage text. The new sign is flat, white, and bright.
It still says "Everything on a Bagel," but the phrase "Appetizing Cheeses," with its interesting typeface, did not make the cut.
Nice to know I have nothing better to complain about at the moment, but I still prefer the old sign. And, for what it's worth, I miss "Appetizing CHEESES."
bagel store trivia:
ReplyDeleteit's impossible to know what the intent of the ess-a-bagel sign is, but my wife and i asked about 'appetizing' at a place in her neighborhood, and on bagel stores it's sometimes not part of a phrase used as an adjective. 'appetizing' is often a noun that means anything you get at a bagel store.
this freaked us out, and i thought they were making it up, but then i found this, and it turned out i wasn't as smart as i thought i was.
i mention this not to be a smart-ass, but because it was something we didn't know and which is kind of interesting about NYC and language.
i walk past this every day on my way to school and was pretty gutted when i saw them changing the sign. there was also potentially some owner/worker drama because they maybe had one of those giant blow-up rats?
ReplyDeleteat least the bagels are the same (the best in the city)
ha, a friend of mine was just mourning this very thing. so you are not alone.
ReplyDeletebtw, appetizing is a vintage noun meaning "stuff one eats with bagels," not an adj modifying "cheeses." good definition on russ & daughters' web site: http://www.russanddaughters.com/whatisappetizing.php
i absolutely love that more than one person is clarifying the meaning of "appetizing" in this context. thank you for that attention to the language.
ReplyDeletei agree -- and i mean, it's a testament to how much there is that can 'vanish' in a city with NY's depth of history. there is, or was, a group of people who used that word in a particular, seemingly strange way, and now there isn't so much. maybe that doesn't matter, but maybe it does.
ReplyDeletehere's the sign that originally got us wondering. man there are a lot of strollers in this picture. at least the bagel shop is still there, though -- my wife moved off the block must be 10 years ago now.
ReplyDeletehenry, you bring up an excellent point, one i was not aware of because i didn't know from "appetizing" the noun.
ReplyDeletethis change in signage is more significant than i realized, because it says, in some way, "the people who knew from appetizing no longer exist, so the word must vanish, too."
it definitely matters. though now i feel worse about the loss of this sign.
This is all very interesting...and it makes me to walk up there for lunch...
ReplyDeletePS
And you know that I miss the old sign, Jeremiah...
I went to JHS 104 just down the block from Ess- A- Bagel many years ago and they had a vent that bagel vapors would come out of like a wind tunnel. On the days that it was cinnamon raisin, it was wonderful. On the days that it was onion, it wasn't so wonderful.
ReplyDeleteYou have every right to complain. That old "appetizing cheeses" typoography is the shit!
ReplyDeleteSo funny how many of the longtime shop owners have no idea how much some people (myself among them) value their old "outdated" signage.
That sucks! I used to work just a few blocks from there on 1st Ave and got their bagels on a regular basis. Even though I work farther away now I still make a (totally out of the way) pit stop there before heading into work.
ReplyDeleteI love the use of the word "appetizing" on old Jewish bagel places. They're a dying breed and apparently their signs are, too.
Thanks for the link to that other sign, henry -- before reading these comments I would have looked at "East Side Bagel and Appetizing" and just figured it was another classic NYC signage blunder. I am duly humbled.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a much more Jewish New York where appetizing delis were a dime a dozen so it is really funny to read this and think about the word from the goyisher pov.
ReplyDeleteEvery Sunday my grandfather went to the appetizing store to get bagels and smoked fish after his haircut and then taunt me with the eyeball from the fish. In those days it didn't cost a week's salary to buy the fish like it does at Russ & Daughters now that they have the exclusive market.
Honestly it never occurred to me that there are people who don't know what appetizing means, and when I think about it, I guess that makes me old. Luckily I look young and that's what counts.
i am so sad. i loved that sign. why do they keep doing this to us?
ReplyDeleteand i have always loved the chandeliers. those are still there right? i don't get over there because it's not near my home or work, but if i find myself in the area i always try to stop in.
-stef
The sign doesn't refer to appetizing cheeses. It indicates that in addition to bagels, the store sells appetizing (fish, eggs, salads) and cheeses. No meat.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, regardless of the signs, I'll be happy as long as they don't mess with the recipe for the bagels.
I'd like to see a sign designed by Simon Doonan
ReplyDeletefamed Barney's creative director.
Annette Aaron Eventfulls
I'm so bummed to see this change. I used to live just up 1st avenue, and the guys at the shop still recognize me when I come in, even if its once a year.
ReplyDeleteI'm going tomorrow, and I'm stoked. But sad to see the change in the sign !