Thursday, September 29, 2011

Newsstand Slaughter

The ongoing onslaught against the city's newsstands continues and the past month has been especially bloody.

First the little shack on 14th St. and 6th Ave. got CEMUSA'd.


Before

It was green, it was ramshackle, it had its own ragtag style. Now it's another dumb shiny box. The whole city is full of these anonymous, interchangeable nothings.


After

Then we heard about the removal of the newsstand on 6th Avenue and West 4th, a deliriously overstuffed little beauty I hoped, hopelessly, might be spared.


2008

Finally, the stand at 8th Avenue and 14th has fallen. It had been shuttered for a couple of weeks, awaiting its death. I always liked this one, too. It had a striped awning in chocolate and cream that flopped out and glowed in the morning sun. The newsstand was a warm, toasty shape on that corner, like a big loaf of bread. Like something almost alive.


click here to see it in better days

Now it's gone. Vanished. Just an empty spot on the sidewalk roped by caution tape and guarded by a man in a helmet. The idiotic ice box is coming soon. This corner won't be so warm anymore.



See Also:
Hojo's Lost Newsstand
Another Newsstand
Union Square Newsstand
Jerry's Newsstand
Lots more about Bloomberg's destruction of the old newsstands
&
All my newsstand photos
at

5 comments:

  1. EV GrieveSeptember 29, 2011 at 10:19 AM

    I haven't paid much attention... is the merchandise generally the same at the shiny, mall-like kiosks? Do they still sell, say, copies of Juggs? Or has the merchandise been cleaned up to match the soulless motif of Cemusa and Bloomy?

    ReplyDelete
  2. James Campbell TaylorSeptember 29, 2011 at 10:37 AM

    I don't want to be the kiss of death, but the newsstands at Park and 23rd are hanging on for now...

    ReplyDelete
  3. RobbieTheKSeptember 29, 2011 at 12:01 PM

    Across from Macy's on the corner of 34th/7th, they replaced that one a fwe months back but in this case it added an extra couple of feet to pass by as the new stand is more narrow. Ever try passing this corner during rush hour or holiday time?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Marty WombacherSeptember 29, 2011 at 12:52 PM

    Really bad news about all of them, but I'll really miss the newsstand at 6th Ave and West 4th. It was a real unpolished gem of a newsstand.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 29, 2011 at 10:34 PM

    I'm all for keeping 'old' NY alive, but these newstands are clunkers that are badly maintained and falling apart. The new ones are handsome, well-designed and well lit.

    ReplyDelete

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