Squatters help to save Ray's Candy. [Villager]
Abandoned Williamsburg condos taken over by squatters--yuppies cry for help. [Curbed]
Ruins of the Gilded Age: More abandoned luxury buildings across the nation. [NYT]
Fire at Rosenwach Water Tank company. [Gothamist]
With Joe Jr's gone from the Village, there's only one other left in town. [EVG]
A marriage proposal on the side of a building. [BB]
CUNY demolishes a historic building in Queens. [AT]
Monday, July 6, 2009
Last Supper at Joe's
Last week I had my last meal at Joe Jr.'s: cheeseburger deluxe and chocolate egg cream. As Grieve reported, Joe's has closed.
The news came out last week that Joe's would close on Sunday after 35 years in the Village. They lost their lease--one man at the counter stated, "They had the lease, but the landlord backed out at the last minute." Others said about the landlord, "It's the son, not the father, who's making problems." In an interview on NY1 the landlord said he would try to extend the lease through July and, about his son, "forget him altogether." But no dice.
On my visit, the little diner was packed and people kept flowing in--to sign a petition, give their regrets and outrage, and eat a meal. Some people were in denial, "It won't really happen." Others were somber, "It's a terrible shame." Some were angry, "The landlord is a greedy prick." The waitress was exhausted, "I haven't stopped since 3:00 this afternoon."
The petition on the counter filled up fast, people signing their names under the words: "DON'T LET JOE JR'S CLOSE: After 35 years in the neighborhood, please let the landlord know how important Joe's is to the Greenwich Village community. Joe's is our kitchen, our meeting place, our hangout, our comfort food. Our neighborhood will lose a treasure should it shut down this weekend."
Next to the petition was a paper with the landlord's name and number, urging people to call. One woman called on the spot, leaving an angry message for the landlord stating, among other things, "This is a shonda!"
Outside, passersby stopped to read the sign in shock, crying out, "Oh, no!" They went in to sign the petition, too. People lingered on the sidewalk, talking about what could be done to save Joe's--hire a lawyer, organize a rally, call Tom Duane!--and about the many losses of the vanishing city, in which anything can be taken away without much warning at all.
See all my Joe's photos here
The news came out last week that Joe's would close on Sunday after 35 years in the Village. They lost their lease--one man at the counter stated, "They had the lease, but the landlord backed out at the last minute." Others said about the landlord, "It's the son, not the father, who's making problems." In an interview on NY1 the landlord said he would try to extend the lease through July and, about his son, "forget him altogether." But no dice.
On my visit, the little diner was packed and people kept flowing in--to sign a petition, give their regrets and outrage, and eat a meal. Some people were in denial, "It won't really happen." Others were somber, "It's a terrible shame." Some were angry, "The landlord is a greedy prick." The waitress was exhausted, "I haven't stopped since 3:00 this afternoon."
The petition on the counter filled up fast, people signing their names under the words: "DON'T LET JOE JR'S CLOSE: After 35 years in the neighborhood, please let the landlord know how important Joe's is to the Greenwich Village community. Joe's is our kitchen, our meeting place, our hangout, our comfort food. Our neighborhood will lose a treasure should it shut down this weekend."
Next to the petition was a paper with the landlord's name and number, urging people to call. One woman called on the spot, leaving an angry message for the landlord stating, among other things, "This is a shonda!"
Outside, passersby stopped to read the sign in shock, crying out, "Oh, no!" They went in to sign the petition, too. People lingered on the sidewalk, talking about what could be done to save Joe's--hire a lawyer, organize a rally, call Tom Duane!--and about the many losses of the vanishing city, in which anything can be taken away without much warning at all.
See all my Joe's photos here
Friday, July 3, 2009
*Everyday Chatter
The High Line is helping to sell condos. And that's why you call it an amenity. [TRD]
Swarms of upscale food trucks whine and refuse to play by street rules--aim to push out the city's long-term hot dog vendors. [NYT]
You can plant all the pretty flowers you want on the LES, but you can't stop the locals from picking them. [Curbed]
Superdive: "frattier than the frattiest frat party imaginable, and was populated by about 90% business-casual clad iBanker types, and the plain-looking, done-up to the nines girls that follow them around." [Eater]
More on the closing of Joe Jr's--1,000+ signatures so far. [CR]
Swarms of upscale food trucks whine and refuse to play by street rules--aim to push out the city's long-term hot dog vendors. [NYT]
You can plant all the pretty flowers you want on the LES, but you can't stop the locals from picking them. [Curbed]
Superdive: "frattier than the frattiest frat party imaginable, and was populated by about 90% business-casual clad iBanker types, and the plain-looking, done-up to the nines girls that follow them around." [Eater]
More on the closing of Joe Jr's--1,000+ signatures so far. [CR]
Thursday, July 2, 2009
*Everyday Chatter
The stink of death is gone, but Von Furstenberg is still pumping perfume over the Meatpacking District. [Racked]
Yes, Cafe Figaro is now not only a Qdoba, but also a bank. [BB]
Celebs abandoning Manhattan? Not bad. [Gothamist]
And Manhattan's housing prices are falling. Not bad either. [NYT]
And a fratty EV bar closes. Also not bad. [EVG]
Yes, Cafe Figaro is now not only a Qdoba, but also a bank. [BB]
Celebs abandoning Manhattan? Not bad. [Gothamist]
And Manhattan's housing prices are falling. Not bad either. [NYT]
And a fratty EV bar closes. Also not bad. [EVG]
Joe Jr.'s
VANISHING
I got the following email today from JVNY reader and writer David Kamp:
"HELP! Just walked past my beloved local greasy spoon (6th Ave at 12th St) and they have big handwritten signs in the window saying they've lost their lease after 35 yrs. They are asking people to sign a petition to save Joe Jrs and to 'spread the word,' I guess in hopes of pressuring the landlord not to cut them loose."
*Update: Kamp rounds up the blog coverage and Grub St. says "it's really over."
See more from my visit to Joe Jr.'s this past December.
I got the following email today from JVNY reader and writer David Kamp:
"HELP! Just walked past my beloved local greasy spoon (6th Ave at 12th St) and they have big handwritten signs in the window saying they've lost their lease after 35 yrs. They are asking people to sign a petition to save Joe Jrs and to 'spread the word,' I guess in hopes of pressuring the landlord not to cut them loose."
*Update: Kamp rounds up the blog coverage and Grub St. says "it's really over."
See more from my visit to Joe Jr.'s this past December.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
*Everyday Chatter
Man leaves $1960 laptop on a table at Starbucks while he goes to pee--amazingly, it got stolen! [BP]
Condos are so hard to off-load, they're giving away free cars. [Curbed]
Times Square pedestrian mall "unworthy of New York." But which New York? In a city taken over by suburbanist mall-rats, it kind of fits right in. [NYT]
Revisit the Bowery of 1981. [EVG]
The Hot Festival is here and queer--participant Penny Arcade, "queer is anyone who has experienced a period of isolation and exclusion so profound that they could never exclude anyone else." [CR]
Condos are so hard to off-load, they're giving away free cars. [Curbed]
Times Square pedestrian mall "unworthy of New York." But which New York? In a city taken over by suburbanist mall-rats, it kind of fits right in. [NYT]
Revisit the Bowery of 1981. [EVG]
The Hot Festival is here and queer--participant Penny Arcade, "queer is anyone who has experienced a period of isolation and exclusion so profound that they could never exclude anyone else." [CR]
Brooklyn Show
The 440 Gallery in Park Slope is currently featuring an exhibit called "The Brooklyn Show." Running until July 25, the show features paintings and photographs, all of Brooklyn scenes.
The industrial landscape of Gowanus, Coney Island in black and white, Hasidic Jews riding the subway in bright orange seats.
Corner drugstores, ice-cream trucks, the sun warming a block full of brownstones.
It's a good show. Check it out. Click for info.
The industrial landscape of Gowanus, Coney Island in black and white, Hasidic Jews riding the subway in bright orange seats.
Corner drugstores, ice-cream trucks, the sun warming a block full of brownstones.
It's a good show. Check it out. Click for info.
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