Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Moondance Diner

VANISHED: August 2007

UPDATE: Gothamist and Downtown Express report on the final departure of the Moondance.

Lost City has a great report on the happy fate of the Moondance Diner. Like a good old dog that's no longer wanted, it's going out to pasture--way out to pasture, all the way to La Barge, Wyoming, where it will enjoy a long life among snowy mountains, flowing rivers, and the sway of the breeze in the ponderosa pines. Not only that, but the people of La Barge, unlike the people of Manhattan, are really, really excited about this old diner. Reading about how excited they are almost brings me to tears.


Photo from photostroll

La Barge's gain is our loss. Says the director of the SoHo Alliance, "SoHo is getting Starbucks and Wyoming is getting the Moondance Diner. Is this a fair trade?" I think not. But I'm in the minority.

What will be this generation's legacy to the history of our city? What are we leaving behind for future New Yorkers to enjoy and admire? As the Times editorialized in 1963 on the demolition of Penn Station, "Any city gets what it admires, will pay for, and, ultimately, deserves.... And we will probably be judged not by the monuments we build but by those we have destroyed."

2 comments:

Badecca said...

Do you think the Midwest will take and care for more of our beloved culinary landmarks?

Anonymous said...

I read this dinner was sold for $7.800 in am/pm last week and i don't think it was a typo.