And they have.
JVNY reader Karen McBurnie sends in a gut-wrenching photo of a gutted, de-zebra'd Gino:
Karen & Jon's flickr
Without the old wooden bar, without the tables filled with patrons, without the zebras leaping across their tomato-red walls, the place has no character.
It amazes me how all that feeling can simply vanish, leaving a shell that looks just like any other vacant storefront, a dull rectangular box, soon to be churning out cupcakes.
Ugh.
ReplyDeleteANy ideas of what happened to the phonebooth?
It's amazing what decorating can do--too bad they did not leave--it was great!
ReplyDeleteI'd have found it more depressing, I think, to see the zebras trapped inside a Beverly Hills cupcake chain. A sad and castrating coda for the zebras that would have been.
ReplyDeleteBy trotting after their owners, they've retired with their dignity intact.
Sad and shocking as that photo is, I'm glad the zebras left with Gino. There's no need for the new tenant to be able to cash in on the Gino's history. Let them attempt to create something as long lasting and meaningful to so many people. HA!
ReplyDeleteagreed--no zebras for the cupcake people!
ReplyDeleteGood for Michael and Sal! It was their Zebras and the symbol of the establishment they built over the last 65 years. Why should some flash-in-the-pan cupcake shop cash in on their hard work. I have no doubt that the famous dancing zebras will be making their appearance (along with the wooden telephone booth) in a new Gino Restaurant in the not too distant future.
ReplyDeleteThey NEED to go back and take the wooden front doors too!!
ReplyDeleteThose doors are awesome!!
Puh-leez people.
ReplyDeleteGod: how VILE to be serving the world cute, pretty, portion-controlled sweets. These people should be SHUNNED, picked clean and left for the VULTURES. I mean: sweet sweet frosting and cake! What next??? Another red-sauce ye olde NYC establishment???
I'm going to go to that EVIL cupcake place and paint them some kick-ass sweet lil' cupcake zebras. That'll serve them!
JÁ TIVE O PRAZER DE ALMOÇAR COM O MICHEL MICHELE E APRECIAR O SABOR DE SUA COMIDA, ESTOU TRISTE EM SABER QUE ESSE SONHO ACABOU, POREM FORÇA MICHAEL , EM BREVE VOCÊ ESTARÁ ESTAMPANDO MAIS UMA PAREDE COM SUAS ZEBRAS...TE ADORO...BETE (BRASIL)
ReplyDeleteMICHAEL MIELE, EU TE ADORO, ESPERO VOCÊ NO BRASIL PARA ABRIR UM OUTRO RESTAURANTE . BETE (BRASIL)
ReplyDelete