"It's true, Fedora's is closing, she told me Sunday night. She has health issues and can't keep it going. The last night is July 25th, go and enjoy it while you can."
photos of Fedora on my flickr
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Fedora's Last Day: 7/25
Last week, I wrote a post about the precarious state of Fedora. Today, we heard from a commenter here, and from Grub Street, that the address is up for a new liquor license tonight. Now, in a comment here, 365 Bars blogger Marty Wombacher writes:
"It's true, Fedora's is closing, she told me Sunday night. She has health issues and can't keep it going. The last night is July 25th, go and enjoy it while you can."
photos of Fedora on my flickr
"It's true, Fedora's is closing, she told me Sunday night. She has health issues and can't keep it going. The last night is July 25th, go and enjoy it while you can."
photos of Fedora on my flickr
I went to Fedora's once...many years ago. So many years ago I'm actually quite surprised to hear Fedora herself is still alive. I don't actually even remember what friend said to me, "have I got an experience for you...come to dinner!"
ReplyDeleteIt was an odd spectacle I treasure in memory, I guess one of those spectacles quintessential to what you're documenting in this blog.
The place was filled with gentlemen of a certain age, which is to say gay male couples quite getting on in age. Be assured I say that with reverence (I'm 51 now; this must have been in my late 30s).
The room hushed, and Fedora herself descended a flight of stairs, looking like an impossibly ancient drag queen. There was enthusiastic applause. We all went back to eating our canned peas. Perhaps I'm missing something but the food there was simply as awful as the moment was precious.
Those packs of under-dressed over-made-up straight women in their Manolo Blahniks scouring the Village nightlife for a hedgefund manager will never know what they missed.
thanks Ish, for the lovely memory. you've got it perfect, right down to the not-great food. of course, the food is not what you go to Fedora for. you go for everything else you described. which will soon be lost.
ReplyDeleteit's heartbreaking.
Oh, please, Fedora's has annonced it's closing a million times over a million years. Walt Whtman even wrote a poem about its closing in Leaves of Grass. A group of friends and I were fooled (yet again) just a few weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteAll that being said, this is an amazing throw-back in time. I suppose the day will come when it does indeed close for a last time. And, yes, an era will truly be over. My guess is that either a Starbuck's or a Duane Reade will go there. Sad, but, I guess, it's the story of NYC!
(I won't share how a buddy described the food there. Still a classic among my buddies!)
@MitchPNY: It's true, she's really closing it. I spent over an hour in there Sunday, a good portion of that talking to Fedora. She's got health issues and just can't keep running the place and nobody in her family wants to take it over. She told me some things I don't want to get into, because I didn't get permission to put them online, but after the end of July, I'm sad to say it's over. For real this time. One thing I will say, just so it's on the record, Fedora told me the new people promised to keep the original sign out. Let's see if they stay true to their word. The other sad thing is the waiter and sometimes bartender John has worked there for 35 years and doesn't know if they'll keep him on. It's sad in there, but everybody should stop by and tell Fedora (if she's there) what a great place she created and what a great smile she has. Get your memories while you can.
ReplyDeleteI walked by it a million times, and even though I don't drink, I always told myself I should visit.
ReplyDeleteNow I have to hurry up and get over there.
From the photos it seems as though the space condenses an entire era.
As the first poster said- the fabulous youth of today can't possibly understand what is being lost.
Hey pour some out for The Boss, a true American original. Love him or hate him, George Steinbrenner revolutionized the game of baseball and made a lot of NYers happy - or miserable in the case of us Mets fans.
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