Monday, May 23, 2011

Today's sign of the apocalypse: Subway opening on Avenue B

I'm afraid it's true. Here at the former Pet Grooming Salon on Avenue B between 13th Street and 14th Street...


...the work permits confirm it.



And this marks the first national fast-food chain to open a location east of First Avenue on Avenue A, B, C or D.

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

There's been a subway on Houston between A and B for years (north side of the street).

EV Grieve said...

Good point, Anon. I guess I wasn't including that strip-mall stretch of Red Square. I went back and added a qualifying line (of sorts) to the post.

Ken from Ken's Kitchen said...

Which puts this new Subway 2 blocks away from the Subway at 1st Ave and 13th St that's empty every time I walk by.

Anonymous said...

Several years ago, there used to be a Subway on Ave D. There was also a Papa Johns on Ave D (it's now an H&R Block).

Media glut said...

People actually eat the product of these places?

Lisa said...

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no!!! This is hideous news!

Anonymous said...

Oh stop, it's not that bad. I won't eat there bit anything besides another bar is good news. What I would really love is a Boston Chicken. They would clean up.

Marty Wombacher said...

Worst sandwiches in the world! Why would you eat there rather than getting a real sandwich at a deli or local restaurant? I bet this place will never get shut down by the DOH, does anyone know of a chain that's gotten the boot from the DOH?

Spike said...

Marty, check out:
http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/67074/doh-closes-village-kfc-taco-bell-because-of-rat-infestation

Anonymous said...

I thought you meant the L train was stopping further east of 1st Ave!

East Village Eats said...

My God! When I read the title I thought that we were getting a subway stop! Not some crappy sandwich joint!!!

Lisa said...

"Oh stop it's not that bad"? I beg to differ, Anon. 10:53. This is just the first salvo; where Subway goes, other crap fast food joints will soon follow. Pretty soon we'll have McDonald's, Burger King, Domino's and all sorts of other generic shit on the alphabet avenues, and the takeover of the East Village for the benefit of the suburbanites and Midwesterners who flock here will be complete. You may not find that objectionable; I do.

Bowery Boogie said...

that bread smell emanating from all the subways is overpowering. nasty.

blue glass said...

gee, i thought it was a subway shop at a subway stop
oh well
more bad fast food for the hip tourists

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

I am not a big fast food eater but I will take a Subway over another Superdive any day.

Anonymous said...

The bread smell, I wouldn't call it nasty but it is rather odd.

Lisa said...

@Anon 1:10 - I consider Marty to be a true New Yorker. He may not have been born here but he has the necessary witty, cranky sensibility that so many others, sadly, lack.

Marty Wombacher said...

@Spike: Thanks for the link!

@Anonymous 1:10 PM: On July 7th I'll have lived in New York for 18 years. I don't consider myself a suburbanite or a Midwesterner anymore. Think of me what you will, but I consider myself a New Yorker. I moved here to get away from shit like chain stores, etc. Lisa was talking about those who move here and want to turn it into Little Wisco. There is a difference.

And thanks for the nice words, Lisa!

HEY19 said...

Some of my friends like that smell, I almost cant walk by a subway without gagging.

Im sure everyone knows the stat, but there are more subway restaurants in NYC than subway stops. This is from about a year ago, so add about a doz more restaurants.

http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2010/06/what_are_there_more_of_in_manh.html


Maybe Im too biased, I like bars, and nightlife, but I would def take another bar on B before a subway. There was that bougy coffee spot up there that closed, too bad, always wanted to go there, just never got to it.

Dave on 7th said...

Like it or hate it, I give it 2 years. terrible location for a subway, especially if the one on 14th isn't busy now, as someone noted.

~evilsugar25 said...

Subways are franchised by individuals... are BKs, McDs etc run the same way? (I honestly don't know; I'm asking.)

Subway sandwiches are weird; I don't understand why you wouldn't just go to a real deli. But then again, I also don't understand why you wouldn't go to a real pizza place instead of one of the stupid pizza chains.

If it had to be a chain, there are others I'd prefer over Subway (which I never eat): Qdoba or... yeah I guess I just like Qdoba. I agree it's better than a Superdive.

Jill said...

I think Subway is better than Blimpie but not as good as Quiznos. On the down side they have that jingle that gets stuck in my head about a footlong something or other and also that former fat guy with the big pants, which I think is funny. On the plus side, Subways are individually owned franchise stores, not a chain.

Anonymous said...

Don't we have a zoning rule about franchises in this neighborhood? Or is that a dream? There's a Subway really close by on 14th.

Anonymous said...

I live across the street. And I love Subway.. Haters gonna hate!!!

elyse said...

I also thought there was going to be a subway stop! Love it. I mean hate it - Subway. But love how you headed this post, "sign of the apocalypse!" HA!

The Intern of EV Grieve said...

Fact: "Haters gonna hate!!!" is Jared Fogel's tag line. I fact checked it.

Anonymous said...

@Lisa - please don't generalize Midwesterners. I'm from one of the "flyover states" and came to NYC to escape the chain restaurants, chain stores, strip malls, and generic architecture. It broke my heart to see Papa John's open on Avenue A and I get angry every time I walk by it. I love the East Village and I hate to see it turning into every other neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with the earlier posts, glad it's not another bar as well, but you can get a Very good cheap sandwich at the corner bodega/deli on E14th + B. Any time of day.

Anonymous said...

Who the hell eats Subway - where all the meat is the same but comes in different colors. And the "fresh" baked bread smell that comes out of Subway's is nauseating. It doesn't smell like fresh bread but like a very bad, vomity imitation.