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Ha, I hope they leave the street signs up! I'd love to see lost tourists milling around, looking at their maps and saying, "Whaa?"
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The city's teetering Off-Track Betting Corp. will seek permission to close as many as two-thirds of its 68 branches when it files a bankruptcy reorganization plan, The Post has learned.
Sources said the plan also calls for eliminating half of the remaining 1,100 betting clerks, through attrition or buyouts, and for OTB to float $250 million in bonds to meet its obligations.
One source said the bonds would have to be backed by the state, which faces its own monumental budget woes.
"Who in their right mind is going to buy OTB bonds?" asked the source. "The only way it works is with a state guarantee."
This line from the Times article sums it up best:
It is an ever-narrowing slice of New York that still belongs to the hustler and the old-timer. Soon it may be extinct...
Like everything else that helps give the city some character.
100 Third Avenue, originally a 4 story building built in 1880, has sprouted an intriguing growth which now bring the structure to Nine stories. An interesting use of a walk-up building to be sure.
I hate to say it, but we have another mystery on our hands here! The building is zoned commercial, and a permit was filed to amend the building height to 90' , contain 3 units, and be re-categorized as F-1B - Assembly (Churches, Concert Halls) . Will it be a church or an assembly hall? Well, plenty of people have assembled at 100 Third Avenue in the past. In 1880 it was a restaurant. In 1910 it became a theater, later named "The Lyric Theatre". In the 1930's it catered mainly to the Bowery bum set. The Theatre would open at 7am an hour before showtime, so the transients could catch a nap before the double feature plus newsreel would begin. Later, the Theatre was renamed "The All Male Jewel Theatre", for, you guessed it gay porn.
For the first time ever, Victoria’s Secret has opened its legendary runway to the public by holding open casting events in New York City, Miami, Los Angeles and Chicago where the country’s most beautiful women competed for a chance to be the next Victoria’s Secret’s Runway Angel.
A Victoria’s Secret panel of experts have narrowed down the field to 10 finalists, who were flown to New York City to take part in “Angel Boot Camp,” a series of challenges where the contestants will show their photogenic qualities, prove their abilities as a spokesmodel, show off their red carpet star quality and radiate charisma while walking a runway in lingerie.
While in New York, the finalists will stay at The District, a luxury condo building in the heart of Manhattan’s financial district boasting spectacular views of downtown Manhattan. Throughout their stay, the aspiring models will also enjoy such amenities as a roof deck with four pools, a lounge/library with fireplace, a billiards room, screening room and such elegant furniture by RentQuest.
There are plenty of music videos that seem to go out of their way to feature Manhattan. For example, Motley Crue's largely lamentable "Girl Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" finds preternaturally annoying vocalist Vince Neil living in a spacious loft in the meatpacking district (while his band mates are still walking around Hollywood). Sixteen years after said video was filmed, the building that Vince supposedly lived in -- then the headquarters of legitimate meatpacking firm, Western Beef -- was turned into a tony Belgian restaurant called Markt. That restaurant lost its lease in 2007, and the space is now the home of the meatpacking district's own needless branch of The Apple Store.
I happened to walk by there [Wednesday] and it appears that the renovations are indeed continuing. The Le Gamin sign however, has mysteriously disappeared...
New name? New restaurant? New owners?
Just a quick note to assuage the East Villagers in the crowd. A number of readers have written in both here and on EV Grieve to report that Le Gamin on East 5th St. between Aves A and B—the last Le Gamin in Manhattan—has closed. A worker at Black Iron Burger Shop next door reports that no, they are just renovating, extensively. They will reopen with the same name but a different "theme" and a more "modern" look on October 10. Funnily enough, the restaurant closed for renos just one year ago when the original owner...
The Salted and Seeded Pretzels (three kinds: Caraway, Sesame and Poppy Pretzels) cost $2.50 each. Flavored pretzels (Jalapeño-Cheddar and Cinnamon Raisin) cost $3.00 each. There will also be pretzel dips: whipped butter, whole-grain mustard, cream cheese, warm three-cheese sauce, horseradish-mayo and Nutella. Pretzels come with one dip; additional dips cost 75¢ each. A half-dozen pretzels of any variety with three dips costs $16.00. A dozen pretzels with six dips costs $30.00.
