Monday, June 01, 2015

The Heyday of Chelsea's 8th Avenue


If "The Death of Chelsea's 8th Avenue" served as a stark reminder of the post-Bloomberg era of New York City, I'm hoping today's photo essay is a joyous time capsule of the gayborhood's funnest days. When I started visiting New York City regularly in the early '90s, I was immediately intoxicated by Chelsea, which had all of the energy, intrigue and excitement Dupont Circle seemed to lack. Whether we went cruising 8th Avenue -- having coffee at the Big Cup, dinner at Food Bar or breakfast at Eighteenth & Eighth, bar-hopping from Splash to Champs and back -- or dancing all night at the Roxy -- I knew I wanted to move here as soon as possible. I'm hoping this retrospective sparks a few memories in some of you, too, and that you'll share your thoughts and photos. Most of this is just off the top of my head -- I'm a little autistic-y, you know -- so corrections and comments are most appreciated. Ready to go back in time? Here we go ...


The corner of 23rd and 8th, where gay Chelsea officially begins, was very un-gay when I arrived in the late '90s in that it boasted a doughnut shop (I believe it was called S.G.S. Donuts, known for the best glazed in town) ...

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and a Haagen-Daz, which has since been replaced with a more demographic friendly Vitamin Shoppe. While it was a chain, I have fond memories of going there with my late friend Larry Brickman, who introduced me to dulce de leche there one night. (SGS became Breadstix Cafe before rebranding itself Chelsea Deli & Bakery.) 


A door or two down was one of the first Fresco Tortillas in the city, where I'd get very cheap tacos and burritos when I was drunk. A wall was knocked down and a T-Mobile store now occupies both spaces.
Allerton Art & Custom Framing and Jamba Juice both used to be on the block, although the chain wallet juicer isn't exactly missed.


Here's the Venus diner that was an institution in Chelsea forever -- mouse infestations and all. It was eventually gussied up as "The New Venus Restaurant," but even that wasn't good enough. Now it's called The Fork Bar & Grill, perhaps wanting to compete more directly with The Dish just down the way. 


UPDATE: I'm told The Fork went out of business over the weekend.


UPDATE 2: It's now a Popeyes, where a true Chelsea boy would never have been caught dead!


The NE corner of 22nd and 8th was Noodle Corner forever, before Spice inexplicably decided it needed a second location a block from the first.


Before it became the boutique Gem Hotel and the Foragers organic market and wine shop, the SW corner of 22nd and 8th was the Allerton, a single-room-occupancy hotel (read: FLOPHOUSE). I remember some of its residents would stalk me in the nearby A&P begging me to let them buy my food with their EBT cards in exchange for my cash, which I'm sure they weren't going to spend on drugs or alcohol. (The nearby Starbucks led to THIS memorable incident.)


Along with Uncle Charlie's on Greenwich Avenue (now Fiddlesticks), The Break (between 22nd and 21st) was the funnest bar in the Chelsea area. If you got bored, you could always run over to Barracuda and back.


It later became View Bar, but that didn't last. (It's M Thai now.)


Speaking of Barracuda: The adult book store next store (Unicorn) is history. I walked past it recently and it's been completely gutted, with a glam all-glass storefront. (No takers yet, though.)


Across the street in one of the smallest shops in all of Manhattan was Rainbow Roommates. I thought the Internet had rendered it obsolete, but I see it's still in business uptown. The shop later became a locksmith and today is a dry cleaner.


Looking back, the demise of the Big Cup in 2005 was probably the canary in the (gay) coal mine. That a place so vibrant and, along with Splash, so iconic -- screaming GAY NYC! -- could no longer make it in such a gay neighborhood seemed almost impossible to comprehend. 


I don't know a gay man of a certain age who wasn't picked up at the Big Cup. Were you?


Its closing was such a big deal, in fact, that The New York Times even wrote about it. The restaurant Eighteenth & 18th would fold that same month.


The infamous Big Cup eventually became a "fair-trade home-decor gift, jewelry and body products shop" called Arcadia that lasted quite awhile, before relocating to a much smaller store on 23rd Street. Today it's an e-commerce venture, and the old Big Cup is a nail salon.


The NW corner of 21st/8th was home to the funnest diner in the area, Bendix. It's where everyone wound up after big events, and you'd always see a familiar face in there, even if you didn't want to. (It's a nail salon now, natch.)


Me, standing in front of the bodega across the street from Bendix, 1998.


We all know about the demise of the Rawhide, which I may have helped cause seeing as I was almost always too afraid to set foot in the joint. (I tried a couple times when I first moved there, but that "drape" at the front door was just too much for me!)


Just south of where Rawhide was has long been the Salvation Army, where I drop off my old clothes each fall. Next door used to be a Jennifer Convertibles, which I believe moved there from what became American Apparel across the street closer to 20th Street.


Just across on the NE corner of 21st/8th was the Bright Food Shop, a funky diner that put sort of a Southwest spin on comfort favorites. Michael used to see Debbie Harry eating breakfast in the window all the time.


 I remember it best as the place where I had my first meeting back in 2006 with my literary agent, who would become a good friend over the years before my book finally came out in 2014. 


It later became a Qdoba, which thankfully bombed, and then Organic Avenue, which has also come and gone.


The block between 21st and 22nd really epitomized the era for me. It had a great flower shop called Village Florist, the predecessor to Spruce. Next door was a clothing store, fittingly called Tops 'N Bottoms ...


which later became the KITCHEN/MARKET burrito and spices shop associated with Bright Food Shop. 


Read New York magazine's write-up HERE.



Pretty sure the owner of The Dish had something to do with the place, which also had a candy store in it at one time. 


In addition to Bright Food and the florist, it's where the wonderful card shop Roger & Dave was. 


I frequently lament the demise of mom-and-pop stores, but then have to admit I never really went there. Roger and Dave was not one of those places. I always bought all my cards there ...


and all of my housewarming presents and housewares at the equally cool Eclectic Home next door.


 (Does anyone remember where Distinctive Furnishings was?)


Harvest was a great little bakery on the NE corner of 20th/8th. It closed shortly after I moved to New York, then was the seafood place Mare for many years ...


I ate at Mare in the summer of 2001 with my brothers and sister, who were in town to celebrate Jenn's birthday. 


before turning into Tello's ...


which was previously around the corner (above) and then going out of business.


When Tello's left its 20th Street location, the reliable Alonso's Steakhouse moved in. 


Across 8th between 20th and 21st was the original Chelsea Frames, which has long moved to 9th Avenue. That's where I had the Edward Hopper over my bed framed a million years ago. 


I think the framing shop became a GNC, which is now gone. The Murphy Bed Express place moved across the street into the former Pinkberry, while the Walgreens Community Pharmacy and Rainbow Station sex shop have played musical stores on the same block. 


There was also a longtime video-TV-audio repair shop -- I-V Electronics Corp. -- at 203 8th Ave. that doubled as a video-rental shop. Michael and I used to go there all the time. They had all the adult titles down in the basement for extra seediness. Here's my friend John's old membership card!


On the SE corner of 20th and 8th was Tazza Restaurant and Bar, an Italian joint where my old boyfriend Tim -- who I met at the Boiler Room -- took me on our second date. Today, it's Lasagna Restaurant. Either on this block or between 20th and 21st -- I'm thinking where Tina Catherine Eyewear is now -- was a hair salon that I believe was called Headlines, where this hunky Italian or Latin hair stylist would rub his hard-on on my leg as he cut my hair. I was so naive I thought this meant he wanted to go out with me, so tried to exchange numbers with him! 


Rainbows & Triangles is still vacant a year since closing. And it's hard to keep track of all the changes that have occurred in the stores near it .. 


... but once the wonderful Havana Chelsea went under, a revolving door of Latin and coffee places opened and closed around there, including ...


Casa Havana, which was kind of a jazzed-up reboot of its predecessor. They even kept the Best Cuban Sandwiches sign and display case in the window. (A matter of some dispute, as it turned out.)


I really liked Ruben's Empanadas, but apparently not enough people did. (It's now a shoe cobbler.)


I think this one went from being Chelsea Coffee ...


to UR Cup (which kind of got what it deserved for that dubious spelling) ...


to Teaffee in a matter of months, but nothing could sustain the outrageous rent.


Cuba Libre was renamed Cuba Cafe after the owners (partners) parted ways. (Look for the second coming of Cuba Libre later in this post.)


I have bittersweet memories of the place as it's where I celebrated my 36th birthday with Larry, who died a couple years later, Jay and Michael.


Intermezzo has been here forever, although the Cuba space next door has been a revolving door in recent years, notably Sushi Mora and Tom Yum, neither of which lasted more than a few months.



Next to what became Spruce was briefly a gayish accessories and hat shop called Gallerie H. It flooded shortly after opening and even though they were able to reopen, it closed shortly thereafter.


The Lite Choice had a successful run next to that, after previously being (I think) a Tasti D-Lite and definitely a Cremalita.


One place that has stood the test of time is the Rocking Horse -- or Rocking Horse Cafe Mexicano, as it was known then. 


Ironically, I ate there once while in town looking for an apartment in early 1998 and didn't go back until 2015!


UPDATE: On Nov. 1, 2018, it was announced that Rocking Horse is closing after an incredible 30-year run.


UPDATE: Another closure since this post first went up: Next door was the Starting Line, a great clothing store with all the latest sneakers and sportswear, with a gay twist. 


Description: A one-stop men's boutique for Chelsea day-wear and night-gear, The Starting Line's small, well-edited inventory of hand-picked designer goods can outfit discerning gents from head to toe, for the office and the club, with a visit to the gym in between. "Fitted" is the keyword here: Shirts, shorts, jeans, swimsuits and underwear by Buffalo, Hard 8, and NY Sporting Club are built for better bodies; hats, bags, belts, watches and wrist bands can be used to draw attention to a particularly appealing feature—or distract from any inadequacies of physique. A standard array of sneakers and sandals round out the full-body offerings; helpful staffers suggest mix-and-match. Not quite as big as Gerry's, not quite as fey as Universal Gear, The Starting Line fills in the gaps for the oft-stereotyped neighborhood.


Before it was Donatello and then Heartwood, this was the home of the first Trois Canards. I had the worst beef bourguignon there, so I wasn't too broken up when it closed. 


Today it's Prova Pizza Chuck and Blade.


Right after Trois Canards closed the first time it became La Belle Vie. The view was indeed good, but the food wasn't much better.


Alonso's closed when Tello's moved into the place where Mare was, and then Trois Canards reopened around the corner where Tello's was originally, but that didn't last either.


The NE corner of 19th/8th was Shim's, another Asian deli, which later became Better Burger then 16 Handles. If you look to the far left, you can see where the A&P supermarket was. 


Dave and I go shopping "from A to P" back in1998

The A&P was the avenue's only supermarket as Gristede's wouldn't come along till years later ...


although there was a D'Agostino on West 16th Street, if you didn't mind paying an arm and a leg for a loaf of bread. It's now a Brick Gym.


The site of the A&P is now a New School dorm (red brick building on the right) with a Rite Aid in the ground level, which used to be an Eckerd Pharmacy. You can also see this is where Blockbuster Video was, at the smaller location it moved to after its huge store at 17th Street shut down. The corner Starbucks, seen here under renovation, used to be Blimpie in the 1990s -- and next door was Jennifer Convertibles, which became an American Apparel that eventually closed when the company filed for bankruptcy.


Right before it closed, Blockbuster made a last-ditch effort at rebranding itself Blockbuster Media, but to no avail.


Eighth Avenue used to have delis and bodegas on just about every corner, but these days there are only a handful.


Between 18th and 19th there was a corner liquor store, which was replaced by a high-end gelato shop.

UPDATE: Amarino closed in 2018.


A fantastic lighting shop called Lightforms was on that block (now moved to 26th Street) -- which is now a gay clothing shop called EFOR -- as was La Chinita Linda, the best Cuban-Chinese place in town. This is where Michael and I were slated to have our first date. (He stood me up!)


La Chinita eventually became -- like most things -- a Thai restaurant (Room Service), but even that didn't last. New owners came in and now it's ... another Thai restaurant. 


There used to be a decent diner between 18th and 19th called Galaxy Cafe II, which is now El Cid. We'd go there all the time, probably one of the neighborhood's biggest losses mainly because it was so convenient. (The Hell's Kitchen location is still in business.)


Next door was Sam Chinita, a diner (tin-can) style Cuban-Chinese joint. It was pretty good, but I always preferred La Chinita. 


Cuban-Chinese places were popular in the '60s when Chinese fled Cuba at the beginning of the Castro era, but they seem to be a dying breed.


UPDATE: A reader informs me of this: 
Sam Chinita and La Chinita Linda were the result of their predecessor (Mi Chinita, above) splitting apart due to an apparent family feud (or so I was told). Mi Chinita (in the old diner) had the best Cuban-Chinese ever. The good ole days...

Sam Chinita was literally bulldozed, and it became Nisos, which had a rocky 10-year run. It's been shuttered for years now, although rumors constantly circulate that a new tenant is imminent.

UPDATE: Nisos was eventually replaced with Haru Sushi, which lasted less than a year. In 2020 Lulu Cafe moved in and looked like it was off to a good  start before the coronavirus pandemic shut the whole city down.


Across the street near the Joyce Theater,  there used to be a cabaret club called Judy's Chelsea, that closed in 2003.


Right after Judy's went under Helen's Restaurant and Piano Lounge opened, but quickly met a similar fate. (What were you thinking, Helen?) 


Lee Fulmer -- a former Viceroy employee who now works at Elmo -- outside Ate Ave

After that it became Ate Ave, the restaurant that gut-renovated the space that had been Judy's/Helen's into a sleek bar/restaurant. 


A former employee remembers the design as striking and expensive, with a series of large plasma-screen TVs behind the bar and a textured white stone tile wall in the dining room upstairs (which had been the cabaret room). Cocktails were (expensive but) very good; it caught the early part of the craft-cocktail wave. They had no luck finding a decent chief or a solid restaurant concept though, and it only lasted a year before a series of Asian restaurants tried to fill the spot, only to go under. 


Off the top of my head I can remember Alpha Fusion ...


... and Sushi Masuru. And I believe Man Ray was located there too back when I arrived in Chelsea before it moved to 15th Street. These days a Cooper's Craft & Kitchen seems to be thriving, so that's something.


Just south of Helen's was Rita's Antiques Cafe, now the home of the very successful GYM bar. Rita's was a cafe and coffee place that -- as promised -- also sold antiques. It wasn't meant to be, but it was awfully cute while it lasted. 


Next door was a restaurant space that has also been a million places over the years -- Vox, Cafe Inferno, Tiziano and others -- and most recently Typhoon before turning into another adult shop ...


called The Blue DVD.


If that name makes no sense to you, I suppose it was a little less unseemly than its original name, The Happy Store. 


It's also where Cuba Libre moved after the breakup, which only cannibalized it and Cuba Cafe, leaving the neighborhood with no Cuban restaurants. (Thanks, guys!)  Just south of there was the call center for Luxury Limo Service, which has since become THE ONE MEN SPA. (Missing apostrophe s theirs, not mine.)


The NW corner of 18th and 8th used to be my closest bodega, Pine Tree Market, where I got a sandwich with my friend Larry and watched the horrified workers marching up from Lower Manhattan on Sept. 11. 


It's a Brooklyn Industries  Seamore's seafood restaurant now.


The SW corner was the famed restaurant Eighteenth & Eighth, (charming brick house with black awning, beyond the police tape -- would love to have a better photo if one is out there!). It was the first place I took my parents out to dinner. 


UPDATE (1/11/21): 18th & 8th popped up on a rerun of "Seinfeld"!


I remember in 1998 overhearing a guy telling his dinner mate how excited he was 'cause his friend's television show was about to debut that fall. He was describing the plot about a gay guy and his best-gal-pal roommate. Who'd have thought back then that it would eventually become Must See TV's lead show?


Just south of there was my favorite hardware store, the kind where the people came out from behind the counter to really try to help you. My apartment would have never come together as quickly as it did without those guys. Amin Indian Cuisine was just south of there.


When the building that housed 18th & 8th was destroyed, so was the one next store that housed the SGS Hardware. A 24-hour market -- where I made many a late-night Pop-Tart runs -- before becoming Bare Burger -- was just south of there. And a short-lived "lounge" called Pearl went in where the arrow is pointing (Amin's spot), although the Indian Cuisine sign hung on. (The sex shop Splosh resides there now.)


When that bombed, Chiles & Chocolates moved in, which opened and closed in less than a year. I'm told a gay sex club called The Attic occupied the upstairs at 157 8th Ave., described by Huzbears like this: 
In this seemingly innocent brownstone in the early '90s was The Attic. It was a sex club, that had no limits...tending to be hot, crowded, wet and very greasy. Anything went. Owned by Wally, the same person that ran the infamous Mineshaft back in the '70s and '80s. Two apartments were joined together, to create this pleasure palace. The bathtubs were used as giant urinals for patrons to lounge in. 
You can still see neon signs up there, which I always thought was some sort of leather fetishwear place. (I've never dared enter!)


Down the street was the mesh tanktop emporium better known as BANG BANG (right). 


Michael bought a coat there once and I never let him live it down!


When that folded, Marc Ecko moved in. That came and went in 18 months and the place has been a puppy mill ever since, which seems to do brisk business. (Ugh.)


Next door was the home of the famed Food Bar, where more men have had sex in the bathroom been on dates than probably any other restaurant in the world. After expanding into the Washington market with a location under Cobalt on Dupont Circle's once-super-gay 17th Street, the restaurant seemed to lose its way. 


Food Bar was briefly rechristened Che 2020 before going back to its original name, but then closed shortly thereafter. A Chipotle is now in its place, perhaps the saddest reminder of what's become of the neighborhood.


Just off 8th Avenue on 17th Street was the Energy Kitchen. This is what it looked like when it opened, but then it got a facelift, starting franchising and within no time, the entire chain went under. Today it's Pizza Italia.


Just west of Energy Kitchen was Suenos, a Mexican fusion restaurant. The space was very cute -- with kind of an atrium garden -- but it was a little pricey for this media type. I mention it because I hear there used to be a place hidden behind it called Alley's End, which was in the back of what was formerly A Chelsea Place, a combination antiques store and restaurant that went out of business in 1993. The New York Times raved about Alley's End HERE.


On the east side of the street and right around the corner of my house was once a great block, which included the Viceroy. The food kinda sucked, but the bar was beautiful and rather grand, and a great spot to take out-of-town guests. The place will always hold a piece of my heart because it's where my brother Bill and I had lunch while waiting to meet the real estate broker to see what ended up becoming my home. (It was literally the LAST apartment we were seeing before going back to Washington, and I'd already applied for one in the Meatpacking District that I assumed I'd be taking.)


Next door was the wonderful French bistro Gascogne, where Michael and I had a memorable Christmas Eve dinner back in 2007. Sadly, it's since closed -- but is still good under new management as Montmartre.


Then there was 18th Street News -- my second home -- where I'd spend hours reading foreign magazines ...


Another view

and the great clothing and accessories shop Mardana, which moved into the old Gerry's between 15th and 16th.


18th Street Magazines later became Roy's Pizza, owned by the same guy who owns Flight 151 across the street, but even a steady stream of drunks clientele couldn't keep it in business. 


Giraudon was a cool little shoe store, which is now a framing shop.


Next door to that -- which I'd completely forgotten about -- was the Mexican restaurant called Blue Moon (right).


So "Moonlighting"!


I remember going there a bunch of times in the late '90s even though it wasn't very good -- a la Mary Ann's down the street -- but I loved the idea of having my own "local Mexican joint," so I remained loyal through various food poisonings. (Years earlier it was a gay leather bar called the 17th Street Saloon.) When Blue Moon closed it became a bunch of different things, before settling as SILOM Thai, which is also not very good. (It's the Gay Avenue curse!)


The SE corner of 19th/8th was once a huge Blockbuster video, famous for its selection of films and men.


 It eventually was divided into two, and has been a number of places since. A fun housewares and gift shop called Details was there for years ... and I believe that's when Universal Gear opened up shop.


After Details closed, Chelsea Custom Kitchens took over. These days, a Ricky's Beauty Shop and Revolver Salon are the reigning champs. The Universal Gear next store was once hopping -- where the sales clerks would feel you up in the dressing rooms and actually encourage you to take the underwear out of the package. 


But as the new crop of gays moved uptown, so too did Universal Gear, now doing brisk business in its Hell's Kitchen location. A Just Salad has since taken up residence in its place. 


RIP



To the north, upstairs, was once the infamous Chelsea Gym, where every part of the boys' bodies got a workout. 


It later became Video Blitz, a pop-and-pop video-rental shop, ...


which apparently used to be on the ground level that later became a great laundromat that was open 24 hours. (Perfect for a night owl like me!) The Video Blitz eventually went out of business and Capitol One moved into the laundromat and I've never set foot in the building since.


Just south of there was American Fitness -- better known as American Princess -- the gym once run by promoter John Blair before he sold it to New York Sports Clubs. That's me and my friend Dave walking past it back in 1998. 


The death of clothier Camouflage -- both locations -- has been well documented


Less interesting is that a Caffe Bene is now moving in.


Paradise Cafe's demise was another heart breaker -- and its sushi handroll replacement didn't even last a year.


(Here's a look at Paradise when it was called "The Paradise Muffin Co.")


The Service Station was a door or two down, where you could get a hair cut, a massage and serviced all in one fell swoop.


The NW corner of 16th/8th was once a Mr. Pizza, but then became a splashy noodle joint called The Nooch. 


I think that fulfilled its 10-year lease, but then called it a day. A Koffeecake Cafe has since opened -- and recently closed. 


and the just-opened BEC (bacon, egg and cheese) across the street in the old Cola's.


Before the NW block at 16th/8th was demolished to make way for a condo building (and ground-level Bank of America), it was an interesting set of stores. There was a nightclub spot on the corner (Rebar and Suite 16, both run by Michael and John Dorrian, of Robert Chambers infamy), which always had the hottest straight boys lingering out front ...


and then Cajun restaurant next door, and then Angelo's Classic next door to that.


A little farther down was Chelsea Grill, which was known for its year-round garden in back and having the best hamburgers in town. 


(Fittingly, the only location left is in Hell's Kitchen.)


Before my time there was also a gay bar called the Chelsea Transfer that had "an elaborately carved wooden bar, large smoked windows overlooking the pedestrian traffic of Eighth Avenue, and friendly staff." Despite all of this, it was ahead of its time. People were migrating from the Village to Chelsea, but not enough to support this joint. 


When that closed, I hear it was a few things, including an Austrian restaurant called Kaffeehaus that had great desserts. It later became Candy Bar & Grill (known also as The Bistro at Candy Bar), another trendy gay restaurant back in the day that competed with Food Bar.


The NE corner of 15th and 8th has been another revolving door. Doherty's Coffee Shop was there when I moved in. It was extremely narrow and dark (the photo above is probably from after the renovations) and had great breakfast and that gritty old New York feel to it.


That got ripped down and eventually it became the more upscale Diner 24 (above), which was good but never caught on. 


Despite two failed diners in a row, Vynl -- a popular Hell's Kitchen spot -- then tried opening a Chelsea location. It seemed to be doing OK for a while, but then it inexplicably closed ...


and re-opened as the Redwood Kitchenette and Bar ...


with a cool trailer bar inside. It went under in a matter of months. (I've never understood why entrepreneurs think they can be successful doing the exact same thing as their failed predecessors did.) Today it is a Liquiteria, which I have no idea how it stays in business. 


There was an adorable Rue des Crepes on that block too at one point, that made you feel like you'd just stepped into Paris. (The crepes were delicious!)


When that closed, the sandwich shop Swich moved in. That bombed, and today there's a Wrapido that seems to be doing pretty well.


Before it was rechristened (?) Empire Cake, this bakery between 15th and 16th was called Lulu Cake Boutique. I say rechristened because from what I remember, nothing about the offerings changed once it was renamed.


Gerry's was huge clothing store between 15th and 16th that always had great stuff. There was another location on Bleecker Street, which is no longer around either. When the 8th Avenue location closed, it was divided into two stores and Mardana eventually moved down into one half. I think Mardana had a second location on Seventh Avenue South, but that's long gone.


UPDATE: Mardana moved again in 2020, this time to 8th between 19th and 20th where Native Ken eyewear had been. 


The east side between 14th and 15th has been through a lot over the years. The Pita Grill never really caught on.


Then Hurricane Sandy ripped the front off its replacement, Muscle Maker Grill, which later re-opened on 7th Avenue. But more than anything there are reports that the owner of several of the buildings wants the long-term tenants out. 


This bodega and pizza place seen above are both history, although the corner seems to be reopening as a combination bodega-pizza place. 


My biggest concern down there is the famed La Taza de Oro Spanish restaurant, which has had a sign up for months saying its facade has to be repaired by order of the city or else. 


Although I'm unsure if it's official yet, I have a sinking feeling it's curtains for what is literally the longest-standing business in the neighborhood that I frequent, and it seems I'm not alone.


When I look back at all this, it makes the survival of a handful of shops on the avenue all the more remarkable. I'm looking at you, Royal Siam, The Dish, Intermezzo, Chelsea Golden Wok, Rocking Horse, Flight 151, Chisholm Larsson Gallery, Chelsea Ristorante and Mary Ann's, where I still have been known to get hammered on their effective margaritas while attempting to avoid salmonella poisoning.!

Please send corrections, submissions and photos HERE.


UPDATE: Speak of the devil -- Mary Ann's closed July 3, 2015, and said it was relocating. Needless to say, it hasn't.


UPDATE (10/18/21): I haven't updated this post in a while because the heyday of 8th Avenue has long since passed. But I felt I would be remiss to not mention the closing of The Dish, once the heart of the gayborhood where throngs of hungover boys went for a cruisy breakfast the day after a night out at Splash, G and the Roxy. Truly the end of an era.

75 comments:

  1. Trent1:01 PM

    Wow - that's comprehensive - thanks for sharing!

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  2. Greeeeat write-up Kenneth! You brought up (and had photos of!) things I'd forgotten. You should do more of these.

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  3. So many places that were around and gone before my time in Chelsea and also a bunch that I was around to see before their demise. Great article and historical document of the changing face of 8th Ave.

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  4. BOO HOO. Have you seen the Castro lately, or the rest of the world?

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  5. I remember every place you mention.

    I still grieve for Kitchen/Market and Gascogne, which had a beautiful garden out back and was downstairs from my shrink.

    I miss going to Eighteenth and Eighth for oatmeal in the morning.

    I DON’T miss the Allerton, which was scary. A murder took place there not long after we moved to the neighborhood.

    Thanks for documenting all this for the next wave, who won’t know any of these places, and many more that will soon disappear. You’ve done a service for historians!

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  6. I miss the Bendix so much, it was just he perfect neighborhood restaurant. There was also a funk sandwich place where Murrays Bagels is now but I can't remember the name. And I always loved Bruno Ravioli across the street. Wasn't Gerry's on 15th a sort of Asian hybrid diner place? Maybe it was Jerry's, not the closing store. I think it's where Wrapido is now. And I loved these dingy coffees hop Doherty,s wish there was a better picture. Thanks for writing this up!

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  7. Thanks for sharing this trip down memory lane.

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  8. Anonymous7:53 AM


    Wow wonderful article. so many memories. I moved into Chelsea in 1994 and left in 2011. You brought back places I longed forgot about. My fave was Eighteenth & Eighth. Still miss it. First gay restaurant I ever ate at. Had friends who worked at Roger & Dave's and would always pop in to say hi and always bought my cards there too.

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  9. Bendix had the yummiest tuna melts.
    My 21st birthday party was at Candy Bar.
    Sigh......

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  10. What an exhausting read, and a wonderful ride. It is easy to forget many of those places in the wash of years now past under the bridge. I myself remember the days "before Chelsea became CHELSEA", before Eighth Avenue became the ultimate boywatching destination, before Splash... Back then walking all the way to The Spike and The Eagle after midnight was honestly a bit dicey unless you walked down 22nd Street, which was so cruisy that it made it safer than the adjacent blocks. This around the time the Pink Panthers were formed to make the streets safer, and then famously sued--and lost!--in court for trademark infringement. Many of the places you lament were meaningless to me--I never understood how The View stayed in business as long as it did, it had none of the personality of its UWS sister The Break (Thursday all you can drink margarita nights or beer blast, anyone?). What struck me is how many memories it brought back, boys I dated, tricks I boinked, friends who are buried and gone. Thanks for that. :) To be in Gay New York in the 80s and 90s was a truly special time. Fortunately, a strange silver lining to the darkness of those years was that--with death on every doorstep--we KNEW then in a way that few do when they are young and beautiful that time is fleeting and that everything we knew then would pass quickly away. What always amuses me about the city is that it is really just an amalgamation of overlapping concentric circles, we can live in the same city, even the same neighborhood, but tread widely different paths to entirely different haunts and destinations. What makes New York special is the people you share the time with, and one of the city's great pleasures is reconnecting with a long-lost acquaintance who somehow drifted out of your life decades ago but who you end up bumping into one-day and learning they live just around the corner from you, and have for years. Only recently I reconnected with a guy who I met at a gay dance at NYU (not Columbia, this was before that!) who brought me to Boy Bar for the first time). It is always a great comfort when someone from the distant past resurfaces out of the mist, and I can cross them off of the "I figured you were dead" list." That is one of the pleasures of old age, which as a young man I assumed I might never see. Change is what makes the city vibrant, but much of it in recent years is only to feed greed, the soul of the city is not what it used to be

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    1. Anonymous10:53 AM

      Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We are from the 80's-90's before it was "Chelsea". Sharing the elation of seeing someone from the past who you didn't know if they were Alive then you see them again . . .Ecstacy, Passion and Pain.

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  11. Anonymous9:17 AM

    Venus Diner (or Fork, if you prefer) at 252 8th Ave, closed over the weekend. I hadn't been there in a while, but it's literally next door to where I work. i think it's been there 30+ years...

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  12. Wow that is extremely complete. I will bookmark this page as I have a lot of memories from living on 22nd and 8th from 2002-2004. The only thing that wasn't there was Intermezzo (which I guess didn't have a strong effect on you!). :)

    One time there was no hot water in the building and I went over to the Allerton Hotel to take a shower. I paid $10 and they let me do it.

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  13. The village Gerrys was actually on Bleecker.

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  14. ChelseaMom12:42 PM

    This is wonderful! I wish you'd been here in 1982 when I moved to Chelsea—I remember almost nothing of Eighth Avenue back then. The hardware store you mentioned was SGS, owned by a red-headed Stuart from Forest Hills who was *the* best old-style shopkeeper (though he was in his 30s). I would go in there just to have an excuse to say hi and schmooze with him—something you don't get to do much now that local places are less and less personal.

    We *adored* Kitchen—my husband had breakfast there after our firstborn popped (I kicked him out and sent him home), and he sat at the counter with Navratilova, who was dating a woman in our building for a time. Donna and Stuart were still living in the building above a few years ago. Sorely missed venue!

    Roger & Dave (the other location of the Seventh Avenue Roger Roth & Dave) was my favorite place to hang out on Eighth. Always good conversation, even if I didn't buy anything. Loved those guys!

    As for Bruno—the manager was a short guy with a toupee named Anthony who put stuff aside for my husband and always had a little nosh for our kids. When he moved up to Bway and 78th I would stop by there with the kids on the way to see their pediatrician and always got a warm welcome. Again, a lovely neighborhood business that I miss a great deal.

    It's been 32 years since I moved here and I wish it were as vibrant and interesting and diverse as it was in the 80s….

    Thanks for the memories!

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  15. Anonymous1:00 PM

    I might of missed it in your post but there were some guys that ran a really cool hat shop on the east side of 8th ave for a few years.......

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  16. My God - what fun! I lived at 14th and 7th from 1991-96 and went to most of these places. Cola's was a neat little joint - I did a big dinner there once for my friend Marcia, who was hosting this interesting new Spanish film director on his first trip to the NYFF; he turned out to be Pedro Almodrovar and a really terrific guy.

    Can anyone remind me of the name of a restaurant, around the same time, that was on the north side of a side street (maybe 18th?) off 8th - it was a generic American/Continental/Nouveau sort of place (I remember great sole) with interesting copper-mesh decor on the walls around the bar area. Went there all the time for a while, but can't think of the name and don't think I saw it here.

    In any case, thank you so much for the trip down Memory Lane!

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  17. Chelsea Boy II Man3:13 PM

    Hi Kenneth - I am approximately the same age as you and I loved this post. I moved tpo the city in 1990 and have lived here ever since. It was like a trip down memory lane. What a comprehensive post! I loved reading it.

    One restaurant not mentioned (unless I missed it) and I loved it was Alley's End - you walked down an alley to get to it. It was a marvelous place! Muscato - is that the restaurant you are referring to?

    Thank you for posting this - made me feel nostalgic :-)

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  18. Anonymous3:22 PM

    Here is article about Alley's End

    Was it Alley's End?

    http://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/25/arts/575623.html

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    1. Anonymous2:15 PM

      I loved that place!

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  19. Fantastic history! Thanks for the walk down memory lane!

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  20. Alley's End it was - and it was wonderful. Many thanks, Anon, for saving me from thinking maybe I'd made it up.

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  21. Coffee Guy1:14 PM

    What a great list! I lived on 15th and 8th for nearly a decade after moving to NYC in 07. The Big Cup was a great place to stop in for eye candy during the walk to work. The closure of the Paradise Cafe killed me. I went there nearly every week until it closed. Back around 04, there was a super cute guy working there that would make me a free sandwich if I gave him a kiss. He was a lot of fun! I really felt bad when the View closed. The owner was really great and he struggled to find a way to stay open. Rawhide isn't missed. It always smelled like urine. The Antiques Cafe was a gem, and a great alternative to Starbucks. It was ahead of its time. So many great memories. I still like Chelsea. But, like most of the city now, there are too many chirpy girls and strollers.

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    1. chirpy girls you got that right

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  22. You did a superb article on the history of gay Chelsea. However, I did not see Intermezzo mentioned, which had been at 202 Eight Avenue for over a decade. A former model of mine of over 15 years ago, Marko Levin, used to wait tables at Cola's. I have lost touch with him and have always wondered where he is today. Years ago, my buddies and I dined at Alley's End many times, a romantic "hidden" restaurant. I may have taken inside photos of it. I have a major collection of gay guidebooks, going back to the early 1960s -- 50 feet worth, which is likely the largest collection in private ownership. I also have a small collection of business cards from restaurants, including ones that have closed. My Alley's End business card, 311 West 17th Street, was gone by September 2003 (do not have exact date of closing). Tazza, 196 Eight avenue, closed down in May 2003. Trois Canards, 265 West 20th Street, closed on November 2014. Tello's, 198 Eight Ave., same ownership as Trois Canards, closed November 2014. I have been visiting gay Chelsea restaurants/bars before it became popular; now Hell's Kitchen is THE place for gay venues.

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  23. My father worked in the Financial District in the mid-80s and I used to ride the PATH train in from NJ to buy records at Midnight Records on 23rd St. and meet him for lunch at the Blue Moon. IIRC, the restaurant was co-owned by former NY Ranger and NJ Devil George McPhee, and many hockey players from both teams would frequent the place. Dad would come home some nights with autographs of my favorite NHL players on the back of the Blue Moon business cards.

    As a high school student, I would take dates to the Blue Moon to show them how urbane and cool this suburban nerd was.

    I found a Blue Moon business card in my desk drawer. The back is signed by former hockey player Brendan Shanahan.

    https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8847/18270139629_92d09df91d_z.jpg

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  24. Wow....thanks so,much for this trip down memory lane.....I will always have fond memories of my time in Chelsea in the 90's. From the black bean and rice at Sam Chinita to the burritos at Kitchen/Market....when you didnt need high 6 figures to live well in NYC. When Chelsea was fun and welcoming and still had a soul.....

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  25. Richard Taylor5:38 PM

    Great compendium of the changes to [the former] Chelsea. BTW: Food Bar was first Rogers and Barbero (next to the poster shop that still exists); the predecessor to Gascogne was Roxannes.

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  26. David2:07 PM

    Thanks for a mind-blowing trip down 8th Ave of yore. I moved to Chelsea in 1987 and, like you, have been obsessed with the rise and fall of the beloved gay strip.

    One short-lived but brilliantly named restaurant was Chelsea Clinton, open around the time of Bill Clinton’s election in 1992. I have a matchbook with the address 184 8th Ave (Between 19 & 20).

    Bendix Diner was such a blast—good food at cheap prices. After a year or so it expanded into the space to the north, accessed through a door near the back. When that building was demolished to make way for the giant residence (housing Gristedes) they sealed up the door and put a sign that said “What other room???” Previously Bendix was a restaurant called Oona’s.

    There was a cute restaurant with the unfortunate name of “Cookies” on the East side of 8th Ave around 19th St. It served comfort food (not cookies) and had booths and bright, homey decor (for some reason I recall Fiesta ware).

    Before Tazza the space for several years was Twigs, a gay haunt very similar to Tazza (it may have been the same owners).

    The southern portion of the former Rainbows and Triangles was several establishments, most notably a hair salon catering to gay men, called something 2000. Novo 2000 perhaps?

    You are correct, Man Ray was for a few years in the doomed space north of Gym Bar (good luck, Cooper’s Craft & Kitchen!).

    Before 18th & 8th there was a casual gay-friendly Café called The Commissary. I remember lots of grey linoleum.

    You forgot to mention that Food Bar had a flirtation with the horrible name Che-2020 but reverted to its original name after about a year. Before that the space was a wonderful restaurant called Rogers & Barbero.

    Around 1988 the Gasgogne space was a casual restaurant called Chelsea Beach, and the garden in the back was decked out in colorful beach umbrellas and chairs (can’t remember if there was sand or not).

    You mentioned Cola’s briefly, but it’s important to note that they were a gay pioneer on the strip, even before 18th & 8th, and lasted some 25 years—a huge achievement. BEC will be lucky to last 25 months.

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  27. Does anyone remember the name of the lobster/Thai? restuarant on 7th Avenue where Elmos now is located?

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  28. @Brian: Chelsea Lobster, which was Clare before then.

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  29. That's it! Thanks Ken. I used to frequent so many of those places in your blog. 18th and 8th being my favorite. I got to know the owner and manager and staff. I went to the closing party too. 😓. Thanks for your help!

    Now that I'm thinking about it, I think I ate at Clare too. If memory serves me, it was the same owner as Chelsea Lobster. He closed one and reopened as the other. Ended up closed for tax problems. Similarly, many of the 8th Ave. places had the same owner, I.e. Tello, Trois Canard, Mare and the steak house also. One could actually walk from the Tello Kitchen into the Mare kitchen.
    Cheers

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  30. Chelsea Fan2:04 AM

    Kenneth - thanks for taking me down memory lane. I used to frequent Chelsea in the early 00's and haven't been back in awhile until recently and man, what a difference 8th ave is. It's lost its edge. It's sad.

    I hope you write future articles like this! You're great!

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  31. What about that bar Rome on 8th and 25th?

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  32. Great post. As a Chelsea Native, I thank you for the memories.

    Back in 1983, I photographed all of 8th Avenue from 14th St. up to 23rd St. If I can find those, I'll contact you to post them here. It's revelatory.

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  33. For the Record6:24 PM


    I remember Midnight Records on 23rd Street. The French guy ran the store.

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  34. I worked for a long time at Rue Des Crepes! Thanks for remembering us fondly :)

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  35. Wow, that was a lot, a lot of wonderful memories. Feeling a little sad, a little nostalgic and a whole lotta old :) We had a lot of fun, that is for sure. Thanks for the stroll down the gay boulevard, where I celebrated my true self and made so many wonderful friends and memories. Glad you were a part of it, Kenneth. Xoxo, Ed

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  36. Kenneth- Very interesting article but as the founder and owner of Blue Moon along with my late brother (who's card is pictured) I take exception to your comments about Blue Moon. We were there at the beginning of the renaissance of Chelsea and remained there for well over 20 years. We had our loyal customers who loved our food and drinks.
    Considering your comments about us and Mary Anns you just might have an aversion to Mexican food or a lactose intolerance!! My brother passed away a few years ago but we and especially he were a major part of the Chelsea community!! Just had to say my piece.

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    1. Anonymous2:17 PM

      I loved Blue Moon! I used to go there all the time for burritos!

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  37. @Howard: LOL! Fair enough -- I grew up in Arizona, though -- and very nice to hear from you. (Didn't realize there were other locations of Blue Moon.) Sorry to hear about Gary. Best, Kenneth

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  38. I worked at Cajun for years -- Live Dixieland jazz, hurricanes and jumbalaya. The owners were 2 Upper Eastside New York Jews who could not help but micromanage everything. My last day there was Sept 11, 2001 - I had already quit, but stopped in after the Towers fell to check on the owners whose bartender couldn't get to work. They were struggling to serve the hundreds of people coming from downtown. I bartended for 3 or 4 hours, but finally closed it down as the stories and exhaustion became too much. We spent the rest of the evening with our neighbors at the Chelsea Grill. Thanks for this post.

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  39. Arsen1:26 AM

    Thank you for sharing all that!! I moved to NYC in 1992 and have lived in Chelsea since '02. I didn't realize how extensive that list was. Almost every store has closed! I love living in Chelsea, but after reading your documentation, I really miss the old days a lot. As an artist, I have this crazy idea of somehow embedding a bronze plaque on the foot of every closed store that you mentioned to serve as a reminder (nothing fancy, just an 8x2 with simply the name of establishment, year opened and year closed.) I know this idea will never happen, which is why I appreciate your posting and all the hard work you put into it! Thank you!!

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  40. Thank you so much for this. I worked at Flight 151 and then Alley's End back in the day. The neighborhood has changed so much. I miss it.

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  41. Bitter Sweetie1:21 PM

    Thank you for this superb writeup. It brings back a lot of memories, both good and not-so-good, of the years we spent in NYC.

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  42. Good Lord, Kenneth, what a comprehensive walk down memory lane! I certainly miss the old 8th Avenue! (For the record, I never got picked up in Big Cup, though I certainly tried.) Maybe that's one fringe benefit of moving away from New York -- I still picture it like it was. (So I'm in denial, basically.)

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  43. It sucks how NY changed so much!
    It used to be so much fun.
    It's beautiful but I miss lots of those amazing places.
    Oh well,life goes on!

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  44. Remember the Riss, a Greek diner on the East side of 8th ave. between 22nd and 23rd. The Riss closed about 1998.

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  45. Thanks to former mayor Michael Bloomberg, the City of New York (all five boroughs) is only going to become a city of the insanely wealthy. All the true New Yorkers are going to be priced right out of their hometown. Horribly sad indeed.

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  46. Rich McCallum3:45 PM

    Wow...2019. I bartended at Splash from 1996-2001. I remember so many of these places. Walked past them every day. Doesn't seem real. I left NYC in 2002. Live in the Midwest now. So many memories and so many relationships gone and buried by time. Thanks for the visual tour.

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  47. Great. So many memories. Thanks for taking the time and effort to put this together.

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  48. Early Chelsea Boy9:00 PM

    Such a great post! In the early 80s, I moved to 20th between 8th and 9th when most of my neighbors spoke Spanish. The only sign of impending gentrification was a sweet little bakery on 8th Ave, right next to a second hand furniture shop where I bought my first furniture. The Salvation Army was there, as were several furniture stores that sold mattresses and sofas, a Chinese restaurant where the owner would beg my sister and I to come in, and of course the A&P, diners, and Mi Chinita (sniff!) I remember walking those lonely industrial blocks to 5th Avenue where I worked. Even still, it was a neighborly place back then.

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  49. American Princess was only one of American Fitness' nicknames - the less-used one was "Oh Mary Can Lift This."

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  50. Anonymous11:27 AM

    Thank you so much for the walk down memory lane. I lived in NYC for 8.5 years from 1991 to 2000; first in the West Village on Jones between West 4th and Bleaker and then in Chelsea W19th and 7th directly across the street from A different Light Book Store. I would come out of my apartment building and go left to “g” or right to Splash; would sit outside for lunch at restaurant between 17th and 18th on 7th- can’t remember the name. Used to shop at Dragon a gay man’s underwater and swim suit store; I used to be so intimated going in there, because everyone was so beautiful; but couldn’t help myself. My boyfriend and I went to Chelsea gym, and my friends and I would eat at Viceroy and at The Dish also on 8th ave. I can go on and on... you transported me back to a once in a life time place that will always have a very special place in my heart. I live in San Diego now; been in CA for 15 years, cause of the weather. Thank you again. Michael

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  51. Thank you for taking me down memory lane. I lived on 25t St. closer to 7th from 1992-2004. Chelsea exploded as the new gay Mecca during that time and it was fun to see it happen first hand. Awww, the Big Cup. Was I the only one that had a love hate relationship with that place? Loved it as a hang out. Hated the coffee. The service you got depended on the party habits of the workers. And yes, I did hook up once or twice. Very well, a dozen or so times. I about cried when I saw a picture of The Break. It was my favorite bar in NYC. I met a boyfriend there and the place definitely became my own personal Cheers Bar. I live in FLL now but I will alway cherish the fun times watching Chelsea of the 1990's evolve.

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  52. What a wonderful trip down memory lane. Do you remember Raymond Dragon's clothing store? I think it was either 17th or 18th Street

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  53. Many thanks for the trip down memory lane! I went to school and lived in this neighborhood around the same time and remember almost all of the places you featured. What a lovely tribute!

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  54. Love this! (Boy, you really went to town with the photo essay.) To think, we might have eaten at some of these same spots at the exact same time -- before our paths officially crossed :) Sadly, so many of the restaurants I swore I'd one day get to, but never did :(

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  55. This brings back a lot of memories I was talking to a friend about the Big Cup but he had never heard of it

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  56. OMG Someone mentioned Riss Diner. Best corned beef hash ever. I was last there at the end of 1998. Didn't know it closed until I returned to the city a few years later.

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    1. Anonymous10:14 PM

      I loved Riss— my best friend and I lived in that diner. Rick was the waiter and we spent many hours there smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee and eating omelettes. My best friend worked at the Big Cup briefly and dated someone there, so we frequented there too. I was sad that there were no photos of Riss because it was such a big part of my adolescence. My dear friend has since passed. We had so many memories in Chelsea…

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  57. Splash Mountain1:12 PM

    Fantastic stuff! So many pics of places I had completely forgotten. I miss that area so much. The time when you could go to Big Cup (a bar for the day time), Splash, g, etc. was certainly special. Thanks for putting this together!

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  58. AP Chelsea12:52 PM

    This is a great history - I didn't think to take pictures of all these stores and restaurants while they were still around, and and am glad you did.
    Only one correction. I believe the "17th Street Saloon" was on the east side of the block between W16th and W17th. It was demolished to build the red brick apartment tower now on that site. I went in there once in its final days - more of a Lacoste shirt crowd, than a leather place.
    I miss all the restaurants you list - there were so many choices for good mid-priced dining at that time.

    I moved to Chelsea in 1987, but also lived there (a much younger person) in 1970. Gay people were starting to move to 'affordable' Chelsea, but gay bars were still south of 14th Street. The Chinese-Latin restaurants were around, as was Kavanaugh's, a big, traditional, dark-wood restaurant, which in its hey-day no doubt hosted people like Lillian Russell and Diamond Jim Brady. An anachronism in 1970, only a small group of older hold-outs dined there. Its building was demolished for the movie theaters at 23rd and 8th. The City keeps evolving....

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  59. Wow. Thanks for this trip down memory lane. You answered several "what happened to..." questions I had about several establishments. As another poster said, "comprehensive."

    I hope this post stays for prosperity and is updated, since very few things stay the same, at least not in Chelsea.

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  60. This is awesome. I first read this around five years ago and decided to take another trip down memory lane and read it again. Thanks for the updates.
    I lived in Chelsea (19th between 7th and 8th) when I first moved to NYC and lived there for over four years between 2001 and 2005. What a darling neighborhood it was. It killed me to move uptown (which I eventually fell in love with) and I would go visit Chelsea every day for a year after moving out of the neighborhood because I loved it so much.

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  61. On February 14, 2005 I was standing in the Subway Sandwich Shop that was under the Allerton, when a pane of glass fell out of one of the Allerton's windows and fell on a girl's head who was standing on the street corner. Luckily it was snowing that day and she had on a puffer jacket and its hood was covering her head. There was a doctor in the Subways as well who attended to her, but she was unscathed. Luckily. ahh the Allerton hotel, scary in more ways than one.

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  62. Thank you so mu ch! I lived in the East Villsge in the 90s, and altho we had a rule never to west of 5th Avenue, we always did to go to Splash and Big Cup and annoy the snobby salesmen at Barney’s. Chelsea was LA Gay! I actually moved from LA to NYC in 92 or 93 for school. I had to leave in 2008 because the neighborhood was no longer my neighborhood. That’s the way it should be—I always think of NYC as a jungle gym for creative kids in their 20s—experiment with music and fashion and sex and drugs in a relatively safe space. That’s what I did, and most of us get old and leave the playground for the next generation. I’m an architect now, and it hurts me psychologically and emotionally to see them tearing down the jungle gym to make condos.

    I love NYC , it’s where I wanted to live ever since i heard of Andy Warhol, so like 10. I was raised in the middle of Nowhere, Wyoming, and apparently I would lie to teachers and anyone who asked; I would say I'm from nyc and my parents kidnapped me. I have five brothers, so I guess inneeded the attention. Anyway, thank you. I might be inspired to scan my pix of my East V illage and copy your idea, if I get the strength to even open those boxes. I stopped drinking, so no liquid courage 🤠 I live in Jersey city now, with a beautiful view of my city—forever a New Yorkers

    TYa and regards
    Bryan Johnson
    Bjohso1969@gail.com

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  63. Thanks for this post, i've been trying to track down a cafe for years and it must have been bakery.
    I'd visited NYC from London in 91 and 93 and headed back newly married in November 1996. We were taking the long route to Australia via Manhattan, McComb Mississippi, Mew Orleans and San Francisco.
    Three nights in Chelsea at the hostel on 8th Avenue in a room that barely fitted a double bed.
    Night three was 5 November, Clinton's reelection, and the town was a happy one. We wound up in Peter McManus' place and got legless with a couple of locals.
    My new bride gave up before I did so I happily waved cheerio as she walked drunkenly alone into the NY night and I stayed with my new pals.
    I got home later, vomited naked into the sink in the room while kneeling on the bad and called it quits for the day.
    Midday flight, we figured we'd be okay.
    Hangover kicked in but we fueled up at what can only have been Harvest.
    Couldn't get a cab, then I lay on the floor of the subway so it would stop spinning, and finally passed out on the bus through the car park at JFK.
    And we missed our flight. Great times. Any more info on the Harvest would be welcome, and thanks for all this research.

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  64. I grew up on 16th and 7th (in the original Barneys building), I live currently since 1990 been on 26th street between 7th and 8th aves.
    I knew and know the whole area like the back of my hand.
    There's one photo you showed of a liquor store on the corner of 8th and 17th?... in the early 1960's my dentist was on the 2nd floor of that short building.. I remember the house was so old that the floor in the waiting room was slanted!
    It;s a shame what has happened to that whole area.. and to Manhattan in general.

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  65. Anonymous9:02 AM

    Great post. Was a delight going down memory lane. What was the name of the restaurant that preceded Nisos? It was a good restaurant and had terrific bruschetta. I still t ugh ink about them. Also on NW corner of perhaps 20th, there was an Asian restaurant for a short time called Get Fat or something equally unappealing. And of course the short-lived Tom of Finland clothing shop and another men’s store where I asked for a size 34 pants and the salesman looked at me like I was crazy. He said they didn’t have that size. Oh Chelsea. My hood from 1978-2004. Live at the gay dormitory - Chelsea Gardens - for half that time.

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  66. Anonymous4:03 PM

    Thank you for this amazing trip down Memory Lane! I first moved to Chelsea in 1994 to a walk-up apartment at 301 W. 19th Street and 8th Avenue. I lived there for 28 years!! We literally lived above the Blimpie's on the 4th floor and our windows overlooked that busy corner. I frequented many of these restaurants, bars and stores you mention. The first place I ever ate at in Chelsea was brunch at Eighteenth and 8th in 1993. Some years later Blue Moon became the sponsor of our Big Apple Softball team back in the early 2000's. I lived through all the change you describe and watched the neighborhood transform from what was once the hottest gay strip anywhere. And who could forget all the nearby clubs like Roxy, Tunnel, Sound Factory, Splash, Limelight. I truly felt like I was living at the center of the gay universe during that era!

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  67. Anonymous10:59 PM

    Wow...thanks for the memories. Worked at Viceroy from like 97-99 and was curious if there are any online pics from back in the day and came across your blog :-)

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  68. 8th Ave Observer5:44 PM

    Things are even more different there now! Please keep updating!

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