Beloved West Village Diner Closes Today

Vanishing New York reports that the much-loved West Village diner Manatus will close tonight in the face of a rent increase to $50K per month.

This is a sad day for the Village. Manatus has been in business since the mid-1980s, catering to the local LGBT clientele, and it is the last affordable, down-to-earth place to eat in that hyper-gentrified plastic part of town. I had my last meal there a couple months ago and didn't know it. If the original rumor is completely true, then a Calvin Klein store is taking Manatus' place.

A decade ago I lived about 15 seconds from Manatus at the corner of Bleecker and there were days when I ate there more than once. Several of the storefronts on that block have been boarded up for months, perhaps as landlords await tenants willing to pay these gentrified rents. (Tipped by JMG reader Alison)

NEW YORK CITY: Chelsea Condo Owners Seek To Close Folsom Street East

New York City's Folsom Street East Fair is this Sunday and Jeremiah Moss reports that the owners of luxury condos nearby have petitioned the local community board to end the fair. Moss' site Vanishing New York has a quote from a resident:

Residents from several surrounding buildings have passed fliers asking our residents to write to the Community Board to relocate or totally eliminate Folsom Street East because "fetish" fairs shouldn't be allowed so close to so many residential buildings. There's word that a petition of some sort will be circulated but I'm not exactly sure what the details are. A letter was written to the Community Board asking how they can assure residents access to the building without having to walk through the fair itself. Another suggestion was to move it to the next block where it's bordered (for now) by commercial on two sides, Con Ed to the north, and West Street. The primary issue for us at 540 W 28th isn't the Eagle or even Folsom Street East. It's allowing residents access to the building without having to go through the fair itself. Other residents of the surrounding buildings and even my own building may have additional concerns with regard to the lewd conduct and nudity in full view from their units.

Moss and many others (including myself) have long pondered the future of the newly fancy West 28th Street. He writes:

Last year, when the second part of the High Line opened, I wondered how long the sex-positive Folsom Street East festival would survive on West 28th, now that the once-desolate block has become a destination for tourists and condo-buyers. Soon after, I looked at the arrival of massive condo-box Avalon West Chelsea, coming to the same block, right across the street from the Eagle gay leather bar, and predicted that the Eagle would not last much longer, either.

Folsom Street East tells Moss that they've not directly received any complaints, but have made some changes to the fair's layout this year to accommodate the new residents of the street.

We were surprised because we haven't been contacted by anyone. Folsom Street East is a community event, and is eager to work with the neighbors. We observed certain issues last year, so one of the ways we have adjusted the fair this year is to provide a 5-foot-wide sidewalk along the buildings that goes from 11th Avenue down to the condos at 540 W. 28th Street. That way residents don't have to walk through the attendees in the street. They will be able to walk alongside the buildings and enter their own home as usual.

It's the oldest story in Manhattan. A formerly shitty area full of gay clubs, titty bars, and danger suddenly becomes posh. And out goes the nightlife.

South Beach Goes Manhattan

The New York Times laments the old dirty dangerous South Beach.

These days, it’s not just the models who have largely vanished — and with them the European playboys and nightlife fixers for whom they served as so much chum in the water. Clubland itself seems more predictable and strait-laced now that the Beach’s ever squabbling tribe of drag queens have packed up their wigs and gone. Even most of the con men and hustlers have lit out for greener (or less policed) pastures. Indeed, the late-night playground left behind has become a high-end tourist mecca in all its bland, well-oiled glory. Yet even more jarring are the newest daytime arrivals: children.

When I first started clubbing there in the late 80s, if you told friends you were going to South Beach, they'd ask, "Oh, is your grandmother sick?" Because otherwise, why? And my car got broken into so many times, they knew me at the glass shop.

Quote Of The Day - Roger Cohen

"It’s funny how we crave the authentic, the unspoiled, the genuine — the un-globalized and un-homogenized and un-gentrified — only to destroy them. And then, as if in remorse, attempt to create unthreatening Disney versions of the authentic, the unspoiled and the genuine. It’s funny how the rich, tired of grilled tuna or Chilean sea bass, weary of New York generic (never simmered, always seared), want to eat like the poor, while the poor just want to be rich." - New York Times columnist Roger Cohen, on the gentrification of Manhattan. A couple of years ago the Times relocated its headquarters from its namesake Times Square to the edge of the Garment District, a place Cohen revels in for its relatively unchanged squalor. It's a great piece.

The West Village Cupcake Brigade

Five women and one man calling themselves the Cupcake Brigade donned matching pink dresses on Sunday to perform a mocking musical tribute to the perplexingly popular Magnolia Bakery in the West Village, where Sarah Jessica Sandinistas stand in long lines every day to buy the exact! same! cupcakes! from Sex And The City. They sang God Bless Magnolia (to the tune of God Bless America), further changing the lyrics to bleat about how fabulous Bleecker Street is now that all the designer shops have crowded out all those pesky unique-to-the-Village mom and pop shops. This must be an ongoing project, here's a performance video from May.

"One Small Loss Of A Music Space, One Large Step For Pants"

Over the weekend a small group of activists protested on the sidewalk outside the opening of the new John Varvatos boutique in the old CBGB's space in the East Village.

One protester said the issue isn't just about CBGB's, it's "about Tonic closing, and Fez, Theater Club Nada and Charas...about Copacabana being forced from their space by the city using eminent domain. These are not abandoned dusty relics. These are places that still cater to strong and vibrant, burgeoning communities. They are being ousted by people creating a Disneyworld, expensive version of the real culture that was here."

In a nod to former CBGB performers, Varatos is using Iggy Pop as a model. That's something, I guess.

(Via - Gothamist)

The End Of Florent?

Rumors have been flying on the various NYC foodie blogs about the impending closure of Meatpacking District landmark 24-hour diner and beloved gay hangout, Florent. Owner Florent Morellet, the iconic "Queen of MePa" confirmed to the NY Observer this week that his lease is ending March 31st, quelling, a tiny bit, the panic of foodies who feared the closure may have come as soon as today.

Morellet, a vigorous NYC preservation activist, is also famous for being openly HIV+ and posting his t-cell counts on the daily menu board. He plans to fight his landlord, who is reportedly shopping the space for $70,000/month. Florent opened in 1985 when the Meatpacking District was still a barren wasteland populated by crackheads, tranny prostitutes, and crackhead tranny prostitutes.

Once home to gay institutions such as the Vault, the Cellblock, the Mineshaft, Alex in Wonderland, the Anvil and the Lure, today the Meatpacking District is the hottest neighborhood in Manhattan, chock-a-block with super high-end designer boutiques and velvet rope restaurants. Notorious 80's gay sex club, J's Hangout, is now a fancy eatery.

Last night Dr. Jeff visited Florent to grab the last t-shirt off the display mannequin and take the above photo of their long-time waitress. Visit while you still can.