reasons to love new york

Reasons We’ve Loved New York

A send-off to the many places, big and small, that closed in 2020.

Illustration: Jeanne Verdoux for New York Magazine
Illustration: Jeanne Verdoux for New York Magazine
Illustration: Jeanne Verdoux for New York Magazine

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If you live in New York long enough — and it doesn’t have to be very long — it gradually becomes unrecognizable. And maybe, you begin to realize, it’s for someone else entirely, someone new or from somewhere else, someone perhaps with more money, more energy: someone circumstantially or possibly constitutionally ignorant of what you took to be authentic about this place when it felt like it was yours. (Nothing makes you feel old like listening to someone talk about what you know to be an upstart as iconic.) It’s too big a city to live in all of it, so you find your corners, your go-tos. Sometimes they are long-running, but mostly they come and they go. It’s part of the Darwinian, self-alienating thrill of the place: More often than not, you outlive your landmarks.

Every year I’ve lived here — for a while on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, when the Atlantic Center Mall was just a gash in the ground, but for many years now on St. Marks Place in the East Village — the city has become less raggedy, more gentrified in more further-out places, more of a safe and prosperous customer-service lifestyle state. Gone long before the pandemic: the bar where I had my birthday two years in a row, the crêperie on Avenue B where I would eat for free back when I was broke because its owner had a crush on me, almost all of the places where my friends in bands gigged, back when I had lots of friends in bands, the coffee shop where I whiled away a period of unemployment, the yoga studio I used to go to with an ex that I lost in the breakup, the place where I bought that leather jacket that someone stole at a party. And then there are those long-shut spots where I was a regular, where someone now famous used to be my server: Amy Sedaris at Marion’s; Jake Shears at Leshko’s; Laverne Cox at Lucky Cheng’s. In some sense, this city is a ghost town, and we are its ghosts.

But what if this change happens all at once, like when that asteroid hit the Yucatán 66 million years back, chilling the atmosphere just enough to set in motion a cascade of effects that wiped out an entire dense ecosystem? The vertiginous churn this city is experiencing right now is so destructive, so widespread, so implacable that it is — like so many things in 2020 — describable only as unprecedented. The Partnership for New York City estimates that roughly one-third of the city’s 240,000 small businesses may never make it to the post-vaccine promised land. The city’s theaters and dance clubs are closed, and its restaurants, gyms, bars, and museums are running at precarious reduced capacity. The free-spending tourist throngs that made everything so unpleasantly crowded are not expected back anytime soon. Even the dry cleaners are struggling to survive (who needs to do dry cleaning these days?).

What is this city if so many of its establishments disappear permanently and at once? What does it mean for a city’s collective consciousness to lose an entire urban ecology, its landscape of cultural references, memories, longings, and aspirations? And what does it mean for the next Jake Shears to not be able to get that waiting (or go-go dancing) gig while he’s waiting to become famous?

It is difficult to locate the right perspective from which to mourn the death of a favorite business when we are also surrounded by sickness and death. “What is grief for a grocery store?” Emma Straub asks, recalling Red Hook’s short-lived Fairway. This year more than ever, New York and the dreams of New Yorkers have been put on hold, which is an unnatural thing for such a restless place.

Here, we have devoted the magazine’s annual “Reasons to Love New York” issue to a celebration of the go-tos that have closed since the pandemic struck. A wake for the places that defined our lives here — that gave us community and let us try on new identities in return for our money. The bars where we came together for after-work drinks, the boxing gym where everybody thinks they’re in an action movie, the gallery that trusted you to build a cloud, the coffee shop where you were left alone to read, the restaurant with the full bar where you’d find yourself trying to eat after an all-night bender, the place that was so of its moment that it became a relic and then (deservedly) an icon. All gone. And sadly, probably, more to come before the city returns to its purpose: a place of gathering.

And then, eventually, the city will be reborn. Maybe cheaper, less branded, less leveraged, more DIY. Tribeca is no longer one of the top-ten most expensive Zip Codes in the country; that has to mean something, right? Or maybe, as after 2008, the well capitalized will buy out the undercapitalized, and it will all just get to be more like it was already becoming, a city of unremarkable $80 brunches and minimalist shops that don’t seem to sell anything in particular. The one thing we know is that it will be different — more foreign, more new — than anything we have seen before, if only because the sheer volume of what is to come will have to fill in for some of what has just been lost.

Last week, a friend of mine who works for a developer that just announced that it is about to begin a 1,600-foot-tall office building by Grand Central was confronted on social media about the project: Didn’t he know that midtown was dead, that office towers were over? He responded: It won’t open till 2030. Which is at least one or two New Yorks in the future from now.

Reasons to Love New York

500 Good-byes

An honor roll — from the earliest founded to the most recently opened — of the many lost businesses that were, at least in their own corners of the city, essential.

Photo-Illustration: Photographs by James and Karla Murray

Lord & Taylor [Read Wendy Goodman’s tribute ]
Department Store, Lower East Side, first opened 1826

The Paris Café
Bar, South Street Seaport, 1873

Danish Athletic Club
Restaurant, Bay Ridge, 1892

Empire Coffee & Tea
Coffee Shop, Hell’s Kitchen, 1908

Mynd Spa & Salon
Salon, Midtown East, 1910

John Jovino Gun Shop [Read Anthony Imperato’s tribute ]
Retailer, Little Italy, 1911

Weegee in his police radio car, ca. 1942. He lived above the John Jovino Gun Shop. Photo: Unidentified Photographer, [Weegee in his police radio car, New York], ca. 1942 International Center of Photography

Gem Spa [Read Diana Stewart’s tribute ]
Corner Store, East Village, ca. 1921

From left: Pedestrians outside Gems Spa (later Gem Spa), 1966. The making of a Gem Spa egg cream, 2006. Photo: Fred W. McDarrah/Getty Images; Larry Fink (egg cream).
From left: Pedestrians outside Gems Spa (later Gem Spa), 1966. The making of a Gem Spa egg cream, 2006. Photo: Fred W. McDarrah/Getty Images; Larry Fi... From left: Pedestrians outside Gems Spa (later Gem Spa), 1966. The making of a Gem Spa egg cream, 2006. Photo: Fred W. McDarrah/Getty Images; Larry Fink (egg cream).

Chumley’s
Restaurant, Greenwich Village, 1922

The Roosevelt
Hotel, Midtown East, 1924

Omni Berkshire Place
Hotel, Midtown East, 1926

Riverdale Fur Shop
Retailer, Kingsbridge, 1926

Nat Sherman Townhouse
Tobacco Shop Midtown, 1930

Colandrea New Corner
Restaurant, Dyker Heights, 1936

The Monkey Bar
Bar, Midtown, 1936

Copacabana [Read DJ Alejandro Bouza’s tribute]
Nightclub, Times Square, 1940

Copacabana in 1941 and 1979. Photo: Bettmann/Getty (1941); Waring Abbott (1979).
Copacabana in 1941 and 1979. Photo: Bettmann/Getty (1941); Waring Abbott (1979).

Clover Delicatessen
Deli, Kips Bay, 1948

Old John’s Diner
Restaurant, Upper West Side, ca. 1950

Riccardo’s by the Bridge
Venue, Astoria, 1951

Fedora
Restaurant, West Village, 1952

Palomba Academy of Music
School, Bronxwood, 1956

Record Mart
Retailer, Midtown, 1958

Sun’s Laundry
Dry Cleaner, East Village, 1959

The Irish Cottage
Restaurant, Forest Hills, 1960

Century 21 [Read Alexis Swerdloff’s tribute ]
Department Store, Bay Ridge, 1961

Rosario’s
Pizzeria, Lower East Side, 1963

San Francisco Clothing
Retailer, Upper East Side, 1967

La Caridad 78 [Read Mark Harris’s tribute ]
Restaurant, Upper West Side, 1968

La Caridad. Photo: Stefano Giovannini

Paris Blues [Read Mikael Awake’s tribute ]
Bar, Harlem, 1968

Samuel Hargress Jr. at the Paris Blues bar in Harlem, 2010. Photo: Benjamin Norman

Lung Moon Bakery
Restaurant, Chinatown, 1968

Amsterdam Gourmet
Deli, Upper West Side, ca. 1970

Oldies But Goodies
Antiques Store, Bensonhurst, 1970

Bank Street Bookstore
Retailer, Upper West Side, 1972

Frank’s Cocktail Lounge [Read Allison P. Davis’s tribute]
Bar, Fort Greene, 1972

New York Health & Racquet Club
Fitness Studio, Upper East Side, 1973

StairMasters at New York Health & Racquet Club, 1989. Photo: James Keyser/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images

Gloria’s
Restaurant, Crown Heights, 1974

China Chalet [Read Emilia Petrarca’s tribute ]
Restaurant, Financial District, 1975

China Chalet: day to night. Photo: Robert Sietsema (day); Serichai Traipoom (night).
China Chalet: day to night. Photo: Robert Sietsema (day); Serichai Traipoom (night).

Fluffy’s
Restaurant, Midtown, 1975

Olga’s Pizza
Restaurant, Harlem, 1975

Cranberry’s
Coffee Shop, Brooklyn Heights, 1977

De Luca General Store [Read a regular’s tribute ]
Retailer, Rosebank, 1977

John DeLuca in front of De Luca General Store, Staten Island, 2005. Photo: James and Karla Murray

Jean Louis David Salon
Salon, Midtown, 1977

The Cupping Room Cafe
Restaurant, Soho, 1977

Hop Shing
Restaurant, Chinatown, 1977

Hoy Wong [Read Jiayang Fan’s tribute ]
Restaurant, Chinatown, 1978

Maria’s Deli
Deli, Greenpoint, 1978

Giovanni’s
Restaurant, Pelham Bay, 1979

Agra
Restaurant, Upper East Side, 1979

Pier 72
Restaurant, Upper West Side, 1979

Ipanema
Restaurant, Midtown, 1979

Khyber Pass
Hookah Bar, East Village, ca. 1980

The Cottage
Restaurant, Upper West Side, 1981

Land & Sea
Restaurant, Kingsbridge, 1982

Sal & Jerry’s
Bakery, Bensonhurst, 1983

Gotham Bar and Grill [Read David Rockwell’s tribute ]
Restaurant, Greenwich Village, 1984

Coogan’s
Pub, Washington Heights, 1985

Dion Cleaners
Dry Cleaner, East Village, 1985

Embers Steak House
Restaurant, Bay Ridge, 1985

107 West
Restaurant, Upper West Side, 1987

200 Fifth
Bar, Park Slope, 1987

Chrysalis
Salon, Manor Heights, 1987

Jameson’s
Bar, Midtown East, 1987

Aureole
Restaurant, Times Square, 1988

88 Palace
Restaurant, Chinatown, 1988

Shear Ecstasy
Salon, Bay Ridge, 1988

Otto Boutique
Clothing Shop, Park Slope, 1989

Lucky Strike [Read Sam McKinniss’s tribute ] [Read Jeffrey Deitch’s tribute ]
Restaurant, Soho, 1989

Max Fish [Read Lissa Townsend Rodgers’s tribute]
Bar, Lower East Side, 1989

Scotty’s Diner [Read Jonathan Coleman’s tribute ]
Restaurant, Murray Hill, 1990

Cake display at Scotty’s Diner, 2019. Photo: @dinersofnyc

Bleecker Street Bar
Bar, Noho, 1990

Party Fair
Shop, Sunset Park, 1990

Rags-A-Gogo
Vintage Store, Greenwich Village, 1990

Shetler Studios & Theatres
Rehearsal Space, Midtown, 1990

Andrade’s
Shoe Repair, Upper West Side, ca. 1990

Hair Mates Downtown
Salon, East Village, ca. 1990

Mayson 2 Cleaners
Dry Cleaner, Upper West Side, ca. 1990

Sushi West
Restaurant, West Village, 1992

La Sorrentina Ristorante
Restaurant, Dyker Heights, 1992

BBar [Read Jonathan Van Meter’s tribute ]
Restaurant, Noho, 1993

Aimee Phillips, Jaret Keller, Amanda Lepore and Richie Rich at a party at Bowery Bar on August 9, 2005. Photo: Joshua Forsyth/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Jay and Lloyd’s Kosher Deli & Family Restaurant
Deli, Sheepshead Bay, 1993

Jules Bistro
Restaurant, East Village, 1993

New Wave Cafe
Restaurant, Upper West Side, 1993

Trattoria Romana
Restaurant, Dongan Hills, 1993

Legend’s Pub
Restaurant, Castleton Corners, 1993

Lesley Heller Gallery
Art Gallery, Soho, 1994

Gavin Brown’s Enterprise [Read David Colman’s tribute ]
Art Gallery, Soho, 1994

Odessa [Read Christopher Bonanos’s tribute ]
Diner, East Village, 1994

Abigael’s
Restaurant, Midtown, 1995

Mailboxes on 5th
Shipping Service, Park Slope, 1995

Sacred Chow
Restaurant, Greenwich Village, 1995

The Hog Pit
Bar, Flatiron, 1995

Gussy’s
Restaurant, Astoria, 1995

E 10th St. Finest Deli
Bodega, East Village, 1995

Ali Baba
Restaurant, Upper West Side, ca. 1995

Aquagrill
Restaurant, Soho, 1996

Monika’s Cafe Bar
Bar, Astoria, 1996

The Lighthouse
Lighting Store, Bowery, 1996

Philip Marie
Restaurant, West Village, ca. 1996

Jazz Standard
Jazz Club, Chelsea, 1997

Dizzy’s Diner
Restaurant, Park Slope, 1997

Cafe Frida
Restaurant, Upper West Side, 1998

Maxwell Hotel
Hotel, Midtown East, 1998

Tom’s Delicious Pizza
Restaurant, Upper West Side, 1998

Champions Studios
Rehearsal Space, Midtown, 1998

Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre
Comedy Club, Chelsea, 1999

A series of 30 Polaroids capturing Amy Poehler’s makeup tests for the UCB television sketch show that ran for three seasons on Comedy Central starting in 1998. Photo: Courtesy of UCB

Angry Wade’s
Bar, Caroll Gardens, 1999

Atlas Cafe
Restaurant, East Village, 1999

Daddy-O
Bar, West Village, 1999

Halcyon the Shop
Record Shop, Carroll Gardens, 1999

Jeffrey
Shop, Chelsea, 1999

Karma Lounge
Hookah Lounge, East Village, 1999

Staten Island Yankees [Read Joe DeLessio’s tribute ]
Minor League Baseball Team, St. George, 1999

Richmond County Bank Ballpark, home of the Staten Island Yankees. Photo: James Estrin/The New York Ti​mes

Turntable Lab
Shop, East Village, 1999

Vivienne’s
Bar, Pelham Bay, 1999

Pig n’ Whistle
Bar, Midtown East, 1999

Native Bean
Café, East Village, 2000

Beyoglu
Restaurant, Upper East Side, ca. 2000

Fresh Tortillas
Restaurant, Inwood, ca. 2000

Sarabeth’s
Restaurant, Upper East Side, 2000

Evil Olive
Restaurant, Williamsburg, 2001

Geraldine’s
Speakeasy, Williamsburg, 2001

Jewel Bako
Restaurant, East Village, 2001

Kim Chee
Restaurant, Bay Ridge, 2001

Pure Tanning
Salon, Bay Ridge, 2001

Best Price Deli & Grocery
Bodega, East Village, 2001

Les Petits Chapelais
Children’s Clothing Store, Soho, 2001

The Wat
Muay Thai Gym, Tribeca, 2002

3rd Avenue Shoe Repair and Dry Cleaners
Cobbler, Bay Ridge, 2002

Crispo
Restaurant, Chelsea, 2002

Diana Kane
Retailer, Park Slope, 2002

Snacky
Restaurant, Williamsburg, 2002

Soda Bar
Bar, Prospect Heights, 2002

Cocoa Bar
Dessert Shop, Park Slope, ca. 2002

C&C Dry Cleaning
Dry Cleaner, East Village, ca. 2002

Blue Smoke
Restaurant, Flatiron, 2002

Artopolis
Bakery, Astoria, 2003

Gimme Coffee
Coffee, Williamsburg, 2003

Otto [Read filmmaker Kirsten Johnson’s tribute ]
Restaurant, Greenwich Village, 2003

The Mermaid Inn [Read Maxine Builder’s tribute ]
Restaurant, East Village, 2003 (the Upper West Side location is still open)

Therapy [Read Michelle Buteau’s tribute ]
Gay Bar, Hell’s Kitchen, 2003

Bedford Cheese Shop
Cheese Shop, Williamsburg, 2003

D’Mai Urban Spa
Day Spa, Park Slope, 2004

Flying Squirrel
Shop, Greenpoint, 2004

Foley’s [Read Desus Nice’s tribute ] [Read Will Leitch’s tribute ]
Pub, Midtown, 2004

Baseball memorabilia at Foley’s. Photo: Jeremiah Moss

Woodhaven House
Restaurant, Rego Park, 2004

Taro Sushi
Restaurant, Park Slope, 2004

Perdition
Bar, Hell’s Kitchen, 2004

Sushi Yasu
Restaurant, Forest Hills, 2004

Jacques Torres
Chocolate Shop, Soho, 2004

Brooklyn Zen Center
Meditation Center, Gowanus, 2005

Carroll Gardens Classic Diner [Read Rumaan Alam’s tribute ]
Diner, Boerum Hill, 2005

Delicias Manabitas
Restaurant, Long Island City, ca. 2005

Egg
Restaurant, Williamsburg, 2005

King Edward Cleaners
Dry Cleaner, Kingsbridge, ca. 2005

Jerry’s Italian Market
Specialty Store, Greenpoint, 2005

Pegu Club [Read Alan Sytsma’s tribute ]
Bar, Soho, 2005

Pequeña
Restaurant, Fort Greene, ca. 2005

Professor Thom’s
Bar, East Village, 2005

La Orquidea Corp
Grocery Store, Bushwick, 2005

Petisco Vegan (formerly Cafe Petisco)
Restaurant, East Village, 2005

Saved Tattoo [Read co-owners Virginia Elwood and Stepahnie Tamez’s tribute ]
Tattoo Parlor, Williamsburg, 2005

Tattoos by Virginia Elwood, co-owner of Saved Tattoo. Photo: Virginia Elwood

Bistro Cassis
Restaurant, Upper West Side, ca. 2005

Dub Pies
Pie Shop, Windsor Terrace, 2005

Andres DeLeon Cigars
Cigar Shop, Glendale, ca. 2005

In God We Trust
Clothing Store, Williamsburg, 2005

Blossom
Restaurant, Chelsea, 2005

Camp
Bar, Cobble Hill, 2005

AuH20 Thriftique
Secondhand Store, East Village, 2006

Jack the Horse Tavern
Restaurant, Brooklyn Heights, 2006

Joyce Bakeshop
Bakery, Prospect Heights, 2006

Momofuku Ssäm Bar [Read Ruth Reichl’s tribute ]
Restaurant, East Village, 2006 (moved to Bar Wayō, South Street Seaport)

Stinky Bklyn
Cheese Shop, Cobble Hill, 2006

The Creek and the Cave
Comedy Club, Long Island City, 2006

The Good Fork
Restaurant, Red Hook, 2006

Amazing 66
Restaurant, Chinatown, ca. 2006

Yes Cleaners
Dry Cleaner, Park Slope, ca. 2006

Xe Lua
Restaurant, Chinatown, ca. 2006

Yoga to the People
Yoga Studio, East Village, 2006

Fairway Market [Read Emma Straub’s tribute ]
Grocery Store, Red Hook, 2006

88 Lan Zhou [Read Andrew Kuo’s tribute ]
Restaurant, Chinatown, 2007

Cocoa Bar
Bar, Lower East Side, 2007

Hakata Tonton
Restaurant, Greenwich Village, 2007

Jimmy’s Diner
Restaurant, Williamsburg, 2007

My Thai
Restaurant, Bay Ridge, 2007

Nanoosh
Restaurant, Upper West Side, 2007

Peri Ela
Restaurant, Upper East Side, 2007

Sprout Home
Plant Store, Williamsburg, 2007

Good Stuff Diner
Restaurant, Chelsea, 2007

Vitality & Health
Health-Food Store, Astoria, 2007

Fox & Fawn
Shop, Greenpoint, 2007

Delight 28
Restaurant, Chinatown, ca. 2007

Trophy Bar
Bar, Williamsburg, 2007

Grandma’s Original Pizza
Restaurant, Bay Ridge, ca. 2007

Maha Rose
Healing-Arts Shop, Greenpoint, 2007

Vicky’s Diner
Restaurant, Washington Heights, 2007

Haru Sushi
Restaurant, Financial District, 2007

Montgomery Gardens
Rehearsal Space, Crown Heights, 2007

El Almacén
Restaurant, Williamsburg, 2008

Huckleberry
Bar, Williamsburg, 2008

Kinfolk [Read Muna Mire’s tribute]
Nightclub, Williamsburg, 2008

Bend + Bloom Yoga
Yoga Studio, Park Slope, 2008

Pink Nails Spa
Salon, Park Slope, ca. 2008

The Rusty Knot
Bar, West Village, 2008

Colador Cafe
Restaurant, Bed-Stuy, 2008

Building on Bond
Restaurant, Boerum Hill, 2008

An Choi
Restaurant, Lower East Side, 2009

Baohaus [Read Kathleen Hou’s tribute ]
Restaurant, Lower East Side, 2009

Bootleg Mannings
Bar Mariners, Harbor, 2009

Concessions at Delancey Station
Bodega, Lower East Side, 2009

Fort Defiance
Restaurant, Red Hook, 2009 (now Fort Defiance grocery store)

Meura
Salon, Park Slope, 2009

Rye House
Bar, Flatiron, 2009

The Vanderbilt
Restaurant, Prospect Heights, 2009

B&E’s Neighborhood Pub
Irish Pub, Tottenville, 2009

Simple Studios
Rehearsal Space, Midtown, 2009

Sword Class NYC
Martial-Arts Studio, East Harlem, 2009

West 3rd Common
Bar, Noho, 2009

Renew & Relax Body Spa
Spa, Park Slope, 2009

Baby Grand
Bar, Little Italy and Greenpoint, 2009

Urban Vintage
Restaurant, Clinton Hill, 2010

Bedlam [Read Abi Benitez and Tom Jackson’s tribute]
Bar, Alphabet City, 2010

Artist-DJ Gio Black Peter (center) and the drag performer Merrie Cherry (seated), surrounded by revelers at Interracial, a party at Bedlam, 2014. Photo: Cyle Suesz; Special Thanks to Gayletter

New Wong
Restaurant, Chinatown, ca. 2010

40 Knots
Bar, Columbia Street Waterfront District, 2010

The Art Room
Studio, Bay Ridge, 2010

Fanaberie
Clothing Store, Williamsburg, 2010

Brooklyn Charm
Jewelry Store, Williamsburg, 2010

The Forest Hills Diner [Read Joe DeLessio’s tribute ]
Restaurant, Forest Hills, 2010

Place settings at Forest Hills Diner in Queens, 2018. Photo: @dinersofnyc

Foxy Salon
Salon, Williamsburg, 2010

Loren Denim
Retailer, Greenpoint, 2010

Simply Fit Astoria
Fitness Studio, Astoria, 2010

The Counting Room
Bar, Williamsburg, 2010

LIC Market
Restaurant, LIC, 2010

Play Sports Bar
Bar, Annadale, 2010

La Fontaine Nail & Spa
Salon, Lincoln Square, ca. 2010

Highlands
Restaurant, West Village, 2010

Saigon Market
Restaurant, Union Square, 2010

Porsena
Restaurant, East Village, 2010

Takashi
Restaurant, West Village, 2010

The Fat Radish
Restaurant, Lower East Side, 2010

The HorseBox
Bar, East Village, 2010

Viva Toro
Restaurant, Williamsburg, 2010

Curly Wolf Saloon
Bar, Annadale, 2010

The Way Station
Restaurant, Prospect Heights, 2011

Eco Dog
Grooming, Williamsburg, 2011

Bouchon
Bakery, Rockefeller Center, 2011

Bagel Express
Bagel Shop, Murray Hill, 2011

Uncle Louie G’s
Italian-Ice Shop, Bay Ridge, 2011

Space Cowboy
Boot Store, Nolita, 2011

AAA Cleaners
Dry Cleaner, East Village, 2011

Burnside [Read Molly Fischer’s tribute ]
Bar, Williamsburg, 2011

Cantina Royal
Restaurant, Williamsburg, 2011

Don Coqui
Restaurant, Astoria, 2011

Gaia Italian Café
Restaurant, Lower East Side, 2011

Pulqueria
Restaurant, Chinatown, 2011

Il Triangolo
Restaurant, Corona, 2011

Maxwell’s
Restaurant, Tribeca, 2011

Donna
Bar, Williamsburg, 2011

Mocha Mocha Coffee
Coffee Shop, Bay Ridge, 2011

Queens Comfort
Restaurant, Astoria, 2011

Saxon + Parole
Restaurant, Noho, 2011

Ugly Kitchen
Restaurant, East Village, 2011

Noorman’s Kil
Bar, Williamsburg, 2011

The Saint Austere
Restaurant, Williamsburg, 2011

Yuba
Restaurant, East Village, 2011

Playroom Theatre
Theater, Midtown, 2011

Avenue C Studio
Rehearsal Space, East Village, 2011

Emporium Fresh Market
Grocery Store, Park Slope, 2011

Bella Giornata
Restaurant, St. George, 2012

Hakkasan
Restaurant, Midtown, 2012

Wolf & Lamb
Restaurant, Midwood, 2012

Mission Chinese
Restaurant, Lower East Side, 2012

Woops!
Bakery, South Slope, 2012

Adelina’s
Restaurant, Greenpoint, 2012

Burger Bistro
Restaurant, Park Slope, 2012

Cocotte
Restaurant, Soho, 2012

Du Jour
Bakery, Park Slope, 2012

La Slowteria
Restaurant, Carroll Gardens, 2012

Beverly’s
Bar, Lower East Side, 2012

Ducks Eatery
Restaurant, East Village, 2012

Grill 212
Restaurant, Upper West Side, 2012

Crispy Pizza
Restaurant, New Brighton, 2012

Habit
Clothing Store, Park Slope, 2012

Then She Fell
Theater, Williamsburg, 2012

Jack & Nellie’s
Restaurant, Forest Hills, 2012

El Coqui Bar & Billiards
Bar, Ridgewood, ca. 2012

The Well
Bar, East Williamsburg, 2012

La Maison du Croque Monsieur
Restaurant, Greenwich Village, 2012

Pearl Gate Frozen Yogurt
Dessert Shop, Park Slope, 2012

Simply Bakery
Bakery, Chinatown, 2012

Rus Discount Footwear
Shoe Store, Greenpoint, ca. 2012

Raising Astoria
Maternity Classes, Astoria, 2012

Feast
Restaurant, East Village, 2013

Glady’s
Restaurant, Crown Heights, 2013

Dutch Kills Centraal
Restaurant, Astoria, 2013

Dotory
Restaurant, Williamsburg, 2013

Skin by Molly
Salon, Williamsburg, 2013

Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila
Bar, Downtown Brooklyn, 2013

Xi’an Famous Foods
Restaurant, Upper West Side, 2013

3 Roots
Juice Shop, Greenpoint, 2013

Ground Floor Gallery
Art Gallery, Park Slope, 2013

Alameda
Restaurant, Greenpoint, 2013

Divine Bar
Restaurant, Bedford-Stuyvesant, 2013

Beacon Bar
Bar, Upper West Side, 2013

Aux Epices
Restaurant, Chinatown, 2013

China Blue
Restaurant, Tribeca, 2013

Cle’s Cuts
Barbershop, Bedford-Stuyvesant, ca. 2013

The Trading Post
Restaurant, South Street Seaport, 2013

Dot
Clothing Store, Upper West Side, 2013

Modern Pinball NYC
Arcade, Kips Bay, 2013

Sweet Corner Bakeshop
Coffee Shop, West Village, 2013

Hendriks
Restaurant, Murray Hill, 2013

Toro NYC
Restaurant, Chelsea, 2013

Uncle Boons [Read Padma Lakshmi’s tribute ]
Restaurant, Nolita, 2013

Tea Bar
Coffee Shop, Williamsburg, 2013

CajunSea
Restaurant, Midtown, 2013

Zagara
Restaurant, Chelsea, 2013

Sugar Factory American Brasserie
Restaurant, Meatpacking District, 2013

The Rail Line Diner
Diner. Chelsea, 2013

BarBacon
Bar, Union Square, Hell’s Kitchen, 2014

Gansevoort Market
Restaurant, Meatpacking District, 2014

Bar Sardine
Restaurant, West Village, 2014

Sew Nice Cleaners
Laundry, Greenpoint, 2014

Bright White Laundromat
Laundry, Bay Ridge, 2014

Greene Grape Annex
Coffee Shop, Fort Greene, 2014

Butter & Scotch
Bar, Crown Heights, 2014

Gato
Restaurant, Noho, 2014

Brunswick
Restaurant, Windsor Terrace, 2014

Spiegel
Bar, East Village, 2014

Hunger Pang
Restaurant, Prospect Park South, 2014

Berg’n
Beer Hall, Prospect Heights, 2014

Ludlow & Hester Nail Spa
Salon, Lower East Side, 2014

Blenheim
Restaurant, West Village, 2014

21 Shanghai House
Restaurant, Chinatown, 2014

Nitecap
Bar, Lower East Side, 2014

Silver Lake Plumbing
Plumber, West Brighton, 2014

Snowdays [Read Kwame Onwuachi’s tribute ]
Dessert Shop, East Village, 2014

Teich Toys & Books
Retailer, West Village, 2014

Sweetwater Social
Bar, Greenwich Village, 2014

Houdini Kitchen Laboratory
Restaurant, Ridgewood, 2014

The Finch
Restaurant, Clinton Hill, 2014

Champion Pizza
Restaurant, Lower East Side, 2014

Wooden Sleepers
Vintage-Clothing Store, Red Hook, 2014

Uncle Luoyang
Restaurant, Upper West Side, 2014

Bunsmith
Restaurant, Crown Heights, 2015

Art Fun Studio
Event Space, Bay Ridge, 2015

Cafe Clover
Restaurant, West Village, 2015

Benson’s
Restaurant, Lower East Side, 2015

Bar Robert
Bar, Boerum Hill, 2015

Casablanca Cocktail Lounge
Bar, Bedford-Stuyvesant, 2015

Flowers for All Occasions [Read Paperboy Prince’s tribute ]
Bar, Bushwick, 2015

Flying Tiger [Read Michael Musto’s tribute ]
Retailer, Flatiron, 2015

Kurry Qulture
Restaurant, Astoria, 2015

Ice & Vice
Ice-Cream Shop, Lower East Side, Dumbo, Long Island City, 2015

Juicy Spot Cafe
Ice-Cream Shop, Chinatown, Lower East Side, 2015

Pels Pies Co.
Bakery, Prospect–Lefferts Gardens, 2015

The Quality Mending Co.
Vintage-Clothing Store, Williamsburg, 2015

Samesa
Restaurant, Williamsburg, 2015

Rose’s Brooklyn [Read Reeves Wiedeman’s tribute ]
Restaurant, Prospect Heights, 2015

Rose’s Brooklyn in Prospect Heights. Photo: Sasha Maslov

Ramen Lab
Restaurant, Nolita, 2015

Sun Dojo
Dojo, Windsor Terrace, 2015

The Chimney [Read Matt Taber’s tribute ]
Art Gallery, Bushwick, 2015

Matt Taber’s “The World Is Yours If You Are Real,” at the Chimney gallery, 2018. Photo: Photograph by Hirofumi Kariya, Courtesy of The Chimney NYC and the artist

The Vale Collective
Clothing Store, Williamsburg, 2015

Pas Mal
Clothing Store, Greenpoint, 2015

Met Breuer
Museum, Upper East Side, 2016

Antico Noè
Restaurant, Midtown East, 2016

Augustine
Restaurant, Financial District, 2016

Guadalupe Inn
Restaurant East, Williamsburg, 2016

Busy Bodies
Children’s Play Space, Clinton Hill, 2016

Julie’s
Vintage Thrift Shop, East Village, 2016

Fuel Fever
Restaurant, Grasmere, 2016

Chango & Co. Shop
Design Store, Williamsburg, 2016

Duzer’s Local
Coffee Shop, Stapleton, 2016

Ghost Donkey
Bar, Noho, 2016

Coco & Cru
Restaurant, Noho, 2016

Momofuku Nishi
Restaurant, Chelsea, 2016

Chatham Seafood
Restaurant, Chinatown, 2016

Pearl’s
Restaurant, Williamsburg, 2016

Gohan-ya
Restaurant, Nolita, 2016

Speedy Romeo
Restaurant, Lower East Side, 2016

Lucky Laced
Shoe Store, Williamsburg, 2016

Italienne
Restaurant, Flatiron District, 2016

Cherry Point
Restaurant, Greenpoint, 2016

Nix
Restaurant, Greenwich Village, 2016

Côté Soleil
Restaurant, Sunnyside, 2016

PokéSpot
Restaurant, East Village, 2016

RDV–Rendezvous [Read Shamira Ibrahim’s tribute ]
Restaurant, Harlem, 2016

Regular Visitors [Read Nikita Richardson’s tribute ]
General Store, Boerum Hill, 2016

ShaktiBarre
Fitness Studio, Williamsburg, 2016

No Club
Barbershop, Williamsburg, ca. 2016

Sauvage
Restaurant, Greenpoint, 2016

Stories Bookshop + Storytelling Lab [Read Joshua David Stein’s tribute ]
Bookstore, Park Slope, 2016

Vandal
Nightclub, Lower East Side, 2016

The Douglass
Bar, Park Slope, 2016

Wing Kee
Restaurant, Chinatown, 2016

Gotan
Coffee Shop, Williamsburg, 2016

Caféine
Coffee Shop, Harlem, 2016

Lion Lion
Bar, East Harlem, 2016

Camperdown Elm
Bar, Park Slope, 2017

Bouley at Home
Restaurant, Flatiron District, 2017

Dr Smood
Café, Lower East Side, 2017

Bali Kitchen
Restaurant, East Village, 2017

A/D/O
Creative Space, Greenpoint, 2017

Brooklyn Cider House
Restaurant, Bushwick, 2017

Made Nice
Restaurant, Flatiron District, 2017

House Special
Restaurant, Chinatown, 2017

Floating Mountain
Tea House, Upper West Side, 2017

MeMe’s Diner
Restaurant, Prospect Heights, 2017

Recolte
Bakery, Upper West Side, 2017

Minnie’s
Restaurant, Lower East Side, 2017

Express Brows
Salon, East Williamsburg, ca. 2017

Saje
Natural-Wellness Store, Upper West Side, 2017

Miss Thailand
Restaurant, Williamsburg, ca. 2017

Chillhouse
Spa, Lower East Side, 2017

Arepa Factory
Restaurant, Midtown, 2017

Deng Ji Il Noodle House
Restaurant, Chinatown, 2017

Artichoke Basille’s Pizza
Restaurant, Williamsburg, 2017

Abracadabra
Restaurant, Williamsburg, 2017

The Factory
Bar, Ridgewood, 2017

Saigon V-Bread Café
Restaurant, Chinatown, 2017

Z2A Repair
Electronics Repair, Williamsburg, 2017

Best Ave B. Dry Cleaners
Dry Cleaners, East Village, 2017

Little Bean
Coffee Shop, Harlem, 2017

Namastuy Healing Collective
Yoga Studio, Bed-Stuy, 2017

Push Pedal NYC
Gym, Washington Heights, 2017

Dream 2 Cleaners
Dry Cleaners, Williamsburg, ca. 2017

Flor Café
Coffee Shop, Clinton Hill, 2018

MuddGuts
Art Gallery, Williamsburg, 2018

Standard Burger
Restaurant, Bay Ridge, 2018

d’emploi studio
Design Studio, Greenpoint, 2018

Korilla BBQ
Restaurant, Downtown Brooklyn, 2018

Pokebab
Restaurant, Upper West Side, 2018

Taladwat
Restaurant, Hell’s Kitchen, 2018

Dia
Restaurant, East Village, 2018

Eliza’s Local
Restaurant, East Village, 2018

Let’s Makan
Restaurant, Chinatown, 2018

Existing Conditions
Bar, Greenwich Village, 2018

Head On Salon
Salon, Greenpoint, 2018

Future You Café
Coffee Shop, East Village, 2018

Junie Bee Nails
Salon, East Harlem, 2018

Kleinberg’s
Restaurant, Bedford-Stuyvesant, 2018

Radio Amsterdam
Bar, Upper West Side, 2018

MOO Thai Food
Restaurant, Elmhurst, 2018

Randall’s Barbecue
Restaurant, Lower East Side, 2018

Project Brunch
Restaurant, West Brighton, 2018

Raviolo
Restaurant, West Village, 2018

Ukiyo
Restaurant, East Village, 2018

The Athenian NYC
Restaurant, East Village, 2018

Mori
Restaurant, Park Slope, 2018

Tamra Teahouse
Restaurant, Crown Heights, 2018

Shuteye
Coffee Shop, Harlem, 2018

Ren Wen Noodle Factory
Restaurant, Forest Hills, 2018

Sumela
Restaurant, Upper East Side, 2018

Relationships
Design Store, Clinton Hill, 2018

The CopperPot [Read Kera Bolonik’s tribute]
Restaurant, Red Hook, 2018

The Happie House
Fitness, Astoria, 2018

Vita Be Well
Herbalist, Bay Ridge, 2018

west~bourne
Restaurant, Soho, 2018

Oxbow Tavern
Restaurant, Upper West Side, 2018

Utepia Tea
Restaurant, Chinatown, 2018

Flats Fix
Restaurant, Flatiron District, 2018

Bonsai Kakigori
Restaurant, Lower East Side, 2019

701West
Restaurant, Times Square, 2019

Babydudes
Restaurant, Crown Heights, 2019

Bloom Cafe
Coffee Shop, Clinton Hill, 2019

Landline
Bar, East Williamsburg, 2019

Briseis Beauty
Salon, Noho, 2019

Always and Forever
Coffee Shop, Bedford-Stuyvesant, 2019

Cafe Phin
Coffee Shop, Lower East Side, 2019

The Consistency Project
Vintage-Clothing Store, Williamsburg, 2019

Baba Ghanoj
Restaurant, Park Slope, 2019

Forum
Clothing Store, Williamsburg, 2019

PhoBar
Restaurant, West Village, 2019

Belcampo
Restaurant, Hudson Yards, 2019

MARAIS home
Design Store, Williamsburg, 2019

Kichin
Restaurant, Bushwick, 2019

Gueros
Restaurant, Gowanus, 2019

Hinoki
Restaurant, Forest Hills, 2019

By Name Cafe
Coffee Shop, East Village, 2019

La Tabun
Restaurant, Midwood, 2019

Jen’s Noodle House
Restaurant, Chinatown, 2019

Magazine
Bar, Greenpoint, 2019

Neiman Marcus at Hudson Yards [Read Carl Swanson’s tribute ]
Retailer, Hudson Yards, 2019

The Poni Room
Restaurant, Noho, 2019

Spiritea
Tea Shop, East Village, 2019

The Banty Rooster
Restaurant, Greenwich Village, 2019

Raan Kway Teow
Restaurant, Jackson Heights, 2019

One of a Kind Beauty
Spa, Park Slope, 2019

The Awkward Scone
Café, Bushwick, 2019

TAK Room
Restaurant, Hudson Yards, 2019

The Riddler
Bar, West Village, 2019

La Gran Tijuana
Restaurant, Bushwick, ca. 2019

The Yoga Studio
Yoga Studio, Astoria, 2019

Violet
Restaurant, East Village, 2019

Da Yu Hot Pot
Restaurant, Chinatown, 2019

Grand Shanghai House
Restaurant, Chinatown, 2019

Jisu Vegetarian
Restaurant, Chinatown, 2019

Taste of Northern China
Restaurant, Chinatown, 2019

Pasta Franco
Restaurant, Upper West Side, 2019

The Skilled Archer
Café, Bushwick, 2020

Burger People
Restaurant, Lower East Side, 2020

Hanshik
Restaurant, Chelsea, 2020

Reporting by Liz Boyd, Jack Denton, and Alice Markham-Cantor.

*A version of this article appears in the December 7, 2020, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now!

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