Good morning. It’s another snow day. You know the drill by now. From what we’ve been reading there are 5-8 inches forecast — so that will brighten up those mounds of dirty snow nicely!
When Diane Heatherington mentioned to Luisa at Domus that she had a cake tin full of matchbooks and matchboxes, Luisa recommended Diane should get in touch with W42ST. We are glad she did! The collection has inspired a new series for us — OLD FLAMES — where we pick one of the matchbooks and ask for your stories, memories, and photos.
To start off our weekly matchbook series, we struck on classic Hell’s Kitchen staple, Jezebel. Opening in 1983 at 630 9th Avenue (at the corner of W45th street, now 5 Napkin Burger) you might remember this soul food party haven for its eclectic and funky decor, described by New York Times columnist Bryan Miller as “the best soul food south of 110th Street (maybe above, too).” Do you recall the owner Alberta Wright, or the Shrimp creole, or three different types of chicken? Are there other stories of Jezebel we should know? Do you have a picture from before it closed in 2007? George is going to pull all your memories together for this time next week. Send him an email at george@w42st.com.
It was described as “a fantastical model of Manhattan and beyond”, but giant rents brought miniature world Gulliver’s Gate to its knees and the attraction in Times Square shuttered for good in January of last year after filing for bankruptcy. They are now battling to save the models from slow destruction. “The pumps, seals and systems for one of the largest miniatures are at risk for dry rot” and engineers have told Gulliver’s that “batteries may be leaking corrosive chemicals on sensitive electronics,” says the court filing. Read more…
What we’ve been reading
Can Broadway come back from all this, or will it need a dramatic rethink? (Forbes)
Influencers can now join Hollywood’s top union. (New York Times)
Indoor dining? Then you’re requested to keep your mask on when not eating or drinking. (Eater)
Mount Sinai has canceled thousands of COVID vaccine appointments. (Gothamist)
Fancy running the Wollman Rink and the Friedsam Memorial Carousel in Central Park? (City Land)
Freeze Frame
It’s great to see more places opening up on 9th Avenue again. Mercury Bar got back in business yesterday — and Nicola just sent me a picture of this morning’s snowstorm. They’ll be ready to serve you at noon.