New York Songlines: 7th Avenue

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Central Park

An 853-acre expanse of green in the middle of Manhattan, its 25 million annual visitors make it the most visited public park in the world. Responding to calls from civic leaders like William Cullen Bryant, the city acquired the land in 1853 and held a design contest in 1857, choosing the Greensward Plan of Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux (rhymes with "Walks"). After the moving of 3 million tons of earth and the planting of 270,000 trees and shrubs, the park--almost entirely landscaped, despite its naturalistic appearance--opened to visitors in 1859 (though not officially completed until 1873).

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This entrance was dubbed the Artisans' Gate by the Central Park commissioners in 1862, but like most of the other entrances was unmarked until 1999.

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200 Central Park South

Block (200 Central Park S): The curved base of this 35-story modernist residential tower, built 1963, allows more apartments to have park views. Residents have included Raquel Welch and Dino De Laurentiis.

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New York Athletic Club

Block (180 Central Park S): A 1929 Renaissance Revival clubhouse designed by York & Sawyer for a sports club founded in 1868, whose members have subsequently won at least 123 Olympic gold medals. The club introduced the sport of fencing, bicycle racing and squash courts to the United States. Heavyweight champ Jack Dempsey was a member, as is George Steinbrenner.

Replaced the Spanish Flats, an innovative, ahead-of-its-time apartment complex built in 1883 by José F. de Navarro.

921: Frankt Stella Clothes; same building, different address

West:

914 (corner): Building dated 1913. George S. Kaufman lived here from 1921-29, the period when he wrote The Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers for the Marx Brothers. Also actor Michael Moriarty and David Johansen, former New York Doll (aka Buster Poindexter). Renaissance Camera & Electronics is on this side.

912: In the same building are Carnegie Barber and Little Egypt, souvenir stand with the name of a famous stripper

The Osborne

910 (corner): A rambling apartment palace developed by Thomas Osborne, who declared bankruptcy before it opened in 1885-- unsurprisingly, since he paid for the likes of Augustus St. Gaudens, John La Forge and Tiffany to work on it. Leonard Bernstein had an office here, where Rosalind Russell auditioned for Wonderful Town. Actor Gig Young killed his wife and himself here in 1978. TV movie host Robert Osborne lives here, not entirely coincidentally. Others who have lived here include Shirley Temple Booth, Ethel Barrymore, Ralph Bellamy, composer Virgil Thomson, director Harold Clurman, actress Lynn Redgrave, writer Fran Lebowitz, critic Jeffrey Lyons, pianist Andre Watts and comedian Imogene Coca. On the ground floor are La Parisienne, French; P.J. Carney's, Irish pub; and Cafe Europa.

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Alwyn Court

Corner (180 W 58th): Built in 1909 as the ultimate in urban luxury, this 12-story French Renaissance apartment building has a lavishly fanciful facade; what appear to be dragons are actually crowned salamanders, the symbol of Francois I, whose style inspired architects Harde & Short. Charles Steinway, president of the piano company, was one of the original tenants. On the ground floor since 1984 is the Petrossian Restaurant, famed for its caviar.

The Briarcliffe

Corner (171 W 57th): A 12-story brownstone apartment building from 1922, designed by Warren & Wetmore, architects of Grand Central. The developer, Charles K. Eagle, shot himself in the penthouse apartment in 1928, a month after selling the building. Anita Loos, author of the satirical novel Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, died here in 1981 at the age of 93. Loos started out as a screenwriter for D.W. Griffith while still a teenager.

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Rodin Studios

Corner (200 W 57th): 1917 apartment building designed for artists; the two-story studios have since been split, but their double-sized windows are still visible on the French Gothic facade designed by the Woolworth Tower's Cass Gilbert. As it turned out, not too many artists lived here (or could afford to), but it was home from 1927-31 to author Theodore Dreiser, by then a well-off radical who thought fancy buildings like his own should be collectivized. On the ground floor today are Pick a Bagel and Lilli's, Asian.

Trattoria Dell'Arte

902: Italian, opened in 1989 in the spaces of two former restaurants, The English Pub and The Chinese Pavillion. Noted for its painted collection of Italian noses, including Casanova's, Joe DiMaggio's and Pinocchio's.

890 (corner): Red Eye Grill is named for the flight that connects New York and L.A., its culinary inspirations.

1010 WINS

888 (corner): Studios of the radio station that began as WGBS, named for its original owner, Gimbel's department store. In 1932 it was bought by William Randolph Hearst, who changed its call letters in honor of his International News Service. After a couple of ownership changes, it became one of the first rock and roll radio stations, featuring DJs like Alan Freed and "Fifth Beatle" Murray the K Kaufman. Westinghouse bought the station in 1962, switching to the all-news format in 1965 that it has maintained ever since; it's now part of the CBS media empire.

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Carnegie Hall

881 (block): Legendary concert hall built by steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie in 1891. How do you get here? "Practice!"

Among the greats that have performed or spoken here are Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Antonin Dvorak, Ignace Paderewski, Vladimir Horowitz, Leonard Bernstein, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Judy Garland, The Beatles, Mark Twain, Woodrow Wilson, Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King. The film Unfaithfully Yours was shot here.

In the building are the Carnegie Hall Studios, which has housed such artists as Charles Dana Gibson (of the "Gibson Girl"), John Philip Sousa, Isadora Duncan, Agnes de Mille, Marlon Brando, John Barrymore and Paddy Chayefsky.

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Corner (200 W 56th): Manhattan Club, urban timeshare, is part of the Park Central.

Park Central Hotel

870 (corner): Built in 1927 as the Park Central Hotel, it was the Park Sheraton and the Omni Park Central before resuming its original name. Its famous guests have included Eleanor Roosevelt (1949-53, 1958), columnist Walter Winchell, filmmaker D.W. Griffith (1935), boxer Joe Louis, actor Jackie Gleason and actress Mae West. Two of New York City's most famous mob hits occurred here: Gambler Arnold Rothstein was fatally shot here November 4, 1928, and hitman-turned-capo Albert Anastasia was shot to death in the barber shop here October 25, 1957.

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879: Global Gift & Electronics is in the Carnegie Plaza building.

877: Dean Leather

875: Mario Caldi clothing

Hotel Wellington

Corner: A 27-story hotel built in 1902, named for the Duke of Wellington, vanquisher of Napoleon. Borat stays here in his movie. Includes Molyvos, Greek; Christmas Cottage, decorations; Park Cafe.

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856 (corner): 55th Street Deli

Carnegie Deli

854: Perhaps New York's most famous deli (and therefore the world's). Woody Allen's Broadway Danny Rose was filmed here. On the sixth floor here, former actress Jennifer Stahl ran a marijuana business and recording studio; on May 1, 2001, she and two other people were murdered there during a bungled holdup.

850: China Regency, Chinese; Smiler's Deli

846: Pasta D'oro, Italian

844: Shoes by Aytto

842: Hao Hao Giftshop; Oyster Bar, seafood

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857 (corner): Ben Ash Deli is in the Wyoming

855: Fluffy's Cafe & Bakery

849: Carnegie Spirits

843: My Attitude Gift Shop

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Corner (200 W 54th): Adlon Apartments

840: Big Apple Souvenirs & Gifts

Stage Deli

834: A New York landmark founded 1937 by Russian immigrant Max Asnas. Mickey Mantle lived upstairs in the early 1950s, rooming with fellow Yankees Hank Bauer and Johnny Hopp.

828: Bagel & Bean

826: Warwick Chemists, drugstore

Corner: Maison, French

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839 (corner): Star Diner; The Irish Pub

833: 7th Ave Deli; Ray's Pizza

825: Media Edge; Lindy's

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810 (corner): New York Convention and Visitors' Bureau; Visitors' Center, 810 Deli

810: WOR

Corner: Rosie O'Grady, Irish

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Sheraton New York

801 (block): Built in 1962 as the Loews Americana (Morris Lapidus, architects), it was bought in 1979 by Sheraton (then a subsidiary of ITT) and renamed the Sheraton Centre. It got its current name in 1989. Whatever the name, it's a "sleek supermotel that offers characterless but efficient quarters for the traveler," according to the AIA Guide. On the ground floor is the Streets Cafe.

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Sheraton Manhattan

790 (block): This was the Loews City Squire, like its sibling up the street built in 1962, bought by Sheraton in 1979 and given its current name in 1989. On the ground floor are An American Craftsman, Russo's Steak & Pasta.

Equitable Life used to be a major investor in the hotels that adjoin its headquarters.

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Equitable Center

787 (block): A 54-story rose granite tower designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes Associates and built 1986. Houses the life-insurance giant AXA, whose U.S. holdings include Equitable Life and Mutual of New York (whose MONY logo inspired the song "Mony Mony"). The building's atrium features a major mural by Roy Lichtenstein; there's also an elephant by Barry Flanagan. The arched window near the top is the Equitable boardroom.

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Corner: Was the Circle Gallery of Animation and Cartoon Art

Winter Garden Theater

1634 (corner): Starting Life in 1885 as the American Horse Exchange Building, it was largely rebuilt as the Winter Garden in 1911 and remodeled by Herbert J. Krapp in 1923. Its debut production included the Broadway debut of Al Jolson. Here were the Broadway bows of Wonderful Town, West Side Story, Funny Girl, Mame, Steven Sondheim's Follies and Pacific Overtures, Beatlemania and 42nd Street. Cats set a Broadway record by playing here 7,485 performances between 1982 and 2000. The Twyla Tharp/David Byrne collaboration The Catherine Wheel was performed here in 1981.

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The Michelangelo

Corner (152 W 51st): This Italian-run hotel occupies part of what used to be the Taft Hotel. Opening as The Manger with a religious theme, The Taft was once New York's third-largest hotel; Big Band leader Vincent Lopez used to play the Grill Room here. "Father of Country Music" Jimmie Rodgers died of TB here on May 26, 1933; Philip Loeb, an actor whose career was destroyed by the blacklist, committed suicide here on September 2, 1955. Here now are Limoncello, Italian, and the Comedy Cellar.

Corner: This space, which now has the dubious distinction of being "America's Largest TGI Friday's," was once the entrance to the Roxy Theatre, considered the most majestic cinema ever built. Seating 5,920 when it was built in 1926, it was named for impresario Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel, who had managed a number of other movie palaces before building his own. Gloria Swanson was on hand for both the theater's opening and its demolition in 1960. It inspired namesake cinemas all over the world, not to mention the band Roxy Music. In "You're the Top," Cole Porter declared, "You're the pants on a Roxy usher."

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Morgan Stanley Building

750 (block): A stylish building by Kevin Roche John Dinkleloo, completed in 1990. Houses the Majestic Delicatessen, opened in 1972, and Martinique Jewelers, founded 1963.

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745 (block): The Lehman Brothers investment bank was founded in Birmingham, Alabama in 1850 by three German immigrant brothers, and moved to New York after the Civil War.

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Corner (202 W 49th): The Playwright Tavern pays homage to Irish theater writers.

736: Famous Original Ray's Pizza (the actual original one is on Prince Street and the famous one is on 13th Street); Midtown Souvenirs & Gifts

732: Pearls, Chinese take-out; Teriyaki Boy, Japanese fast food

Corner (1600 Broadway): The site of the Studebaker Building, built in 1902 as an auto showroom. In the 1930s it was Joseph Hilton & Sons suits, in 1939 the Ripley Believe It or Not! Odditorium ("Curioddities From 200 Countries"), in the 1940s-60s Howard Clothes, and more recently Tony Roma's A Place for Ribs. Before the Renaissance Hotel was built, it was one of the most visible spots in Times Square, bringing the rooftop memorable signage from Maxwell House to Sony. Torn down in 2005, it's being replaced by a high-rise apartment building designed by Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Achitecture & Engineering. ("Einhorn" is German for "unicorn.")

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729 (corner): Nick's Gourmet Deli; upstairs is a Houlihan's. Also Gifts Camera Luggage, a big souvenir store, and Magno Sound & Video.

Tonic

727: A three-level sports bar and restaurant; the Met Lounge is the top floor.

Lace

725: A "gentlemen's club," one of the last few places to see flesh in Times Square. Also at this address is Lindy's, a charmless, overpriced incarnation of the Times Square restaurant made famous by Damon Runyon as "Mindy's."

723: Maxie's Delicatessen is under Quad Studios, where Tupac Shakur was shot five times in 1994. (He lived--though he was killed in a drive-by two years later.)

West:

Ramada Renaissance

Block (1580 Broadway): This wedge-shaped building, put up in 1989, is most famous for its signage--Coca-Cola has had a sign here since 1936 (though it's temporarily absent). The site has a storied history: In the 1920s it was the Palais Royale, then from 1936 to 1940 it was the Cotton Club's post-Harlem home, featuring stars like Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Lena Horne. From 1942 to 1969, it was the Latin Quarter nightclub--run by Lou Walters, Barbara Walters' father.

720: Money Exchange

710: Spirit of Broadway, souvenirs-- not to be confused with Phantom of Broadway

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Corner (174 W 48th): Smiler's Deli & Salad Bar; upstairs is Rod Baltimore's International Woodwind & Brass Music Co.

717: Phantom of Broadway Gifts, souvenir store that has spawned sound-alike competitors

Sage Theater

711: Opened in the 1970s as the Agee 1 & 2, an art cinema, it later showed Spanish-language films as the Cine 1 & 2, then became a porno house. Now seems to specialize in corporate motivational seminars, though it's also a venue for improv comedy and jazz.

709: Giftmania

707: Originally opened in 1910 as the Columbia, a Beaux Arts theater designed by W.H. McElfatrick that served as the flagship of the Columbia Amusement Company's burlesque circuit. In 1930 it was totally rebuilt by Thomas W. Lamb, becoming the Mayfair cinema; Disney's Cinderella premiered here. In the 1960s it became the DeMille; movies like Psycho and Spartacus opened here. It was multiplexed as the Mark 1-2-3, later the Embassy 2-3-4. It's been vacant since 1998.

705: Times Square Gifts & Souvenirs

703: Tad's Steaks, kitschy and cheap

701: The Sbarro outlet used to be a Nedick's.

West:

This was the northeast corner of the Eden Farm, which stretched to what is now 44th Street and 10th Avenue. John Jacob Astor bought the land in 1803 for $25,000; his son William Backhouse Astor developed it with brownstones in 1860, leaving this area with better housing stock than the surrounding tenements of Hell's Kitchen.

Duffy Square

This triangular traffic island is named in honor of Father Francis P. Duffy, who after serving as chaplain to the "Fighting 69th" Division in World War I helped to clean up Hell's Kitchen. He was also Broadway's spiritual advisor.

TKTS

At the north end of the "square" is the booth that offers half-priced same-day tickets to selected plays--a great bargain and a fun enterprise. There's long been plans to replace this construction with something more permanent-looking, but what's here now looks quite snazzy and is perfectly appropriate for what's it's doing. Leave it alone!

South of TKTS is a statue of Father Duffy next to a Celtic cross. Beyond him is George M. Cohan, forever giving his regards to Broadway.

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The Palace

1568 Broadway (corner): Doubletree Guest Suites Times Square Hotel, built in 1991 as the Embassy Suites to a Fox & Fowle design, envelopes the old Palace Theater, built in 1913 by Kirchoff & Rose. In its heyday it was every vaudevillian's dream to play the Palace; among those who made it were W.C. Fields, Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker, Will Rogers, Eddie Cantor, Bob Hope and the Marx Brothers. Citizen Kane had its world premiere here May 1, 1944, when the Palace was converted to a cinema; after it returned to live theater, Judy Garland had a smash 19-week run here in 1951. Subsequently it's seen the openings of such plays as Sweet Charity, La Cage aux Folles, The Will Rogers Follies, Beauty and the Beast and Aida. The casting scene in All That Jazz was filmed here.

Before the Palace was built, there was a brownstone here where the Barrymore kids--Lionel, Ethel and John--lived in 1889.

1556-1560 Broadway: Times Square Visitor Center was built in 1925 as the Embassy I Theater, a movie house that showed mainly newsreels.

Corner: The I. Miller Building, finished in 1929, features sculptures of leading ladies by A. Stirling Calder: notably Mary Pickford as Little Lord Fauntleroy and Ethel Barrymore as Ophelia. Bears the motto, "The Show Folks Shoe Shop Dedicated to Beauty in Footwear." Now it's yet another TGI Friday's.

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New York Marriott Marquis

1535 (block): When this glitzy mammoth was built in 1981-85--the first major new hotel in Times Square in 75 years--it destroyed five classic theaters: the Astor, Bijou, Gaiety, Morosco and the old Helen Hayes. (It did add one new one--The Marquis.) This wanton destruction led to a wave of landmarking in the Theater District. The design is by John Portman, noted for similar hotels around the country.

The facade of the hotel features a huge electronic sign for Bank of America, and an enormous ad for Kodak.

In the movie True Lies, Arnold Schwarzenegger rides a horse on this building and almost falls off the edge.

1537 (corner): The Astor Theater, once on this corner, was in 1948 the site of Babe Ruth's final public appearance, to attend the premiere of The Babe Ruth Story.

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Corner (1550 Broadway): Digital Cameras & Computers

Bertelsmann Building

(1540 Broadway): The U.S. headquarters of the German media conglomerate, which owns Random House and RCA records, among much else; better known as the home of the Virgin Megastore, billed as the world's largest record store. The post-modern blue-and-green glass structure, designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill, was put up between 1989 and 1990. The site used to hold the Loews State Theater Building, built 1920, and memorialized by the Loews State Theatre 4 in the basement.

North of the Megastore, from 2000-2002, was Bar Code, a combination club/video arcade.

At the southwest corner of the Bertelsmann Building is the Times Square branch of Planet Hollywood. Formerly the Official All Star Cafe, a sports-themed restaurant.

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Astor Plaza

Block (1515 Broadway): Best known as the location of MTV's studios, this 1969 Kahn & Jacobs building was allowed to grow to 50 floors because it added theatrical space--The Minskoff, named for the skyscraper's developer. (Pippin, Sunset Boulevard and The Scarlet Pimpernel had their debuts here.) On the ground floor are Element clothing, Billabong Surf Shop and the MTV Store.

The building replaced its namesake, the Astor Hotel, a well-loved Times Square landmark. Built in 1904 by William Waldorf Astor, the hotel housed such celebrity residents as Toscanini, Will Rogers, Jimmy Durante and Carmen Miranda. It was here, according to Cole Porter, that Mimsie Starr got pinched in the Astor Bar.

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This block has long been famous for its signage-- from 1936 until 1942, Wrigley's had a block-long sign here featuring giant neon fish and the "Wrigley's Spearman." This was replaced, from 1948 to 1954, by the Bond Clothiers sign, a neon spectacular that featured two 7-story nude figures (later clothed in neon after complaints from the Hotel Astor) and an actual waterfall with 50,000 gallons of recirculating water. Pepsi took over the spot, turning the giants into giant bottles, and an illuminated clock into a bottlecap. Today the site features relatively mundane ads for Liz Claiborne and Jockey underwear.

The building below the sign has been known as the Bond Building (after the clothing store) and the Bow-Tie Building (for its peculiar Times Square shape). In the 1980s, there was a large disco called Bond's here.

From 1895 til 1935, this was the site of Oscar Hammerstein's Olympia Theater, the first theater above 42nd Street. The huge complex sat 6,000 people--too big to survive being too early for Times Square's heyday. The rooftop garden, the Jardin de Paris, was the first home of the Ziegfeld Follies.

Corner (1520 Broadway): This Toys "R" Us superstore is noted for its interior ferris wheel and animatronic dinosaur. See images. It replaced the Criterion Theater (at 1514 Broadway), a movie palace that hosted the premieres of blockbusters like The Ten Commandments, Lawrence of Arabia and Patton. Demolished in 2000 to make room for the toy store.

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Paramount Building

1501 (block): Built for the film company in 1927; the step-like setbacks are intended to resemble the mountain on the Paramount logo. Here was the Paramount Theater, which was Frank Sinatra's home base in the early 1940s, and a Beatles venue in 1964; the space was later the WWE New York, a wrestling-themed restaurant. The Hard Rock Cafe is slated to move in; also in the building now is the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., named for the business in Forrest Gump. (Boy, I hated that movie.)

This was earlier the site of the Putnam Building, which was used as a base by racketeer Kid Dropper. Involved in a gang war with another mob leader, the Kid was shot while being sent out of town with an escort of 80 cops.

The Paramount Building has pre-recorded chimes that play "Give My Regards to Broadway" at 7:45 p.m. every day to remind theatergoers that it's 15 minutes until curtain.

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Times Square Studios

Block (1500 Broadway): This holds the set of ABC's Good Morning America, and for Dick Clark's New Year's Eve broadcasts. ABC News runs a zipper here.

Corner: The northwest corner of the block used to be the Hotel Rector, later known as the Claridge. From 1941 to 1966, it displayed the famous Camel sign that blew real smoke rings. The hotel was home and office for a time to mob boss Lucky Luciano; it also housed director D.W. Griffith while his upstate estate was being built. The music-writers group ASCAP was founded here in 1914 with members like John Philip Sousa, Irving Berlin and Victor Herbert. John Voight and Dustin Hoffman stayed there in Midnight Cowboy.

In the middle of the block was Rector's, a Gay '90s "lobster palace" that was a favorite with Diamond Jim Brady--Charles Rector called him his "best 25 customers." New York's first revolving door was installed here in 1899. Torn down in 1899 to make way for the hotel.

Corner: The southeast corner of the block (where the JVC globe is today) was the site of the Barrett House Hotel, where playwright Eugene O'Neill was born on October 16, 1888, while his father was in town playing The Count of Monte Cristo.

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Reuters Building

Corner (3 Times Square): Building housing the British news service, a 2001 design from Fox & Fowle, is noted for its curved video facade; includes the offices of Prudential Financial Services; on the ground floor is Quiksilver Boardriders Club, skatewear. Replaced the 1935 Art Deco Rialto Building (named for an old Times Square nickname, derived from a Venetian bridge).

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One Times Square

It was Longacre Square (named for a London plaza) until the New York Times made a surprise move from Newspaper Row downtown to what was then the edge of the city, suddenly made accessible by subway. (It replaced the Pabst Hotel on the site.) Building an Italian Renaissance castle on the spot, the paper got the city to rename first the subway stop and then the square after itself.

The paper celebrated moving in on New Year's Eve, 1904, with a fireworks display--starting the tradition of Times Square as the place to be on December 31. The ball, which used to drop from Trinity Church downtown, has been dropping from here since 1908. The Times moved off the Square in 1913, but the name has stuck.

The world's first illuminated news ticker (dubbed the "Motogram") circles the building; it got its start reporting the 1928 election returns. (Hoover won.)

The tower was modernized by new owners Allied Chemical, who moved out in 1975. Since then the building has mostly been a place to put giant signs. The ground floor was a Warner Brothers store for a while, selling Bugs Bunny and friends.

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Corner (5 Times Square): Offices of financial firm Ernst & Young; the sporting goods store Champs is on the ground floor--used to be the Disney Store. Giuliani Partners, the former mayor's security consulting firm, is located here-- though considering how unprepared the city was for September 11, it's a wonder anyone pays any attention to anything he has to say on the subject.

The kiosk on the corner is one of the first newsstands to get the New York Times-- sometimes before 4 a.m.

Corner: The Red Lobster here has an enormous plastic crustacean outside, but wouldn't you rather eat somewhere that you can't find in your local strip mall?

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Times Square Tower

Block (1459 Broadway): This 47-floor office building (2001-03) was supposed to house the headquarters of Arthur Andersen, but the Enron scandal scuttled the deal. Has the fake and confusing address of 7 Times Square.

The Times Square Brewery, a post-Disneyfication microbrewery, used to be on this site. On the west side of the block was XS, a virtual reality arcade.

West:

570 (corner): The New York Look

566: Midtown Buffet; Expose Shoes

560 (corner): The cube-shaped building is Parsons School of Design's David M. Schwartz Fashion Education Center. Donna Karan and Tom Ford are alums.

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Along this block is the Fashion Walk of Fame, honoring famous designers.

575: Sunrise Delicatessen

561 (corner): Little gnomes hold up the facade here at the fourth story.

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558 (corner): Sahara Grill, Turkish. Upstairs is Midtown Comics, a contender for best comic book store in New York City.

552: Rialto Building, with an old Times Square nickname, houses Nut Castle and New Star Cafe.

550 (corner): Fantastically detailed office building--look at the fourth story. Major fashion designers have offices here, including Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan and Bill Blass.

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Block: With more than a million square feet of space, this block-spanning 1970 building is touted as the premier showroom for the Fashion District.

Corner: A statue on the 7th Avenue plaza depicts a Textile Worker, but more striking is the giant Button and Needle.

West:

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525 (corner): Fashion Center Building, a 1924 building by Henry Ives Cobb, houses Nicole Miller, Sean Jean and other clothing industry players.

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Corner: Millennium Towers, aka The Navarre Building; 43 stories built by 1930.

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515 (corner): Site of Dubrow's, a cafeteria that doubled as a sort of employment agency.

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Garment Center Capitol Buildings

498 (corner): built in 1921 by Russian immigrant Mack Kanner at a cost of $125 million, this project heralded the move of the Garment Center to its present location. Combining showrooms and sweatshops, it was the place of work for 22,000 by 1932.

468 (corner): York Apartments

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Corner: Fashion Tower

485 (corner): Fashion Atrium; constructed as Mills House No. 3, part of a project to provide cheap, healthy housing to bachelors. No. 1 is on Bleecker Street in the heart of Greenwich Village.

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463 (corner): Textile Centre, aka the Arsenal Building. The 1973 TV show Needles & Pins was set at a company called Lorelei Fashions, located at this address.

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462: Hale & Hearty Soups, local mini-chain

450: Nelson Tower; at 46 stories, this 1931 art deco building is said to be the tallest in the Garment District. Conway, clothes bargains, on ground floor.

Corner: Citibank; seal on the building is old enough to say "National City Bank of New York."

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461 (corner): Median Foods. Harvey Keitel encounters a robbery here in Bad Lieutenant.

Macy's

441 (corner): Since 1902, this has been the location of the famous department store founded by Capt. Rowland Hussey Macy, a former whaling captain whose red star tattoo is still the store's symbol (and a whale is still used in sale ads). With expansions to take up (almost) the entire block, this still holds the record for the world's largest store. Macy's claims credit for such innovations as standardized sizes (1934), colored bath towels (1932), the tea bag (1912), the baked potato (1926) and the department store Santa (1870)--the latter claim to fame cemented by the 1947 classic Miracle on 34th Street, set at the store.

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430 (corner): Footaction USA

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435 (corner): H & M; Swedish budget fashion outlet.

431: A & H Food Plaza; upstairs is Manny's Sports Bar.

425: Kansas City Steaks, Spinnelli's Pizzeria; used to be King of Rock 'n' Roll, whatever that was--his crown is still visible on facade.

West:

Madison Square Garden

Eight blocks from Madison Square, where the original version was located, this 20,000-seat arena, the home of the New York Knicks, Rangers and Liberty, is the fourth building and the third location to bear the name. Joe Frazier defeated Mohammed Ali here March 8, 1971; Nadia Comaneci scored a perfect 10 here March 28, 1978.

Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna and Pope John Paul II have all performed here; the Grateful Dead played here 52 times, a record broken by Elton John in 2001. John Lennon's last performance was here, as a surprise guest at an Elton John concert, in 1974. The Democratic conventions of 1976, 1980 and 1992 were held here.

Many people think of Madison Square Garden, however, as one of New York City's greatest architectural crimes-- because it was built by tearing down the old Pennsylvania Station, a glorious 1910 structure modeled on the Roman Baths of Caracalla, considered to be architect Charles McKim's greatest masterpiece. (Ironically, McKim partner Stanford White's greatest work was the second Madison Square Garden, demolished in 1925.) Protests by architects and preservationists did not prevent the station's 1963 destruction--though the loss did help spark landmark laws to protect other treasures. Statues of eagles from the station can be seen on the east side of the Garden.

In the basement of the Garden is the new Penn Station, one of Manhattan's two major rail terminals--along with a 48-lane bowling alley. Architect Louis I. Kahn died of a heart attack at the station in 1974--his unidentified body remaining in the morgue for several days.

The Garden's office tower is the location of Disney/ABC radio flagship WABC--this is where Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, among other right-wing broadcasters, do their shows. WPLJ radio is based here too.

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Hotel Pennsylvania

401 (block): This 1919 hotel, designed by McKim, Mead & White for the Pennsylvania Railroad, was a favorite for touring musicians of the big band era--in part because it, like the bands, was integrated, something few hotels were in those days--leading to the immortalization of its phone number in the Glenn Miller song "Pennsylvania 6-5000." Miller, along with jazz greats like Duke Ellington, Count Basie and the Dorsey Brothers, used to play at the Cafe Rouge Ballroom.

Edwin Land demonstrated his Polaroid camera here on February 21, 1947; Frank Olson, a U.S. Army biowarfare expert, jumped to his death from the 10th floor after being unwittingly dosed with LSD as part of the CIA's MKULTRA program.

The hotel has also operated under the names New York Penta and Statler. It houses the Penn Plaza Pavilion and a Lindy's-- for fans of Damon Runyon and overpriced hamburgers.

WEST 32ND ST         E ===>

On July 15, 1863, during the Draft Riots, two cannons were fired repeatedly from this intersection into a crowd of some 35,000 lynchers.

393 (block): This was the Matthew Bender Building, named for the legal publisher, but they moved to Newark. Now it's home of Fuse, which bills itself as an alternative to MTV.

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370 (block): This is 7 Penn Plaza, according to what seems like a completely arbitrary numbering system. The Bagel Maven Cafe is in the southeast corner.

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371 (corner): Southgate Tower Suite Hotel, built 1929

369: The Manheimer Building

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358: Furs by PK

352: Mustang Harry's, owned by the same Irish guy that owns Mustang Sally's down the street. I think this is supposed to be the more upscale one.

350: Seven Bar & Grill, also part of the Mustang family. A less macho decorating scheme.

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357: Pan Zai, flashy clothing (Chinese for "Bonsai")

345: Houses Hochman Furs, Kaufman Furs, Day-Kar Furs. Charleston's Bistro, a deli, on ground floor.

343: DP/Design Partners, art and drafting supplies

West:

330 (corner): Davide Furs; Ginger House, Chinese; Triple Crown, racing-themed pub

324: Mustang Sally's, the older of the two Mustangs, opened in 1993.

322 (corner): Cavallos Pizzeria; The Greek Corner

East:

339 (corner): Guy & Gallard, local gourmet coffee chain; Village Lighting

337: Steven Corn Furs

333: Offices of New York Press, the alternative alternative weekly. Also here are the studios of WWRL, the oldest black-owned radio station in the country. Formerly this was the home of WEVD, a once-radical talk station whose call letters originally stood for Eugene V. Debs. The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, founded in 1881, is based here.

West:

A state university founded in 1944 to provide "an MIT for the fashion industries."

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315 (corner): Kheel Tower, a 1929 neo-Gothic office building--now condos.

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Museum at FIT

Sculpture is the Eye of Fashion.

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Corner (108 W. 27th): Manhattan Heroes--notable sandwiches

291: Austin's Cafe, J'Adore II Cafe-- spiffy lunch spots

283 (corner): S&W clothing, closed after 40 years; still has an annex around the corner on 27th. Building has interesting arches.

West:

Chelsea Centro Apartments

270 (block): New apartment building has Buy Buy Baby on the ground floor.

274: Defunct address was site of Guffanti's, gaslight-era restaurant.

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Lefcourt Clothing Center

275 (block): This 1929 building, put up by Garment District developer Samuel Lefcourt, originally housed garment shops; now houses the garment workers' union UNITE. On the ground floor are Organic Market, health food store; City Food Bar; Urban Leather Outlet.

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Chelsea Mercantile Apartments

252 (block): Formerly a federal building dating to 1906, now luxury rentals; has a Whole Foods on the ground floor.

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261 (corner): Truemart Discount Fabrics, a garment district survivor. May have been one of The Seven Sisters, a row of seven houses at the west end of this block that housed bordellos run by seven supposed sisters. They maintained strict standards for clients; sometimes they were required to wear evening clothes or bring flowers for the employees.

259: Chelsea Gourmet deli; good sandwiches

257: Bella Napoli was Sergio's Italian deli; I recommend the baked ziti for a cheap and tasty lunch.

255: Japanese-American United Church

245 (corner): Chelsea Atelier; when this 1912 building was converted to luxury condos in 1997, it signaled a boom in the Chelsea real estate market. The same company that did the terra cotta here worked on the Flatiron and Woolworth Tower.

West:

234: Bombay Garden, Indian; DVD Chelsea is upstairs.

232: Little Seoul (formerly Togi), Korean/Japanese; Six Harmony Arts Academy is upstairs-- kung fu, aerobics, etc.

230: Chinese Fast Wok, Chinese take-out. I get General Tso's chicken here a lot.

226: Explorer's Co.--''the men's store to explore''

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Corner (160 W 24th): Marriott Execustay at The Chelsea; short-term furnished housing. Dedicated to Marcello Ruffino Roffi (1914-88), whose identity is something of a mystery.

233: Mullen's, friendly pub/restaurant

Corner (171 W 23rd): Chelsea Papaya--tasty hot dogs and frothy tropical fruit drinks, ala Gray's Papaya

West:

Corner (204 W 23rd): Chelsea Savoy; affordable hotel in a new, rather ugly building. Chiavenna Ristorante is on the ground floor.

216: Porters New York, art deco New American

214: Toasties Delicatessen

210 (corner): Was Chelsea's Choice cafe

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217: Chelsea Jeans

215: Janovic paints

211: Hana Sushi

209 (corner): Restivo, Italian

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208 (corner): Regional Thai Taste, since 1990

206: Salsa y Salsa

200: Cafe Fillipe; Champignon Catering; MBS Magazine Store

196: Chelsea Cobbler

190: Eros Cafe is the renovated version of the Wellington Restaurant, an old-school diner.

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207 (corner): Was My Old Lady--vintage clothing?

201: Was The Pyramid, used records

191: Sette restaurant was Baby Doll Sugar Daddy boutique.

Corner (169 W 21st): Kove Bros Hardware has a mural by the East Village's Chico.

West:

Corner: Health Is Wealth health food

176: Bar Veloce (Chelsea), spinoff of East Village wine bar; was Ciel Rouge, dimly lit bar.

174: Tono Sushi

172: Le Zie Trattoria

170 (corner): Terry's Garden deli

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185 (corner): Merikan Japanese Restaurant

181: Was Candle Schtick

177: Luigi's Fine Clothing

175 (corner): Advisory TV & Radio Labs (repair shop)

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168 (corner): Merci Market was Absolute Gourmet

162: Rocco's Pizza Joint ('50s decor)

160: Le Singe Vert ("The Green Monkey"); French/Senegalese cafe, complete with live jazz

156: Chelsea Lobster Co.; was Elmo, fancified comfort food. Back in the day it was Claire.

154: Chelsea Deli

Peter McManus

152: The McManus family has owned this Old New York joint since 1936.

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Chadwin House Apartments

140: The doorman, when asked, did not know who Chadwin was. Built in 1962.

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Con Edison Substation

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130: Was Raymond Dragon, homoerotic sportswear.

128: Shooz! 128 was Chelsea Shoes.

124: Leesam Kitchen & Bath Center

Corner: Was United Colors of Benetton

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Corner (168 W 18th): Was Le Madri ("The Mothers"), fancy Italian.

127: Was Le Madri's dining room, in a red brick former stable; note horse head.

123A: Sight on 7th, opticians

123: Roger & Dave's, kitschy card shop

119 (corner): Cafeteria, styley faux diner. Meatloaf is $11.95, is all I'm saying.

West:

114: Crispy Pizza Cafe

112: Merchants NY, yuppie singles scene

106: Williams-Sonoma--nice building.

104 (Corner): Hold Everything container store is in an orange brick building c. 1930, part of developer Henry Mandel's Chelsea Corners project that aimed to create a white-collar neighborhood along 7th Avenue; hampered by the Depression, only four of a planned 17 buildings were completed.

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Corner (150 W 17th): Rubin Museum of Art, opened in 2004, specializes in Himalayan Art.

Loehmann's

101 (corner): Bronx-based discounter's Chelsea outlet. Used to be Barney's, legendary clothing store noted for outre window displays. Now on Madison Avenue. The building was part of the Chelsea Corners project.

West:

Corner: J's Pizza is in another Chelsea Corners building.

94: A&H, newsstand featuring many foreign papers

92: Was Basics Furniture

88: Raymond's Cafe

86: Old Chelsea Wine & Liquors

78 (corner): Spot pet supplies; TAH Poozie has some amazing toys.

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Corner: Was Thomasville Home Furnishings

79-89: Jensen Lewis, funky furniture store. This was the address of Street & Smith, publishers of Astounding Stories, the classic science fiction pulp edited by John W. Campbell, who discovered such writers as Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov and A.E. Van Vogt. Astounding-- now known as Analog--also published L. Ron Hubbard's first Dianetics material in 1950.

West:

72: Chelsea Gallery Restaurant (diner) is in c. 1930 building, part of Henry Mandel's Chelsea Corners project.

62: The Pizza Shop, formerly Primetime Pizza, in the 1970s and '80s was The Barbary Coast, which provided "a bit of gay Frisco."

Corner (201 W 14th): Newha Grocery & Flowers

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Vermeer Apartments

77 (block): This 1964 building has a reproduction of a Vermeer in the lobby. Westside Market on the ground floor.

West:

Corner (200 W 14th): Was Bagelry, which Chowhound rated as the best bagels in New York City--which is to say, the world.

56: Emack & Bolio's, Boston-based ice cream/juice bar chain

Corner (201 W 13th): Metropolitan-Duane United Methodist Church, an inclusive, gay-friendly church.

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Corner (154-160 W 14th): Beautiful 1913 building by Herman Lee Meader that foreshadowed Art Deco.

51: Village Senior Information Center

41 (corner): Cambridge Apartments. The artist Stuart Davis used to have a studio on this site.

West:

O’Toole Medical Services Building

36: Built in 1964 for the National Maritime Union of America; note portholes. Or are they waves? Now part of St. Vincent’s.

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37: Galileo gifts

37A: Reserva Dominicana Cigars

31: Express Cafe

25: Jessie's Gourmet Deli

21 (corner): Mayfair Chemists

West:

St Vincent's Material Handling Center

This triangular block was the site of Loew's Sheridan, where writer Ruth McKenney and her sister Eileen would go to from their apartment when they wanted privacy. (It was painted by Edward Hopper, a regular filmgoer here.) Later a garden, the Village Green.

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St Vincent's Hospital

Poet Edna St. Vincent Millay was given her middle name because her uncle's life was saved here. Poet Kahlil Gibran died here in 1931. And poet Dylan Thomas died here in 1953.

Survivors of the 1912 Titanic disaster were taken here for treatment. This was the main hospital used for treating victims of the September 11 World Trade Center attack in 2001; unfortunately, there were far few survivors needing medical care than they anticipated.

West:

Corner: Two Boots To Go West; the West Village outpost of the East Village cajun pizza joint. (Italy and Louisiana are the ''boots.'')

East:

Corner (70 Greenwich Ave): West Village Florist is on the tip of this block askew to 7th Avenue.

West:

192 (corner): Fantasy World, mildly naughty sex shop

The Village Vanguard

178: Opened in 1935 by Max Gordon, this is one of the world's most important jazz clubs--a venue for greats like Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus. Live albums have been recorded here by John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon et al. In its early days, when it was booking non-jazz acts, it helped launch the careers of Harry Belafonte, Leadbelly, Eartha Kitt and many others. In 1938, Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Judy Holliday worked here together as The Revuers, with Leonard Bernstein on piano--hence the Vanguard's appearance as the "Village Vortex" in Comden, Green and Bernstein's musical Wonderful Town.

Rivoli Pizza is on the ground floor.

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Mulry Square

Corner: This triangular parking lot was formerly the site of a wedge-shaped diner that is said to have been the inspiration for Edward Hopper's painting Nighthawks. The diner's tiling can still be seen on the one remaining wall. The parking lot's fencing supports Tiles for America, a September 11 memorial consisting of some 6,000 tiles created across the country. There's a proposal to turn Mulry Square into a small park.

173: Empire Szechuan, worth a visit for the menus alone.

West:

166 (corner): Castle Wine & Spirits is in a corner building with a turret.

156: Pleasure Chest, friendly, elegant sex shop. Where Carrie and co. bought "The Rabbit" on Sex and the City.

152: Obento Delight

150: The Khazana, gifts

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Corner (12 Perry)

WAVERLY PL     E ===>

McCarthy Square

Honors Private Bernard Joseph McCarthy, who died at Guadalcanal--believed to be the first Villager to die in World War II. The flagpole is from the World's Fair in Queens.

West:

144 (corner): Charles Food

142: Was First and Second Cousin, new and used children's clothes

140: In the early 1970s, this was Danny's, a gay bar where the "Dog Day Afternoon" bank robbery was supposedly plotted. Then it was Page 3, a popular lesbian nightclub that introduced falsetto singer Tiny Tim. Later Woody’s, then Nikkta. Now Agave, featuring a large tequila selection.

134: Caffe Rafaella, loungey Italian

Corner (181 W 10th): 181 West jazz bar was the Psychic Cafe

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143: O Mistress Mine, vintage clothing and collectibles, was here since 1969 but recently moved to the East Village.

133: Edelweiss Bar & Night Club was Chateau and before that the too-hip Moomba.

Tanti Baci is a tucked-away cafe.

131: Pizza Villa

West:

Block (225 W. 4th): Riviera Cafe & Sports Bar used to be a hipster hangout; Lou Reed kicked John Cale out of the Velvet Underground here.

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117 (corner): Gourmet Garage is part of a mini-chain of upscale groceries. NY Sports Clubs above. Night Gallery Cafe was here.

113: Stonewall Bistro, a restaurant annex of the historic gay bar.

Corner (61 Christopher): Was Village Voice offices. Now The Duplex, long-running cabaret where Barbra Streisand and Woody Allen used to perform.

West:

Village Cigars

110 (corner): A neighborhood landmark; it's what the main character in Next Stop, Greenwich Village sees when he gets out of the subway for the first time.

James Woods’ character has his law office in this building in True Believer.

There's a plaque on the sidewalk here that says "Property of the Hess Estate Which Has Never Been Dedicated for Public Purpose." According to the website Forgotten NY, it is the last remnant of Christopher Street's Voorhis House, owned by one David Hess, who was able to keep just this tiny corner from being condemned by the city for the construction of 7th Avenue South. Actually, though, the phrasing seems to be a standard disclaimer for reserving the right to remove loiterers and the like; there's a similar plaque at 1st Avenue and 14th Street.

Corner (61 Grove): Hakata Tonton, Japanese that specializes in pigs' feet. Its predecessor, Taka, used to serve grasshoppers. In the 1950s was Il Nib--Italian for "The Nest" --noted for its espresso. Also Grove Pharmacy.

In 1947, Anthony Hintz, hiring boss for Pier 51, was shot outside his third floor apartment here. Hintz lived long enough to finger the shooter: John "Cockeye" Dunn, the corrupt union boss who controlled the piers--except Hintz's. Dunn and an accomplice were executed; the case inspired the movie On the Waterfront.

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This traffic island features the subway station that provides the title for Next Stop, Greenwich Village.

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100: Actors Playhouse; Frascatis Restaurant

92: Cafe Milou

84: Ja

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101 (corner): Nuts and Bolts was Duchess, lesbian bar that was closed in 1980 after it refused to serve to liquor inspectors who said, "Come on, girlie, give us a drink."

99: Garage Restaurant, noted for jazz brunches, was Nut Club speakeasy; later Sheridan Square Playhouse and Circle Repertory Theater.

95: Pennyfeathers Cafe

91: Jekyll and Hyde, audioanimatronic kitsch restaurant. Was The Limelight, upscale coffeehouse described in 1966 as "central casting for the Village."

87: Sushi Samba Seven, trendy raw fish joint; Samantha takes a date here on Sex and the City. Above is the Roof Top Cafe.

On the sidewalk in front of Sushi Samba is a small volcano, long extinct, built over a steam-pipe leak in 1982 (when the restaurant was Buffalo Roadhouse).

West:

Corner (296 Bleecker):

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69 (corner): Bleecker Street Pizza, Tuscan thin-crust

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74 (corner): Centro Vinoteca, run by Anne Burrell, Mario Batali's sidekick on Iron Chef.

W <===     COMMERCE ST

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Corner (284 Bleecker): Caliente Cab Co., long-standing kitschy Mexican

Corner (13 Morton):

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28: Movida was Club Neva

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22: Nowbar was Milk Bar

66 Leroy: Hudson Park Branch (NYPL) first opened in 1906; poet Marianne Moore worked here from 1921-25.

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21: Luke + Leroy was Crazy Nanny’s, storied lesbian bar

7: Hadom, Israeli vegetarian

West:

225: Brothers BBQ, Getting Hungry deli are on the ground floor of Metropolitan Center, home to SUNY's Empire State College. (Not to be confused with Empire State University, Peter Parker's alma mater.) The deli features a four-ton lion hand-carved from teak in Brazil.

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DOWNING ST       ===>

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201 (block): Designed by Albert Buchman and Eli Jacques Kahn, this was built in 1929 as the United States Appraisers' Stores Building, a federal building that warehoused goods seized by the Customs Bureau. During World War II, the building was reportedly used for secret atomic experiments. The Atomic Energy Commission moved offices to the building in 1959.

The building houses an INS detention center, used to hold what would be called "political prisoners" if they were in another country. After September 11, it is believed to have held numerous "special guests"--though the point of a secret jail like this one is that one doesn't know who or how many. As commentator John Bloom wrote, "I've seen buildings like this in other countries--in Moscow, in Istanbul, in Mexico City--but I had never before seen an unmarked urban detention center in the U.S."

Also in the building is the Environmental Measurements Laboratory, which is the government's main radiation-testing lab. It helped monitor the environmental consequences of September 11. It's now part of the Department of Homeland Security.

Other offices in the building include Manhattan's main passport office, a branch of the National Archives and the local office of Rep. Jerry Nadler.

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S.O.B.s

204 (corner): The name means "Sounds of Brazil," but all manner of world music can be heard here as well. Opened 1982.

West: