A night at Banana Leaf Sri Lankan and South Asian Cuisine, Chelsea, NYC

We had the pleasure of dining at Banana Leaf Restaurant in Chelsea with our friends Robert Brenner and his wife, Johanna Climenko. They are wonderful people and are both active in helping preserve the many places that make NYC unique. They told us that this authentic Sri Lankan restaurant (the only one located in Manhattan) was being forced to relocate because the gas in the building they are located in, has been turned off due to a leak for almost one year, with no resolution in place by the landlord. The chef Raj Perera, was born in Sri Lanka and operated his own restaurant before following his dreams and moving to the United States with his family and opening Banana Leaf. With so many mom-and-pop restaurants closing recently due to gas problems and rent increases, we were delighted to help support this one by dining there and taking photos of our meal. For the main course, we had a Seafood Lampri, which is served inside a banana leaf and is filled with specially cooked saffron rice mixed with seafood and a fish cutlet along with cashew curry, eggplant moju, seeni sambol, ash plaintains and a boiled egg. We also had the Fish Ambul Thial, which is tuna fish cooked in a slow fire with goraka (garcinia cambogia), garlic & black pepper, accompanied by saffron rice and vegetable curries. For an appetizer, we all shared Hoppers, wafer-thin bowl-shaped pancakes made with rice flour and coconut milk and served with katta sambol. Thankfully, this amazing restaurant will be moving to East 6th Street near First Avenue in the near future, but for now (until the end of November) try to visit their Chelsea locale at 227 West 28th Street (between 7th & 8th Aves).
http://www.bananaleafnewyork.com/bananaleaf/index.html

Nice write up including our before/after ‪‎storefront‬ photos at the annual MAS SUMMIT 2015‬ via The Huffington Post's Robert Brenner

"... heartbreaking before-and-after photos by James and Karla Murray of unique Mom-and-Pop shops, some of them dating back generations, replaced by soulless chains or just left standing empty by greedy landlords. (James and Karla Murray will be appearing at Rizzoli Books on Nov. 23rd to sign and talk about their new book, Store Front II: A History Preserved: The Disappearing Face of New York)."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-brenner/mas-summit-2015-the-city-_b_8391304.html

Sunset, last night, East Village, NYC

Hudson, Washington Square Park, earlier.

Queen Ristorante, Brooklyn Heights

Queen Ristorante is a second-generation family-owned Italian #restaurant, which was founded in 1958. It is located on Court Street in Brooklyn Heights and although its #storefront has been modernized, it still has its original #vintage #neonsign. Vincent Vitiello, the 2nd generation co-owner told us, "My brother and I would come in to "help" when we were very young. We thought it was fun to go into the kitchen and put on an apron that would touch our feet because we were so small." Photo and full interview appear in our book "New York Nights".

Mel, owner, East Village Pizza and Kebabs in front of his store's Halloween window paintings.

The pizza place decorates the windows for different holidays and has been open for nearly 20 years. Mel told us, "We hire a group of local artists to make it look nice. The work this year is done by "Paint The Town". From their website: "Paint The Town has been making NYC a more colorful place since 2007. A one-stop shop for all your painting and graphic needs, we're comprised of talented local artists who take pride in exceeding your expectations."

STORE FRONT II - A History Preserved: The Disappearing Face of New York Enjoy an Evening with Village locals James and Karla Murray to celebrate the release of their latest book, Store Front II, at the Strand Bookstore's Rare Book Room.

The Murrays, who live nearby, will present a slideshow of photos of their favorite local spots handpicked from their collection, followed by an open Q & A session with the authors. At Strand Bookstore 3rd Floor Rare Book Room 828 Broadway (& 12th Street) New York, NY 10003 November 16th, 7:30 to 8:30 pm Call (212)473-1452 or visit http://www.strandbooks.com/event/store-front-2 
Buy a copy of Store Front II or a $20 gift card in order to attend this event. Please note that payment is required for all online event orders at the time of checkout. The event will be located in the Strand's 3rd floor Rare Book Room at our store at 828 Broadway at 12th Street. "James and Karla Murray have been capturing impeccably accurate photographs of New York City since the 1990s. In the course of their travels throughout the city’s boroughs they’ve also taken great care to document the stories behind the scenery. The Murrays have rendered the out of the way bodegas, candy shops and record stores just as faithfully as the historically important institutions and well known restaurants, bars and cafes. From the Stonewall Inn to Sammy's Roumanian Steak House and Veselka to the Florence Prime Meat Market, the Murrays reveal how New York’s beleaguered mom & pop business stand in sharp contrast to the city’s rapidly evolving corporate facade."  348 Pages Hardcover 13 1/4" x 12" $65

Sunset, East River, NYC

STORE FRONT II - A History Preserved: The Disappearing Face of New York Enjoy an Evening with Village locals James and Karla Murray to celebrate the release of their latest book, Store Front II, at the Strand Bookstore's Rare Book Room.

The Murrays, who live nearby, will present a slideshow of photos of their favorite local spots handpicked from their collection, followed by an open Q & A session with the authors.

At Strand Bookstore 3rd Floor Rare Book Room 828 Broadway (& 12th Street) New York, NY 10003 November 16th, 7:30 to 8:30 pm Call (212)473-1452 or visit http://www.strandbooks.com/event/store-front-2
Buy a copy of Store Front II or a $20 gift card in order to attend this event. Please note that payment is required for all online event orders at the time of checkout. The event will be located in the Strand's 3rd floor Rare Book Room at our store at 828 Broadway at 12th Street.

"James and Karla Murray have been capturing impeccably accurate photographs of New York City since the 1990s. In the course of their travels throughout the city’s boroughs they’ve also taken great care to document the stories behind the scenery. The Murrays have rendered the out of the way bodegas, candy shops and record stores just as faithfully as the historically important institutions and well known restaurants, bars and cafes. From the Stonewall Inn to Sammy's Roumanian Steak House and Veselka to the Florence Prime Meat Market, the Murrays reveal how New York’s beleaguered mom & pop business stand in sharp contrast to the city’s rapidly evolving corporate facade."
348 Pages Hardcover 13 1/4" x 12" $65

The 25th Annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade

‪#‎howloween‬

Penelope Pearl & Pacu, Winner, Grand Prize

Zuzu Swag

Portia & Rosie

Marley, One of 3 Little Piggies with the Big Bad Wolf

The scene at Horus Cafe on Avenue A

Autumn, Harlem, NYC

Black Seed Bagels in the East Village

Black Seed Bagels in the East Village just recently opened in the old DeRobertis Pasticceria ‪#‎storefront‬. Black Seed specializes in an atypical ‪#‎bagel‬ for New York in that it "unites a love of traditional bagel baking with artisanal ingredients, combining the best of Montreal and New York styles". The ‪#‎bagels‬ are rolled by hand and boiled in honey water and then baked in a wood-fired oven for crispness. After the bagels are lightly browned they are tossed into a marble chute for cooling using hand-carved walnut peels. We are happy that these owners preserved much of the DeRobertis old shop including its wonderful ‪#‎vintage‬ ‪#‎neonsign‬ and the store's original tiled floor, mirrored back wall and tin ceiling. Although we morn the loss of DeRobertis Pasticceria which was in business from 1904-2014, we are happy that a ‪#‎momandpop‬ establishment had taken its space and lovingly renovated it.

Today at The Times Center: Municipal Art Society of New York 2015 Summit 2nd Avenue Deli 2005 vs 2014

‪#‎SaveNYC‬: Preserving the Fabric of New York City's Vanishing Streetscape
Words Jeremiah Moss - Photography James & Karla Murray
‪#‎mas_nyc‬ Municipal Art Society of New York ‪#‎summitnyc‬

Today at The Times Center: Municipal Art Society of New York 2015 Summit

‪#‎SaveNYC‬: Preserving the Fabric of New York City's Vanishing Streetscape
Words Jeremiah Moss - Photography James & Karla Murray
‪#‎mas_nyc‬ Municipal Art Society of New York
Thursday, October 22 • 11:05am
The Times Center
242 West 41st Street New York, NY 10036

Subway A, C, E, N, Q, R, 1, 2, 3, 7, S to 42nd St-Times Square Bus M7, M11, M16, M20, M42, and M104 buses all stop within 4 blocks of TheTimesCenter. Port Authority bus terminal is located just one block away from The TimesCenter

Below: Bleecker Street 2001 - 2014 Greenwich Village, NYC

Tomorrow at The Times Center: Municipal Art Society of New York 2015 Summit

‪#‎SaveNYC‬: Preserving the Fabric of New York City's Vanishing Streetscape

Words Jeremiah Moss - Photography James & Karla Murray

Thursday, October 22 • 11:05am

The Times Center
242 West 41st Street New York, NY 10036

Subway A, C, E, N, Q, R, 1, 2, 3, 7, S to 42nd St-Times Square  Bus M7, M11, M16, M20, M42, and M104 buses all stop within 4 blocks of TheTimesCenter. Port Authority bus terminal is located just one block away from The TimesCenter.

Allied Hardware in the East Village is closing soon after 33 years in business.

The owners Alex and Jovita will be forced to close because the rent on their small ‪#‎storefront‬ was raised by their new landlord to the ridiculously high amount of $26,000 a month. We loved this ‪#‎hardware‬ store's ‪#‎vintage‬ ‪#‎sign‬ and the oversize ‪#‎hammer‬ hanging in the window. They are selling the entire contents of their ‪#‎store‬ but sadly we didn't get there quick enough to buy the hammer or the old brown paper dispenser they had in which they wrapped up sharp items.

Join Rizzoli Bookstore and the New York Preservation Center for an evening with photographers James and Karla Murray and Karen Loew of Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation for an evening honoring old New York and the publication of STORE FRONT II.

November 23, 2015 5:30 PM
More info: http://www.rizzolibookstore.com/news/store-front-ii-booksinging-and-conversation-photographers-james-and-karla-murray-and-karen-loew

Parkside Lounge, Lower East Side, NYC

Parkside Lounge in the Lower East Side has been in business since 1956. Before it was a #bar it operates as an icehouse. The bartender, Tom told us that "there even was a tunnel downstairs that used to run all the way to the river so that ice from the river could easily be transported into the house. We love the #vintage #neon #signage which you can see all the way down Houston Street. Photo and full interview appear in our book "New York Nights". #storefront #neonsign #neongeeks #signgeeks #type #typography

The Peace Fountain, NYC

Russ & Daughters Cafe in the #lowereastside NYC

Russ & Daughters Cafe on Orchard Street in the #lowereastside was opened by the fourth-generation owners of the famous Russ & Daughters Appetizing Store, Niki Russ Federman and Joshua Tupper. The cafe serves their iconic smoked #fish, pickled herring, latkes, and #caviar along with egg sandwiches, soup and even egg creams. We love how they reproduced their iconic #neon #signage from their appetizing store on Houston Street to tie the 2 places together. Now there is a place to sit down and have #bagels and #lox instead of just carrying them outside. #storefront

M&G Diner sign inside Streetbird Rotisserie, ‪Harlem‬ NYC

We stopped by Streetbird Rotisserie, the new ‪#‎Harlem‬ restaurant by chef Marcus Samuelsson, @marcuscooks which specializes in rotisserie ‪#‎chicken‬ and global street food. The food was delicious and we absolutely loved the ‪#‎vintage‬ ‪#‎neonsign‬ they had displayed inside the restaurant which we instantly recognized as once being on the facade of the famous, M&G Diner on 125th Street. We were big fans of this ‪#‎signage‬ with its interesting ‪#‎font‬ that also said "Southern Fried Chicken". The complete sign on M&G Diner can be seen in our feed and appears in our book "Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York". We are glad that at least part of the ‪#‎neon‬ ‪#‎sign‬ was salvaged and repurposed as so many of the large signs we have photographed over the years, have ended up in the dump.

Upcoming STORE FRONT and STORE FRONT II Events:

 -Support for the independents continues with our Book Release Event , Signing and Discussion at STRAND BOOK STORE STORE FRONT II : A History Preserved at STRAND! Acclaimed NYC photographers James and Karla Murray continue their dive into the history and the ever-changing face of the city with Store Front II. November 16: 7:30PM – 8:30PM in the Rare Book Room. Check back soon for ticket information.
http://www.strandbooks.com/event/store-front-2

-We have put together a NEW Walking Tour to celebrate the release of STORE FRONT II and continued support of the city's small businesses! New! -- STOREFRONT: A History Preserved in Greenwich Village Sunday, November 15 12:00 PM On this new tour with authors and photographers James and Karla Murray, we will visit some of the remarkable mom and pop storefronts documented in their latest publication, "Store Front II - A History Preserved" as well as visit historic locations from their other books "Store Front - The Disappearing Face of New York" and "New York Nights". We will stop in some culinary specialty stores and visit iconic performance and music venues and shops and we'll also remember and discuss those storefronts that have disappeared from the Village. Cost: $30 / $20 Members  Notes: Please purchase tickets online or call (212) 935-2075, Monday-Friday 9-5. Meeting locations are provided after tickets are purchased. All tours proceed rain or shine.

https://secure3.convio.net/masnyc/site/Ecommerce/37453082?VIEW_PRODUCT=true&product_id=5489&store_id=1221

Autumn Morning in Harlem NYC... earlier with Duke Ellington.

Pearl Paint, SoHo, NYC. Closed.

Pearl Paint opened its flagship store on Canal Street in NYC in 1933. It closed in April, 2014 after its 11.850 square foot building was listed for sale for $15 million dollars. Pearl Paint was very significant to New York artists because its location at the edge of SoHo helped to foster the area's transition from industrial warehouses to a vibrant artist community in the 1960s and 1970s. When SoHo became gentrified in the 1980s, forcing many artists to leave, Peal Paint remained and artists continued to get their fine art supplies at the store.

Cafe Pick Me Up, East Village, NYC. Closed.

Café Pick Me Up on Avenue A in the East Village closed in May 2015 after 20 years in business. It was reported that the landlord wanted to raise the coffee shop's rent from $6,000 a month to $15,000 a month and that property taxes the business had to pay (totaling $30,000 in 2014) also increased, forcing the business to close.
More on EV Grieve: http://evgrieve.com/2015/05/cafe-pick-me-up-closes-sunday-night.html ‪

Auggie's Coffee in the South Village or what is now known as SoHo from our upcoming book "Store Front II: A History a Preserved"

Today we are posting another preview photo from our upcoming book "Store Front II: A History a Preserved" which is due in stores by mid-November. Auggie's Coffee in the South Village or what is now known as SoHo is no longer in business. Peter Longo, the owner of Porto Rico Coffee and Tea took over this ‪#‎vintage‬ ‪#‎coffee‬ and ‪#‎espresso‬ shop but was forced to close it a few years ago when his lease expired and rent was increased. We loved its classic ‪#‎signage‬ complete with old phone exchange "W06" which you rarely find these days. ‪#‎storefront‬ ‪#‎disappearingfaceofnewyork‬ ‪#‎font‬ ‪#‎typography‬

STORE FRONT II - A HISTORY PRESERVED Named by Publishers Weekly as one of the 35 "Big Indie Books of Fall" FALL 2015 "James and Karla Murray have been capturing impeccably accurate photographs of New York City since the 1990s. In the course of their travels throughout the city’s boroughs they’ve also taken great care to document the stories behind the scenery. The Murrays have rendered the out of the way bodegas, candy shops and record stores just as faithfully as the historically important institutions and well known restaurants, bars and cafes. From the Stonewall Inn to the Brownsville Bike Shop and The Pink Pussycat to Smith and Wolensky, the Murrays reveal how New York’s beleaguered mom & pop business stand in sharp contrast to the city’s rapidly evolving corporate facade." 348 Pages Hardcover 13 1/4" x 12" $65

New! -- STOREFRONT: A History Preserved in Greenwich Village Sunday, November 15 12:00 PM

On this new tour with authors and photographers James and Karla Murray, we will visit some of the remarkable mom and pop storefronts documented in their latest publication, "Store Front II - A History Preserved" as well as visit historic locations from their other books "Store Front - The Disappearing Face of New York" and "New York Nights". We will stop in some culinary specialty stores and visit iconic performance and music venues and shops and we'll also remember and discuss those storefronts that have disappeared from the Village.
Cost: $30 / $20 Members
Notes: Please purchase tickets online or call (212) 935-2075, Monday-Friday 9-5. Meeting locations are provided after tickets are purchased.
All tours proceed rain or shine.
https://secure3.convio.net/masnyc/site/Ecommerce/37453082?VIEW_PRODUCT=true&product_id=5489&store_id=1221

Father of Nicholas Figueroa, East Village earlier.

Mr. Figueroa placed a Statue of Mary and a keepsake box at the memorial for his son at 121 Second Avenue in the East Village, the site of the gas explosion and fire which killed his son. We helped him by passing materials through the fence. We were heartbroken as we spoke with Nicholas' mother who told us that she was glad that we were documenting the moment as she didn't want anyone to forget the tragedy. Their emotions of anger and loss are still understandably very raw and intense. She told us to this date, that no charges have yet been filed in her son's death.

"#SaveNYC: Preserving the Fabric of New York City's Vanishing Streetscape" presented at the 2015 MAS Summit Meeting

"#SaveNYC: Preserving the Fabric of New York City's Vanishing Streetscape" presented at the 2015 MAS Summit Meeting
Thursday, October 22 • 11:00am
Words by Jeremiah Moss - Photography by James and Karla Murray
Jeremiah Moss, Vanishing New York blogger and founder of #SaveNYC, will narrate a pre-recorded piece about the recent history of New York City, suggesting a death by hyper-gentrification via the loss of key small businesses and cultural touchstones. Alongside startling before-and-after streetscape photographs by James and Karla Murray, Moss will make a case for halting what is happening to the city and then outline how it can be saved. http://2015massummitfornewyorkcity.sched.org/event/4b80b6d5272908d3aa72ae156710c747?iframe=yes&w&sidebar=no&bg=no#?iframe=yes&w=i:0;&sidebar=no&bg=no

C&N Everything Store in the Morrisania neighborhood of the ‪#‎Bronx‬ was founded by Cobert and Novil Seward in 1956.

This amazing ‪#‎store‬ which sadly is no longer in business literally sold everything but the kitchen sink. When we interviews the owner Novil in 2003 she told us that they "sell everything from candy to pipe-fittings". The narrow aisles were packed with so much merchandise that we had to turn sideways to make our way through them. There were even items hanging from the ceiling! We will miss this great ‪#‎storefront‬ with its ‪#‎handpainted‬ ‪#‎sign‬. This photo and full interview appear in our book "Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York".

Papaya King on Seventh Avenue and West 14th Street was in business until 2009.

The original Papaya King location on the Upper East Side was founded in 1932 by Constantine Poulos. Constantine "Gus" Poulos created Papaya King after falling in love with a papaya drink while on vacation in Cuba. The Poulos family operated the business for 68 years before it was sold to investors but the Original location on 86th and 3rd Avenue is still open (although it was remodeled in 2010. We loved this #neon #signage which was a replica of the original location's #neonsign which was installed in the 1960s.A night version and full interview appears in our book NEW YORK NIGHTS.

Ben Freedman Gent's Furninshing, Lower East Side, NYC

"A Tradition on Orchard St. Since 1927"

Hudson getting blessed.

St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery annual Blessing of the Animals, East Village, earlier...

Wash & Dry in Brooklyn

We love this ‪#‎handpainted‬ ‪#‎sign‬ complete with Disney-esque Mickey Mouse characters.

STORE FRONT II - A HISTORY PRESERVED: Advanced Copy arrives!

"James and Karla Murray have been capturing impeccably accurate photographs of New York City since the 1990s. In the course of their travels throughout the city’s boroughs they’ve also taken great care to document the stories behind the scenery. The Murrays have rendered the out of the way bodegas, candy shops and record stores just as faithfully as the historically important institutions and well known restaurants, bars and cafes. From the Stonewall Inn to the Brownsville Bike Shop and The Pink Pussycat to Smith and Wolensky, the Murrays reveal how New York’s beleaguered mom & pop business stand in sharp contrast to the city’s rapidly evolving corporate facade."

348 Pages Hardcover 13 1/4" x 12" $65  November 2015

View from what was previously known as the Witmark Building, NYC

Bob Dylan recorded his Witmark Demos on the 5th floor...

insomnia, under nyc, earler