Coney Island Hot Dogs

Last Saturday night, Empire State Building, NYC.

From 9 pm to midnight some of the world's most #endangered species were projected onto the huge canvas of the #EmpireStateBuilding by the #oceanicpreservationsociety #Racingextinction #projectingchange.

LEMUR earlier, Empire State Building, NYC

From 9 pm to midnight some of the world's most ‪#‎endangered‬ species were projected onto the huge canvas of the ‪#‎EmpireStateBuilding‬ by the‪ #‎oceanicpreservationsociety‬. Lemurs are prosimian primates which are on the brink of extinction due to habitat loss. There are 100 plus species of ‪#‎lemurs‬ and all live on the island of Madagascar. ‪#‎lemur‬ ‪#‎Racingextinction ‬‪#‎Madagascar‬ #lemur ‪#‎KingJulius‬

Empire State Building, Water Towers, NYC.

5th Ave Cigarette Store in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn is no longer in business.

We loved this #vintage #sign but figured one of the reasons for the store's demise was the fact that New York has the highest #cigarette tax in the country and New York City taxes are even higher. These high cigarette taxes which significantly raised the price on a pack has helped decrease the smoking rate especially among young people, which is a good thing. In 1997, the average price in NYC for a pack of cigarettes was $2.10 and now, less than 20 years later the average price is between $12 to $14.

Today, in honor of National Cheesecake Day we are posting our photo of Junior's in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

Junior's is a family-owned restaurant that was opened in 1950 by Harry Rosen. It is known for its world-famous #cheesecake as well as its large portions and reasonably priced sandwiches. During the holidays there are lines out the door and down the block for people to buy their cheesecakes. We absolutely love their #cherry topped cheesecake which has graham cracker crust. Cheesecake in 1950 was the most ordered out-of-home #dessert and it still is today! Photo and full interview with the long-time manager of Junior's appears in our book "New York Nights".

Gino's at Lexington Avenue near 60th Street on the Upper East Side was opened in 1945 by Gino Circiello.

Gino's specialized in moderately priced #Italian #food and was known for its tomato-red wallpaper printed with 314 leaping zebras. Ed Sullivan and Frank Sinatra often dined at Gino's aka Gino of Capri. Gino passed away in 2001 at age 89 and his long-time waiter, Salvatore Doria, took ownership of the restaurant along with the chef, Michele Miele. Sadly, they were forced to close the #restaurant in 2010 when their rent was increased by $8,000 a month to over $30,000 and health-care costs of their employees also increased. A cupcake cafe took its place.