The Odeon, near the NYS Supreme Court Matrimonial Part, gets its fair share of lawyers and their pampered divorce clients. It was, for many years, a much-frequented luncheon spot for Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, who sat at what was likely his favorite table, away from, but visible to, the lunch crowd. The designation "Cafeteria," on its north face, was somewhat confusing, since it was far from that, in every way.
"becoming a ghost town" ?!?
Who comes up with these things??
As quiet as much of Tribeca was in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, it was never anything like a ghost town.
I've lived here for over 30 years, and it has been growing and expanding every year since.
Who comes up with these things??
As quiet as much of Tribeca was in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, it was never anything like a ghost town.
I've lived here for over 30 years, and it has been growing and expanding every year since.
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This sounds like a pretty sterile development -- but then, how do you impart character and heart to a neighborhood that has never had any neighbors. I don't think Danny will do it -- he's too busy overseeing the expansion of Shake Shack. (Next? Lima? Karachi? And they're not that good! In N Out is as good!) Actually, everyone moving in here is sorta overextended. I like it, if it keeps the same players from confusing diners here in CA -- not needed here. FIDI is already a theme park, with money --
Same as why I like football: if it keeps the lemmings in one place on a Sunday, that leaves more room on the beach for me.
Same as why I like football: if it keeps the lemmings in one place on a Sunday, that leaves more room on the beach for me.
Oh, great. Our beloved Odeon filled with vocal-frying ohmigodders from Conde.
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Hudson Eats and Le District are very crowded each day, mostly with tourists who are downtown visiting the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. They seem to not care about the mall-like atmosphere. The other restaurants are seeing increased business because of the Conde Nast expense accounts. Is this really a changing "center of gravity" or simply a pocket of increased supply for increased demand? And Mr. Poulakakos is incorrect: the building above Le District is not "empty". There are several tenants still there.
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Love NY. Beware saturation as the marketing fever cools.
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I"ve never stopped patronizing The Odeon; it's a perennial favorite. Of course the editors/publishers from Conde Nast now want to take credit for "revitalizing" it and making it "cool". As a Francophile, I'm really looking forward to checking out "Le District" and see if it's just another touristic attraction or actually genuinely Gallic. Though I often think of the Wall St. area as a ghost town after 6 and on weekends, there's something very romantic and mysterious about it after hours, and I'm so happy that it's being "revivified" with more than simply tourists.
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Is there anyone who lives and/or works in NYC who still thinks that there is a square-foot of Manhattan (because, let's face it, that's what Manhattan means to all the people turning it into a playground for the rich) that isn't fair game (and a ka-ching machine) for the restaurant/hotel industry? Can anyone really argue that people are afraid to venture downtown past Chambers Street or east of the Bowery, or stay at hotels in those areas? Is there an edgy area left in this borough? I think to argue yes, particularly if you're talking about downtown, is disingenuous. These restaurants, particularly the behemoths (what was that phrase "towering palace . . . that would take up four stories of an apartment complex. . .) may fail to make it financially because they are a bridge of greed too far for the ownership, but not because patrons are afraid to walk around the mean streets of Tribeca.
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And that's a good thing, right? Why would we want areas of the city where people are afraid to walk around, stay at hotels, or eat at restaurants? Because you find graffiti to more interesting than a high end gallery?
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No, because I find it appalling that there the developers and money people set them up as saviors of the city and conveniently ignore that they are not also making room (physical and cultural) for ordinary people. And, may I say, a wall mural is not the same as defacement of property with graffiti. And yes, I sometimes prefer art on a real wall to art in a "high end gallery", a term that says quite a bit in this discussion.
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Well said, Elizabeth. The article is written in the tone of 1990 as if New Yorkers are hacking their way through the urban jungle to get to these places. They go in cars and they return in cars - point A to point B people. They wouldn't know how to get their on their own. With that kind of "pioneer" no place on the island is off-limits or edgy. I'm just waiting for the trolley service with the face of former mayors on the front grill instead of Mickey Mouse and Dumbo.
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I hope this resurgence in the downtown food scene doesn't take away the small, independent restaurants. There are far too many food moghuls and chefdoms taking over Manhattan and causing the prices of a good meal to skyrocket. Sometimes I just want to go to a small restaurant run by a local chef who takes pride in his product but isn't necessarily on the Food Network or the cover of Gourmet. We still have many of those in NYC who need our patronage. I'm devoting my blog this summer to such establishments and skipping the popular!!
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"pulverized"? Come on. This is insensitive.
Prob is, hard to get to by public transportation and there is limited parking. Will this be a hindrance in the eventing hours? I understand the restaurants being busy during the work day or well attended straight from the office. But what about people who don't work downtown? I guess there will always be the ground zero tourists.
Not sure why you would say it's hard to get to by public transportation. Most of the subways converge downtown and there is PATH train access, water taxis/ferries and the Staten Island Ferry. Express subway trains run to Grand Central and Penn Station. I can't think of a more accessible part of Manhattan in terms of public transportation.
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I live down there and have done for a decade or more. Almost every Subway line stops here, so does the Path. There are lots of useful bus lines. And for those who insist on driving a car in Manhattan, it's the confluence point of the West Side Highway and the FDR with dozens of (suitably punitively priced) parking garages. There are a lot ferries - several of which are free - and helicopters that are doubtless pretty far from free. Oh yeah, it's also completely walkable from anywhere downtown and has dozens of Citibike stations (albeit they're often emptied by the tourist hordes). It might be the most connected spot in the world.
In other words the idea that there is an absence of transportation options is only slightly less laughable than the idea that this spot just got discovered. (Not that I am complaining about the addition of lots of new dining options to an already comprehensive list.)
In other words the idea that there is an absence of transportation options is only slightly less laughable than the idea that this spot just got discovered. (Not that I am complaining about the addition of lots of new dining options to an already comprehensive list.)
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Mr Meyer. If your new location actually were in Cincinnati, you'd have no trouble getting customers. This "provincial" backwater has an adventurous restaurant scene. And a history of great dining. But then we have been a bit slow to romance the burger as you have. I intend to take a trip to NYC so I can NOT patronize any of you joints.
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Wow Buzz. I'm sure Mr. Meyer is all torn up about that.
Actually, knowing Danny I'd say that he'd be more than happy to have you, apologize for the use of Cincinnati to imply remoteness and uninterestingness, serve you a memorable meal, and change your tune entirely.
Actually, knowing Danny I'd say that he'd be more than happy to have you, apologize for the use of Cincinnati to imply remoteness and uninterestingness, serve you a memorable meal, and change your tune entirely.
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I stand ready to be comped and co-opted.
a history that unfortunately few really know about- Pigall's and Maisonette were leading the pack of classic French in the US back in the mad men days... but Cincinnati is big enough to let the ignorant references roll off like water from a duck's back...
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People are fleeing the tired shoebox restaurants and the tacky horde of pub-crawlers in the Village and rightly so. The Odeon will always be the real thing.
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Thank you for informing the uninformed. The age of independent discovery and exploration is long gone. Along with imagination. It takes decades to build neighborhoods and commerce isn't the force that vitalizes the streets and buildings, it's the people who had the foresight to try out the uncharted water.
Now the crowd finally catch on and will be descending upon the new frontier for all things to be consumed, claiming their entitled slice of the ever welcoming city, bringing with them nothing more than noise, selfisticks and unsatiable appetite for alcohol and fat, with the 1% peering down from their glassy towers and sigh, things never change, do they?
Now the crowd finally catch on and will be descending upon the new frontier for all things to be consumed, claiming their entitled slice of the ever welcoming city, bringing with them nothing more than noise, selfisticks and unsatiable appetite for alcohol and fat, with the 1% peering down from their glassy towers and sigh, things never change, do they?
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Just back from a long weekend in this part of NYC and I couldn't agree more with the food scene being top notch. Surprising the writer didn't mention Batard, the 2015 James Beard Best New Restaurant award winner.
What does Danny Meyer have against Cincinnati?
Hats off to the pioneers who stuck it out and are reaping their rewards!!
Yes we live on John street and the changes i see since 2009 are amazing.
There are still some uninformed New Yorkers who think that lower Manhattan might as well be Outer Mongolia. Hopefully this article will help them to wake up to the positive changes in the financial district.
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