The end of an era. The Tribeca of old- well, really the last vestiges of the old Washington Market- will be no more. I'll miss the smells of Fenugreek and other "exotic" spices, the sight of seeds spilled onto the sidewalk only to be eaten by pigeons, or other scavengers... The wholesale food import & export business will be officially dead here, replaced by the coffee bar and double wide stroller. R. I. P. — Robert Ripps on Goodbye, Spicy Scents

Someday, a couple of hundred years from now, we will all be judged hideous monsters based on the things we do that we consider normal and proper. So it makes perfect sense to look back and judge our heroes of the past by today's standards. — IJM on In the News: Miami Beach Italian Restaurant to Open Here

No, we should not honor nazis with plaques. No one is erasing the past. We are merely eliminating the unfortunate awards that were granted to these bastards. — Chris DeMichelle on In the News: Miami Beach Italian Restaurant to Open Here

Thanks! — Huck's Mom on The Shopdogs of Tribeca (Vol. 9)

Miss Bell Bates (both old and new). The old was a remarkably cramped store that did, in fact, smell intriguing. The new location on Reade Street had much more floor space, and a modestly better selection of items I wanted. But they probably over expanded. Whole Foods was likely the competition that did them in. Willner Chemists on Broadway & Murray Street shrunk in size, then closed up completely. So there went the two major sources of vitamin & herbal supplements in this area of Tribeca. — GBD on Goodbye, Spicy Scents

I started working in the area almost 27 years ago. I would take long walks at lunchtime every day - it was such an interesting area! But now, there's no where to go and nothing to see. Very sad. — M. Keegan on Goodbye, Spicy Scents

And Bell Bates (when it was on West Broadway) when they were repackaging spices into retail sizes would smell delicious or not so delicious, depending on what they had open at the time. — N on Goodbye, Spicy Scents

I too experienced the empty shelves at Whole Foods throughout December and early January, though it does seem like things are better stocked lately. Came across this article that details why this has been a problem at Whole Foods stores across the country and employees are saying it began before the Amazon acquisition and is related to a new buying system. http://www.businessinsider.com/whole-foods-employees-reveal-why-stores-are-facing-a-crisis-of-food-shortages-2018-1 On a side note, I am not one to only shop organic but like many of the commenters was shocked to see the Dylan's candy as well! — Lisa on Seen & Heard: Disarray at Whole Foods

I remember Dave's! If not open 24 hours it was open quite late and was a place to stop at the sidewalk counter for ice cream on your way home . . . — George Bacon on Seen & Heard: The Days of Egg Creams and Knishes

The McDowells -- a fascinating story but what has it to do with 141 West Broadway? Was it the site of the Foghorn Tavern? And why does anyone know why the third floor windows have those animal faces? I remember when it was a kind of pet shop specializing in birds (Treflich's was it?) — George Bacon on Even More True Tales of Tribeca Buildings

The last one. What a pity. When I moved to this neighborhood, the smell of spices at Transit Trading blended with the smell of nuts roasting at Bazzini's. — Bruce Ehrmann on Goodbye, Spicy Scents

"For Grace, the Golden Globes brought the events back to the forefront of her mind. 'It was actually painful to watch him win and accept an award,' she said. 'And absolutely cringeworthy that he was wearing the Time’s Up pin. I think that started a new fire, and it kind of made it more real.'" — James on In the News: Explore Lower Manhattan in the 1990s

I love Daytonian in Manhattan and look forward to each new post. always informative and fascinating! — MADELINE LANCIANI on Even More True Tales of Tribeca Buildings

Why would this young woman want to put out the details of an uninspired date into the public realm? Muddy the waters of a very unique time in the history of exposing sexual predators. We got them scared and then this mediocre drivel. Good lord girl the two of you didn’t click. He was an over-anxious horn dog who sounds like a lousy kisser. I get it. Been there done that but you are airing the finer points of a crummy date for all to read. Why? You were upset ok but process it with your girl and boy friends and call it a day. You don’t think you are a victim do you? Man up girl and hail your own cab. — TG on In the News: Explore Lower Manhattan in the 1990s

What looks like Varick Street was extended to Leonard Street in 1918, but is actually called West Broadway. The addresses 1 and 2 Varick Street belong to buildings on the north side of Franklin Street. According to DOB records the 1-story building at 198 was built in 1932 (under new building application NB 54 of 1932) and used for "brake service testing". It was listed as both 198 W. Broadway and (curiously) 198 Finn Square on CofO 18689. Per LPC: "This one-story, twenty-seven foot wide commercial building is located near the middle of the block between Leonard and Franklin Streets. Designed by Emil Guterman, a Brooklyn Heights architect, it was erected in 1932 for James Hopkins and served as the automobile repair shop of lessee William Pomerantz of Brooklyn. "This lot received its present configuration when Varick Street was extended southward, eliminating part of the block. Soon thereafter, in 1921, a three-story building used for storage and offices was erected. It was replaced in 1926 by a filling station, which in turn was replaced by the present building. All that remains of the structure's original appearance is its footprint and stepped parapet. The current tenant is the Ideal Trading Company, importers and exporters of seeds, spices, and agricultural products. " — James on Goodbye, Spicy Scents

I wanted to attend the lecture but there's no way I can sit still and listen for a whole hour! — Randy on Seen & Heard: Art of the Resistance

We should better teach about history and why a particular monument was erected IMO. There seems to me to be a big difference between (i) most monuments to people who did things acceptable to some in their time but no longer, like Christopher Columbus, not meant to offend and (ii) monuments to people that were knowingly put up to be purposefully incendiary at the time they were erected, i.e., those Civil War monuments erected 100 years later to further segregation in the South. — James on In the News: Miami Beach Italian Restaurant to Open Here

We should leave old monuments alone. Erasing our past is not the way to secure our future. — BF on In the News: Miami Beach Italian Restaurant to Open Here

re: unrolled coins I tried the “ask your” bank approach at TD Bank (Greenwich & Chambers) and the response, after laughing, was that they’d give me the coin rolls as a courtesy (!) and I could could come back and deposit the rolled coins at my conveince. — Ben on Seen & Heard: Disarray at Whole Foods

What happened to that nice looking building next to 400 Broadway? Why and when was it demolished? It is now replaced by 3 ugly low rise building 402-406 Broadway that should be gone like yesterday! — sean on Even More True Tales of Tribeca Buildings

Made similar decision well over a year ago... Jet (walmart) > Amazon — Jeff on In the News: Enforcers of Battery Park City

Does a billionaire have no shame? Whole Foods is a shadow of its former shelf and just can't get past the Dylan's Candy being shoved in our faces. One of the perks before was relating with, and purchasing from small businesses through their tastings and presence in the stores. Why must every business enterprise with these guys be connected and fueling their own bottom line? If I want Domino's Sugar I go to Best Market. I have never been a big online purchaser but am going to stop stopping Amazon which I have been noticing for a long time now that they don't have the best prices on many items anyway - hello Wallmart! — TG on In the News: Enforcers of Battery Park City

I totally agree with Darla. It was consensual...she could have left at any time..sad (but true) any read out of a bad sexual experience is terrible. She (a 22 year old) was there because she was famous..didn't leave because he was famous..and cried in the uber on the way home because she felt bad about what had happened. In this new era of #meToo...it seems unfair for something like this to be written- pointing a finger at someone, while she remains anonymous. — Andy on In the News: Explore Lower Manhattan in the 1990s

He's more than a mere Franklin Street resident! More like Franklin Street royalty. :-) "Ansari walked her to Grand Banks, an Oyster bar onboard a historic wooden schooner on the Hudson River just a few blocks away. [...] "They walked the two blocks back to his apartment building, an exclusive address on TriBeCa’s Franklin Street, where Taylor Swift has a place too." — James on In the News: Explore Lower Manhattan in the 1990s

Egregious over- reaction by Babe. Shouldn’t even have published this. She went home with him ( a pretty big star by then) - had a cruddy consensual sexual experience with him ( boo hoo) regretted it I guess. He even texted her the next thinking they had a nice time. One year later blAbs about it - to get her day in the sun? Opportunistic and mean. Shame on HER. Shame on Babe. Thus is not what the # metoo movement is about. — Darla on In the News: Explore Lower Manhattan in the 1990s