| Show lights of new york by L L STEVENSON forty second street today is tar far d different dif if lerent ler e n from 0 forty second street of t the h e n not 0 t tar distant is at ant past not so long ago florenz opened his follies on the roof of the new amsterdam theater florenz is now merely a memory and his follies are producer by the Sc huberts the new amsterdam theater is still on forty second strett street near seventh avenue but instead of housing revues or dramas it is now a grind movie house hous e A block away at forty second and broadway Broad woy Is the knickerbocker building it was once the knickerbocker hotel caruso lived there as did other notables many a new yorker a bit gray about the temples now recalls the knickerbocker bar it always overflowed at cocktail hour gentlemen gathering there to imbibe before the picture of old xing king cole old timers also remember the roman gardens today there is a flea circus where the roman gardens attracted elite patronage there were several legitimate theaters on forty second street in the past today the legitimate theaters have been turned into bur 1 lesque houses the name came burlesque U is taboo in new york so what once was burlesque is a girly show the jokes are about the same and the girls who work the same long hard hours look just as tired also the same class of patronage is attracted the same or maybe replacements still stare at pictures out front or in lobbies uniformed young men usually tall chant before the doors just jiust as they have been doing through the years they go on an andon and on repeating the same phrases until it seems that they must be operated electrically or at least wound up there is one difference however strip teasers are no longer featured feature d on forty second street though they have made th their e I 1 r appearance in nightclubs night clubs panhandlers Pan handlers hard faced women furtive eyed men chiselers confidence men touts bookmakers book makers and down and bouters outers abound on forty second street especially in the long block between seventh and eighth eight avenues after nightfall thero there 14 44 noise confusion and haro hard brig bright M lights pedestrians usually mayo along slowly sion seekers are ar plentiful their th e ir destination d stin alion usually one 0 of those grind houses where urns old on broadway are shown without intermissions and sk seat may be occupied for hours for only a dime song sheets are in demand on forty second street and sellers seller of the hobo news find many customers pitchmen pitchman Pitch men also do well pushcart men are usually chased by cops but there are bootblacks boot blacka everywhere between broadway and sixth avenue ue there are no girly shows museums or grind houses 11 ther s is only ono one motion picture house in the block the stores and shops resemble those thase of broadway for my many years drakes restaurant was an essential part of the b lock block A big place it ran through to forty third street labor troubles brought an end to its career another restaurant that also ran through the block has moved overto overdo broadway the basement restaurant of bunn bros where teddy used to dish up the most delectable oyster stew in town is now also a memory though there was alime a time when more than customers were served during the luncheon period e from sixth avenue for a considerable distance on east forty second street really goes metropolitan one of the largest department stores in the city is in the block between fifth and sixth avenues also various office buildings including salmon towers going on eat east there ther are grand central the new airlines Urro terp inal Appl the commodore hotel the ahe channin chrysler lincoln and other big office buildings the street deteriorates again beyond third avenue and finally there are tenements tenement and the east river westward from ninth avenue forty second street quickly shades off into old brownstone fronts almost all 92 of which are rooming houses hole in the wall business places and at last the piers of the weehawken Wee hawken terry ferry well known to some thousands of jersey residents in irving place 1 is an old ld tavern 0 henry used to visit while wandering around manhattan picking up material for the stories of the city and its life that brought him fame some of the patrons still remember the author BU bell syndicate service |
