So, sadly, Bleecker street is having the soul drained out of it and is being invaded by characterless big corporations. A couple had been replaced by similar cafes, so no big loss, but it’s too bad that Figaro is getting replaced by a crappy chain restaurant.Ī couple blocks east the newest tenants were a Duane Reade, a Capital One bank, and a NYU school supplies store, replacing a family-owned shoestore, a decent nightclub (The Elbow Room I think) and Kim’s Video, Of them had the habit of chasing off people who would nurse a cup of coffee for two hours either.Īll four of the ones I grew up with are gone. None of them were known for their food, but they were all good inexpensive spots to sit and watch the Village go by. The corner of Le Figaro used to be one of four sidewalk cafe’s on the intersection. Just another nail in the coffin of that area, which is being dismantled slowly by yuppies and large corporations. Still, the best way to remember the Figaro might be to look at some old pictures. So, the Figaro now passes into history, going the way of a host of other nearby haunts from Dylan’s and Van Ronk’s era, including the Gaslight Cafe, the Folklore Center and the Kettle of Fish, all justĪs of this writing, the permits for new Qdoba signage have notīeen approved. This time, the Valley Stream Associates spokesman said, the reason for the closing is simple: “The restaurant business is just a tough business.” The tally didn’t account for the years from 1969 to ’75, in which it was closed, replaced by a Blimpie and an ice cream place. Fishbein celebrated the Figaro’s 40th anniversary in 1997, though The owner of the space, at 184-186 Bleecker Street, is a limited liability corporation called Valley Stream Associates, which bought it in 2004 from Ben Fishbein, who reopened the cafe in 1975 after a years-long hiatus. Retrospect she said that when she was last there, in March, it had seemed emptier than usual. Alexandra McGrath, who had stopped in over the years, was one who was surprised to see the Figaro gone - though in Stopping by this week for the Dispatches feature in this Sunday’s City section, I found some passers-by looking over the building Then, this month, word came out that the space - or part of it, according to a spokesman for the owners - would be filled by an outpost of the Qdoba burrito chain. The cafe went out of business this summer, in June actually, and although there were reports of its demise at the time, some of which were regretful, there wasn’t any widespread outpouring of grief. Sitting at a window table at the Figaro, playingĬhess, gossiping with friends, or just watching the snow, one felt an almost rural sense of peace. The tourist avalanche of the next summer was undreamed of, and on the streets or in the joints, you hardly saw a soul you didn’t know. “The Mayor of Macdougal Street,” describing the winter of 19: The folk musician Dave Van Ronk wrote in his 2005 memoir, Streets, was a warm place to spend an afternoon, and cheaply at that. Even for patrons who weren’t as famous, the Figaro, at the corner of Bleecker and Macdougal Rather, the Figaro’s main stock in trade seems to have been Greenwich Village mystique.Īmong the customers over the years, lingering over their coffee cups for hours on end, were Bob Dylan, Lenny Bruce and Jack Kerouac. Even in the place’s heyday, customers say, the food was nothing to write home about.īut, of course, the appeal really wasn’t about the food, or even the coffee - though in the pre-Starbucks era it was a reliable place to get an espresso when they weren’t available on every block. Read some reviews of Le Figaro Cafe from the last years of its five-decade lifespan, and it can be hard to understand how it became a famous Greenwich Villageĭestination, or even stayed in business as long as it did. (Photo: Bess Greenberg/The New York Times) These links will help you get to the albums quickly and easily but I recommend that you still search for the best deal.Cafe Figaro, the Greenwich Village coffeehouse at the corner of Bleecker and Macdougal Streets in Greenwich Village, was a Beat Generation hangout. It is available from – .uk – iTunes – eBay %%CUSTOMERREVIEWS%% Buying Live in New York Gaslight Cafe 1961 Song To Woody was the only one of these songs to make it on his debut album but it was one of only two songs that he’d written himself. Songs On Bob Dylan Live in New York Gaslight Cafe 1961 two and a half months after this recording. To put the timing into perspective, he recorded the songs for his début self titled album on November 20th and 22nd 1961, i.e. Live In New York, Gaslight Cafe 6th September 1961 is a live album by Bob Dylan.Īt the moment, this is the earliest recording of Bob Dylan performing live in concert.
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