July 28, 2011
It was just about a year ago that I went to Fedora’s bar and restaurant in the West Village. I had a great time drinking and chatting with Fedora, the 89-year-old owner. She told me tales from the old days, stories about Lauren Bacall, her husband, some of the people who had worked there and she showed me pictures of her great-grandchildren. In the end it was a bittersweet day though, because she confirmed the rumor that it was closing. She told me she just couldn’t do it anymore and who could blame her for wanting to retire? Not me. She told me she had sold it and said that the new owner promised her that they would keep the original sign hanging as a tribute to her. That made her smile and it made me smile as well. At least a small chunk of the past would be preserved.
So months passed, they gutted Fedora and brought in shiny new things and a highly polished bar and tables and chairs. Oh and within the first week they took the sign down. So much for promises. The new owner, Gabriel Stulman, claimed it was too old and damaged and was beyond repair. Hmm, I wonder how a functioning neon sign could be “beyond repair?" Anyway, they made a new one. Now everything had been changed by Stulman and nothing of the past is left. It’s all his and I’m pretty sure that’s the way he likes it. I swore I’d never go back, but I’m curious now as to what the new Fedora looks like, so that’s tonight’s destination.
Here we are at Penn Station, it's really nice out tonight.
This asshole woman just pushed me aside as she ran down the escalator. And there's a huge stairway to the left, I'll never understand this shit. You ride the escalator, you walk/run down the stairs. Pretty simple rules that some jerkoffs can never understand.
And here we are, the West Village, Fedora's is just a few blocks away.
Here's the new sign. You really can't tell the difference much, but it still sucks.
Let's go inside and get this over with.
Wow, it's completely unrecognizable from the original Fedora. And it's loud with stupid chatter in here. Everyone's trying to talk louder than the next person, really annoying.
A black leather banquettle and tables line the wall opposite the bar. Gabriel Stulman said he'd keep some of the old photos and memorabilia from the original Fedora, but it's all gone.
Lots of high-fiving going on in here. Woo and hoo.
There's a black and white picture of Jay Z in the corner where the pay phone used to be.
The bar is packed with the chattering masses.
And people texting and staring blankly and lovingly at their phones.
Here's the bartender having a passionate moment with his phone. I've had enough.
Two word review of the new Fedora: Vomit, eruptis. Obnoxious people talking two octaves too loud, fake-laughing at each other's ironic jokes in a loud and sickening manner. Those that weren't screaming at each other like wild hyenas amped up to the nines on crystal meth were texting and hypnotized by their cell phones. Music played in the background, but all I could hear over the loud chatter was a bass line reverberating like a ball peen hammer hitting a trampoline in an echo chamber. A chubby blonde woman who made it clear that she was from Chicago broke out into an impromptu dance between the bar and the tables and shook her head, hair and hips in a manner that brings a new definition to the words, "ridiculous and embarrassing." Fedora's is dead. It's gone from a nice cubbyhole where you could escape and talk to real people and hear stories of the old days in New York while nursing a bottle of beer to an asshole emporium with an all you can eat buffet of everything that's wrong with this world. To quote Col. Kurtz and the final words in the fine book "Hell's Angels" by Hunter S. Thompson: "The horror...the horror. Exterminate all the brutes!" Zingo!
Here’s a paragraph from a review of the new Fedora on New York magazine’s website by Adam Platt:
“Let the feasting commence,” said one of the merry hipsters at my table, as we pondered the impressively gigantic “big pork chop for two,” which was smothered in pork meatballs, no less, and served with a stack of fluffy scallion pancakes. An equally massive côte de boeuf special was buried, not entirely successfully, in drifts of bok choy and Cantonese fried rice, and if you order the fried chicken leg, it comes over a pile of fragrant, faintly sticky sushi rice, with its gnarled claw still attached.
Merry hipsters? A big old pork chop smothered in pork meatballs? Oh my.
And here’s a few lines from a review of the original Fedora on the same website written by Kathleen Squires:
To nightly applause from diners, Fedora takes her spot behind the bar to serve up strong drinks, generous smiles, and a tale or two from the old days. So who cares that the mashed potatoes taste half-instant? You don’t come here for the food, after all.
Well, Fedora is gone and a bearded, pork-obsessed jackass who wants to change the neighborhood to something called, “Little Wisco” has taken her place. I don’t really have any reason to ever come here again. Look what they’ve done to your song, Fedora...better still just walk away and pretend this place just doesn’t exist anymore.
Further reading: Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York, New York Magazine (old review), New York Magazine (new review), Grub Street (Note the third comment down from some wiseass!) and The Half Empty Glass.
You Might Also Like: Ted Turner, Hooch and Turner and Hooch.
Four Celebrities Wearing a Fedora And One Greasy Dude
Humphrey Bogart
Keith Richards
Shawn Chittle
Cary Grant
Greasy Dude (Getting all handsy with Whitney Port. Is it bad that I have no idea who Whitney Port is? She sounds like a bottle of wine to me.)
You can't put your arms around a memory,
Don't try, don't try.
54 Comments
Reader Comments (54)
If that chick on the escalator did that to me .... I would have said ... " F**K off you C**T ! " ... then if she turned around and looked at me -- I would have said " F**K you - you ran me over and you're pissed? " ... " F**K off ! "
as for Fedora's .... I'd walk in there and say ... " F**K off everybody ! goodnight ! "
I feel much better now :)
Sounds like an official day of mourning at M.A.D. Marty, nice tasteful surprise link.
they might as well take that new fedora sign down -- it's sacrilegious. it's nothing like the old fedora.
a bartender doesn't just serve drinks; they are there to converse with the customers and lend a sympathetic ear. by playing with his ishit while' tending', he's basically saying to "leave me alone"
the old fedora lasted for 50+ years. how long will this new fedora last? 50 weeks? -- maybe. 50 months? -- doubt it.
just reading this post and i can already feel and hear the obnoxiousness of the place. my ears are still ringing from the loud music and mindless chatter...
It is a shame that places with character get replaced with boring dipshit bars! It is happening here in Milwaukee too. My theory is that the world is filling up with boring dipshits that want to make love with their boring phones and these people need a place to sit while they make believe that they are having fun in their boring dipshit world! I prefer the old dive.....shot and a beer bars myself!
I think the new Fedora's look's great. I know it's nothing like the old place but he decorated it with black leather booths, he extended the bar, and now a new younger crowd is coming in. This identical thing happened to me down here,,,,my favorite bar, open since 1946 with only two previous owners was sold recently and we were all upset because we wanted the inside to stay untouched. Though everything was falling apart. This guy that bought it, totally remodeled it, new wood, reconditioned the bar, new coolers, new bathrooms,,,everything,,and kept it dark,,, and we are now saying what a great bar this is and what a cheap sob that previous owner was for keeping the place in shambles, I hate changes, but I understand when someone buys something old, they want to fix it up, we get upset but my hangout is much better now, and just as dark.
Last year's review/post of Fedora the person (and the Bar) was for me one of the highlights of the 365 Crawl.
I hope and pray Fedora is still alive and enjoying her retirement.
It would be cool trying to find her and do another interview.
THESE are the things that matter, the legacies, the stories, the character of a place, of the people.
It's why we need to pass on our stories, but sadly, I think people seem to care less and less as they text away their days and nights.
I think it's time for me to watch "Big Fish" again.
Thanks Daddio for the follow up, but I'm sticking with the original.
To Fedora, wherever she is, I am thinking good thoughts.
@GENE: Glad you got that off your chest and that you feel better, that's what we're here for!
@Jaws: Glad you liked the surprise link, my favorite picture of Fedora!
@esquared: Agreed! Nothing worse than a bartender staring at his cell phone!
@Professor Dungpie: Yes, to dive bars, a cheap beer and a shot!
@Al: To each their own, I guess. But this place doesn't have bottled beer, "theme" cocktails are twelve bucks apiece and a glass of Pilsners goes for seven dollars. It's loud and filled with yuppies. And the new owner broke a promise to Fedora about keeping the original sign. I think I'll stay away.
@"Boris:" Fedora is still alive and well. I was told she still lives in the building. I think it was part of the selling agreement. TO FEDORA!
Well, sometimes change is inevitable, but I know I'd never feel comfortable in a place like this. I like bars that are a little worn at the edges, with a kind tolerance for all kinds of people, and an absence of braying chatter. Bars with a bit of a history, and a lot of stories.
It wouldn't hurt so much if he'd just called the place by a different name. Calling it 'Fedora' is just insulting.
On the upside, now I know where to take my phone on date! Woooo hoooo!
Who doesn't enjoy burring their massive côte de boeuf up to their meatballs? Not sure how that assists in reviewing a bar though. (hipsters present or not) All in all, that sign does look nigh identical. On a Bronx Tale variant, the new owner has removed any indecision you might have had as to whether or not to return to the new Fedora's. What's more, he has culled the asshole population from other establishments for you! You're always going to have an asshole, best to know where it is.
To make a long story longer, I wold characterize the Fedora change in ownership as bittersweet. Although Fedora didn't get to part with all her terms met completely, at least she was able to leave by her decision and hopefully garner a final payday which will allow her to live comfortably for the rest of her days. What concerns me more is say the Mars Bar scenario, where during a massive recession, the rent still skyrockets. He essentially had his citizenship to the new Emerald city revoked and told to go homestead in Munchkinland.
My escalator rule is so close to yours, but is going to piss you off. Therefore I'll pretend I didn't even bring it up. Except, that girl looks like she could crash into me any day. Unfortunately if she were to "Crash Into Me", that would remind me of Dave Matthews (ugh) and the whole thing would be ruined.
To end this overly long comment, I began sounding semi-optimistic and logical,but ended in my comfortable curmudgeon, illogical way. To whores!
@onemorefoldedsunset: I like frayed around the corners bars too. And Fedora was rich in history, till Stulman gutted the joint.
@Goggla: I agree, he should've renamed it when he tore down the original sign. He should've called it "Gabe's House of 3D Pork."
@csp: The only good thing about this is that Fedora did get a good deal out of it, I'm pretty sure and she got to keep her apartment. And yes, TO WHORES! Ha ha ha!
I can understand being sad about the loss of the original Fedora, but your review is lame. "Loud with stupid chatter" - people having conversations in a bar is bad? And I wish more people danced in NYC - the problem with this country is that it's filled with self-aware douchebags who DON'T dance (no matter how idiotic they look). I'll take your word for it that the bar sucks, but you obviously went in wanting to hate it instead of with an open mind.
Oh, and for your information, escalator etiquette dictates that if you want to stand like a lazy sow, you stand to the right and get out of the way of those of us who don't have time to dick around. Stairs = irrelevant. Escalators are partially to blame for the obesity epidemic.
Well, I think the bar looks fine, but it's certainly not a dive. And if you like the dives, you like the dives. If you like leather banquettes, you like leather banquettes. And if you like free-style dancing, you should probably go to a Dave Matthews show (my apologies, csp). Or Chicago, apparently. Um...I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't really give two shits about this bar, but Fedora seemed like a really nice lady, and I hope she's enjoying her retirement. As for escalator etiquette, unless your name is Countess LuAnn de Lesseps (nee Nadeau) of Real Housewives of NY infamy, I am not listening to you. Although that chick did seem hot.
P.S. Nice JT link. Me likey.
Let's not forget that Fedora, in addition to all of her other responsibilities, baked fruit pies almost daily when she ran the joint. And that she provided one of the last welcoming homes to West Village men of a certain age.
What creative (HAH!) team designed the new interior? Your pictures reveal a dull, soulless, space populated by self-absorbed texters and yappers. Thanks, you've saved my wife and I the disappointment of an actual visit.
That's why I wear my green fedora.
Fedora.
Fedora is the girl I love
Correction: any self-respecting New Yorker knows you stand on the right, walk on the left on any escalator, unless it is too narrow.
That said, running down an escalator with nary an "excuse me" - well, another bitch aching for a back-handed slap.
As or Fedora You had me at "Jay-Z".
@L'Emmerdeur is right - you stand on the right. It is faster to walk down an escalator than stairs. Many people go into escalator zombie mode once they set foot on one. Go to London and see how well the 'Stand Right' rule works. Very efficient for busy metropolises.
Sorry to hear of Fedora's closing.
@Sam Spade: I was standing to the right and she still pushed at me. And you're a "lazy sow" if you stand on an escalator? That's what they're made for. There's stairs right next to them, if you don't have time to "dick around" use those. And I have no problems with conversations in bars, it's when people are screaming at each other because they think what they're saying is so important or funny.
@Biff: Fedora's a great lady and glad you liked the Johnny Thunders clip!
@qcumber: "Your pictures reveal a dull, soulless, space populated by self-absorbed texters and yappers." Exactly!
@Danny: Nice!
@L'Emmerdeur: I'm sure she had some real important place to get to, like Starbucks.
@ataleofa: I can understand people walking down escalators, but when there's a huge set of stairs right next to it, it's pretty senseless.
well hell...what to say...after an openin' "rant" then "escalator etiquette" then the links to the ny
ragmagazine (which for some unknown reason always locks the evil computer II) "older" review 200 words-"newer" review 896 words...damn almost like adam is kissin' gabe "little wisco's" ass...not a new yorker but if you want wisconson move or go back there...TO (the original) FEDORA sorry this rat bastard went back on his promises(s)...A person who is too nice an observer of the business of the crowd, like one who is too curious in observing the labor of bees, will often be stung for his curiosity.
~Alexander Pope
rr
@Marty After Dark - like I said in my previous comment, walking down an escalator is faster than walking down a flight of stairs. You see, the escalator stairs move while so do you. Does that make sense?
I am not a violent person, but if I am in a bar, and a merry hipster says to me 'Let the feasting commence', I'm gonna need bail money, and he is gonna need a dentist that handles emergencies.
The high fives and 'yeah bro's ' are always a dead giveaway; the bartender on the Cellphone is the clincher - I will never set foot in that doucheteria.
@ataleofa...profound observation...i've always "stood to the right" but have been "hammered" by over sized bags brief cases and once by a duffel bag which felt like it was filled w/ rustin' iron which left a bruise that lasted for awhile...all done by self absorbed mike foxtrotters...take the effin' stairs if you're in such a hurry...
rr
@ataleofa: I totally understand what you're saying, but my point is that it's a narrow escalator, right next to it is a huge stairway, if people are in that much of a hurry, run down the stairs instead of knocking into people on the escalator that aren't in a hurry. If there was no stairway inches away I'd understand this point of view a little more. It's been one of my pet peeves at Penn Station for years.
@JAZ: Ha ha ha! Totally in agreement!
@rr: I hear you, standing to the right on that escalator does no good.
@rr: Whoops, I almost forgot, another perfect quote!
Well, I guess I shouldn't comment on your ongoing battles with the subway. I normally cab it, walk or cycle during stays in the city. Being a part-time resident of the city you call home is possibly different than your ongoing experiences with NYC. I'll try to take the stairs more often.
@ataleofa: I wasn't trying to put you down, just to make a point, I appreciate you commenting and reading my blog. It's just that this escalator thing has been one of my big obsessions since I moved here 18 years ago. I just cannot understand why people can't use the stairs there. To me it would be easier to run down the stairs than trying to push past people on a narrow escalator. I think I'm going over there tonight to take photos. I think you're fairly new to this blog, so you'll learn I'm kind of an obsessive nutcase about some things! In any case, I appreciate the dialogue and you chiming in!
I get the escalator thing, but the people that bug me the most are SLOW WALKERS - it's a wonder I haven't kicked thousands of shins by now - and, even worse perhaps, people on city buses who take the outside seats, leaving the window seats empty, & then guard the empty spaces with sullen avoidance of eye contact.. It's a BUS, for God sake, you're going to be in close proximity to other people. It's a city. It's crowded. What's the deal? They won't give up that damn seat unless forced, & very often even then they won't move over, forcing you to squeeze by them & then sit trapped by their mean-spirited presence. They should just learn to drive or something. I like window seats, & it seems a common courtesy to leave the outer seat for someone else. Grrr!
Rant over.
@Marty After Dark - Yes I am new here. Thanks for the reply. I've got my obsessive issues too. Lol.
Geez, Marty - you created quite the stir with this post! Funny, because as we were taking the escalator at the airport and my oldest tried to walk up past someone I told her that the stairs were for walking and the escalator was for riding.
I'm not opposed to a nice, newly refurbished bar but there is something to be said for character. I think that has more to do with the owners and staff as opposed to the newness/oldness - bartenders texting is NOT kosher - and you know how much I love my smartphone.
Also - the sign might look the same on the surface but old neon was much softer and completely different from new neon.
P.S. Just wait till @ataleofa finds out about CBM! (says the previous new kid on the blog)
That's such a damn shame. And, lest we forget, there's this bit of jackassery:
http://therightprofile.wordpress.com/2011/02/13/the-claw/
@onemorefoldedsunset: Slow walkers are another one of my obsessions. I hate them too, especially when they fan out all over the fucking sidewalk and you can't get past them. I don't ride buses much, but I agree, taking an outside seat when the window is available is rude and wrongj!
@ataleofa: Glad you understand and I'll check out your blog (http://stylembe.wordpress.com/) soon. My blog's updated most days around noon, stop back if you feel like it!
@Britta: I'm not totally opposed to new bars either and I will confess that Sam Spade was right, I went there determined not too like it, but I truly did not like it once I got there. I think that Gabriel Stulman is a real jackass from what I've read about him and this place truly reflects his personality. And yes, wait till @taleofa finds out about CBM! Ha ha ha!
@Fat Al: Love the jackassery! Thanks putting up the link! That was a great post!
come on MAD admit it...you are really closed minded to "little wisco" 'cause your co-star in a two man one act play is rumored to frequent those places...
rr
Very nice, thanks for sharing.
@rr: I'll never tell!
@rental mobil: You're welcome, thanks for reading the blog.
Hey, how can somebody so fond of douchbag behavior carry the monniker of Sam Spade? It's like calling yet another dork bar and restaurant, 'Fedora'.
Make that 'douchebag'...too early to type...
The sign actually looks completely the same (from the pictures), but that's a nasty thing to do to someone when you promise to leave it. Jerk face. should've hip checked the girl on the escalator. Accidentally, of course...
Wow--nice story about Ms. Fedora. With change comes strange. Boo.
@dark1p: Ha ha ha! A dork bar it is!
@SuzRocks: It was a nasty thing to do, but that's what this guy is all about I think.
@Melanie: Boo and Hoo!
I'm late with my comments , but I guess I'm turning French !!!
I read they have a côte de boeuf & just calling a rib steak that to make it sound fancy .
To bad NYC losing it's flavor fast ( I really think it lost it flavor & now they need MSG to enhance it ) .
I would like to make the new owner snort a whole box of powdered mash , & WTF is a pic of JayZ doing in there ? Was he There for the powdered mash & over cooked côte de boeuf ?
Sorry Marty but in France the left side of the escalators here is the speed lane & if your not in a rush , it should not be blocked , so maybe she was French & why she pushed you out the fast lane !!!
I like going up the down escalator , but only in NYC , since here there is too many cameras watching You .
I'm just praying for a gigantic solar flare that will send a death ray to all of those god-damned gadgets and the pod--people who are enslaved by them.
What happened to Fedora's is going to happen to Ruby's at Coney Island. Whatever bland plastic crap they put on the boardwalk will last two years tops (as opposed to the current businesses who've survived for decades just as they are); then the boardwalk will be declared dead and rezoned for luxury housing. Ugh.
Great post, Marty.
@Ummo: I was standing as far to the right as you can and wasn't blocking anything, but she still pushed at me. See today's post for further explanation about this escalator.
@Katrink: I like the way you think and I'm glad you liked this post! Always nice to know there's kindred spirits out there!
Genius post. Nice work, Marty.
@Ned Sparks: Thank you, sir, much appreciated!
I agree with @esquared they should just take the sign down. Doesn't seem right. And I would like to second everything my sister said.
@kari: I agree and I third what you and Britta have to say!
The original sign sits in the back yard of the restaurant. In effect, they did keep the sign. Things do deteriorate outside for 50 years. I worked at a bar that had the original doors. They were falling apart.
Instead of patching and praying they wouldn't break every week, we measured them and had new ones built to the same specs. Beautiful. And pretty much maintenance free.
I went to Fedora's, gosh, it must have been the late '70's, early 80's. I remember it looked like a movie set.
Red and white checked tablecloths and pasta. Small bar, perfect. I met the owner, an old man. At least that
is what my friend who took me there said he was. I never went back, but I think about it every now and then.
@geggie: That must have been Henry, Fedora's husband. It did look like a movie set in there and I loved the old wooden bar and the characters that would be there. Now it looks like your typical yuppie bar. You're lucky you got to experience the original. I'm curious, how do you know the sign is in the back yard? Thanks for the information and memories!