September 30, 2011

So it was my first night back at work and I may as well start whining about it. I had to go in at 10 :00 AM and now it’s closing in on 10:00 PM and I have to go back in early again tomorrow. Ugh. So I thought I’d take it easy and do a little bit of wandering. But wander to where? That is the question...and here’s the answer: The Waverly Diner. Jeremiah Moss recently ran a post about the renovation that’s been going on there, you can read that post here: Waverly Diner.

The renovations started last summer, I would think they’d be close to finishing by now. I thought we’d go, take a look and if it’s still closed we’ll grab a beer at the Washington Square Diner, another great old school diner that’s close by.

It's a nice night out, so I thought we'd just walk there, it's a straight shot down 6th Avenue.

Pumpkins in this store front window are a reminder that Halloween is on the way. Fuck, where did the summer go?

And here we are. Boy is this a sad sight. They stripped the neon sign off the front wall. I wonder if it's coming back.

This is how it looked last July.

The neon sign is still hanging, but the lights are out. I'm wondering if they're ever going to light up again.

The neon lights on the side of the building remain, but they too are unlit. This corner used to look so festive and now it's just dead.

I second that emotion.

How true. This is too depressing, let's go to the Washington Square Diner, hopefully they haven't turned it into a Sizzler.

Thankfully, it's still here, in all it's lit up glory. A classic, New York, open all night diner.

There's lots of comfortable booths to sit at in here.

But I thought I'd sit at the marble-topped counter in the back.

Wrapped up pastries line the edge of the counter.

And coffee and hot chocolate machines stand at attention behind it.

And the first beer of the evening is poured by this friendly gentleman behind the counter.

Some cakes are chilling in this refrigerated case.

I ordered a bagel and it looks like it's up and ready. Ding, ding, ding.

And Dyson serves it up with another beer.

A beer and a bagel, the breakfast of champions. Goodnight everybody and see you tomorrow after dark.

The Washington Square Diner
Let’s hope they never renovate the Washington Square Diner. The place is a Greek diner, but that’s where the tragedy ends. Inside the walls are lined with spacious booths, covered in purplish/red vinyl. There’s a coffee counter to sit at in the back and single booths are lined up in the middle of the diner for those that just want to hunker down with a newspaper and a bottomless cup of coffee.

The menu is beyond huge. Here’s just a sampling of some of the entries: Lumberjack Belgian Waffles, served with two eggs, bacon, ham and sausage (take that IHOP!); Brisket of Beef open faced sandwich; Linguine With Clam Sauce; Southern Fried Chicken; fourteen varieties of omelettes and seventeen styles of burgers.

Washington Square Diner is  open 24 hours, 365 days a year. And they have beer and wine. Stop by and support a great old-school New York diner.

Washington Square Diner
150 W 4th St. (Near 6th Avenue)
212-533-9306

Further reading: MAD, Daily News and facecrack.

Nothin' ever happened 'round my hometown,
And I ain't the kind to just hang around.

(Surprise link...click on it...I dare you!)

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Bonus Photos by Tom!

Fellow EV Grieve reader and contributer, Tom, sent in these photos of the Papaya Dog on 14th Street at night. Nice shots, Tom! Thanks for sending them in! Sorry, Al!