Run

Walk Quickly, Hurry, Run - I am running out of unique words and phrases to convey the urgency to you if you want to see Olde New York before it disappears completely. Vesuvio has just closed. This was my first posting on March 17, 2006 - see it here. The choice of making it a first posting was not whimsical at all - Vesuvio was emblematic of the quintessential small family run business. Its images were used everywhere to represent New York City.
There are many places which have closed since I started this website in 2006. Some I captured before closing, some immediately after and some I did not get the opportunity to photograph at all.
Manny's Music at 111 West 48th Street is one of those places that goes beyond nostalgia and providing a basic service. This is a business that had an influence and provided musicians the tools of their trade for 74 years. The business was started by saxophone salesman Manny Goldrich in 1935, passed on to his son Henry who then passed it on to his two sons in 1998. In 1964, Manny died at the age of 64. See more photos of the store here.
Manny's is not just a great mom and pop store - this establishment is a legacy business with a unique heritage. Over the course of many decades, hundreds of legendary musicians have passed through their doors. Their signed photos signed cover the walls - Jimi Hendrix, Duke Ellington, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, U2, Nirvana are just a few among the crowd. This display, known as their Wall of Fame, has been documented by in a book by the same name.
In 1999, Manny's was sold to rival Sam Ash, located across 48th street on the block known as music row. The word is however, that larger business interests are slowly accumulating all the properties on the street and that Sam Ash will also meet its demise.
So if you have been making a checklist of places to see and things to do in New York, add Manny's, which is scheduled to close at the end of May, 2009. And don't walk, run ...