Market
Trader Joes supermarket. This weekend Trader Joes Supermarket open with great fan fare on 14th street. Me never wanting to miss an opening (what was the quote someone said about Javier and me at the opening of some club a lifetime ago in Chicago, "I knew you two would be here, you guys wouldn't miss the opening of an envelope"). That not withstanding the thought of venturing out of my house, on a Friday evening, on St Patricks Day was way too much so I decided to go with a friend on Saturday afternoon. I head off to meet her, there was a bit of a slip up so I was running late, so instead of meeting out in front she was at a bar and ordered up a drink for me. I walked by the store, on my way to meet her and the place is packed. Now I'm not into cooking, of really eating at home. But I figure I can get some frozen stuff, prepared foods, and of course cheap wine. But alas the wine store was not yet open. Strike one.
The place was jammed packed, people looked so excited, like they were going to see santa, strike two. And I still can't get over the fact that the Palladium is gone. It wasn't my favorite place to go, far from it really, but it was an institution and a sorry replacement after Danceteria closed strike three, but after a drink or two I'd get over myself and shop like the masses.
So I meet Norma and we are sitting in an overdone bar/restaurant, having martinis or something of the like. After about 2 drinks we decide to head over to the supermarket shopping party of the season. As we are walking over there, I think oh how times have changed, what seems like only yesterday, but in reality many years ago on a Saturday night, frozen cheese filled things were the furthest thing from my mind. I was putting the finishing touches on my mix tapes for dance night at O'Hooleys (oddly enough I mixed up a kick ass session on Saturday, maybe things haven't changed that much) and trying to get to the state liquor store before it closed to get a bottle of the USA tequila.
As we approach T-J's there is a line to get in. Literally a line that brought back memories of when that was the Palladium. Norma and I look at each other and head back over to the bar and order up a couple of more drinks. Figuring that its just a fluke and that the line will go away in a few.
No, when we return 4 martinis or whatever later the line has grown, now when that place was the Palladium (I still think it's a crime that they tore that place down for yet another NYU dorm) I never stood in line, and I'm not going to do it for frozen cheese things now.
But it's really a sign of how much New York has changed. Think about 14th street today, and what it was even 10 years ago. There is really nothing that you can get a T-J that you can't get at any other store, but we'll stand in line for it. We believe the hype, and that a little piece of suburbia in NY is the cure for all our ills. How funny that the place that was ground zero, for mid to late 80's partying in now a national chain supermarket that garners a line to get into. When the Palladium opened it had mirror trays for you to do you coke on, the dance floor was so huge that there were wall that came down to make it look like Odyssey 2000 ( The Saturday Night Fever Disco). You could go into the Michael Todd Room, and rub elbows with people that were downtown royalty. By the time I would go there the hype was on its way out, however, I have fond memories of being there and dancing the night away, or trying to get into the V.I.P. room in the basement. I remember being there one night, sitting outside the Michael Todd room, with my first B-friend and waiting to see who was coming and going.
With memories like that there was no way that I would stand in line there now, to shop for groceries, cheap wine maybe, but not for produce.
The place was jammed packed, people looked so excited, like they were going to see santa, strike two. And I still can't get over the fact that the Palladium is gone. It wasn't my favorite place to go, far from it really, but it was an institution and a sorry replacement after Danceteria closed strike three, but after a drink or two I'd get over myself and shop like the masses.
So I meet Norma and we are sitting in an overdone bar/restaurant, having martinis or something of the like. After about 2 drinks we decide to head over to the supermarket shopping party of the season. As we are walking over there, I think oh how times have changed, what seems like only yesterday, but in reality many years ago on a Saturday night, frozen cheese filled things were the furthest thing from my mind. I was putting the finishing touches on my mix tapes for dance night at O'Hooleys (oddly enough I mixed up a kick ass session on Saturday, maybe things haven't changed that much) and trying to get to the state liquor store before it closed to get a bottle of the USA tequila.
As we approach T-J's there is a line to get in. Literally a line that brought back memories of when that was the Palladium. Norma and I look at each other and head back over to the bar and order up a couple of more drinks. Figuring that its just a fluke and that the line will go away in a few.
No, when we return 4 martinis or whatever later the line has grown, now when that place was the Palladium (I still think it's a crime that they tore that place down for yet another NYU dorm) I never stood in line, and I'm not going to do it for frozen cheese things now.
But it's really a sign of how much New York has changed. Think about 14th street today, and what it was even 10 years ago. There is really nothing that you can get a T-J that you can't get at any other store, but we'll stand in line for it. We believe the hype, and that a little piece of suburbia in NY is the cure for all our ills. How funny that the place that was ground zero, for mid to late 80's partying in now a national chain supermarket that garners a line to get into. When the Palladium opened it had mirror trays for you to do you coke on, the dance floor was so huge that there were wall that came down to make it look like Odyssey 2000 ( The Saturday Night Fever Disco). You could go into the Michael Todd Room, and rub elbows with people that were downtown royalty. By the time I would go there the hype was on its way out, however, I have fond memories of being there and dancing the night away, or trying to get into the V.I.P. room in the basement. I remember being there one night, sitting outside the Michael Todd room, with my first B-friend and waiting to see who was coming and going.
With memories like that there was no way that I would stand in line there now, to shop for groceries, cheap wine maybe, but not for produce.
posted by Michael at 11:12 PM
3 Comments:
Wait until the inital hype dies down, and then you'll get to like TJ's. I used to do a lot of shopping there when I lived in Boston-- there's lots of frozen gourmet items, and they're all so cheap. It's not the greatest place to buy your staples, though.
somewhere in my barage of clutter i think i still have the temporary tattoo from the invite of the opening of shelter. then there was the opening of kaboom, and wasn't there a re-opening of the upstairs of cairo?
Walked by the TJ's last saturday, about what a month after the opening, still no wine store and a wicked line out in front still.
I gave in and did some grocery shopping here, since no Fresh Direct east of Frankin Ave. here in Brooklyn, did the next best thing, Foodtown.com not bad order last night, delivered tonight.
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