steveb leatherworks: the blather

Now we all have our guilty pleasures when it comes to “forbidden food”.  As a NYC native, I’ve got a few “best of breed” forbidden foods:pizza, fried dumplings, Cuban & pastrami/corned beef sandwiches, Challah french toast, Sopressata sausage, Eggplant/Chicken parmigiana, all kinds of crazy stinky cheeses..you know – stuff you just know is bad for you, and most of the time is going to cost you dearly cake-wise.

But then i also have a real love for grit, for action  – for the NYC of yore..a little crazy, a little dangerous…the kind of place you really dont want to be wearing a fine suit of clothes. There isn’t a whole lot of this left in Manhattan anymore, other than the lower East side,  – but even then, it is for the most part, gentrified. It’s great when you can mix up your food and your danger…without having to eat “dangerous” food.

And  then ya got the West Side . The area from 23rd to 42nd street on 8th Avenue is just a bit off. There is something decidedly crazy in the air in this part of town, the dark heart of the garment center – and for me – the epicenter of this weirdness is one block from where i used to rent space..36th Street and 8th Avenue..the corner where Grays Papaya  lives.

Within minutes @ Grays@  this location – you will see the servers take care of Princes and paupers. murderers, mongrels and Doctors, messengers and millionaires –  all eating ass to elbow standing in front of the stainless strips of metal they call countertops – no one sharing eye contact or the acknowledgement of one another. During the summer months the garage door walls roll up so the smell of 8th Avenue can join the scent of sauerkraut, mustard and your papaya smoothie. The recession special is two hot dogs, trimmings, a big smoothie for 3.99. It is a deal and the food is..in a word…excellent.. i shit thee not.

Within blocks you’ve Midtown South, the busiest Police precinct in North America, 3 methadone clinics, Madison Square Garden, Penn Station, the Port Authority, half a dozen big tourist Hotels…no wonder this areas is a freak show – it is filled with freaks! I love Grays, I love the nuttiness of the area, I love the danger in the air. It is a must see if you are ever in NYC.