14th St. in 1939, Part III

The New York Times loves the ‘hood.

After almost 40 years, the New York Health and Racquet Club on 13th St. is no more. A few branches of the gym will be taken over by a competitor, but not this one. End of an era.

For New York City’s foodies and fans of fresh and local eating alike, the Union Square Greenmarket has long been a staple for gathering all the goodies and tools necessary for a delicious and sustainable lifestyle. But it’s not the most convenient experience for everyone, with the market only staying open in the morning and early afternoon hours, leaving those with strict daytime work schedules high and dry.

Well, someone connected with the greenmarket heard the cries and pleas of the working crowd — and maybe recognized a chance to cash in on all that hard-earned money — and has worked out the perfect solution. The first first Night Market of the season at Union Square, sponsored by GrowNYC, will start this Friday evening to allow shoppers to sample everything fresh and fantastic the foodfest has to offer.

Running from 4:00PM to 8:00PM, the Night Market will include a variety of offering from local eateries and entrepreneurs. Take home raw ingredients and vegetables to master your own flavorful creations at home, or sample incredible eats from New York City’s most fabulous restaurants to satiate your tastebuds if you just can’t wait to eat until after you leave the grounds.

Try basil pudding with a strawberry granola bar on the side from Northern Spy, Moroccan spiced goat with a Greenmarket salad (complete with a honey ramp vinaigrette) from Casa Mono, or a good old fashioned grilled cheese from ‘wichcraft. All dishes are running around $7 to $10 a pop. Even better — the Night Market is also featuring a beer garden, where thirsty and celebratory patrons can kick back and survey their spoils with a frosty beer, wine or hard cider.

Who knew eating well and Happy Hour could be combined? The Night Market opens in Union Square on Friday, June 6.

Andrade Shoe Repair, on University between 12th and 13th, will be dunzo on April 25. It’s a shame.

From The New York Times’ Metropolitan Diary:

Greenwich Village’s Bowlmor Lanes on University Place, open since 1938 and one of the longest continuously running bowling alleys on the East Coast, shut its doors on Monday to make way for new condominiums.

Much more than the disappearance of another landmark is the loss of Mark Braunreuther, Bowlmor’s man at the door for the past 16 years: benevolent minder, gentleman greeter, peacekeeper on the rowdy corner between Bar 13 and Bowlmor, an area labeled by one resident as the intersection between “Bucket” and “Blood.” On weekends, residents regularly awaken to police sirens and find violent traces splattered on early-morning sidewalks. Mark was always deep in the fray. His judiciousness was the reason so many revelers went home unharmed.

Mark B. was the mayor of University Place. He knew most of us, and all of our pets, by name. Last summer he tended corn seeds in the tree bed out front. Just seeing those struggling cornstalks made one glad for summer. This coming season, he was planning some tomatoes.

Mark regularly brought my husband and me cake from his favorite Queens bakery. The box always included biscuits for our dog. We reciprocated with Carolina barbecue sauce.

Mark lost everything in Hurricane Sandy — his entire apartment and his car. His bosses replaced the car so he could get in from Far Rockaway. And when our Bowlmor closed for good, they promised a good position at their Chelsea Piers location. Mark was very grateful but he admitted he’d miss our neighborhood.

Mark died suddenly a few weeks before Bowlmor Lanes closed its doors forever.

Rest in peace, brave knight. I, for one, will miss you long after a bowling alley is a distant memory.

The soon-to-rise condo tower on University is selling fast, with both penthouses in contract at prices north of $10 million. Wow. Check it out here.