Here It Is: The New Hotel on 13th

There will be another messy and smelly street fair on University Place on August 8.

Both are gone, who knows what will come next?

Upscale Italian cafeteria Vapiano, at the corner of University and 13th, has closed for a big makeover. We’ll see.

One of new stores moving into the old Spice space at University and 10th will be Recess, which promises coffee, chocolate, frozen yougurt, and a new cafe paradigm. Should be interesting.

Sad news from University Place, where the University Diner, one of the last of its kind, is closing today. One can only wonder what will appear in its place, not to mention what will appear at the corner of University and 13th and the corner of Broadway and 14th. The malling of the neighborhood continues.

As the new multimillion-dollar condos at 15 Union Square West continue to develop, it’s fun to look at this great 19th-century photo of what the Tiffany Building looked like in its prime. Note that some of the people on the street have been added later by an artist.