New York mourns end of hot dog classic

NEW YORK: No more “Recession Specials,” neon lights and cheap bites washed down with papaya juice: New York has lost one of its most iconic hot-dog joints after three decades.
“Gray’s Papaya” in Greenwich Village, a reputed favorite of late rocker Lou Reed, has fallen victim to the near daily roll call of New York institutions crushed by exorbitant rent increases.
Shops, cafes and restaurants that for generations are considered integral to the world’s most exciting city suddenly disappear overnight, no longer able to pay the rent.
“I’ll miss getting those hot dogs at midnight,” jobbing actor Peter Coleman, 28, told AFP in a nearby bar, waxing lyrical about the shuttered premises on Sixth Avenue and 8th Street.
“It’s sad to see another neighborhood staple go the way of Ray’s Pizza,” said Coleman, who works in the neighborhood and still misses the beloved pizzeria that closed a few years ago.
Famous for its “recession special” — two hot dogs and a medium soda for $4.95 — Gray’s Papaya was a veteran culinary landmark.
Kids, clubbers and the homeless counting out their last coins came for a dog and the legendary papaya drink “made from the magical melons of the tropics.” They flocked to the 24-seven joint, as much for its food as its quirky decor — paper-mache fruit hanging from the ceiling and its witty ads: “If you’re hungry, or broke or just in a hurry.”
Another fan, filmmaker Ashbey Riley, paid tribute in an emotional blog on the Huffington Post.
“I can hardly remember the first time my father took me there. I must have been about three. It doesn’t matter really. Gray’s became an everlasting part of my life,” she wrote.
“Gray’s has always been there through every phase. Gray’s was enduring, never changing, always dependable, forever delicious and conveniently, Gray’s was always open,” she added.
Tourists came for a genuine taste of the Big Apple.
The place featured on the small and silver screen in among others “How I Met Your Mother,” and the 1998 rom-com “You’ve Got Mail” with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.