I've spoken about it a few times here before, but for some reason, I am still haunted by the original location of Forbidden Planet. Way before I was a ponderously insufferable music knowitall, I was a hapless comic book/sci-fi/"Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" geek. As such, Forbidden Planet was pretty much hallowed ground to me. Living in Yorkville on the Upper East Side throughout the 1980's, I would regularly make pilgrimages down to Forbidden Planet (then on the northwest corner of 12th Street and Broadway) to wander its aisles and peruse through its exotic ephemera. I loved that it was such a huge, imposing space. But that was a different time.
The photo above was snapped by one Andrew Buckle in 1989 (see more of his work here), and the shot not only lovingly captures the mighty Forbidden Planet in all its glory, but provides a fleeting glimpse of the Union Square area the way it used to be. Look over to the right -- a good decade and change before they built the mammoth building that now houses the preposterously named Regal Cinemas Union Square Stadium 14, you can still see humble buildings that formerly stood it its footprint (along with a nice bit of sky).
Forbidden Planet later moved across the street, of course (and, I believe, is slated to move once again). The space on 12th & B'way is now a comparatively staid and yawnsome shoe story called No Difference.
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