Ceiling of Gray's Papaya, 8th Street & Sixth Avenue
Gray's Papaya, West 8th Street
Occupying a corner made arguably famous or at least noteworthy by "Dance (Pt.1)" by the Rolling Stones (first song on Emotional Rescue), Gray's Papaya strikes me as the type of establishment that will still be standing after the impending apocalypse. Back in the 80's, its interior soundsystem used to exclusively play country music (courtesy of the short lived urban cowboy statio, WKHK), which always struck me as a bit odd, being that it was staffed heavily by Indian folks. Lou Reed once crankily offered that this particular spot was his favorite restaurant in Manhattan. Not sure why the good folks at Gray's feel that Mimi Sheraton's opinion should be so mighty that they're compelled to broadcast it.
Local photographer Robert Otter took a great photograph of this particular corner back in the mid 60's. See it here . For more of these, visit his site by clicking here .
