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The East Village is "Good Girl with a Bad Reputation"
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 16, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 16, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
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Clearly the allure of 50 cent pastrami sandwiches you could feed a family of four with and 40 cents for some incredible matzoh ball soup is powerful, as
New Yorkers lined up along Second Avenue for the Second Avenue Deli's 50th anniversary celebration. The Daily News spoke to people on line, and one mentioned overnighting some Second Avenue fare to his mother in Peru: "My mom cut up the pastrami sandwich and gave it to her friends. She was a big hit." Another mentioned how late owner Abe Lebewohl never let anyone go away hungry, giving away food.
The event was also a tribute to Lebewohl (the Second Avenue Deli is run by his family), who was robbed and murdered in 1996 outside an East Village bank. In spite of the East Village's sketchy reputation during much of the deli's existence, a manager said Lebewohl "always felt this neighborhood was a good girl with a bad reputation." Well, only because of shopowners and residents who try to persevere and make the neighborhood a better place, like Lebewohl. A Ukrainian Weekly article gives a nice overview of Lebewohl's life.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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