2020, a number that will forever have new meaning after the tumultuous year the world has just experienced, is also the building number of Westside Restaurant, located on the corner of 69th Street (at 2020 Broadway).
A sign in the diner’s window says it is “closed until further notice,” and another sign asks for mail to be left in the building’s main lobby.
I recently walked into the lobby of 2020, where I was lovingly greeted by a large dog named Ivy.
A man with the dog introduced himself as Brian and explained that he was the current super.
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Brian went on to assure me that Westside Restaurant would be reopening once indoor dining of any capacity is allowed. Indoor dining was most recently suspended in mid-December after several warnings from the governor.
He explained that because of the restaurant’s proximity to a fire hydrant, they cannot set up outdoor dining, as restaurants are not allowed to place seating or barriers within 15 feet of fire hydrants.
Back in October, we discovered that the space occupied by Westside Restaurant was on the market. The space is still on the market and lists “West Side Diner” as the “former occupant.”
While the owner told us he had no plans of closing at the time, he also mentioned that even a 25% indoor dining capacity would not be enough to keep them open in the long run, as that would limit the restaurant to only 17 customers.
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I used to live at 2020.
The diner originally was across 69th street decades ago where the T-Mobile store is now (former Dan Japanese restaurant).
The nail salon in the same building went through several iterations of wine bars before its current incarnation. Vanguard wine bar around the corner on Amsterdam replaced that need but it too is still closed…
Until the infection rate turns around folks, this is going to get worse.
Please stay safe.
I left. NYC it’s dead. You may as well be dead if you live there nothing to do and nowhere to go. Virus or no virus you can’t stop the spread by hiding away from the world and living your life in a bubble. Better to live and die on your feet than to never live.