17 May 2011

What Will Become of the Big Neon Sombrero?


Few shed a tear for Gonzalez y Gonzalez when the Mexican restaurant closed its lower Broadway doors last January after 22 years. But the gigantic neon hat over the doorway has become a sort of Village landmark over the years. That so many of its bulbs burnt out and were not replaced made it all the more endearing.

It's still there, but what's to become of it? Chipotle is moving into the space at some point in the future, while some ex-employees of G y G hope to use the back half of the huge restaurant as a club. I doubt Chipotle would want to keep the hat as part of their signage, even though it's in keeping with the cuisine. Chains aren't know to have a sense of humor.

UPDATE: A friend wrote in that she had contacted the Chipotle people, who told her that G y G plan to keep the hat. Maybe they'll attach it to the Mercer Street entrance, if that club thing works out.
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5 comments:

  1. Kirsten5/17/2011 1:56 PM

    I really love that swirling neon, though I have to admit I never did set foot inside.

    I just sent Chipotle a message saying they should keep it. Worth a shot: http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/fan-antics/talk_to_us/talk_to_us.aspx

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  2. Ed5/17/2011 6:41 PM

    I shed a tear when Gonzalez y Gonzalez closed. Other than the delightful eccentricities of the design of the place (the hat and the long bar), they had some excellent salsa bands. I used to go there all the time in the 90s, until it became one of those places that became so crowded that people stopped going there.

    They had a good run, but consider that New York used to have all sorts of flawed, eccentric, and fun businesses even right in the middle of Manhattan.

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  3. Ken Mac5/18/2011 7:50 AM

    you just know that hat is coming down and doomed to some heap like an old Big Boy. I ate there a few times, it dates back to the days of Canal Jeans

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  4. Ken Mac5/18/2011 7:50 AM

    And man do I hate Chipotle. What a con. Thankfully there are still a few Benny's Burritos around

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  5. Anonymous5/18/2011 12:24 PM

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    ----Josh

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