We're crying into our Famous Reuben sandwich today — and the leftovers tomorrow.
Iconic Jewish eatery Carnegie Deli is set to serve its last rye bread-encased heaps of pastrami and corned beef on Dec. 31, the restaurant confirmed Friday.
In a statement, owner Marian Harper credited her decision to end the deli's 79-year-run to a "need to take a step back" after many sleepless nights and grueling hours.
News of the restaurant's impending closure struck some New Yorkers as the lamentable end of a storied era.
And now the Carnegie Deli. How's a Jew like me supposed to suffer a heart attack at age 37 in this city anymore?!
— Matt Fishman (@MattFishman) September 30, 2016
Closing the Carnegie Deli?! NOOO! Another NYC institution bites the dust. https://t.co/W7NF4EJ4pd
— Kelly Lynch (@kellylync) September 30, 2016
Most had mixed feelings:
Carnegie Deli closing? Say it ain't so! Overpriced? Yes. Tourist trap? Sure. And not exactly healthy. But still sad to see it go. #iheartNYC
— Paul R. La Monica (@LaMonicaBuzz) September 30, 2016
Unpopular opinion: Carnegie Deli was an overpriced tourist attraction fueled by nostalgia, so I'm not that sad https://t.co/fS79yUGAZw
— Will Federman (@wfederman) September 30, 2016
On the one hand, this is awful. On the other, I just realized I haven't gone there in 15 years because it's gross. https://t.co/exzq1O37DD
— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) September 30, 2016
Nostalgia, for better or worse, is a powerful force in this city, inspiring not only vacations, but landmark designations, books and blogs. DNAinfo channeled Jeremiah's Vanishing New York below with a Manhattan-centric selection of New York institutions that have disappeared for good in recent years:
