Gray’s Papaya
Broadway and 72nd Street
This afternoon brought some of us to the Upper West Side, so we took the opportunity to sample Gray’s Papaya’s classic Recession Special. Unlike the surrounding environs, Gray’s Papaya seems almost frozen in time: $4.45 including tax bought us two juicy all-beef dogs with sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard, as well as 14oz of tasty papaya goodness.
The hot dogs were perfect. I eat frankfurters infrequently, but these were very well made. Also, I recall during past experiences that the Papaya drink was overly sweet, but this is not the case at all. Halfway between juice and milkshake, it was incredibly refreshing. It’s an institution for a reason, I suppose.
From the lunch counter, perfect for people-watching, we observed the triangle at 72nd and Broadway. This micro-park is officially called Sherman Square, but is also referred to as “Needle Park” in the 1971 classic Al Pacino drug-film (screenplay by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne). The new development catty-corner from Gray’s Papaya now houses an Urban Outfitters.
—Holly
