I just came across this posting. I just spent the weekend in Asbury Park and was amazed how much of it’s historic structures lie in ruins. The Paramount Theater which should be a showcase looks somewhat abandoned thought the page on CT says that it has been renovated. It doesn’t appear to be. I agree with the posters above who want the Fabian saved. A city’s historic treasures are what distinguishes it from others. If you tear them all down, what are you left with? I wish you in Paterson the best of luck in saving the Fabian.
I just came back from my first visit to Asbury Park and came across this theater. Why doesn’t any structure in this town have any plaques or info on the histories of these buildings. There appears to be a lot of lost history in Asbury Park and not a lot of action to share it with visitors. If this theater has been renovated or it is in progress, at a minimum, there should be a notice on the box office saying what’s going on and what they expect to play there in the future. According to the posts above it appears to have been renovated, but to me it looks abandoned and it angers me. The outside is a beautiful seaside fantasy and I would love to see the inside. There is nothing on the outside to tell us what the story is. We’ve been hearing for 10 years about the rebirth of Asbury Park, but I think it will be many many more years before we see any real progress. The new condos are souless and dull and it seems virtually all of the historic buildings are just rotting away! The condition of The Casino (a beautiful structure anchoring the southern end of the boardwalk) is truly appalling. It is those historic buildings that would make Asbury worth visiting. Once they are gone, there will be no reason to go there!
I just came back from my first visit to Asbury Park and came across this theater. It still looks like nothing is going on though it does not look abandoned. Why doesn’t any structure in this town have any plaques or info on the histories of these buildings. There appears to be a lot of lost history in Asbury Park and not a lot of action to share it with visitors. If this theater has been renovated or it is in progress, at a minimum, there should be a notice on the box office saying what’s going on and what they expect to play there in the future. It was even more frustrating to stand outside of the Paramount Theater (just down the block from the Baronet) and wonder if this place is abandoend or not? Sadly, it looks like it is. The outside is a beautiful seaside fantasy and I would love to see the inside. There is nothing on the outside to tell us. We’ve been hearing for 10 years about the rebirth of Asbury Park, but I think it will be many many more years before we see any real progress. The new condos are souless and dull and it seems virtually all of the historic buildings are just rotting away! It is those histoirc buildings that would make Asbury worth visiting. Once they are gone, there will be no reason to go there!
I have to say that I’m kind of shocked at the posting of Movieguy718. I have been going to the Empire 25 since it opened and have NEVER had an unpleasant movie going experience there. I have a large circle of friends who also go there and I never hear anyone say anything negative. I’m not disputing his experience, but it totally hasn’t been mine and I still very much look forward to going there. I live in Chelsea and now that they have finally upgraded the dumpy Chelsea Cinemas I will be going there more frequently but only because it’s closer. p.s. I feel the same way about Regal’s Union Square. I absolutely hate that theater and have never had a good experience there. But that’s me! :–)
I’ve seen photos of the old New Amsterdam theater on 42nd St. which was partially open to the sky and suffered from its exposure to the elements. It truly appeared to be unsavable. Yet it was saved! Through a combination of city initiative (The 42nd St. Business Improvement District)and private industry (Disney). The same could be done in Brooklyn! I know that Brooklyn is not Manhattan, but it isn’t East St. Louis either. Much can be done here.
The borough President talks about the King’s being a passion of his. Let’s see him put some money where his mouth is! Each Borough President has discretionary funds in his budget to allocate to worthy project within his borough. Give the King’s a grant to at least stabilize the building and jump start the rebuilding process. Then, he can press the local Brooklyn Corporate world for contributions.
The Kings can be saved, should be saved and will be saved!
I also totally disagree that it is unsavable. I’ve seen photos of the old New Amsterdam theater on 42nd St. which was partially open to the sky. That truly appeared to be unsavalbe. Yet it was saved! through a combination of city initiative (The 42nd St. Business Improvement District)and private industry (Disney). The same could be done in Brooklyn! I know that Brooklyn is not Manhattan, but it isn’t East St. Louis either. Much can be done here.
The borough President talks about the King’s being a passion of his. Let’s see him put some money where his mouth is! Give the King’s a grant to at least stabilize the building and jump start the rebuilding process.
The Kings can be saved, should be saved and will be saved!
I thoroughly enjoyed the A&E special but was left wanting more. Much More!!!!! The theaters are incredibly special and represent an architectural legacy that will never be duplicated. That all five of these theaters still exist is a miracle, but this show could easily have done a hour or more devoted to their history and current states of condition. It was truly uplifting to see what has been done by voulnteers to rescue the Jersey. Why can’t the same be done for the Kings! It is already owned by the city. The borough presidents office could easily earmark discretionary funds to jumpstart this project and Brooklyn corporate sponsors could be enlisted as well. I was disappointed that we saw virtually none of the 175th St. theater in this special. I also was surprised that they didn’t devote more to the Paradise since it has just been reopened. I wanted to see more of the architectual details.
Maybe I would never have been satified no matter how much they showed! :–)
I was great to see these theaters given the attention they desparately need if we are to preserve them for future generations.
Has someone set up a Friend’s of Loew’s Kings organization? If not, would the people at Friend’s of Loew’s in New Jersey help the people of Brooklyn set up a similar organization?
Why doesn’t someone do a 2 hour documentary of Movie Palaces of New York! They could include not only the Wonder Theaters, but Radio City, The Roxy, The Hollywood. The Paramount (both Manhattan and Brooklyn), The Capitol, The Rivoli, The Pitkin, the list goes on and on. I would love to see the same thing done for the Movie Palaces of downtown Los Angeles.
I thoroughly enjoyed the A&E specialon the Loew’s Wonder Theaters, but was left wanting more. Much More!!!!! The theaters are incredibly special and represent an architectural legacy that will never be duplicated. That all five of these theaters still exist is a miracle, but this show could easily have done a hour or more devoted to their history and current states of condition. It was truly uplifting to see what has been done by voulnteers to rescue the Jersey. Why can’t the same be done for the Kings! It is already owned by the city. The borough presidents office could easily earmark discretionary funds to jumpstart this project and Brooklyn corporate sponsors could be enlisted as well.
I was disappointed that we saw virtually none of the 175th St. theater in this special. I also was surprised that they didn’t devote more to the Paradise since it has just been reopened. I wanted to see more of the architectual details.
Maybe I would never have been satified no matter how much they showed! :–)
I was great to see these theaters given the attention they desparately need if we are to preserve them for future generations.
I thoroughly enjoyed the A&E special but was left wanting more. Much More!!!!! The theaters are incredibly special and represent an architectural legacy that will never be duplicated. That all five of these theaters still exist is a miracle, but this show could easily have done a hour or more devoted to their history and current states of condition. It was truly uplifting to see what has been done by voulnteers to rescue the Jersey. Why can’t the same be done for the Kings! It is already owned by the city. The borough presidents office could easily earmark discretionary funds to jumpstart this project and Brooklyn corporate sponsors could be enlisted as well.
I was disappointed that we saw virtually none of the 175th St. theater in this special. I also was surprised that they didn’t devote more to the Paradise since it has just been reopened. I wanted to see more of the architectual details. I am recording the Daddy Yankee concert tonight to see if they show more!
Maybe I would never have been satified no matter how much they showed! :–)
I was great to see these theaters given the attention they desparately need if we are to preserve them for future generations.
Has someone set up a Friend’s of Loew’s Kings organization? If not, would the people at Friend’s of Loew’s in New Jersey help the people of Brooklyn set up a similar organization?
I thoroughly enjoyed the A&E special but was left wanting more. Much More!!!!! The theaters are incredibly special and represent an architectural legacy that will never be duplicated. That all five of these theaters still exist is a miracle, but this show could easily have done a hour or more devoted to their history and current states of condition. It was truly uplifting to see what has been done by voulnteers to rescue the Jersey. Why can’t the same be done for the Kings! It is already owned by the city. The borough presidents office could easily earmark discretionary funds to jumpstart this project and Brooklyn corporate sponsors could be enlisted as well. I was disappointed that we saw virtually none of the 175th St. theater in this special.
I also was surprised that they didn’t devote more to the Paradise since it has just been reopened. I wanted to see more of the architectual details. I am taping the Daddy Yankee concert to see if I can see more details there!
Maybe I would never have been satified no matter how much they showed! :–)
I was great to see these theaters given the attention they desparately need if we are to preserve them for future generations.
I thoroughly enjoyed the A&E special but was left wanting more. Much More!!!!! The theaters are incredibly special and represent an architectural legacy that will never be duplicated. That all five of these theaters still exist is a miracle, but this show could easily have done a hour or more devoted to their history and current states of condition. It was truly uplifting to see what has been done by voulnteers to rescue the Jersey. Why can’t the same be done for the Kings! It is already owned by the city. The borough presidents office could easily earmark discretionary funds to jumpstart this project and Brooklyn corporate sponsors could be enlisted as well. I was disappointed that we saw virtually none of the 175th St. theater in this special. I also was surprised that they didn’t devote more to the Paradise since it has just been reopened. I wanted to see more of the architectual details.
Maybe I would never have been satified no matter how much they showed! :–)
I was great to see these theaters given the attention they desparately need if we are to preserve them for future generations.
Has someone set up a Friend’s of Loew’s Kings organization? If not, would the people at Friend’s of Loew’s in New Jersey help the people of Brooklyn set up a similar organization?
Thanks for the update! I can’t wait to see the changes for myself! They were sorely needed. I agree about how Chelsea Cinemas was practically revolutionary when it opened. I loved going there, but over the years it has aged terribly and the new theaters on 34th and 42nd St.’s were vastly superior. They have a great location on 23rd. They need to capitalize on it. The market is there!
I grew up in this neighborhood and saw many a movie at the Lefferts. The entrance was definitely at the Rite Aid site and there was a large Marquee that was plainly visible all the way to Lefferts Blvd (several blocks south). I don’t recall any significant architectural elements even before the conversion to retail. The same goes for The Casino Theater nearby. This theater did have a balcony, but it was not overhanging, it was Ziegfeld style. I think one of the main resons I don’t remember much detail is because I use to go to the Valencia in Jamaica whenever I could. Once you’ve experienced that, the Lefferts and the Casino wouldn’t offer much that was memorable. Thanks B'way for the aerial shot. I really enjoyed it. I haven’t been to the old neighborhood in many years.
I happened to be in San Antonio on opening day and I convinced my companions to stop by. I must say that the lobby renovations are spectacular. I was very impressed. The theater aparently has a program of Aztec history and the price is $12.95. I didn’t have time to see it and unless you pay the fee, you cannot see the interior. From the open door I could see that there did not appear to be a screen in the theater and all of the seats appeared to be missing. I’m not sure how the show is presented. I hope someone from San Antonio can stop by and let us know. They did have a free show in the lobby that, in my opinion, was cheezy. I don’t know if this theater will be able to support itself with this show only. There did not appear to be many people present when I was there in late afternoon. Hopefully, they do have the ability to show movies as well. If I lived in San Antonio I would very much like to see a movie here.
Whoever is responsible for the renovation, kudos to you! Beautiful job! Luis
Hey Ed, I used to miss pieces of the “old 42nd St.” as well. Then, about 2 years ago I was in San Francisco on business and one night I went out for a walk. I wound up in the Tenderloin District. There were few people on the street. Those that were there were ominous looking. There were prostitutes, drug dealers and homeless people lurking about. I’ve lived in New York all my life and don’t scare easily, but I was extremely uncomfortable. When I passed a couple of porno theaters it reminded me of the “Old Times Square”. I quickly realized that I don’t miss it at all. I now live less than a mile from Times Square and I feel safe at all hours of the day and night walking in that area. There are theaters I love going to rather than theaters I avoided at all costs. There are restarants, retail and attractions. Yes, there are lots of tourists and there’s a lot of cheeziness, but so what! This is a vast improvement over what was. I never want to go back to that time. Ever! If you still miss it, go to San Francisco!
I see that Chelsea Cinemas is “renovating” some of their screens! As per my comments posted earlier, they are long overdue. This complex hasn’t aged well. I’m curious what kind of improvements they will make. Does anyone know? I would like to go to this theater more often because it has a great location, only a block from my house, but Chelsea Cinemas doesn’t measure up to the 42nd and 34th St theaters so we usually go there. I have my fingers crossed! :–)
Hey Movieguy718, Sorry about your experience at this theater. I have seen scores of films here since it opened and I have Never had an unpleasant experience. I think it is a wonderful theater. I know the frusration you feel though because I have had nothing but awful experiences at the Regal Union Square. I can’t stand that theater. I find it filthy, overcrowded, bad concessions and inept concessionaires and employees who don’t seem to care. Though I personally haven’t seen them, people have posted on this site that rats are rampant! Even so, when I ranted on that theater’s posting many people defended it and said they love it. p.s. I love the Loewe’s E-Walk as well!
Oh Boy, this site really does stir some memories! I only saw one film here and it was “Beserk!” with Joan Crawford. Not sure why I’m sharing that here, but there it is! :–)
Hey Movie guy, Yes, I love Battery Park, AMC 42nd and Loew’s E-Walk and 34th St, but I’m not changing my mind about Union Square (especially now that it appears mice are rampant (and the staff confirms it!) :–)
Hi Movieguy – I agree that they can’t help who they attract and for NYU kids the location can’t be beat. Just the same i would much rather go to Loew’s (or should I now say AMC) 34th St or AMC 25 to see films. I much prefer these theaters (although the bathroom situation on 34th St. is very peculiar). Though I don’t like Union Sqaure I occassionally go because there are so few theaters left in Manhattan. And that is sad!
I just came across this posting. I just spent the weekend in Asbury Park and was amazed how much of it’s historic structures lie in ruins. The Paramount Theater which should be a showcase looks somewhat abandoned thought the page on CT says that it has been renovated. It doesn’t appear to be. I agree with the posters above who want the Fabian saved. A city’s historic treasures are what distinguishes it from others. If you tear them all down, what are you left with? I wish you in Paterson the best of luck in saving the Fabian.
I meant, what happenned with the suppossed sale? Did it occur? What’s next? :–)
So what happenned???????
I just came back from my first visit to Asbury Park and came across this theater. Why doesn’t any structure in this town have any plaques or info on the histories of these buildings. There appears to be a lot of lost history in Asbury Park and not a lot of action to share it with visitors. If this theater has been renovated or it is in progress, at a minimum, there should be a notice on the box office saying what’s going on and what they expect to play there in the future. According to the posts above it appears to have been renovated, but to me it looks abandoned and it angers me. The outside is a beautiful seaside fantasy and I would love to see the inside. There is nothing on the outside to tell us what the story is. We’ve been hearing for 10 years about the rebirth of Asbury Park, but I think it will be many many more years before we see any real progress. The new condos are souless and dull and it seems virtually all of the historic buildings are just rotting away! The condition of The Casino (a beautiful structure anchoring the southern end of the boardwalk) is truly appalling. It is those historic buildings that would make Asbury worth visiting. Once they are gone, there will be no reason to go there!
I just came back from my first visit to Asbury Park and came across this theater. It still looks like nothing is going on though it does not look abandoned. Why doesn’t any structure in this town have any plaques or info on the histories of these buildings. There appears to be a lot of lost history in Asbury Park and not a lot of action to share it with visitors. If this theater has been renovated or it is in progress, at a minimum, there should be a notice on the box office saying what’s going on and what they expect to play there in the future. It was even more frustrating to stand outside of the Paramount Theater (just down the block from the Baronet) and wonder if this place is abandoend or not? Sadly, it looks like it is. The outside is a beautiful seaside fantasy and I would love to see the inside. There is nothing on the outside to tell us. We’ve been hearing for 10 years about the rebirth of Asbury Park, but I think it will be many many more years before we see any real progress. The new condos are souless and dull and it seems virtually all of the historic buildings are just rotting away! It is those histoirc buildings that would make Asbury worth visiting. Once they are gone, there will be no reason to go there!
I have to say that I’m kind of shocked at the posting of Movieguy718. I have been going to the Empire 25 since it opened and have NEVER had an unpleasant movie going experience there. I have a large circle of friends who also go there and I never hear anyone say anything negative. I’m not disputing his experience, but it totally hasn’t been mine and I still very much look forward to going there. I live in Chelsea and now that they have finally upgraded the dumpy Chelsea Cinemas I will be going there more frequently but only because it’s closer. p.s. I feel the same way about Regal’s Union Square. I absolutely hate that theater and have never had a good experience there. But that’s me! :–)
I’ve seen photos of the old New Amsterdam theater on 42nd St. which was partially open to the sky and suffered from its exposure to the elements. It truly appeared to be unsavable. Yet it was saved! Through a combination of city initiative (The 42nd St. Business Improvement District)and private industry (Disney). The same could be done in Brooklyn! I know that Brooklyn is not Manhattan, but it isn’t East St. Louis either. Much can be done here.
The borough President talks about the King’s being a passion of his. Let’s see him put some money where his mouth is! Each Borough President has discretionary funds in his budget to allocate to worthy project within his borough. Give the King’s a grant to at least stabilize the building and jump start the rebuilding process. Then, he can press the local Brooklyn Corporate world for contributions.
The Kings can be saved, should be saved and will be saved!
I also totally disagree that it is unsavable. I’ve seen photos of the old New Amsterdam theater on 42nd St. which was partially open to the sky. That truly appeared to be unsavalbe. Yet it was saved! through a combination of city initiative (The 42nd St. Business Improvement District)and private industry (Disney). The same could be done in Brooklyn! I know that Brooklyn is not Manhattan, but it isn’t East St. Louis either. Much can be done here.
The borough President talks about the King’s being a passion of his. Let’s see him put some money where his mouth is! Give the King’s a grant to at least stabilize the building and jump start the rebuilding process.
The Kings can be saved, should be saved and will be saved!
I thoroughly enjoyed the A&E special but was left wanting more. Much More!!!!! The theaters are incredibly special and represent an architectural legacy that will never be duplicated. That all five of these theaters still exist is a miracle, but this show could easily have done a hour or more devoted to their history and current states of condition. It was truly uplifting to see what has been done by voulnteers to rescue the Jersey. Why can’t the same be done for the Kings! It is already owned by the city. The borough presidents office could easily earmark discretionary funds to jumpstart this project and Brooklyn corporate sponsors could be enlisted as well. I was disappointed that we saw virtually none of the 175th St. theater in this special. I also was surprised that they didn’t devote more to the Paradise since it has just been reopened. I wanted to see more of the architectual details.
Maybe I would never have been satified no matter how much they showed! :–)
I was great to see these theaters given the attention they desparately need if we are to preserve them for future generations.
Has someone set up a Friend’s of Loew’s Kings organization? If not, would the people at Friend’s of Loew’s in New Jersey help the people of Brooklyn set up a similar organization?
Why doesn’t someone do a 2 hour documentary of Movie Palaces of New York! They could include not only the Wonder Theaters, but Radio City, The Roxy, The Hollywood. The Paramount (both Manhattan and Brooklyn), The Capitol, The Rivoli, The Pitkin, the list goes on and on. I would love to see the same thing done for the Movie Palaces of downtown Los Angeles.
I thoroughly enjoyed the A&E specialon the Loew’s Wonder Theaters, but was left wanting more. Much More!!!!! The theaters are incredibly special and represent an architectural legacy that will never be duplicated. That all five of these theaters still exist is a miracle, but this show could easily have done a hour or more devoted to their history and current states of condition. It was truly uplifting to see what has been done by voulnteers to rescue the Jersey. Why can’t the same be done for the Kings! It is already owned by the city. The borough presidents office could easily earmark discretionary funds to jumpstart this project and Brooklyn corporate sponsors could be enlisted as well.
I was disappointed that we saw virtually none of the 175th St. theater in this special. I also was surprised that they didn’t devote more to the Paradise since it has just been reopened. I wanted to see more of the architectual details.
Maybe I would never have been satified no matter how much they showed! :–)
I was great to see these theaters given the attention they desparately need if we are to preserve them for future generations.
I thoroughly enjoyed the A&E special but was left wanting more. Much More!!!!! The theaters are incredibly special and represent an architectural legacy that will never be duplicated. That all five of these theaters still exist is a miracle, but this show could easily have done a hour or more devoted to their history and current states of condition. It was truly uplifting to see what has been done by voulnteers to rescue the Jersey. Why can’t the same be done for the Kings! It is already owned by the city. The borough presidents office could easily earmark discretionary funds to jumpstart this project and Brooklyn corporate sponsors could be enlisted as well.
I was disappointed that we saw virtually none of the 175th St. theater in this special. I also was surprised that they didn’t devote more to the Paradise since it has just been reopened. I wanted to see more of the architectual details. I am recording the Daddy Yankee concert tonight to see if they show more!
Maybe I would never have been satified no matter how much they showed! :–)
I was great to see these theaters given the attention they desparately need if we are to preserve them for future generations.
Has someone set up a Friend’s of Loew’s Kings organization? If not, would the people at Friend’s of Loew’s in New Jersey help the people of Brooklyn set up a similar organization?
I thoroughly enjoyed the A&E special but was left wanting more. Much More!!!!! The theaters are incredibly special and represent an architectural legacy that will never be duplicated. That all five of these theaters still exist is a miracle, but this show could easily have done a hour or more devoted to their history and current states of condition. It was truly uplifting to see what has been done by voulnteers to rescue the Jersey. Why can’t the same be done for the Kings! It is already owned by the city. The borough presidents office could easily earmark discretionary funds to jumpstart this project and Brooklyn corporate sponsors could be enlisted as well. I was disappointed that we saw virtually none of the 175th St. theater in this special.
I also was surprised that they didn’t devote more to the Paradise since it has just been reopened. I wanted to see more of the architectual details. I am taping the Daddy Yankee concert to see if I can see more details there!
Maybe I would never have been satified no matter how much they showed! :–)
I was great to see these theaters given the attention they desparately need if we are to preserve them for future generations.
I thoroughly enjoyed the A&E special but was left wanting more. Much More!!!!! The theaters are incredibly special and represent an architectural legacy that will never be duplicated. That all five of these theaters still exist is a miracle, but this show could easily have done a hour or more devoted to their history and current states of condition. It was truly uplifting to see what has been done by voulnteers to rescue the Jersey. Why can’t the same be done for the Kings! It is already owned by the city. The borough presidents office could easily earmark discretionary funds to jumpstart this project and Brooklyn corporate sponsors could be enlisted as well. I was disappointed that we saw virtually none of the 175th St. theater in this special. I also was surprised that they didn’t devote more to the Paradise since it has just been reopened. I wanted to see more of the architectual details.
Maybe I would never have been satified no matter how much they showed! :–)
I was great to see these theaters given the attention they desparately need if we are to preserve them for future generations.
Has someone set up a Friend’s of Loew’s Kings organization? If not, would the people at Friend’s of Loew’s in New Jersey help the people of Brooklyn set up a similar organization?
So what is going on? is it being renovaed or not?
I believe that was part of the poetry project that hung on almost all of the marquees while the city was trying to figure out how to reivive the area.
I was just in Ketchikan and the theater appears to be a twin. It looked dreadful from the outside, but I guess it is all this town has.
Thanks for the update! I can’t wait to see the changes for myself! They were sorely needed. I agree about how Chelsea Cinemas was practically revolutionary when it opened. I loved going there, but over the years it has aged terribly and the new theaters on 34th and 42nd St.’s were vastly superior. They have a great location on 23rd. They need to capitalize on it. The market is there!
I grew up in this neighborhood and saw many a movie at the Lefferts. The entrance was definitely at the Rite Aid site and there was a large Marquee that was plainly visible all the way to Lefferts Blvd (several blocks south). I don’t recall any significant architectural elements even before the conversion to retail. The same goes for The Casino Theater nearby. This theater did have a balcony, but it was not overhanging, it was Ziegfeld style. I think one of the main resons I don’t remember much detail is because I use to go to the Valencia in Jamaica whenever I could. Once you’ve experienced that, the Lefferts and the Casino wouldn’t offer much that was memorable. Thanks B'way for the aerial shot. I really enjoyed it. I haven’t been to the old neighborhood in many years.
I happened to be in San Antonio on opening day and I convinced my companions to stop by. I must say that the lobby renovations are spectacular. I was very impressed. The theater aparently has a program of Aztec history and the price is $12.95. I didn’t have time to see it and unless you pay the fee, you cannot see the interior. From the open door I could see that there did not appear to be a screen in the theater and all of the seats appeared to be missing. I’m not sure how the show is presented. I hope someone from San Antonio can stop by and let us know. They did have a free show in the lobby that, in my opinion, was cheezy. I don’t know if this theater will be able to support itself with this show only. There did not appear to be many people present when I was there in late afternoon. Hopefully, they do have the ability to show movies as well. If I lived in San Antonio I would very much like to see a movie here.
Whoever is responsible for the renovation, kudos to you! Beautiful job! Luis
Hey Ed, I used to miss pieces of the “old 42nd St.” as well. Then, about 2 years ago I was in San Francisco on business and one night I went out for a walk. I wound up in the Tenderloin District. There were few people on the street. Those that were there were ominous looking. There were prostitutes, drug dealers and homeless people lurking about. I’ve lived in New York all my life and don’t scare easily, but I was extremely uncomfortable. When I passed a couple of porno theaters it reminded me of the “Old Times Square”. I quickly realized that I don’t miss it at all. I now live less than a mile from Times Square and I feel safe at all hours of the day and night walking in that area. There are theaters I love going to rather than theaters I avoided at all costs. There are restarants, retail and attractions. Yes, there are lots of tourists and there’s a lot of cheeziness, but so what! This is a vast improvement over what was. I never want to go back to that time. Ever! If you still miss it, go to San Francisco!
I see that Chelsea Cinemas is “renovating” some of their screens! As per my comments posted earlier, they are long overdue. This complex hasn’t aged well. I’m curious what kind of improvements they will make. Does anyone know? I would like to go to this theater more often because it has a great location, only a block from my house, but Chelsea Cinemas doesn’t measure up to the 42nd and 34th St theaters so we usually go there. I have my fingers crossed! :–)
Hey Movieguy718, Sorry about your experience at this theater. I have seen scores of films here since it opened and I have Never had an unpleasant experience. I think it is a wonderful theater. I know the frusration you feel though because I have had nothing but awful experiences at the Regal Union Square. I can’t stand that theater. I find it filthy, overcrowded, bad concessions and inept concessionaires and employees who don’t seem to care. Though I personally haven’t seen them, people have posted on this site that rats are rampant! Even so, when I ranted on that theater’s posting many people defended it and said they love it. p.s. I love the Loewe’s E-Walk as well!
Oh Boy, this site really does stir some memories! I only saw one film here and it was “Beserk!” with Joan Crawford. Not sure why I’m sharing that here, but there it is! :–)
Hey Movie guy, Yes, I love Battery Park, AMC 42nd and Loew’s E-Walk and 34th St, but I’m not changing my mind about Union Square (especially now that it appears mice are rampant (and the staff confirms it!) :–)
Hi Movieguy – I agree that they can’t help who they attract and for NYU kids the location can’t be beat. Just the same i would much rather go to Loew’s (or should I now say AMC) 34th St or AMC 25 to see films. I much prefer these theaters (although the bathroom situation on 34th St. is very peculiar). Though I don’t like Union Sqaure I occassionally go because there are so few theaters left in Manhattan. And that is sad!