Forgotten New York

ELAINE’S, Upper East Side

The likes of your webmaster would have never been allowed past the red velvet rope, but I did manage to get a photo of the sign outside Elaine’s, the Upper East Side bar and restaurant frequented by the cognoscenti in the arts and journalism run by Elaine Kaufman from 1963 until her death in 2010. Kaufman made no bones about the stars being favored over the hoi polloi, which made her place a favorite among the well-connected.

Elaine’s was immortalized in Billy Joel’s lyrics for “Big Shot” in 1978:

And they were all impressed with your Halston dress

And the people that you knew at Elaine’s
And the story of your latest success
You kept ’em so entertained

11/9/13

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