New York Songlines: Downing Street

The street's namesake has been variously identified: It may have been named after Downing's, an oyster restaurant popular with politicians in the early 19th Century (which was not here, but on Broad Street); the restaurant's owner, George Downing, was a black supporter of the Underground Railroad. The street could also have been named after a different George Downing, a British diplomat who helped negotiate the handover of New Amsterdam. Or the name could have been borrowed from the London street.






S <===           VARICK STREET           ===> N

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64: Was Junno's, hip, non-sushi Japanese




Corner (29 Bedford): Ditch Plains, Hamptons-style clam shack named for a Montauk surf spot, was Bar d'O, cool, polysexual lounge.

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39: Mas, noted for its Guiness ice cream. Was Isla, described by Zagat's as "Jetsons-in-Havana."

35 (corner): Blue Ribbon Bakery, a spinoff of Blue Ribbon on Sullivan Street. The brick oven used by the bakery dates back to c. 1855. Jimi Hendrix used to crash in this building.


S <===           BEDFORD STREET           ===> N

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10 (corner): The equivalent of the British prime minister's address is a dry cleaners with a Union Jack awning.

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Winston Churchill Square

NYC - West Village: Downing Playground - Sir Winston Churchill Square by wallyg, on Flickr

Corner: Named for its proximity to Downing Street. Churchill's mother, Jennie Jerome, was a New Yorker, and he is one of a handful of people given honorary citizenship by the U.S. Congress. A tiny, beautiful park.


S <===           SIXTH AVE / BLEECKER ST           ===> N

S <===           BLEECKER ST / SIXTH AVE           ===> N


Is your favorite Downing Street spot missing? Write to Jim Naureckas and tell him about it.

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