Ciao, Manhattan

We were happy to see all the sound and fury surrounding plans to turn the venerable Plaza Hotel into just another collection of high-end shops and condos. We were happier still to see that such an outcry over a New York landmark actually saved it in the end.

But you sure as hell aren't seeing that kind of outcry for Coney Island (see left) and there's barely been a peep over the announcement that the 50-year-old Times Square Howard Johnsons is going to be razed in the next few months to make room for yet another faceless, gleaming, sterile high-end "retail outlet."

Maybe the people (like ourselves) who've not only loved, but depended on that turquoise and orange neon sanctuary over the years didn't dress as nice or have as much money as the people who hung out at The Oak Room, but that doesn't mean that the Howard Johnson's was any less important a New York icon. It was, in fact, the last place of its kind in Times Square-the final scrap of evidence of what Times Square used to be: an honest and true Crossroads of the World where anyone, regardless of their social standing, could feel welcome and afford a decent meal. Cuppa coffee, a plate of fried clams, and maybe a piece of pie to take the edge off.

We'll be much sadder to see the HoJo go than we would've been to see a Toys R Us move into the Plaza.