I first went to Gem Spa as a child with my mother. It’s where I discovered my love for Chocolate Egg Creams and Halva. When ever my mom had it in the budget, we would hit Gem Spa and for an egg cream (She preferred Vanilla) the. hit the long shuttered St Marks Theatre for a double feature. We might even go to B and H after the movies if I was really lucky. This would also be where I bought a lot of comic books as a kid and music magazines later in life. We also played a lot of video games here as teenagers, when St Marks place was the coolest block in the world for us baby punk rockers. Last 15 years I lived on 2nd ave, this was once again a part of my weekend stroll, as was B and H. This corner holds a lot of history for me, I am one of the few people raised on the LES. Though this is technically in the East Village, this corner and Gem Spa were landmarks for me. First we lose Jimmy and Trash, then we lose Gem Spa. Whats next B and H? Gonna miss this place and all the memory’s attached to it. Get ready for another bank or CVS my friends. A good egg cream and a bowl of borscht seem to be harder and harder to come by in the East Village these days. Sucks man... Covid takes out another legend. I miss the old NY. #LESKid #My OldStompingGrounds #GemSpa #ChoclateEggCreamLife #FuckCovid (at Los Angeles, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_62H2aAZsZ/?igshid=168lsl7bnqnef
