We love these little surprise visits from old friends -- places that you think no longer exist, except in the memories of those who remember them -- but then an awning comes down and the past returns, if only for a brief spell.  This week, the Tropical Restaurant opened -- well, that's not entirely accurate -- it opened in its' new location, across the street from where it sat for the past few years.  We ate at the old location twice -- they serve a delicious dinner.  We look forward to eating in the new location, between Carvel (on the corner of 89th and Jamaica) and Park Place Florist.   

The old location, across the street,  is shuttered and part of the awning has come down.  This is the former location of The Circus Bar, an infamous local watering hole that sat at that corner for a few decades.  Our eyes are always drawn to torn, broken and falling awnings -- and this was no exception --  

Let's take a closer look -- that certainly looks like the "C" from the distinctive lettering the Circus was famous for. 

We tried a few different angles -- this is the best shot we got -- the letters are gone, but you can see where they were.  You can see the C, I R, C and the beginning of the U.  There is black mesh covering it up -- perhaps when the mesh and the rest of the awning comes down we'll get a better look.  

Here is that same corner --on the left in 1941 when it was the office of Jospeh P. Teagle, who was our State Assemblyman at the time.  And at the right is the Circus Bar --

The Circus Bar (along with The Haven) was the subject of a painting we displayed in our Woodhaven Art Show back in May.

Old awnings and signs are always an interesting way to look at our past -- this Fish Market sign is still visible on 85th Street, though the fish market has been gone for well over a decade.  You can see more of these kinds of old signs and hidden awnings of Woodhaven by clicking here.

One of our favorite "old friend" sightings was  the Bella Vista Restaurant -- click here for more pictures of this classic old sign --

Keep your eyes out -- and if you see any awnings that look like they're about to fall -- let us know!

If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com.  

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Photos by Joey Wendell