Tom’s Diner (Thursday Doors)

I was listening to “The Best of Suzanne Vega” and when Tom’s Diner came on, it occurred to me that I should do a doors post with the song. I lived in this neighborhood, near Columbia University, for many years (in four different apartments) and both my daughters live near there now, so I’m often passing by Tom’s, which is of course now more famous for its relationship to “Seinfeld”.

Here’s the view from across Broadway.

Vega went to Barnard, but she also grew up in the neighborhood, and a recent article I read somewhere talked about how she is still meeting her mother every week at the Buddhist Temple on Riverside Drive near 106th Street. The bells of the cathedral she mentions in the song are those of the Cathedral of St John the Divine, which is a block away from Tom’s on Amsterdam Avenue.

Here’s a view of it across 112th Street. I have many many photos of the Cathedral, both inside and out–eventually I will sort through them and do a few posts, but below is how it looks from Amsterdam Avenue.

The building that houses Tom’s is Columbia Housing, and its entrance on 112th Street is pretty ordinary. I’m sure it once had a more elaborate door.

My poem is a taiga for Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday, which is a tanka on a black and white photo.

counters and coffee,
Broadway outside the windows–
I think of diners,
sounds and sights I used to know
intimately, like an old song

Suzanne Vega originally recorded Tom’s Diner as an acapella song, but the British group DNA made it a hit with their remix. I’ve included both versions for your listening and viewing pleasure.

And don’t forget to take a look at all the doors at Thursday Doors, hosted by Dan Antion.