After 80 years, the iconic Carnegie Deli on Seventh Avenue is closing its doors Friday. NY1's Michael Scotto filed the following report.
The Carnegie Deli's iconic sandwich is packed sky-high with pastrami or corned beef. It's been a staple here for decades.
But now, after 80 years, the famed deli is closing its flagship location on Seventh Avenue.
"To see this deli close is saddening to me," said one customer.
Saddening because the deli is a reminder of old New York, a time when Jewish-style delis were everywhere.
The Carnegie Deli was a favorite of celebrities and directors, like Woody Allen, who used the deli in one of his movies.
Marian Harper has owned the place for 40 years. She reflected on her decision to shutter the location, which comes less than a year after it reopened. It had been closed for nearly a year because of an illegal gas hookup in the basement.
"Now is the time of my life, I have to take a step back. It's very grueling," she said.
Especially during the deli's final days. People have been waiting in the rain all day long. It's an hour-and-a-half wait just to get takeout, and about two hours if you want a table.
Some people were coming for the first time.
Customer: I hate lines as a New Yorker.
Scotto: Hope it's worth it.
Customer: I hope so, too.
One woman and her husband came in from Miami just to dine here one last time. What'd she eat at 10 a.m.?
"Pastrami on rye and a chocolate egg cream," she said.
Harper is still deciding what to do with all the photographs that line the walls.
Her employees, all 60 of them, will be out of work.
Desmarine Redwood has been a Carnegie Deli waitress for 26 years.
"I'm 69 years old, darling. I need to relax now," she said.
The Carnegie Deli brand will live on at places like Madison Square Garden.
As it sunk in that the original location was closing, Harper consoled regulars as they savored their last moments in the legendary room.