Construction to transform the Long Island Rail Road concourse at Penn Station begins Monday.
But the remaking of the transit hub will mean the loss of a beloved Penn Station fixture, Tracks Raw Bar and Grill.
"Tracks has often been called an oasis in the chaos at Penn Station," Bruce Caulfield co-owner of Tracks, which opened in 2002
Tracks is one of 10 businesses, including McDonald's and a Bank of America branch, the MTA is kicking out.
But none of them are like Tracks.
"Not to be corny, but it's like Cheers," Caulfield said.
It's where blue and white collar workers sit side by side, putting down hard hats and briefcases before the commute home.
For others it's a refuge, a place to kill time when there's a delay on the rails or simply relax after a long day on the job.
"It's gonna be missed, it's going to be an end of an era, really," one patron said.
Les Forshey, a friend of Caulfield's and a regular for more than a decade, says Tracks became his go-to spot, particularly when his New Jersey Transit ride was delayed.
"It's comfortable wonderful, place we've loved for years," Forshey said. "It's a landmark here in Penn," Forshey said.
Caulfield, who has been in the retail business at Penn Station since 1987, plans to make a last-ditch appeal to save his business.. and he's going to the top... the man who oversees the MTA.
"I want to appeal to Governor Cuomo to, like he did with the L train, to maybe look at this, to save this place," Caulfield said. "Whatever has to be done, because to duplicate Tracks some place else would be so hard. It's unique in Pen Station."
The MTA had warned the businesses they were in the way of a planned entrance at 33rd Street and 7th Avenue to the LIRR concourse on the station's lower level. The project, called East End Gateway, is part of Cuomo's effort to transform the less-than-loved train station.
Caulfield said the MTA notified him May 1 that his time was up.
"The result will be a spacious and less congested station that is safer and easier to navigate, along with better amenities for travelers," MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said in a statement.
If Tracks does close, Caulfield hopes it could return when construction is complete, in 2020, under a new landlord, Vornado Realty.
While the owners of the restaurant fight to keep it open, Tracks doesn't have to clear out, just yet. You can still enjoy a pint, and an oyster, until August 31
Beloved Penn Station Hangout Gets Booted for LIRR Concourse Renovations
PUBLISHED June 15, 2019 @11:55 AM