Is Everybody Happy?

They are if they get their prescriptions filled at Block Drugs on 101 Second Avenue in the East Village. Block Drugs is one of Manhattan’s last neighborhood drug stores, a rarity in a city overrun with faceless chains. They carry the usual stuff, as well as the sort of cool items that can only be found at a place that caters to a local clientele. Just check out these women, they are obviously happy shoppers. “Look at my purse,” says the female pointing at her bag, “I just refilled my husband's Viagra prescription and I still have money left for a Frappacino! Thank you Block Drugs!”

Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York: At the corner of 2nd and 6th, there’s Block Drug Stores, a.k.a. Second Avenue Chemists. Established in 1885, it has been run by the Palermo family since 1962. It’s a tiny shop with a big, gorgeous neon sign, a pressed-tin ceiling, and personalized, knowledgeable service. They also have an antique coin-operated scale by the door that comes complete with a metal hook designated, “Hang Parcel Here,” so the weight of your parcel (a vanished word, by the way) doesn’t skew your results. (Interior pic courtesy Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York)