Attention Barnard students! Notice anything different about the block between 113th St. and 114th St. lately? Yes. Ricky’s NYC has abandoned Morningside Heights. Sure, I didn’t notice for about a week and you probably didn’t notice it was gone until just now. But now that it’s gone, you probably just thought of 5 things you absolutely cannot get anywhere else in MoHi. I just want to take this time out to pay tribute to the wonder that was Ricky’s.
Okay, maybe you only went in there once a month when you ran out of body wash or EOS chapstick. Maybe Ricky’s was merely a last-ditch effort for that Halloween party you were invited to at the last minute. Perhaps Ricky’s was a place you frequented for your bimonthly haircut…? Or maybe you liked to get a little freaky and go to the basement 18+ sex-store to check out the new technology on the block. (For those who didn’t know that was there, you probably would have been too freaked out to go through the pink beaded tassels anyway). Whatever role Ricky’s played in your life here at Columbia, it will be missed whether you realize it or not.
Where else are you going to get your random gifts for your friend’s birthday you forgot about? Where else are you going to get your special sulfate-free shampoo (Shoutout to those living that Keratin life). Where else are you going to get slippers shaped like Frogs? Where else are you going to buy a nude sticky bra when you want to wear a backless dress? Ricky’s randomness was a cornerstone of the Columbia campus and it may be gone but it certainly won’t be forgotten. (Or you can hop on down to 87th street or any other street corner in NYC and you can get your random necessities there too I guess…)
Fingers crossed for an iHOP…or a Shake Shack….or anywhere that serves food. I can’t eat any more Dig Inn.