"Counter Culture: NYC’s Greatest Diners & Luncheonettes," Photographed by James and Karla Murray

Talk Highlights:

• Peek inside James and Karla Murray's new photo book, Counter Culture: New York Cit’s Greatest Diners & Luncheonettes
• See stunning images of old school favorites like Lexington Candy Shop, Veselka, Tom’s Restaurant, B&H Dairy and EJ’s Luncheonette
• Get to know newer establishments like Thai Diner, Revelie Luncheonette and Golden Diner
• Hear behind-the-lens stories from the making of the book

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About Counter Culture:

Counter Culture celebrates 30 of Manhattan’s most beloved diners and luncheonettes, serving the melting pot under the warm glow of neon lights, Formica counters, and chrome swivel stools. Included are classic establishments and local landmarks such as the Lexington Candy Shop, Veselka, Tom’s Restaurant, B&H Dairy and EJ’s Luncheonette as well as more recent establishments like Thai Diner, Revelie Luncheonette and Golden Diner that put cultural twists on traditional diner offerings. For photographers, James T. and Karla L. Murray, these New York neighborhood institutions embody the city at its best, providing comfort foods all hours of the day and night. These street-level independent businesses, often family-owned, have been anchors in the community across generations. But in recent years, gentrification has forced many of the businesses to close their doors at an alarming rate.

Vibrant exterior and intimate interior photographs and a smorgasbord of visual details by the award-winning photographers behind Store Front NYC, Great Bars of New York City, and Vinyl NYC are accompanied by vivid profiles by food and culture journalist Emma Orlow that uncover the stories behind each location, with insights from the owners.

About James & Karla Murray:

James and Karla Murray are husband-and-wife architectural and interior photographers and multi-media artists based in New York City. For over twenty-five years they have focused their lens on the streetscape through portraits of storefronts and shop owners and have strived to capture moments of city life that often go undocumented but capture the spirit, energy and cultural diversity of individual neighborhoods. They made it their mission to thoroughly document unique 'mom-and-pop' stores when they began to notice the alarming rate at which the shops were disappearing.

Their critically acclaimed books include Counter Culture: New York City's Greatest Diners and Luncheonettes, Vinyl NYC: 33 1/3 of the Best Record Stores Across All Five Boroughs, Great Bars of New York City: 30 of Manhattan's Favorite Storied Drinking Establishments, Store Front NYC: Photographs of the City's Independent Shops, Past and Present, Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York, New York Nights, Store Front II- A History Preserved and Broken Windows-Graffiti NYC. The authors’ landmark 2008 book, Store Front, was cited in Bookforum's Dec/Jan 2015 issue as one of the “Exemplary Art Books From The Past Two Decades” and heralded as “One of the periods most successful New York books.” New York Nights was the winner of the prestigious New York Society Library’s 2012 New York City Book Award.