Everyone always talks about New York in the “old days”—the character, the charm, how much it’s changed. Having lived here for a while, I personally always think it looks basically the same. But James and Karla Murray’s photo collection made me realize this is like aging itself—we get up every day and nothing seems much different in the mirror; it’s not until we look at photos of ourselves from 10 years ago that we feel the time go by.

The Murrays have been taking photos of New York storefronts for years. They’ve even made a coffee table book out of them. The selection below is a guided stroll down 2nd Avenue circa 2001. Some of these classic instituions are gone, some have changed, and some have changed less than you’d think. But the photos are a testament to the only real truth: nothing stays the same.

Check out more at James and Karla Murray’s site, and like their Facebook page.

Jade Mountain, closed 2007

2nd Avenue Deli, closed 2006

East Village Meat Market: still open, but no longer allowed to hang meat in the window

Gem Spa Deli: still open, but with some changes. Amazingly, the big “update” to the outside is the addition of the Zoltar fortune teller featured in the 1988 Tom Hanks movie “Big.”

Mars Bar, closed 2011

Joe’s Locksmith Autobdy, closed 2011

All photos courtesy of James and Karla Murray