New York Sports Club not quite done branding their new Avenue A location

[Last week!]

Yep, more signage for the incoming gym at 28 Avenue A between East Second Street and East Third Street...



...some snow-friendly letters...



At this point Winter 2015 remains the rather vague opening date.

H/T @KennethRood

Previously on EV Grieve:
New York Sports Club in the works for Avenue A

Sidewalk bridge and scaffolding arrive ahead of planned New York Sports Club on Avenue A

New York Sports Club says hello on Avenue A

Familiar Burger-Klein sign has disappeared from Avenue A

Here is the New York Sports Club building on Avenue A

Getting to know — Essex Crossing

[Flyer spotted on 6th and B]

There's a community presentation tonight at 6 for anyone interested in learning more about Essex Crossing, the 1.9 million square feet of residential, commercial and community space coming to the Lower East Side once of these days.

The meeting is at the Grand Street Settlement, 80 Pitt St. between Rivington and Stanton.

You can read more about the mega-peject at The Lo-Down … BoweryBoogie … and Curbed.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A 14-screen Regal Cinemas theater with electronic reclining seats coming to the LES (30 comments)

Last night's empty East Village streets

[The Bowery and East 3rd Street via EVG reader Rob]


[1st Avenue and East 6th Street via Goggla]


[Avenue B and East 3rd Street via Stacie Joy]


[East 6th Street via Vinny and O]

Frank Ape asks a sensible question

A Frank Ape sighting on East Ninth Street near Avenue B … photo by Bobby Williams

The snowmen are evolving in Tompkins Square Park

They're climbing trees now...





Thanks to EVG reader Daniel for the photos!

The snowmen are evolving at Veselka

They are apparently cooking now... spotted outside Veselka earlier today on Second Avenue at East Ninth Street...

Noted

Spotted this morning on St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue… photo by Derek Berg

Report: Jimmy McMillan facing Feb. 5 eviction from St. Mark's Place apartment

[Photo from February 2013 by James Maher]

To the Daily News:

McMillan, founder of the fringe political party called The Rent Is Too Damn High, has filed suit in Brooklyn Federal Court seeking to stave off the eviction, which is scheduled to be carried out by a city marshal Feb. 5. Acting as his own lawyer, he is also demanding $1.3 million in monetary damages.

The 68-year-old Vietnam War veteran has been embroiled in a legal battle with the landlord, who claimed the one-bedroom flat on St. Marks Place wasn’t McMillan’s primary residence, and that he actually lives in Brooklyn.

McMillan is reportedly paying $872 a month for the apartment on St. Mark's Place. He says the Brooklyn address is for office use.

Find the full Daily News article here.

And how was your blizzard?

It was apparently pretty awesome for this group of thrillseekers, who, during the overnight driving ban, took to the middle of First Avenue and St. Mark's Place for a game of Beer Pong.

Brandon Wenerd captured the scene on video ... and provided a report to BroBible...

A few Bros take shots on the portable table, a neighbor from a building on the block tells them to shut the hell up, and a emergency vehicles go by (they did nothing to prevent them from passing or anything dangerous). It ends in the way all good beer pong games end: With a slam dunk breaking the table.

The pong dunk happens around the 3:20 mark and right afterwards an ambulance drives down the avenue with its sirens on, causing the Bros to hilariously flee. The Bro leader is quick to call them all a bunch of “pussies” when they realize it was an ambulance, not NYPD.

Behold...

Or if you just want the 6-second version...

Tonight's Community Board 3 meeting has been cancelled

It is true.

It will be rescheduled for either Thursday (1/29) or Monday (2/2). Please visit the CB3 website for updated information.

Despite alleged blizzard, snowffiti artists sticking it to the man, kind of

Just a little bit up Third Avenue near East 19th Street... a snowffiti artist gets testy with the NYPD...



Thanks to ‏@ThePeterHa for the photo

This morning's headlines this evening

Outside Gem Spa tonight via Derek Berg

Today, pretty much

Tompkins Square Park this afternoon via Bobby Williams

You won't be able to ride a Citi Bike tonight after 7 (legally, anyway)

System Alert: Citi Bike System will close at 7PM EST tonight due to extreme weather including heavy snow, high winds, and limited visibility

— Citi Bike (@CitiBikeNYC) January 26, 2015

They seem to have handled the pre-blizzard well...


[2nd Avenue earlier via Derek Berg]

Anyway you guys...

Please stay indoors and off the roads so the streets can be plowed safely! #bikenyc #staywarm

— Citi Bike (@CitiBikeNYC) January 26, 2015

[Updated] An in-progess look at East Village bars (and a few other places) open tonight

[Randomly, earlier]

Well, someone asked us on Twitter.

Please add to the (not exhaustive) list in the comments... and we'll update, unless we go out. Confirmed so far:

Avenue A:
Common Ground
HiFi
Niagara
Flinder's Lane
Boulton & Watt
The Library

Avenue B:
7B/Vazac's
Manitoba's
The Roost
Dream Baby
Fonda
Mona's
Boxcar Lounge
Gruppo until 8 p.m.

Avenue C:
The Wayland
ABC Beer Co.
Edi & the Wolf
Summit Bar

First Avenue:
The International
Coal Yard
Three of Cups
Hearth (as long as the subways remain up and running)
d.b.a.
Tile Bar
Spiegel (at East Second Street)
Lunasa

Second Avenue:
Professor Thom's
Lit Lounge
Veselka

Others:
• William Barnacle Tavern between First Avenue and Second Avenue (live Irish music)
• Blue & Gold East Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue
• St. Mark's Ale House on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue
• The Grassroots on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue
• East Village Social on St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue
• Lavagna on East Fifth Street near Avenue B
• Sophie's on East Fifth Street near Avenue A
• Josie's on East Sixth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B
• The Immigrant on East Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue
• Big Bar (until Dax needs to leave) East Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue
• La Palapa on St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue
• Jimmy's No. 43 on East Seventh Street between Second Avenue and Cooper Square
• In Vino on East Fourth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B
• Double Down on East 12th Street near Avenue A
• Solas on East Ninth Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue
• Cake Shop on Ludlow Street
• Fourth Street Food Co-Op (until 9:30)
• Von, 3 Bleecker St. near the Bowery
• Parkside East Houston and Attorney
• Fontana's, 105 Eldridge
• Jeromes at Rivington F+B, 155 Rivington
• Pete's Tavern (a little outside the neighborhood... open until 11:30)

And remember — the Mayor says there won't be any food deliveries made after 11 p.m.!

Will the blizzard bring an end to the Great Wind Chimes Saga of East 7th St.?

One can hope and dream... (Also, not sure where the note writer is getting his or her wind velocity info...)

Previously on EV Grieve:
In a strong wind, these wind chimes on 7th Street are keeping residents awake

A Wind Chimes of East 7th Street postscript

Getting started

Looking south this afternoon on Avenue A (above) and First Avenue ...



Photos by Peter Brownscombe

Mmmmm, icing; also, be careful

The scene on Second Avenue between East Fifth Street and East Fourth Street...



Photos by Derek Berg

Pre-storm intensity picks up: Whole Foods Market® Bowery out of shopping carts

Oh shit!

Photo via Mercedes Sanchez...

And bonus no-cart-photo from last night at Key Food on Avenue A...


[Photo by Vinny and O]

Some alternatives via Twitter...

@evgrieve Whole Foods line went to the entrance which they had closed. I went to Westside Market and the old Met on 2nd Ave & am done!

— Thirsty Pete (@thirstypete) January 26, 2015

@evgrieve Meanwhile, at the corner market by my apartment, I can find everything I need and walk right up to the counter and buy it.

— Academy Records NYC (@AcademyRecords) January 26, 2015

@evgrieve @thirstypete commodities on 1st ave and 11th is not insane and has fresh produce in.

— beepia.ms (@beepiams) January 26, 2015

A quick check on the pre-blizzard line outside Trader Joe's

EVG reader Bonnie (who is not shopping) sent this in just before 11 a.m. here on East 14th Street ...

Interesting new business opening on East 14th Street

Yep. Signage has arrived at the former 99-Cent Discount Center on East 14th Street for a Domino's Pizza.

[Silence]

The space here just west of Avenue A will be adjacent to the new retail-residential complex that the developers said they are catering to millennials.

Thanks to the EVG reader on East 14th Street for the photo

The buildings at 128-130 1st Avenue are for sale

There's a new listing for these two buildings just south of St. Mark's Place.

Here's how Halstead is listing 128-130 1st Avenue:

Two contiguous mixed-use buildings near St. Marks Place, featuring 52-feet of frontage on First Avenue. Approximately 12,000SF interior plus full-basement, with 5-Stories & 19 units, including 16 one-bedroom apartments (most have been renovated), & 3 commercial spaces: (1) a 42-seat Hawaiian Restaurant (soon to open), (2) a newly-opened Bakery, (3) a store that is delivered vacant.

Excellent investment opportunity, ideally located in the heart of Manhattan's hottest emerging neighborhood, with an impressive rent-roll that will increase substantially over the near future.

The price is $14.9 million.

As for those retail spaces.

So the former Mediterranean Grill will be a Hawaiian restaurant. Sweet Generation opened on Jan. 11 in the former First Avenue Pierogi and Deli space. And the wonderfully cluttered Rainbow Music is the third storefront. Based on the listing, the Birdman's shop won't be here much longer. (Last March we heard that the shop was going to be closing in the months ahead.)

The Kurowycky family owns the buildings here. Last July, the family decided to retire after running First Avenue Pierogi and Deli for the past 30 years.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Reader report: The fabulous Rainbow Music is closing this year in the East Village

Last day for First Avenue Pierogi and Deli

Japanese dining taking over the Sembrado’s Tacos al Pastor space on East 13th Street

Sembrado’s Tacos al Pastor, the Mexican restaurant from Danny Mena, the chef and co-founder of Hecho en Dumbo, quietly closed this past November at 432 E. 13th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Per their Facebook message last Nov. 14: "Sembrado is moving. We are closing our East Village location … Don't worry, we'll be opening a new location soon!" The restaurant's website states, "expect us on the other side of the river in early 2015."

Meanwhile, the sign is up for the next tenant… Japanese dining featuring sake and tapas...



Not sure what the reason was for the closure/move. Too much taco competition in the neighborhood?

Per the EVG reader who told us about the closure:

"It seems to have gone unnoticed that Sembrado has closed. I'm not sad to see this place go. The food was pretty good but it was clear from their bar set-up, which included many varieties of artisinal/specialty tequilas, how their business model was going to work."

Sembrado's opened in July 2013.

This seems like a tough address for a restaurant. The well-regarded Singapore-influenced Masak closed here in March 2013.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Sembrado’s Tacos al Pastor opening Thursday on East 13th Street

Villacemita, serving authentic Puebla Mexican cuisine, announces itself on Avenue A

Interior renovations continue at 50 Avenue A between East Third Street and East Fourth Street. As we first noted on Jan. 6, a cafe featuring Mexican food is taking over the space that Native Bean held before moving to 36 Avenue A.

The sign is up now for the new tenant — Villacemita, serving authentic Puebla Mexican cuisine ...



There's a teaser website up now for the cafe ... there isn't any further information just yet. The cafe is in line to receive a beer-wine license. The owners were on this month's CB3/SLA committee docket.

According to paperwork (PDF!) on file at the CB3 website, Villacemita's proposed hours are 7 a.m. to midnight every day except for Sunday, when they'd close at 8 p.m. In total, there are 10 tables with seating for 20 people. The owners describes the place as "a small, community-oriented restaurant."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Space that houses Native Bean on Avenue A is for rent

Native Bean space apparently back on the market

Native Bean will be moving on Avenue A

Mexican food spot slated for former Native Bean space on Avenue A

Native Bean reopens in new Avenue A home

Hey, it's a dorm

We've posted photos of the new dorm at 35 Cooper Square and East Sixth Street in various states (like here and here).

Anyway, we just realized that we haven't posted a photo of the (almost) FULLY REVEALED dorm. So here you go.

And, as previously reported, the dorm will house students from Marymount Manhattan College, which is nowhere near here.

A news release from the school in April 2014 said students will be moving in for the fall 2015 term...

As for the rest of the release....

Cooper Square will be an all-encompassing, apartment-style residence hall for sophomore, junior, and senior residents. The new residence hall will be located on the corner of Cooper Square and East 6th Street, otherwise known as one of the most trendy and artistic locations in all of New York City. The 12-story residence will include a floor-wide student lounge, a robust fitness center, a study room, and a beautiful terrace on the 7th floor. The new residence hall is located just a few minutes from the 6 train, where students can quickly make their way up to the Upper East Side for class, or can bike uptown thanks to a bicycle storage room.

And two of the renderings from the release...





Previously on EV Grieve:
City OKs 13-floor dorm for Cooper Square

Updated: Here's what the newest East Village dorm will look like

Dig bottoms out on Cooper Square; here comes the dorm, here comes the dorm!

Your chance to lease the retail space in the new Cooper Square dorm

Ahead of possibly historic blizzard, Key Food shoppers pretty much making a mess

That's not where you found the oatmeal!

Critters in Tompkins Square Park hoarding sandwiches ahead of epic winter storm

Unless you have a better explanation!

Photo this afternoon by Bobby Williams

Week in Grieview

[1st Avenue and East 9th Street via Derek Berg]

Permit pre-filed for new 12-floor building at 79-89 Avenue D (Tuesday)

Ess-a-Bagel on the move (Monday)

RIP Christopher "Gonzo" Gonzalez (Friday)

Christo and Dora are building another nest (Friday)

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's NYC pop-cultural video gem (Thursday)

Space that houses 1st Avenue's Polish-American diner Neptune is on the market (Tuesday)

Out and About with Gala Darling (Wednesday)

Sunrise where the Domino Sugar Refinery stood for nearly 135 years (Monday)

Warwick and Framus Custom Shop closes on East 7th Street (Wednesday)

Car alarms still annoy (Monday)

New residential building at former 14th Street post office will feature a quiet lounge, private dining room (Thursday)

The Continental files for bankruptcy (Thursday)

Gina's Grill returns (Thursday)

The Save Manitoba's crowdfunding campaign is underway (Wednesday)

Matty's takes over the Idles Hands space on B (Tuesday)

Saint's Alp Teahouse closes for a revamp (Tuesday)

M. White closes on East 13th Street (Friday)

A threat against the 9th Precinct (Monday)

Tuscan food specialist opening 1st U.S. outpost on 4th Avenue for some reason (Tuesday)

City OKs 15-story mixed-use retail-residential building on 14th and C (Wednesday)

Gas problem temporarily closes Thai Terminal (Sunday)

Gingersnap's Organic is leaving the East Village for the West Village (Tuesday)

A $2,400 pizza at Fat Sal's? (Thursday)

All-new 212 E. 14th St. seeks retail tenant (Thursday)

Pinkberry remains closed; UPS InfoNotice® awaits

As we first noted this past week, the Pinkberry on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue abruptly closed on Tuesday… just days away from the FroYo mothership's 10th anniversary.

Meanwhile, a UPS InfoNotice® dated Wednesday remains on the door… looks like they were here for a pick up…



And this Pinkberry location has been scrubbed from the chain's website…



According to this listing, 10 PB locations remain in the city … as well as locations in Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina and Ohio, among other states not listed here.

Little Pakistan Deli has apparently closed on 2nd Avenue

There hasn't been any sign of life here at 200 Second Ave. between East 12th Street and East 13th Street. We heard a city marshal seized the deli earlier in the week. We noticed it closed starting this past Wednesday.

Meanwhile, next door along this stretch of businesses with Little and country names in them, Little Poland remains alive and well...

d.b.a. is back open on 1st Avenue

A reader told us that d.b.a. reopened last evening.

The bar at 41 First Ave. between East Third Street and East Second Street closed for renovations in early December.

As previously noted, David McWater is d.b.a.'s new owner. (His other bars include Milano's and Doc Hollidays.)

It was our understanding that the bar would have the same basic look and feel... except for maybe the bathrooms. We'll swing by later to see how it all looks.

Ray Deter and Dennis Zentek opened d.b.a. in 1994. Deter died in July 2011 from the injuries he suffered in a bicycling collison. Zentek died on March 23 from head injuries he sustained in a fall down a flight of stairs.

The d.b.a. in Williamsburg closed for good in late November.

Previously on EV Grieve:
David McWater looks to be the new owner of d.b.a.

Meanwhile outside Gem Spa

We have no idea what's happening here on Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place... just rumors (a breakout attempt among them)...





Photos by Derek Berg