Photo by Stacie Joy
A Halloween kitty sighting along Avenue C...
Monday, October 28, 2024
Where is the $1 million NYPD mobile command unit that Mayor Adams promised for the troubled 14th Street and 1st Avenue corridor?
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
During a press conference on Aug. 8 at the 14th Street Y, Mayor Adams announced that a $1 million state-of-the-art Mobile NYPD Command Center would be placed near the troubled corner of 14th Street and First Avenue. (The Times first reported that Adams allocated the money in early July.)
According to the news release touting the command center on Aug. 8, the city noted it was part of a "fiscally responsible $112.4 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Adopted Budget passed in June."
Two and a half months later, no one seems to know about — or wants to comment on — the mobile command unit. When can residents expect to see it on 14th Street? Given his legal troubles, how much is the city's first indicted sitting mayor paying attention to neighborhood issues like this? (In addition, NYC's interim police commissioner is leaving after a few weeks on the job.)
This long-problematic stretch of 14th Street finally seemed to garner attention after, tragically, a triple stabbing among unhoused residents who were vending left one man dead on June 23.
The corridor had been a problem for years. Mayor Adams gave it the proper amount of lip service during a press conference on Aug. 8:
"When we came into office, we had a clear mission: protect public safety, rebuild our economy, and make our city more affordable and livable, and the '14th Street Community Improvement Coalition' precisely addresses these concerns — enhancing the quality of life and making the East Village safer. Our administration does not and will not tolerate an atmosphere where anything goes."
In a piece from July titled "A Street Brawl, a Stabbing Spree and a New York Block No One Can Fix," The New York Times observed:
East 14th Street also embodies New York City's struggles with a web of interconnected ills that have defied attempts to rein them in and have flared since the pandemic in parts of Manhattan: homelessness and mental illness, addiction and rampant shoplifting and seesaw battles for control of public space.
Since the stabbings on a Sunday afternoon in June, the NYPD has been a regular presence on the block, both on foot patrols and in patrol cars. The NYPD also installed three light towers between A and First on the south side of 14th Street. The city formed the multi-agency 14th Street Community Improvement Coalition to address the complicated convergence of public safety issues, including illegal vending, retail theft, and substance use and sales.
One matter that hasn't been resolved is the weekend flea market at Immaculate Conception on 14th Street at First Avenue, which some residents said contributes to the quality-of-life issues. The market is too big for the available space, and it attracted a patchwork of sellers with dubious and stolen merchandise setting up on the sidewalk along the block. The police have mostly kept them away from the corridor.
Residents have noted improvements along 14th Street, though familiar issues have been gradually resurfacing. Late last month, a 68-year-old woman was bashed in the head by a stranger on 14th Street and First Avenue.
Against this backdrop, where is the $1 million NYPD mobile command unit that "will serve as a central hub for law enforcement operations in the area"? Is it still on the way?
According to a source at the NYPD who was not authorized to speak on the record: "It's not something that was going to happen right away. No time frame or date was given [for its arrival]."
The source continued:
In my experience, the NYPD will just show up and arrive without proper communication with anyone involved. I don't know when the unit will arrive, but I don't think we will see it this year. Local elected officials may have more info than we will have. We are usually the last to know.This [mobile unit] will require manpower, and three officers will be assigned to it at all times. Where are the three officers coming from? Right now, two officers are assigned to the foot post at the location — one from the 9th Precinct and one from the 13th Precinct.
I asked the NYPD source if the underlying issues had been addressed and if the problems might have spread to other areas.
Absolutely, the problem has been pushed to other areas. We have seen illegal vendors move into the confines of the 13th Precinct, and some vendors have moved to First Avenue and Houston Street ... We have received complaints regarding 12th Street and First Avenue, but I have only seen homeless people there, no vendors. Now they [the vendors] are scattered around.When we take the footpost away, they will all come back. We did this once before during the DeBlasio administration. We were there for a month or two, and as soon as they took the footpost away, [the vendors] all came back. We have questions, too. Is this going to be an overtime post? Where are these officers coming from? We made the press conference, we made these nice promises; when are we going to see this? These are good questions to ask local elected officials. When is it coming? You need to announce when it is going to happen. Give me a time frame.
"At this moment, the Council does not have an update to share on the timeline of the mobile command unit," said Adrienne E. Adams, speaker of City Council. "I would implore you to reach out to NYPD if you haven't already to get answers to your questions."
From the office of District 2 City Council Member Carlina Rivera: "NYPD press would have the most accurate timeline — we are working to get an update as well."
State Assemblymember Harvey Epstein was the most talkative on the topic.
"There is regular police [presence] on 14th Street and coordinated efforts with both the 9th and 13th [Precincts] working together along with sanitation, DHS, etc.," he said. "My understanding is the command center exists now but [is] not visible to the public except what we see on 14th Street with police and equipment there."
When I pressed for clarification, he said, "Let me ask."
Epstein said he contacted the Mayor's office three times for an update and was told there was no update.
Leaders at Community Board 3 also did not answer. "I have nothing on record to say," said longtime District Manager Susan Stetzer. CB3 Chair Andrea Gordillo said, "I don't have anything official to follow up with, but as soon as I do, I'll let you know."
I also contacted the Mayor, the press office at City Hall, Sen. Brian Kavanagh, District 4 City Council Member Keith Powers, and the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information. However, none of them got back to me.
I waited to file this story to give people time to respond. They did not.
Meanwhile, I would have contacted more people listed on the press release about the mobile unit, but they have either since been indicted or resigned.
Signage alert: Fattoush by Salma on 1st Avenue
Photos by Pinch
Signage has arrived for Fattoush by Salma at 221 First Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street.
The restaurant, serving Mediterranean cuisine, is an offshoot of Salma at 351 E. 12th St., just west of First Avenue. There is no word on an opening date yet.
Salma, described as an "authentic Lebanese grill," debuted in the fall of 2021.
After a short stint, Dim Sum Go Go closed at 221 First Ave. in February.
The former Sushi Dojo space is for lease on 1st Avenue
The former Sushi Dojo space is now for lease at 110 First Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.
We don't know the exact timing of the recent closure. The Sushi Dojo website simply says, "We're Closed. Thank you for your support since 2013." Its Instagram account doesn't mention a closing.
The restaurant, from chef David Bouhadana, received acclaim during its early days here. However, in the fall of 2015, ownership let go of its chef for his reportedly "unprofessional" handling of DOH codes and conduct.
The fine-dining allure of Sushi Dojo changed over time, and recent Instagram posts show deals for "anti inflation omasake" — 10 pieces for $45.
According to the listing for the fully vented space, the rent is $15,000 monthly.
2 recently opened restaurants close for renovations on 2nd Avenue
The restaurant at 80 Second Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street is closed for renovations.
Per an Instagram post: "We will be temporarily closed for the time being as we go through some changes here at #SundayDreamin. Give us a follow so you can stay up to date for when we reopen!"
Sunday Dreamin opened in May, and we mostly heard positive things about the food.
Meanwhile, one block to the north, the Sunflower East Village has also announced a closure for a "restructure" (photo by Steven)...
This sister cafe to the one on Third Avenue in Gramercy Park (with the Instagram slogan "Let’s Brunch baby!") also opened in May. It's not known what a restructure entails, but there was a very long build-out ahead of the grand opening.
Sunflower is owned and operated by the same folks as the previous tenant here, Eros, the Greek restaurant that quietly closed in August 2022. Eros took over for their diner concept, The Kitchen Sink, in September 2021.
Unfortunately, in recent months, neither Sunday Dreamin nor the Sunflower seemed all that busy.
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Week in Grieview
• Curtain falls on Connelly Theater: Archdiocese takes center stage in script scrutiny drama (Thursday)
• Office building on the former site of B Bar & Grill will be home to Chobani House — 'a new model for urban development' (Friday)
• Canines, crowds, cops and chaos: At the annual Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade (Monday)
• Op-Ed: The back of our ballot in NYC (Thursday)
• Openings: Gizmo on 14th Street (Tuesday)
• RIP Gary Indiana (Thursday)
• About Sofaclub, a licensed cannabis shop opening this fall on Avenue B (Wednesday)
• A look at Walter Salas-Humara's 'Guardians and Realms' at 14BC Gallery (Wednesday)
• And now, your Budget Mart signage on Avenue A (Thursday)
• Openings: DupBopBro on Houston (Wednesday)
• A moment in Tompkins Square Park with Robert Leslie (Tuesday)
• Closings: A-Roll Bar and Grill on St. Mark's Place (Tuesday)
• Houston Village Farm hasn't been open lately (Monday)
• Talking baseball (Friday)
• About a new home for Baker Falls on the Lower East Side (Monday)
... and there's a rally to save community gardens citywide at City Hall...
Another chance to catch 'Caught Stealing' filming around the East Village
Photos by Stacie Joy
Crews for the Darren Aronofsky-helmed crime thriller "Caught Stealing" (aka "Chelsea Honeymoon") will return to the neighborhood this week.
We've seen fliers covering a pretty wide swath, from Cooper Square to Avenue B, for the filming taking place on Tuesday. So expect to see more late 1990s set dressing ... one confirmed location is the Quick Coin laundromat on Avenue B between Third Street and Fourth Street.
The laundromat will be closed for set dressing during the day tomorrow (open again after 5 p.m.) ... closed Tuesday... reopening Wednesday after 4 p.m.
Several weeks ago, workers were seen dating the laundromat to fit the late 1990s. However, there must have been a change in the production schedule, as the filming didn't take place.
Everything with the yellow caution tape was for the shoot. 
Charlie Huston adapted the screenplay from his 2004 book "Caught Stealing." The story finds Hank Thompson (Austin Butler), a former baseball prodigy, now a binge-drinking bartender, being chased by a criminal element in the late-1990s East Village.
The cast includes Zoë Kravitz, Regina King, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Bad Bunny, Griffin Dunne, Vincent D’Onofrio and Action Bronson.
DOT adds new 2nd Avenue offset bus lane
As previously reported, the new-look Second Avenue would include shifting the curbside bus lane to an offset bus lane to help speed up travel times...
From a DOT press release in June:
Second Avenue serves the M15 local and SBS route—the city's busiest bus route with 57,000 daily riders. To improve bus service, NYC DOT will be moving the existing curbside bus lane on Second Avenue one lane over — known as an offset bus lane. This redesign will keep the bus lane clear while better accommodating deliveries on the corridor.The offset bus lane design will allow NYC DOT to upgrade bus lane operations to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing consistent, reliable, and dedicated space for buses to move quicker while reducing bus lane blocking. (The current operations of the curbside bus lane are weekdays from 7-10 a.m. and 2-7 p.m., originally put in place to accommodate commercial loading and overnight parking.)
Upgrading curbside bus lanes to offset lanes has shown to improve safety for vulnerable road users in addition to improving bus service.
According to Streetsblog in June, bus speeds in lower Manhattan "have cratered to under 7 miles per hour on 81 percent of buses that run during the afternoon rush."
First Avenue through the East Village also has an offset bus lane.
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Saturday's parting shot
Night and day at Trash & Vaudeville
Photos by Stacie Joy
We always like the Halloween-time windows at Trash & Vaudeville on Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.
We got the night-time shot above and returned to when the longtime clothing boutique (b 1975) was open to check out the seasonal pieces... 
EVG Etc.: Potential jurors in Daniel Penny trial face further questioning; election races to watch
Photo from Houston and the Bowery
• Jury selection continues in the manslaughter trial of Daniel Penny (Courthouse News ... Remembering Jordan Neely (ABC News)
• The nonprofits that operate NYC's homeless shelters are engaged in widespread corruption, officials say (The New York Times... UPI)
• The mayor's defense team is arguing that law enforcement agencies deliberately tried to tarnish his reputation (Gothamist)
• Races to watch in NYC this election season (THE CITY)
• Panhandler attacked a customer at Mee Noodle on First Avenue (PIX 11)
• A look at the fourth annual FranCon gathering at the Holiday Cocktail Lounge on St. Mark's Place (Vogue)
• New gallery exhibit on Second Street near Avenue A: Survivor-Girl, "women-identifying artists exploring the spectrum of womanhood and the survivor-body" (Ruby/Dakota ... previously on EVG)
• In praise of "Energies," a new exhibition at the Swiss Institute on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place (Cultured)
• The man fighting to save the Elizabeth Street Garden (Interview)
• A fall-time look at Christo and Amelia, the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park (Laura Goggin Photography)
• A Taiwanese food crawl in the East Village (Gothamist)
• A Sixth Street co-op "embodies East Village cool, all grown up" (6sqft)
• Dirt Candy, which got its start on Ninth Street, turns 16 (Forbes)
• The NYC restaurants going old-school with the return of the reservation book (Eater)
• Two chances to see "All the President's Men" on the big screen, today and Wednesday (Metrograph)
... and on Avenue B between Eighth Street and Ninth Street this afternoon...
Community events on 12th Street today
Campos Community Garden invites the community to join us for our 14th annual celebration of Dia de Los Muertos on Saturday, Oct. 26, 3-6 p.m. As always, it’s a free event in remembrance of our loved ones. We will commemorate Dia de los Muertos with arts & crafts, Mexican hot chocolate & sweet breads, and ceremonial dancing by Cetiliztl Nauhcampa dancers (ceremony at 4 p.m.).Leave an offering at the altar if you wish. (You can also visit the altar on Sunday, Oct. 27, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. during public hours.) Garden: 640 E. 12th St. between Avenue B and Avenue C
And next door...
The Children's Workshop School will host Harvest Festival on Saturday, Oct. 26, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. This seasonal favorite returns with fall-themed crafts & activities, games, food, and our first-ever pie-baking contest! Open to the greater community!It's also a wonderful chance to meet families if you're interested in applying for school next year, as well as supporting our public progressive school: 610 E. 12th St. between Avenue B and Avenue C.
Finding ghostwriters? Haunt the stacks at the Lower East Side Halloween Bookstore Crawl
Participating stores will have various deals and spooky stuff:
Saturday's opening shots
A view this a.m. on 14th Street looking to the east toward Avenue C...
... and the 24-floor residential buidling in progress (maybe up to 20?)...
Friday, October 25, 2024
Friday's parting shot
Photo by Cecil Scheib
A view of tonight's spectacular sunset ... with a view of Tompkins Square Park...
You're in a mess
Local duo Beau — Heather Goldin and Emma Jenney — just saw the release of their third album, Girl Cried Wolf.
The video here is for the track "Messy."
The longtime friends and native New Yorkers started writing music together at age 13 in Washington Square Park.
Per their bio: "If in some alternate universe there is a place where The Ronettes, Joanna Newsom, Thom Yorke and Karen O meet, then that is the birthplace of Beau."
Beau knows!
This weekend in Tompkins Square Park
Tomorrow (Saturday) a slate of bands is on the bill for Mike Lewi's Psychobilly Halloween Extravaganza.
East Village resident John Holmstrom, the co-founder, editor, and illustrator of PUNK Magazine, will also be on hand giving away copies of PUNK #23 and selling some PUNK Mag merch.
The music is scheduled from 2-6 p.m.
At 6:30, East Village resident Eric Drooker presents an illustrated history of Tompkins Square Park ...
Talking baseball
This mural of him capturing the heyday of "Fernandomania" has been outside Taqueria St Marks Place since the bar-restaurant opened at 79 St. Mark's Place west of First Avenue in March 2015.
Taqueria St Marks Place remains a haven for L.A. Dodgers and Lakers fans.
And as we first reported, the Dodgers and Yankees are facing each other in the World Series starting tonight. Being fans of the game, some big questions as the series gets underway:
• Can the Jets do more on offense with an improved clean-pocket stat line for Aaron Rodgers?
• Does Karl-Anthony Towns really give the Knicks a true stretch 5?
• Will the Rangers win the Metropolitan Division?
• Will the Liberty resign Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot?
In any event... our call: Yankees in 8.
Office building on the former site of B Bar & Grill will be home to Chobani House — 'a new model for urban development'
The new 22-story office building on the SW corner of the Bowery and Fourth Street will be home to one tenant: The NYC-based Chobani, LLC, the food and beverage company initially known for its Greek yogurt.
Yesterday, the company announced more details about the late-2025 arrival of Chobani House at 360 Bowery, "a new model for urban development, combining business, community investment, and impact." (News of the lease was made last month.)
According to the announcement, "Chobani is embracing a new vision for how businesses can invest in and deliver sustained impact for their home community."
Here's more:
Chobani House will be home to its global business headquarters with employees working in office four days a week, a community kitchen preparing nutritious meals for those in need, an innovation center supporting Chobani's business and also bringing together global food scientists to advance solutions to help eradicate hunger, and an incubator lab for emerging NGOs and non-profits who are focused on social impact.
The over 120,000-square-foot building will include an "experiential retail space" and other organizations connected to Hamdi Ulukaya, Chobani's founder and CEO.
Tent Partnership for Refugees, started by Ulukaya, is "a network of over 400 companies committed to helping refugees across a dozen countries in the Americas and Europe access local labor markets by helping them become job-ready." Shepherd Futures, Ulukaya's family office, bought Anchor Brewing in San Francisco this past spring.
As previously reported, CB Developers paid $59.5 million for a stake in 358-360 Bowery, a gas station, before converting the lot into B Bar & Grill. That one-time hot spot (circa the mid-1990s) was expected to close in August 2020. However, the place never reopened after the PAUSE in March 2020.
Foundation work started on the new building in the summer of 2022.
Thursday, October 24, 2024
RIP Gary Indiana
Some headlines on his life and work:
• Writer Gary Indiana, Dark Prince of the 1980s East Village Art Scene, Is Dead at 74 (artnet)
• Remembering Gary Indiana (1950–2024) (The Paris Review)
• Gary Indiana's The Village Voice Art Columns (ArtReview)
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