Several readers wanted a chance to thank all the East Village businesses who were able to stay open and serve the neighborhood leading up to and after Hurricane Sandy. If there's a restaurant or business that you'd personally like to thank, then please leave a comment.
Of course, I know of many places that wanted to stay open, but either suffered damage or had some other issues preventing them from doing business.
40 comments:
Randolph's on Broome at Bowery stayed open for HOURS cooking burgers on the street.
Some intrepid souls from the coffeeshop at Grand and Lafayette charcoal-grilled sausages on the corner -- well of their usual menu.
Souvlaki GR fired up their truck, thank you!
Happiness Deli on Delancey - in great spirits as always, much appreciated.
Also, I'm interested in reading any accounts locals have written of their days or experiences last week - or EVG, maybe that's for another post? Here was mine: http://saragracenotes.com/cushy-camping-in-the-lower-east-side/.
Thanks for sharing!
The Mud Trucks rocked 9th St and the $10 La Palapa buffet was an oasis! Immigrant hosted a nightly neighborhood round table that was pretty cool and cozy.
i've said it before but the hurricane really drove it home: i didnt see a single chain business open during the blackout. but the local shops, restaurants and bodegas were all trying to serve their community to the best of their ability. it cannot be said often enough: support local biz, people.
Percy's Tavern who had hot food, cold beer and let anyone charge their phones through their generator.
the stage was open daytime Friday; got soup n pie by candlelight. they R awesome!!!!
Ray's Pizza with generators and hot ovens was a haven in the cold...
- East Villager
Dang this almost makes me wish I had ventured out after dark instead of huddling in my cold apartment eating boiled eggs and bacon.
Casa Adela on Avenue C between 4th and 5th was flooded, but re-opened Saturday. I always try to plug this place because the owners are great people and the chicken is amazing!
Thanks to B-Side for a comforting drink and conversation by candle light!
DBA stayed open for their regular hours. Played music through an old fashioned battery operated boom box. Thanks for the good community there. Also, Saifees Hardware on 1st Ave offered charging stations. Thanks to all the delis who remaind open. I bought their room temperature beer rather than the cold stuff from above the Badlands.
The $10 La Palapa buffet may have been an oasis, but I saw hardly any locals that were there on Wednesday-Friday (even when power was back in the EV, they were serving as they didn't have power). Most of the people I saw there where well-dressed, comfortable, from the UES or UWS, getting off cabs just checking what it was like in the EV, smiling with curiosity to see what they were getting from the buffet, basically slumming it for that day, sickening actually. I'm sure there will be those that'd argue well at least they were #EVOpen and good for La Palapa's business, but whatever.
Many thanks to Percy's Tavern for the generator and free charges on Tuesday! Their staff was so patient and made standing in the cold a little more tolerable.
Dorian Gray and Percy's were both great places to drink with friends and neighbors, and stay warm and charge up - thank you!
The bodega on 2nd Street & A, Mini Thai on ave A with a generator, was nice to have a sit down meal one night to feel normal!! Saifee hardware on 7th and 1st with a free generator supplied electrical outlets, and the bodega across the street from them.
St. Dymphna's - Open nightly. Thank so much!
Saifee Hardware & Garden - Much needed candles and flashlights. Open all week and super nice folks helping out.
Thank you to everyone who stayed open. Not only did you provide needed supplies, but you made it safer for everyone just being around. Thank you!!!
11b was giving out slices on tuesday and Rai Rai Ken was cooking up and giving away soup, the bakery on B between 13th and 14th was making hot coffee and had baked goods for sale
Vincent Sgarlato's , “11B Express,”
doc holliday's stayed open and only closed so the staff could get sleep and so they could find supplies. joanna deserves a major shout out.
Saifee Hardware @ 114 1st Avenue sold me extra candles and a landline phone on Tuesday morning. Veselka @ 144 2nd Avenue sold me lunch and other food from their front counter on Tuesday afternoon. Finally, Ray's Gourmet @ 201 2nd Ave and Village Farm @ 146 2nd Avenue were there all week to sell us water so we could flush our toilette. THANK YOU ALL, you were prepared even when we weren't.
Employees at St. Mark's Market @ 21 Saint Marks Place were passing out free ice cream from a shopping cart just inside their darkened entrance on Tuesday.
It was such a delight to find 11B serving free pizza on Tuesday. Neighborly and good business, too -- we'll be back for paid pies.
10:04AM,
Not everyone at La Palapa buffet wearing a suit was from Uptown. I had to "dress up" (ugh) one day last week and caught the buffet on the way home.
But, OTOH, I rarely look comfortable in a suit, so I'm probably not in the group to which you refer.
The 7th Street Deli on 1st Avenue was very helpful.
East Village Social on St. Mark's was open as of Tuesday afternoon, and a few of us essentially lived there. It's only been open for a month or two, and Dee Dee did a great job establishing it as a real locals' bar.
The five dollar "Mystery Beer" special was a lifesaver--she'd dip her hands into the cooler (with ice!) and whatever you got, at least it was cold.
Huge thank you to Northern Spy for cooking up a fabulous meal and serving it for free to EVers on Tuesday. Their fresh baked cookies and cheer were a bright spot on an otherwise very shitty day.
The awesome Village Farm corner store on 2nd/9th was open, and they also sold batteries, headlights, even ice and flowers. The people who run this store are so well organized and resiliant they will probably close 20 minutes before the apocalypse -- not sooner.
The Mud Truck (and about fifty people waiting in line to get their caffeine fix) was the first thing I saw upon venturing out on the street after Sandy -- an incredibly uplifting sight.
Veselka was open, and so was the corner store on NE 1st/7th.
I also want to thank everybody who provided power for their neighbors to change phones, like an unknown person living at E606 9th. While I did not need this myself, it definitely helped a lot to just see this happening in my neighborhood. Hurricanes and other disasters suck, but the East Village is probably a good place to be in when they happen.
Thank you.
The Stage was open almost every day, cooking what they could and when open were usually going until about 6pm. Regulars volunteered to help Roman and work behind the counter.
The Mud Truck was going with espressos, and they ran lights into their store where folks could sit and have beer/wine.
Luke's Lobster was serving lobster rolls, grilled cheese, and various kinds of soups/bisque from their truck parked in front of their store.
Abraco was serving pour-over slow drip coffee and pastries until they ran out of ground beans. They would grind beans and bake out at their facility in Brooklyn, come back over first thing in the morning, and run until about noon or so while supplies lasted.
East Village pizza was open every day until midnight with candles and headlamps.
The department of health was starting to pester some places starting on Thursday. I don't think they forced anyone to close but they were giving them the "without electricity how are you getting hot water to clean your hands and properly sterilize things?" routine.
Sunny & Annie's corner store at Ave B and 6th stayed open the entire time, 24/7. They got a generator running on Thursday and had replaced all the ice cream with bags of ice. So awesome!
Vinnie at 11B is awesome for giving out free pizza. The Northern Spy folks also gave out free food. My friend has vowed never to spend another dime at Starbucks. She said they could have set up a charging station or something, but they did zero for their neighbors. The previous poster who said it was all individual businesses, not chains, helping out was right.
Thanks to Bar 82, which was open every night. Their staff traveled a long way and it was much appreciated. Thanks also to Sidewalk, Elsewhere Espresso, St Mark's Market, Sunny & Annie's and all the bodegas who stayed open.
+1 on Casa Adela and of course 11B - Vincent and Roberto! My guys!
horseshoe bar/7B!
delis at 7th and 1st
Thanks to Ray for shaking me up a nice ice coffee. It was d-lish!
Thanks to 11B for free pizza and Dorians for cold beverages generator powered twinkle lights, more free pizza, and a look at the first newspaper I saw in days. Sunny's on 6th and A was rocking the morning coffee and Crif Dogs who made me a veggie dog, let me charge my phone and had a tv for news coverage. Hugs to the lady in the jack o lantern shirt who was giving out candy to kids and adults outside the 6B Garden on Halloween. And lady who saw me fumbling at the payphone outside magazine store on A and handed me 2 quarters from a roll she was carrying. Also, what was up with the awesome phone reception at the corner of 9th and C by Esperanto? Anyway, the EV felt like a neighborhood again.
Thanks to Northern Spy for going the free food route, and Fonda for being a locals joint during the pain. The live music and margaritas kept me from possibly killing my husband after a few days in the dark and cold. All the bodegas also get a pat on the back for finding some weird way to provide coffee to all us caffeine addicts in our darkest of times...
Outside the hood, but we had a terrific pizza at Posto on 17th & 2nd after wandering back from Electric Land looking for ice with no success. The wonderful woman at Posto gave us a giant bag of ice which had miraculously not melted in their ice machine, and which helped us until the dry ice arrived at Union Square. I am forever grateful for that small act of kindness.
dba was open pretty much the entire time and had ice and cold drinks into Thursday. The deli next to them was open as well and were super helpful.
the deli on 4th and first ave & 4th and 2nd ave (same owners) were really on their game the entire time as well. love them!
Double Wide, a great new addition to 12th St, was open every day.
Northern Spy gave out wonderful free food several days.
11B handed out free pizza.
Lunasa opened after Tues.
Saifee gets huge kudos for the generators.
I have more enduring loyalty to these places. From now on: "When in doubt? Those who were there for us in the blackout!"
@anonymous 2:47pm. Double-wide is a terrible new addition to the block and is making life miserable for the residents who live above it, behind it and even across the street. Just because someone stayed open during the storm doesn't make them a great addition to the neighborhood. Double-wide wasn't giving out anything for free, they were just open doing what they do.
Love the outpouring of thanks but some of you people need to learn the diff between a deli and a grocery store!!!
THANK YOU MANITOBAS AND THANK YOU SAINT JEROMES! Sunny & Annies too : )
Those pictures of Ray are amazing. Love you Ray! The heart and soul of the hood for over 30 years!!! God bless you and your business
<3
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