Sunday, April 5, 2026
A good Friday with Surfbort
Photos Friday by Stacie Joy
Surfbort (plus a friend on the left)
On Friday afternoon, we spotted Surfbort in Tompkins Square Park... enjoying a spring afternoon after lunch at Superiority Burger.
The band members were in good spirits, taking it all in ahead of the weekend's shows. The LA-based band with NYC roots was in town to promote their latest record, Reality Star, their third album, and first since 2021. It's raw, a bit dreamy, and not too worried about staying tidy.
The band was playing sold-out shows at Night Club 101 on Avenue A that night... and Market Hotel in Bushwick on Saturday.
Surfbort got its start in Brooklyn in 2014, with founding members Dani Miller on vocals...
... and drummer Sean Powell...
... the Surfbort family features Valentine on bass...
... guitarist Adam Laidlaw ...
... and guitarist Bee Wright ...
And later at Club 101, Valentine previewed her stage gear — fitting, given how warm the crowded space would get during Surfbort's set, which came in quick, loud bursts ... feedback, hooks, and not much in the way of restraint.
... and Dani with the merch...
... and for the yearbook...
You can keep tabs on the band via Instagram.
Week in Grieview
Posts this past week included (with a photo along 7th Street at Tompkins)
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• D.A. Bragg details indictments over alleged gang-related shootings tied to East Village, LES (April 3)
• Crowd lines Avenue A for secret show featuring Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE (April 2)
... and EVG regular Edmund John Dunn shared this photo from Union Square on Friday... when the line formed for the grand opening of the Uniqlo on 17th and Broadway...
Report: What’s next for the office building at 1 St. Mark's Place?
According to The Real Deal this past week, Manhattan-based firm GDSNY was brought on to oversee leasing and development management at the nine-story office building.
The project, developed by Brandon Miller's Real Estate Equities Corporation, has had a complicated path — including financial challenges before and after the pandemic, as well as a lender-backed refinancing.
Miller reportedly took his own life in the summer of 2024.
The Morris Adjmi–designed building is now complete, though the office portion remains vacant. Sephora is taking the ground-floor retail lease, as we've noted probably too many times. (And someone has taken measures to protect the storefront from tags.)
GDSNY's role includes leasing the space, redesigning the lobby and taking over asset management — a shift from earlier efforts to market the building.
As for REEC's current involvement, that remains unclear, per TRD.
Saturday, April 4, 2026
Saturday's parting shot
Photo by Derek Berg
Dreaming about when the Flatiron Building and the Empire State Building have your One World Trade Center in checkmate... Tompkins today...
About photographer Richard Sandler's 'The Eyes of the City' pop-up at Abraço
Photos and text by Daniel Efram
Sandler at The Bronx Documentary Center, 2023
Photographer Richard Sandler, formerly a longtime East Village resident, will be showing selected prints from his timeless book "Eyes of the City" (Powerhouse, 2016) at Abraço Espresso from 2-4 p.m. on Tuesday.
The filmmaker and photographer, who relocated to Vancouver in 2023, is back in NYC for an exclusive exhibition of his work at the prestigious Robert Capa Foundation in Yonkers, running until June 28.
"These were the streets of my youth. [Being back] felt like diving into a river that I'm familiar with… walking my old route," Sandler said about his NYC return. "In this flow, I can pretty much take any picture I want. The skill is being invisible."
The Capa Foundation also screened Sandler's historic "The Gods of Times Square," a documentary about the radical transformation of Midtown, in which he videotaped every day — and many nights — from 1992 to 1997.
Completed in 1998, the film is a must-see for anyone interested in experiencing a different era of the city.
Abraço is located at 81 E. Seventh St., between First and Second Avenues.
Find Efram's recently launched Substack here.
Good Friday procession brings Stations of the Cross to East Village streets
Photos by Stacie Joy
On Good Friday yesterday, parishioners from St. Brigid–St. Emeric on Avenue B took part in the (annual!) Stations of the Cross procession, which began outside the church at the southeast corner of Eighth Street.
The solemn walk — symbolizing the path Jesus took to Mount Calvary — continued north to 12th Street, east to Avenue C, then south to Seventh Street before returning to the church.
Along the way, participants paused for the traditional stations, with reenactments marking each step of the journey.
This year's procession seemed to carry a little extra intensity — some of the reenactments didn't exactly hold back.
Friday, April 3, 2026
Friday's parting shot
the photo!
(Click on the pic for a bigger view!)
TV party tonight
Photo this week in Tompkins by Stacie Joy
The Acute, the East Village-based duo of Viveca Butler and Stephen Cacouris, have a new video out for their track "As Scene on TV."
Patti Rothberg marking 30 years of debut album at Parkside Lounge
Rothberg and her current band, the Patti Rothberg Coincidence, will perform the album in full. The group has also released a new live album, Live at the Parkside Lounge.
Originally released in 1996 on EMI, Between the 1 and the 9 landed on the Billboard and UK charts. The single "Inside" reached No. 32 on the Billboard Pop chart.
Rothberg wrote and performed nearly all the material on the album, which took its name from her subway busking days before being signed.
Here's Rothberg on Letterman in 1996...
The Parkside Lounge show is from 7 to midnight with these NYC bands:
• 7 p.m. Queenpins
• 7:30 p.m. Sue Lashley
• 8 p.m. AIH
• 9 p.m. The Patti Rothberg Coincidence
• 10 p.m. The Val Kinzler Band (It is Val's birthday)
• 11 p.m. Bedpan Fight
The Parkside Lounge is at 317 E. Houston St. at Attorney.
D.A. Bragg details indictments over alleged gang-related shootings tied to East Village, LES
According to the D.A.'s office, several of the incidents took place in and around the East Village, including near East Sixth Street and the FDR Drive, as well as Avenue D and East 10th Street.
Authorities allege the group targeted rivals in multiple locations, at times firing into residential areas and posting about the incidents on social media.
Six individuals are charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with conspiracy in the second degree related to the alleged murder plot. All seven defendants face conspiracy in the fourth degree tied to weapons possession. In total, prosecutors filed 33 counts, including attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
"This indictment alleges a coordinated pattern of violence spanning several months, during which the defendants repeatedly armed themselves and targeted rivals in residential areas, putting countless New Yorkers at risk," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. said in a statement.
Friday's opening shot
FWIW: A ChatEVG™ scan said this is legit, and not performative
Thursday, April 2, 2026
Thursday's parting shot
Photo by Stacie Joy
A 30-second dance party on First Avenue and Houston... unfortunately, our attention span is about only 12 seconds at the moment...
Crowd lines Avenue A for secret show featuring Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE
Photos by Stacie Joy
Drom hosted a surprise show last night featuring Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE — which helps explain the line along Avenue A near Sixth Street.
The two rappers have a collaborative release, the double LP Pompeii // Utility, out tomorrow, created alongside Surf Gang, the NYC-based label and producer collective.
Some fans waited for hours to get inside — and not everyone made it.
They'll be playing much larger venues this summer, including including July 8 at the Brooklyn Paramount.
Cozy Soup 'n' Burger seeks help to stay open
Third-generation owner John Strats recently launched a GoFundMe campaign amid ongoing financial challenges stemming from the pandemic.
"For over five decades, Cozy Soup 'n' Burger has been a staple in our community," he writes. "It's become more than just a place to eat — it's a gathering spot where memories are made and traditions are kept alive."
But like many longtime businesses, the diner has struggled to fully recover in recent years and is now facing mounting expenses.
Funds raised will go toward payroll, inventory and rent, to keep the doors open for years to come.
If you're inclined, you can support the effort here.
Or, as always, consider stopping in for a meal — or maybe a T-shirt — to help keep a neighborhood institution going.
A Keith Haring-inspired 'Pop Shop' tribute on 8th Street
Timed to coincide with the Haring exhibition at the Brant Foundation on Sixth Street, the installation runs through April 17 and nods to the artist's Pop Shop, which debuted in 1986 on Lafayette Street.
The space features donated posters from Sur Rodney (Sur) and ephemera from Mark Harada, all available for purchase. Proceeds support Allied's mission and public projects, including Le Petit Versailles Garden on Second Street.
Visits are by appointment only (212-529-8815); additional details are available via Allied's online shop.
A Nite and Day business brewing on 9th Street
The space will operate as a daytime coffee shop (Dayglow) and a nighttime taproom (Niteglow).
This will be the second NYC location for the combo shop ... Niteglow also has an outpost on Wilson Avenue in Bushwick, which includes a brewery, along with sibling Dayglow.
More on this operation as more info becomes available.
La Fleur Café & Market was the previous tenant in the storefront.
Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of Good Friday Blues at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery
St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery is marking the 25th anniversary of its Good Friday Blues service this week.
The annual Good Friday program blends blues music, drama and dance to recount the Passion story. The service is directed by Jeannine Otis and includes guest sermons from the Rev. Dr. Willie James Jennings, the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas and Nell Gibson. The St. Mark's Choir will also take part.
The service runs from noon to 3 p.m. on Friday at the church, 131 E. 10th St. at Second Avenue.
Admission is free.
Small Village Deli off to a loud start with neighbors
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Residents who live near the new Small Village Deli — which opened last weekend on the NW corner of Avenue B and Fifth Street — say they're already dealing with quality-of-life issues tied to the 24/7 operation.
For starters, issues existed even before the market opened. Neighbors questioned the ultra-bright signage. According to a Department of Buildings summons posted to the door last month: "Observed illuminated sign approx 80 sq feet above premises, no permit on file, creating a safety hazard."
The violation carries a $2,500 penalty.
Several neighbors have cited a new and loud exhaust system — described by one resident as sounding "like a jet engine" — along with persistent cooking odors entering nearby apartments.
"I was lying in bed, awake before 6 a.m., enjoying the wonderful silence. And then the fan went on at 5:59 a.m.," said Kim-Nora, who lives across the street. "The exhaust system noise seems well above ambient street-level noise at this time of day. This should be the quietest time of day right now … but that thing just sounds like a big truck idling at high RPMs. Difficult to hear the birds now."
The space at 76 Avenue B has housed several businesses in the past 15 years — including restaurants (Oda House and Caffe Buon Gusto) and a deli (Zips) — though neighbors say the current setup is creating new issues.
Loyan Beausoleil, vice president of the 6 & B Garden next door, said she stopped in to raise concerns about the noise ahead of the garden's public reopening in April.
"I told them how the fan was very loud in the garden, explaining that we are their neighbors and are hopeful they would make sure it was quiet before we open," she said. "[The owner] was very rude to me and yelled that we were just going to have to get used to it, adding that he was not going to change it."
Beausoleil said she left without arguing, but noted that several nearby delis have built better relationships with the community. (The owner asked EVG to leave on a recent visit.)
"Once the garden is open, I will encourage visitors to avoid Small Village and choose the other delis that act like good neighbors," Beausoleil said.
Another longtime tenant in the building, who asked not to be named, said the fan ran overnight and was audible even with windows closed.
"Sounds like a big Mack truck idling right outside your window. And that's with all the windows closed — and the weather is about to warm up, and we want our windows open — and I want to hear the birdsong starting at 4 a.m.," the resident said. "It's literally a nightmare."
The tenant (and others) said they have contacted the landlord, spoken with the super and deli staff, and filed a 311 complaint, with plans to reach out to Community Board 3 and other local officials if the issue continues.
"Like I have time for this?" the resident added. "If it's killing my sleep, I guess so."
Openings: Lucky Cafe on Avenue A
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
There's a new coffee-and-matcha option on Avenue A.
Lucky Cafe opened on Sunday at 64 Avenue A between Fourth Street and Fifth Street.
The cafe serves coffee, matcha and a selection of baked goods from Brooklyn's Colson Patisserie.
Owner James Phillips (above) and "master barista" Max Vitkus — both East Village residents — are behind the venture.
The space itself has a thoughtfully designed interior, with a warm color palette and a few welcoming extras for now, including chocolate and caramel sauces to top drinks, plus games, books and cozy seating nooks.
For now, hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, though that could shift a bit as the team settles in.
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