Community gardens take center stage during 14th annual LUNGS Harvest Arts Festival

The 14th annual LUNGS Harvest Arts Festival starts tomorrow night (Friday, Sept. 19). 

This year's festival, which runs through Sept. 28, features more than 50 events at 30 East Village/LES community gardens. Each garden hosts various performances, concerts, workshops, and other related events. Visit the LUNGS website here for the daily, garden-by-garden schedule. 

The opening night event at La Plaza Cultural on the southwest corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street begins at 6:30 p.m. with music by Felice Rosner and FAITH NYC, followed later by Sylvain LaRoux's Source.

Bunny’s Dub Club brought old-school vibes to the East Village

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Last Friday night (Sept. 12), Jezenia Romero (below), artist, musician, and founder of Bunny Jr. Tapes, hosted Bunny's Dub Club, a late-night dance party with a uniquely old-school feel.

The idea is inspired by the classic 1980s downtown tradition: post-club crowds heading into Odessa on Avenue A for late-night eats. The concept here — what if that same Odessa crowd could throw a party inside the restaurant itself? 

The answer on Friday was dub, reggae, post-punk, no wave, synth wave, mutant disco, and rock 'n' roll. Bunny Jr. opened, followed by TM8 (below, the Pyramid Club legend who DJ'd there for nearly four decades), with Tony Price closing the night.

Romero launched Bunny Jr. Tapes in 2015, a label that has released more than 86 cassette tapes, worked with over 54 musicians and visual artists, and curated screenings, performances, exhibitions, and festivals.

Bunny's Dub Club feels like a natural extension of that restless, collaborative energy. Press notes described it as "a dance party inspired by the classic 1980s downtown post-club, late-night Odessa meals." 

For the night, Romero even rented the back space at Superiority Burger, the business to take over after Odessa (the newer of the two spaces) in the spring of 2023. 

And for a few hours, there was a throwback vibe in the air, with even smartphones put away.

It came close to Romero's vision for such a night: "As I looked around, I saw visions of Lou Reed, ESG, DNA, Public Image Ltd., and an excellently dressed crowd dancing across the entire restaurant — crammed into booths, stomping on the dance floor."

The Marshal takes legal possession of Casa Bond on the Bowery

The Marshal has taken possession of the retail space at 334 Bowery beyond Bond and Great Jones. 

The legal notice, dated yesterday, states that the landlord is now in legal possession of the storefront...

As always, this doesn't mean the end for the business. 

There isn't any mention of a closure, temporary or otherwise, on the upscale Mexican restaurant's website or social media. And they are still accepting reservations. 

Casa Bond opened on Nov. 1, 2023. At the time, a restaurant rep told us that they were "inspired by Tulum's culture of young, artistic, fun-loving people who are passionate about having a good time, Bohemian chic style, and high-quality dining." 

No. 334 has been home to 11 (!!) restaurants since 2014, as we noted here. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Is 334 Bowery now officially a doomed location for restaurants?

Openings: H Art on 3rd Avenue

H Art opened last week at 45 Third Ave. at 10th Street (the SE corner). 

This is the third outpost in NYC for the "K-beauty store ... obsessed with what's trending in Seoul." 

The store is next to H Mart, and they are owned by the same company. 

Hours: Daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

With this addition, H Mart will be the sole retail client in the block-long base of NYU's Alumni Hall. 

The corner spot became available earlier last year when Lois Cleaners moved a block north between 11th Street and 12th Street.

These are the set times for the CBGB Festival on Sept. 27

Organizers yesterday released the set times for the CBGB Festival, taking place Sept. 27 at Under the K Bridge Park in Brooklyn 

Presented with The Bowery Presents, the one-day festival will feature 21 bands, including headliners Iggy Pop and Jack White.

The gates open at 3 p.m. (rain or shine) with three stages ... and you need to hustle once inside because the music starts at 3:15. 

Find ticket info and FAQs here. 

In May 2024, EVG talked with Captain Sensible of the Damned before a show at the Manhattan Center... the Damned will be on the main stage at the CBGB Festival.

Here's a Q&A flashback to a discussion on CBGB: 

In April 1977, the Damned played four nights at CBGB — the first UK punk band to do so. One CBGB superfan remembered your April 8 set this way: "They were aggressive, and the singer wore big black eye makeup, Captain Sensible wore a nurse's outfit. They were polished pandemonium. They didn't hang out afterward as most of the NY bands did." 

What do you recall about those shows? Any trepidation at the time about playing in a club that was quickly gaining a punk reputation? 

We couldn’t hang around 'cause after our performance, the club chucked everybody out, including us, and started sound-checking for a second show on the same day. We'd never experienced that in the UK, but New York is full of bars, so we just found the nearest and carried on there. 

The Damned at the time were like a gang — we had no respect for anyone. The drinking and chaos would get out of hand quite often. I can remember getting thrown out of four Paris hotels in one night. I believe we threw quite a few insults at the sedate CBGB audience and got some abuse back, but any reaction was better than NO reaction, so that was all good. 

Seeing what has become of CBGB is tragic, though... how short-sighted of city bigwigs not to keep the place running as a venue — it'd be a shrine to punk rock for fans the world over who would flock to NY to see where it all began.

CBGB closed at 315 Bowery in October 2006.

Once a garage, now a rising condoplex on 9th Street

The former Little Man Parking garage (aka LaSalle Parking) at 220 E. Ninth St., between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, is steadily climbing toward its luxury future. 

As these photos from this week show, workers are now on the fourth floor of the conversion. (H/T EVG reader Terry Howell!)

The former craggly garage is being remade into an 18-unit condoplex billed as "blending classic Downtown loft architecture and industrial-chic details with modern luxury."

The Tribeca-inspired amenity list features a 24-hour attended lobby, sauna, fitness center with Pilates studio, pet-grooming station, and a Japanese-style garden. 

The garage closed in April 2023 after the Department of Buildings issued a vacate order on the property following the deadly collapse at the Little Man garage on Ann Street in the Financial District. 

The address was offered as a "redevelopment project" in August 2023. 

 Budget Car Rental and Tori-Bien, a restaurant that specialized in Japanese fried chicken, were also forced to leave their retail spaces at this address. 

Our previous post has renderings of the new building.

And it's another reminder that the ongoing conversion of neighborhood workaday spaces into luxury housing isn't a fad.

Gloves on: Pitch in during Community Stewardship days underway at East River Park

The LES Ecology Center is now hosting Community Stewardship Days at East River Park Fire Boat House every Monday and Friday morning through the end of the season. 

Details via the EVG inbox: 

Where: Meet on the steps leading to the Fire Boat House 

What: Help clean up the park, remove invasive species, and beautify the area 

Why: A chance to give back, enjoy the outdoors, and make a positive impact in the neighborhood 

No experience is necessary, just bring enthusiasm. We’ll provide gloves, tools, first aid, and guidance.

Hours: 8:30-11:30 a.m. 

Sign up at this link.

A spokesperson told EVG in an email: "Although we hope to return fully to East River Park in 2027, we are committed to continuing stewardship of this beloved space until then and beyond." 

The LES Ecology Center is currently operating out of Seward Park. The historic Fire Boat House, located between the Williamsburg Bridge and Corlears Hook in the newly reopened sections of East River Park, is currently unoccupied, its future unknown. 

The "phased work operations" in East River Park began in November 2021 within Project Area 1, situated between Montgomery Street and 15th Street. Workers have been covering the park with fill and cutting down hundreds of trees as part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency project. They are elevating the land 8 to 10 feet above sea level to protect the area from future storm surges.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• A look inside the former Fireboat House in East River Park as it faces an uncertain future

Signage alert: M&M Bagels on 1st Avenue

Photo by Steven 

Signage is up now for M&M Bagels at 186 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street.

It’s unclear whether this spot is connected to the other M&M Bagels in the metropolitan area. We found one in Islip Terrace and another in Astoria. The logos suggest otherwise. 

M&M takes over the space from Lilly's Shakes & Crepes, which never actually opened after a spring 2024 signage alert. 

Anyway, good luck to the owners — there is stiff bagel competition around here ..

Magic and loss on St. Mark’s Place: Invader’s classic Lou Reed mosaic stolen

Early Monday morning, several residents saw two men removing Invader's nearly 10-year-old Lou Reed mosaic from an upper floor at 110 St. Mark's Place, between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Just after 1 a.m., a resident noticed the men outside with a ladder and caution tape. 

Neighbors inside No. 110 said they were awakened by banging on the exterior wall — then saw one of the men climbing the ladder while the other acted as a spotter.

The residents called 911 and later contacted the 9th Precinct to report the theft. We're told that the landlord of the building hired the French artist for the work, and they may pursue charges. 

Neighbors did some sleuthing afterward and believe one of the suspects is the same man seen last in June 2024 removing another Invader piece above Ralph's Famous Italian Ices at Avenue A and Ninth Street. 

At that time, witnesses also reported two men prying Invader's mosaic tiles from walls around the city.

Invader himself addressed the thefts in an Instagram post last summer:

For the past few weeks, some guys in New York have been destroying my work by trying to rip it off the walls, probably to resell it. Shame on them! Street art belongs to the street, and in my case, once ripped from the walls, it is nothing more than broken, unsigned tiles that you could find in any tile store. They will never be authenticated. Buyers should think twice of what they buy, not only are they being duped but they are also depriving other people of enjoying free art on the street.

The French street artist mentioned that the mosaics probably have little resale value anyway — especially the later ones, which used thinner tiles designed to chip apart if tampered with. Said one EVG reader: "They were chipping away at it so I'm pretty sure it's destroyed."

An array of Invader's mosaics arrived in NYC and the East Village, some in collaboration with the LISA Project, in 2015. A few were immediately vandalized. 

Here's an EVG pic of the Lou Reed art from December 2021...

'Samo' story: Real-life Al Diaz shut out of new Basquiat biopic

Photos and reporting by Daniel Efram 

Yesterday, filming began for the new Jean-Michel Basquiat biopic, with sightings in Tompkins Square Park of Kelvin Harrison Jr. in the title role alongside an actor playing Andy Warhol. 

Meanwhile, Brooklyn resident Al Diaz was back in his old East Village stomping grounds. This time, he was walking back from a visit to the set of "Samo Lives," written, directed, and produced by Julius Onah. 

As many in the neighborhood know, Diaz grew up in the Jacob Riis Houses on Avenue D and collaborated with Basquiat on a series of cryptic messages around the city signed "SAMO©." 

Given that history, it might seem natural for Diaz to have some consulting role on the project. 

As Diaz tells it, he only learned of the film when Onah, whose credits include "Captain America: Brave New World" and" Luce," posted on social media about the project. 

"He had more than a working title," Diaz recounts. "He was fixated with that ['Samo Lives'] title. So it was that, the use of "Samo" that alerted me, that made me reach out."

Both Diaz and Onah eventually met up twice. In the second meeting, Onah brought along the actor Danny Ramirez, who plays the Diaz character in this film. 

"I told him what my concerns were, which was really that the story [Diaz's] be told responsibly. And I'm here, I'm alive… you have to tell the story correctly.

"I never signed a release," he said.

Diaz continued: 

I don't like that [the use of Samo in this way] because if you're talking about "Samo Lives," you're talking about me as well. You're not going to isolate Jean-Michel. It's just disrespectful.

This is part of what I've been doing for the last 20 years, trying to clarify that story, and you're not going to go ahead and uck that up, and put me back where I started from.

Ramirez contacted Diaz a few months later and wanted to shadow Diaz for a day to get his vibe. But once payment was mentioned, nothing became of it.

In his conversations with Diaz, Onah spoke of his deep respect for the story. Still, it's hard to square that with using the "Samo" name while leaving Diaz out of the process in any formal way.

For now, Diaz, who was featured in Sara Driver's acclaimed 2017 documentary, "Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat," continues his push to make sure his history isn't erased.

For now, filming will carry on around NYC in the weeks ahead with "Samo," but not Diaz.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• About 'Samo Lives,' the Basquiat biopic now filming in the East Village 

• The EVG podcast: Al Diaz on BOMB1, SAMO© and Basquiat

About this week's free film sceening in Tompkins Square Park (plus an incentive if you have a passing resemblance to Emma Stone)

UPDATED: Due to rain tomorrow night, the screening (and lookalike contest) is now on Thursday evening!

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The Lower East Side Film Festival's summer series concludes on Thursday night with a screening of the quirky Oscar-winning "Birdman" in Tompkins Square Park.

The cast of the 2014 film, which won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture, features Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Edward Norton and Zach Galifianakis. 

Speaking of Stone, there's a look-alike contest to start the evening in the middle of the park... not to mention some live jazz before the film begins at sundown.

Flyer pic by Steven

Monday's parting shot

Today's sunrise from Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue...

A look at the newly opened East River Park from the Corlears Hook pedestrian bridge

On Sept. 5, the city officially reopened the Corlears Hook Pedestrian Bridge, restoring access to the waterfront and the rebuilt East River Park here from the Lower East Side.

We first stopped by on Sept. 6, though thunderstorms cut that visit short.

So we returned this past Saturday for a more thorough look at the new landscape. 

Here's a rendering of the newly opened areas, including the parts of East River Park accessible starting this past Memorial Day via the Delancey Street pedestrian bridge ...

With these sections reopened, it feels more like a park, as you can travel by foot or bike from just north of the Williamsburgh down to Pier 36 without feeling boxed in by the surrounding construction. 

Along with the new Colears Hook pedestrian bridge comes several new Phase 1 amenities for East River Park: the flagpole area at Corlears Hook Park, six additional tennis courts, an amphitheater (of sorts), an esplanade with seating areas, and direct access to Pier 42 and the Corlears Hook ferry. There's also open space with some postcard-worthy views. 

Here's a look...

The plantings are well-maintained, and the grass is carefully manicured. Still, for now, the area still feels pretty sterile — a reminder of the hundreds of mature trees that were removed when the city raised the park eight to 10 feet as part of the billion-dollar East Side Coastal Resiliency project. 

Shade, at least, will be scarce for the foreseeable future. People huddled in small patches of it provided by the new trees.

A major feature of this section is the new amphitheater, which is still a work in progress and will get its canopy later. 

This area doesn't give off amphitheater vibes at the moment. (This link has the vision for the space.)

At least the views survived...

For East Village residents interested in the park, this is where you'll need to go through the end of 2026. As previously reported last Monday, the three East Village access points to the park, at Houston, Sixth, and 10th streets, are sealed off. 

The "phased work operations" in East River Park began in November 2021 within Project Area 1, situated between Montgomery Street and 15th Street. Workers have been covering the park with fill and cutting down hundreds of trees as part of the ESCR project. They are raising the land 8 to 10 feet above sea level to safeguard the area from future storm surges.