A look inside the sidewalk stations that test the East Village’s drinking water

Photos and interview by Stacie Joy

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, while walking with a visiting relative of a friend, I was asked about a series of sidewalk-based metal structures on lower First Avenue. 

I knew they were municipal water-quality testing stations, but I had no idea how they worked. 

Needing to know more, I contacted the NYC Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Public Affairs and started asking for information — and a peek at the sampling process. 

First Deputy Director of Water Quality Salome Freud and press secretary Rob Wolejsza shared the date and time of the next scheduled sampling at that station, and they agreed to allow photos and questions about the process. 

We met at station number 30150 on First Avenue near Third Street on a cold, wet, and windy early-winter morning, complete with atmospheric fog, and to the curiosity of passersby, many of whom stopped to watch for a bit. 

We were joined by water ecology scientist Amy Murphy, who conducted the tests and was endlessly patient with my requests for clarification and results.

After the sampling was done, a NYC DEP spokesperson signed off on the interview and provided the test results for the neighborhood's water. 

How many sampling stations are there in the city, and in the East Village/Lower East Side? 

There are approximately 1,000 drinking water sampling stations located throughout New York City. There are 15 stations located in the East Village/Lower East Side neighborhoods. 

There are three sampling stations in close proximity on First Avenue between Houston and Fourth Streets. Why are there three grouped together, and why did you select the (middle) one you sampled from today? 

The purpose of having three sampling stations is to meet the requirements of the Revised Total Coliform Rule, which states that when an initial sample is positive for coliform bacteria, we must go back and resample within 24 hours from the original location, as well as at sites within five service connections upstream and downstream. Having more than one station at a site also gives us options when the REG (regular station)/middle station is inaccessible for any reason. 

You mentioned these sampling stations have been here for many years. How long have they been on the streets, and how are they made and maintained? What happens if they are damaged? 

The stations were installed back in 1996. The shells of the stations are cast iron with interior plumbing components and are maintained by DEP personnel. When we receive reports from the public through 311 that a sampling station is damaged, we coordinate with DEP plumbers to perform repairs. 

We also coordinate to get them painted and have used DEP and DOT personnel to accomplish that. [Reporter's note — there was some discussion about how the stickered and street-art decorated sampling stations here are uniquely East Village-y.] 

OK, to the good stuff: Can you walk us through the stages of sampling, from arrival to departure? And discuss what, specifically, you are testing for? 

Once an inspector arrives at a sampling station, they inspect that it is operational by opening it up and running the water. Initial observations of color and clarity are performed, and readings are taken for pH and specific conductance, and then the water is turned off, and the tap is disinfected for a minute or two. 

The water is then turned back on, and the tap is flushed before we take additional field readings and collect samples. Specifically, we test the drinking water for the following parameters in the field: pH, temperature, specific conductance and chlorine.

The collected samples are brought back to our distribution water-quality laboratory, where additional testing is performed, including coliform bacteria and basic chemistry, as well as metals and organics analyses.

Can you share the results from today's sampling? How does the East Village's water supply look?

The results of the samples collected from this site were:

 

pH 7.11 

Specific conductance 348 

Temperature 6.7 C 

Chlorine 0.41 ppm 

Coliform bacteria/E /E. coli: negative 

The readings from this site were what we normally expect and in keeping with the high-quality drinking water that we see throughout the distribution system. 

We'd been told our water comes from the Ashokan Reservoir/the (mighty) Esopus Creek upstate. Is that correct? 

This is partially correct as the drinking water supply for NYC actually consists of three watersheds: Catskill, Delaware and Croton. And those watersheds are made up of 19 reservoirs, one being the Ashokan. The water at the sample station we visited was a mix of all three watersheds. 

Where can people learn more about water quality, testing, and supply? 

 For more information about NYC's drinking water, refer to our website and our NYC Drinking Water Supply and Quality Report.

H/t to Ellen and a thank-you to H. for helping set this up.

Petition seeks to rename Tompkins Square Park skate area for Harold Hunter

There's an effort underway to rename the skate area at Tompkins Square Park in honor of the late Harold Hunter. 

The Skatepark Project, which Tony Hawk founded, and the Harold Hunter Foundation have launched a petition to rename the multi-use/skate section of the park Harold Hunter Park. 

Hunter — a charismatic and influential skateboarder and actor — was born and raised at Campos Plaza on 13th Street. He died in 2006 at age 31. 

Tompkins Square Park was one of Hunter's favorite places to skate, and in the 1990s, he helped shape it into a creative hub where skaters, artists, and musicians crossed paths. That era helped cement the park's global reputation as a destination for skate culture. 

The proposal was scheduled to be heard tomorrow by Community Board 3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront & Resiliency Committee, but the item was withdrawn and is expected to return at a later date. 

You can read more and view the petition here.

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Skatepark Project (@theskateparkproject)

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• At the Harold Hunter Skate Jam in Tompkins Square Park

D.A.'s office announces indictment in fatal hit-and-run last month on Clinton and Stanton

Photo from last month by Stacie Joy 

Yesterday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., announced the indictment of the driver involved in a hit-and-run that killed a woman in the Lower East Side last month. 

As previously reported, the incident occurred on Dec. 18 around 7 p.m. at Clinton and Stanton streets. According to the NYPD, a woman was crossing Stanton Street in the crosswalk when she was struck by an SUV making a right turn from Clinton Street. The vehicle fled the scene. The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. She was later identified as 76-year-old Yong Li. 

Per court documents, Julio Cachago, 53, of Queens, was driving a 2020 Ford Edge with a passenger. Prosecutors say he allowed one pedestrian to cross at the intersection, then struck Li as she entered the crosswalk with the walk signal — allegedly driving over her before briefly stopping and then continuing on. 

Charges include one count of Criminally Negligent Homicide. 

Authorities say Cachago later stopped to inspect his vehicle for damage before driving to the Bronx. The NYPD located and towed the SUV that evening. The following day, prosecutors say Cachago contacted 311 and 911 to report his vehicle missing and was directed to the 7th Precinct, where he was arrested on Dec. 22. 

"Julio Cachago allegedly left an elderly New Yorker to die in the street after he hit her with his car and drove off without even checking on her condition," Bragg said in a statement. "Instead of notifying emergency services immediately, he allegedly only called the police the next day when he discovered his vehicle had been towed." 

Charges, per the D.A.'s office: 

• Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting, Death, a class D felony, one count 
• Criminally Negligent Homicide, a class E felony, one count 
• The right of Way to Pedestrians and Bicyclists, Physical Injury, one count 
• License Restriction Violation, one count 
• Failure of a Driver to Exercise Due Care, Serious Physical Injury, one count 
• Unlicensed Driving, one count

Tuesday's parting crime report

From the Citizen app today... we'll always have 14th Street and First Avenue. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Where is the $1 million NYPD mobile command unit that Mayor Adams promised for the troubled 14th Street and 1st Avenue corridor? (Oct. 28, 2024)

Community gathers at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery for a 'Vigil of Lament and Hope'

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Last night, faith leaders and community members gathered at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery on 10th Street and Second Avenue for a Vigil of Lament and Hope, honoring the life of Renee Nicole Good and mourning lives lost or harmed through immigration enforcement. 

The vigil included prayers, spoken reflections, music, and moments of silence, bringing together clergy and neighbors from multiple faith communities across the city. 

A memorial wall was displayed on the gate outside the church, filled with photos, prayers, flowers and candles in tribute to Good and others who have died in ICE custody or as a result of immigration enforcement.

Organizers described the gathering as a communal act of witness, emphasizing the importance of truth-telling, human dignity and shared grief at a time when such deaths are often met with silence or distortion.

Participating faith leaders represented St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery, Middle Collegiate Church, Judson Memorial Church, and Trinity Lutheran Church on the Lower East Side, as well as community organizations including the New York Immigration Coalition and the Lower East Side Care Coalition.

Inside the film 'Irregular,' a love letter to Sophie’s

Poster and film stills courtesy of Kyle de Vre. 

In 2017, East Village–based photographer Kyle de Vre began photographing Sophie's regulars during his Tuesday afternoon bartending shifts, capturing familiar faces at the longtime neighborhood bar on Fifth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

That long-running portrait project, released in 2022 as the photo book "See You Next Tuesday," has now found a second life on screen with "Irregular," a 80-minute film composed of barroom vignettes from random Tuesdays.

Populated by quirky regulars, suspicious patrons, and the occasional unexplained smell, "Irregular" leans into the rhythms of bar life. More than anything, the film is a love letter to the decades-old Sophie's, with the camera lingering on the bar itself, including artwork by longtime regulars, the late Eddie Boros and Markand Thakar, among others.

 

In this Q&A, de Vre (above), who directed and co-wrote the film (he also plays the lead role — the bartender), discusses turning still portraits into motion, honoring Sophie's regulars past and present, and why no one at the bar is ever truly anonymous. 

"Irregular" feels like a natural extension of your photo book — the same bar energy, but now in motion. At what point did you realize these moments needed to be filmed, not just photographed? 

Being a direct extension of the photo book was always my intention. I had always wanted to make a movie about Sophie's, and the book was an outlet because I didn't need a full cast and crew to create it. 

Having a single subject and a camera was much more accessible to me than a production, and luckily, over the years, and a lot of it through the bars in the East Village, I met friends willing to take on the project with me.

The film includes characters playing longtime regulars who are no longer with us — Freddy Corea and John the Architect (John Crellin). Other characters feel inspired by regulars or one-time encounters. How much of what we see comes directly from barroom reality? 

A lot of the movie is taken from real stories or situations, or an amalgam of situations I have found myself in. Some stories colleagues experienced and told me, for example, the "toilet teas." [This involves a sketchy patron who brings in his own beverages.]

Freddy and John were two of my closest regulars, and I spent a lot of time with them. They used to be considered part of the furniture at some of the locals, so I figured it would only be right to dedicate a vignette to each of them, but trust me, there are many more stories that I would like to tell.

Film still: Kirk Marcoe as John Crellin

As a bartender, you're used to observing people while also being part of the scene. How did that dual role shape the way you approached filming and directing these characters? 

I always prefer to be behind the camera, but for scheduling and authenticity purposes, I chose to play the bartender. The directing part was simpler than the acting, in my opinion, because I had a very clear idea in my mind what I wanted it to look like. Can't say the same about my acting. 

My cast, made up of friends, made it really easy for me to direct them. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to have worked amongst people who are so dear to my heart and make out as well as I did, especially my cinematographer, Andrew Poland. 

What was the reaction when you approached ownership about shooting a movie at Sophie's? Co-owners Kirk Marcoe (as John the Architect) and Richie Corton (the narrator) play key roles in the film.  

Kirk and Richie have been so incredibly supportive of me throughout my nearly 12 years working at the bars, no matter what stupid ideas I got cooking in my head. Without their help, this project could not have happened. 

We shot each vignette in single-day shoots, over the course of three years, from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m., when the bar is closed. And as long as we left no trace and didn't affect the hours, I got the green light. 

I started EV Grieve in 2007 because of rumors that Sophie's and Mona's were for sale. (Long story.) To me, Sophie's is — and always has been — one of the greatest places in the neighborhood and NYC. "Irregular" often feels like a love letter to the bar, and to the idea of the neighborhood bar itself. Was that intentional from the start?

It was my goal to include [Kirk and Richie] in this project because it truly is yet another love letter to Sophie's and the neighborhood, and my biggest goal was that it was authentic for all of our sakes. I can't stand seeing a bar in a film that isn't done well. Like, get your drinks off the goddamn pool table.

 

What's next for "Irregular"? Are you planning to submit the film to festivals? Are there other screenings on the horizon? 

I have been submitting to festivals, and fingers crossed. I'd prefer to screen it at a festival rather than independently, but I will most likely screen it independently when I get denied from all of them. 

What do you hope Sophie's regulars (and maybe even the occasional patron) — especially those who may see themselves reflected on screen — take away from "Irregular"? 

I want them to know that no one is safe. Especially my regulars. If you give me a reason to tell a story about you, I will.

-----

Learn more about the film:

• IMDb

• Instagram

• Letterboxd

Paulie Gee’s appears headed for former Dunkin’ space on 1st Avenue

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Pizzeria sleuths have ID'd the former Dunkin' outpost on the NE corner of First Avenue and Sixth Street as the first Manhattan outpost of Paulie Gee's. 

Yesterday on Instagram, the Greenpoint-based pizzeria posted a Photoshopped preview of a new location with wraparound signage — which several sharp-eyed observers quickly pegged as the East Village.

The post didn't mention this neighborhood, just, "Can you guess where this is?"
 

We've popped our head inside the under-renovation space in recent months, and workers told us it would become a slice shop. (Photo below from Dec. 23.)

Paulie Gee's was previously exploring opening an outpost at 107 First Ave., the former Huertas space between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. Reps for Paulie Gee's appeared before Community Board 3 in December 2023 for a liquor license. CB3 approved their application for the space, but Paulie Gee's chose not to move forward. (Adda later opened at the address.) 

Paulie Gee's also has shops in Baltimore, Chicago, Columbus, Ohio, and Philadelphia. Paul Giannone opened the first location in Greenpoint in 2010, and the lines followed. Dunkin' closed here last May.

A slice from Paulie Gee's and a drink next door at the International sounds good to us. 

H/T @Vegan.NYC

Emmy Squared is now temporarily closed for a construction 'glow-up'

Emmy Squared went dark after service on Saturday, here on the NW corner of First Avenue and Fifth Street. 

Door signage and an Instagram post point to a temporary closure for "a little construction glow-up."

Likely unrelated, but this corner has been a mess for months amid sewer work along Fifth Street — much of it involving the buzzsawing of metal. 

The pizzeria specializing in Detroit-style square pies debuted here in July 2018. 

The brand got its start in Brooklyn and has grown to 30-plus locations across the U.S.

Monday's parting shot

This morning in Tompkins Square Park — one day after the annual MulchFest concluded ... this mulch mountain is availabel to residents and gardeners alike for tree beds, etc.

This morning on 14th Street: Vehicle fire, no injuries

No injuries were reported after a vehicle caught fire this morning on 14th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue, directly across from FDNY Engine 5. 

An EVG reader shared these photos. According to information from the scene, the driver was waiting for a family member to exit the post office on the west side of the street when the vehicle suddenly caught fire.

A nearby building super attempted to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher before the FDNY quickly extinguished the blaze.

From Katinka to a back entrance on 9th Street

If you're unfamiliar with the north side of Ninth Street east of Second Avenue, you might not notice that anything is amiss outside 303 E. Ninth St. 

But longtime neighbors will.

Katinka, the well-liked, closet-sized shop at 303 E. Ninth St. just east of Second Avenue, closed in the summer of 2024 after 45 years in the East Village. 

In recent months, the landlord has demolished the small storefront. 

The former shop space now appears to function as a back entrance for building staff and a staging area for resident trash — a dispiriting end for one of the neighborhood's most distinctive retail spaces. (Construction photos by William Klayer.)

The permits at the Department of Buildings list the removal of a small structure between No. 303 and 305 and "restore to previous existing conditions."

Opened in 1979 by partners Jane Williams and Billy Lyles, Katinka specialized in hand-made clothing and textiles imported from India, including shirts, vests, quilts, and rugs. 

Over the decades, the shop became a destination for people seeking something personal, thoughtful, and unlike anything else around.

Williams and Lyles announced in the summer of 2024 that they were retiring. 

For many longtime residents, Katinka wasn't just a store — it was part of the fabric of the block. Its disappearance leaves behind a utilitarian void that feels especially stark given what once occupied the space.

Photo from August 2024 by Stacie Joy 

Thanks also to Jason Solarek and Steven for sharing photos of the construction.

Original 16 Handles outpost closes ahead of move to new 2nd Avenue home

Photos by Steven

The 16 Handles outpost at 153 Second Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street has closed ahead of a move a few blocks south.

Door signage for patrons notes that 16H will reopen in a few months in a new Second Avenue home. (Plenty of storefronts to choose from between Third Street and St. Mark's Place.)

According to the sign, they were unable to reach a renewal agreement with the new landlord here...

This was the very first 16 Handles location, a business with more than 40 now, including in South Carolina, Texas, Illinois and Arizona. (The company founder passed away in 2024 at age 44.) 

This arrival also ushered in a divisive FroYo era — Pinkberry, Flurt, YogoMonster, Daydream, Twister and, obviously, Funkiberry — a time that tested friendships, loyalties, and the limits of tartness.

Signage alert: Visit Sicily NYC on 7th Street

An Italian bakery called Visit Sicily NYC is up next at 86 E. Seventh St., just west of First Avenue. 

Here's how the business describes itself: 

"A true slice of Sicily in New York. We serve fresh Sicilian pastries, artisan bread, pasta, panini, espresso, and imported Italian products, all made with authentic ingredients and tradition. More than a bakery or grocery, we are a place to taste, shop, and feel Sicily like home."

If you're on Instagram, you can follow Visit Sicily NYC here. 

The bakery is an outgrowth of Casa Calia, which sells Sicilian products online. 

No. 86 was previously Yubu, which offered a variety of Korean snacks and beverages. They closed in November after nearly four years in business. 

H/T Danielle!

$1 slice Pizza Hub up next at 59 First Ave.

Pizza Hub (type that in a search engine and you'll get Pizza Hut) is the latest slice shop to give 59 First Ave. a go. 

Halal Bites Pizza arrived in the fall of 2024 here between Third Street and Fourth Street... it later morphed into Basilico Pizzeria, which went dark last month. 

New owners are here now. Like its predecessors, the Hub — pinching Basilico Pizzeria's signage for the time being — offers inexpensive slices.

Here, the basic model starts at $1... with an 18-inch cheese pie going for $8.

And your $1 slice...

After some deliberation, our dining companion offered a careful assessment: "It's not bad." This was followed by a quieter clarification: "But it's not good." 

Still, at $1, it's a better deal than the slice places that have stealthily nudged prices up to $1.50.

Taverna East Village has been closed now for 13 months

Photo from last Wednesday 

From the "whatever happened to..." files — Taverna East Village. 

Taverna has been closed since at least early December 2024 at 228 First Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street. 

According to a patron at the time, the Greek restaurant was closed without any notice to the public until a sign later arrived noting the closure due to a "required Con Edison" inspection. 

Meanwhile, the restaurant's website still notes: "We are currently closed due to a Kitchen Renovation project. We are working very hard to reopen as soon as possible." 

That's a helluva kitchen renovation.

The rolldown gates have remained down since then... except a time last May when they were open. Google still lists the restaurant as "temporarily closed." They did not respond to an Instagram message seeking comment on Taverna's status. 

The outpost of Astoria's favorite Taverna Kyclades opened in the fall of 2013. However, ownership changed hands, and the name change to Taverna East Village was made public in June 2024.

Sunday's parting shot

Phoito by Derek Berg 

Today in deliveries on St Mark's Place (just past First Avenue)...