On Avenue A, Heaven Can Wait morphs into Lucinda’s Honky Tonk + Juke Joint

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Signage arrived yesterday for Lucinda's Honky Tonk + Juke Joint at 169 Avenue A between 10th Street and 11th Street.

The venue is described as a "Soulful Southern Honky Tonk" on Instagram.

The ownership is said to be Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams, Brownies and Lakeside Lounge co-founder Laura McCarthy, and songwriter and manager Kelley Swindall.

Tonight, Williams will break in the stage with a private show for SiriusXM Outlaw Country. 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Stevie Van Zandt (@stevievanzandt)

Moving forward, Lucinda's will host live country music on Friday nights, live-band karaoke on Saturdays and a jukebox "stacked with country faves through the ages." 

Lucinda's is hosting a test run this weekend (details here).  

Here's a first look inside Lucinda's, where crews were busy setting up the stage and adding more framed photos, including some by Danny Clinch, to the walls

The space was most recently occupied by Heaven Can Wait (b. 2022), which went dark earlier this year. 

The lounge/small music venue has seen several concepts in recent years, including Coney Island Baby, Lola and East Berlin. The address was previously EVG favorites HiFi (2002-2017) and the indie live music venue Brownies (1989-2002).

Say cheese: S'MAC celebrates 19 years in business

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

S'MAC (aka Sarita's Macaroni & Cheese) celebrated its 19th birthday over the weekend at its NW corner space on First Avenue and 12th Street. 

Owners — and longtime East Village residents — Sarita and Caesar Ekya, both trained engineers, opened the restaurant in the summer of 2006 with a creative twist on the classic comfort food. 

Originally located at 345 E. 12th St., S'MAC moved to its current spot in 2017. 

In addition to serving up cheesy concoctions (we mean that in a good way), S'MAC has also been a generous neighbor. For several years, the Ekyas partnered with East Village Neighbors, a local volunteer group, to provide meals for community members in need through a fridge and pantry outside the restaurant. (The initiative ended after tenant complaints led the landlord to ask for its removal.) 

Nearly two decades in, S'MAC remains a comforting constant in a neighborhood that seems to be constantly changing.

Signage alert: Spirals bringing the cinnamon rolls to 1st Avenue

Photo by Danimal 

Sigange went up last week at 137 First Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street for Spirals, a bakery specializing in cinnamon rolls. 

According to the business website: "After two years in the making, fresh, delicious cinnamon rolls are coming very soon to the East Village!" 

Cinnamon rolls have proven to be popular around here, given the lines we've seen for Sunday Morning, which opened in January on Avenue B. 

If you're on Instagram, you can follow Spirals here for updates. 

This retail space was previously occupied by Davey's Ice Cream, which relocated around the corner to Ninth Street in 2022.

Remembering Jason Goodrow

Photos courtesy of Satoko Goodrow 

Friends and family gathered yesterday in La Plaza Cultural on Ninth Street and Avenue C to celebrate the life of longtime neighbor Jason Goodrow, a beloved local musician who passed away in May. 

Attendees remembered Goodrow with songs and stories, honoring his decades-long presence in the neighborhood music scene. A talented performer, mixer, and producer, he played in numerous bands over the years and left a lasting impression on those who knew him.

Tomorrow night, the music continues with a "Life Celebration Jam" at ReVision Lounge and Gallery (219 Avenue B, between 13th and 14th Streets). The event begins at 7 p.m. Find details here.

Community Board 3 joins call for urgent safety measures at Manhattan Bridge-Canal Street intersection

Photo via @andrea_gordillo

Community leaders, local elected officials, and safe-street advocates are renewing calls for urgent changes to the dangerous Manhattan Bridge exit at Canal Street and the Bowery after two people were killed by a speeding driver early on July 19. 

At a vigil held July 23 at the foot of the bridge, Community Board 3 Chair Andrea Gordillo said the deaths of May Kwok, 63, and Kevin Cruikshank, 55, were "preventable" and demanded immediate safety upgrades.

 

Here's part of a statement that Gordillo shared on Instagram on July 24:

We gathered last night in heartbreak and fury for May Kwok and Kevin Cruikshank, two lives stolen in crashes this weekend that we've long warned were preventable. As Chair of Community Board 3, I've joined community leaders in calling on @nyc_dot to fix Canal Street and make room for the people and small businesses who give this corridor life for years now. 

We're past the deadline. DOT promised a redesign plan by Fall 2024. Two more lives are now gone, and we've seen no action. 

We need immediate safety changes — and we must rethink the Manhattan Bridge Plaza as a true public space: for walking, biking, gathering, and grieving. 

Despite years of community pressure and city studies, the Department of Transportation has yet to unveil a redesign. The agency says it plans to update the public on proposed safety improvements this fall. Advocates are pushing for measures like bollards or concrete barriers, as well as a broader reimagining of the Manhattan Bridge plaza.

"DOT has plans and they sit on shelves, people die, people are seriously injured in the meantime," Kate Brockwehl, an advocate with the organization Families for Safe Streets, said during the rally, as reported by Streetsblog. "Why play politics and delay, and delay, and delay, when you know that Canal Street in its current design is a public health emergency?" 

A DOT spokesperson told ABC 7, "This driver should not have been on our streets and, as we work to develop safety improvements along Canal, we will continue our advocacy at the state level for legislation to address the most dangerous recidivist drivers who pose an outsized risk to all New Yorkers."

There are currently five inbound lanes of traffic entering the Bowery and Canal from the bridge, which may be an unnecessary number, given that traffic across the bridge has dropped 19% since congestion pricing took effect, as Streetsblog reported. 

The driver of the stolen car (a rental that had not been returned), Autumn Donna Ascencio Romero, 23, was charged on July 21 with murder, manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide, criminal possession of a weapon, leaving the scene of an accident and criminal possession of stolen property. 

Her passenger, Kennedy Lecraft, 22, was reportedly charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of stolen property and unauthorized use of a vehicle.

After the deadly collision in which the speeding car jumped the curb, striking the victims on the sidewalk before destroying an unoccupied police van, the two tried to flee the scene. NYPD investigators said they found an open bottle of tequila in the front of the car and two semi-automatic weapons in the trunk.

Romero was out on bail for a Brooklyn collision that seriously injured a 22-year-old woman in April.

Twenty-four hours after the deadly crash, a driver lost control of his car on Sunday morning and drove into a food truck and TD Bank at the same intersection. There were no reported injuries.

At this link, Streetsblog has a history of this dangerous intersection and the potential fixes required to improve the safety for pedestrians, cyclists and other motorists.

Below is a copy of the letter that local elected officials and Community Boards sent to DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez last week.

Homecomings: La Salle Academy prepares to return to original East Village campus

Renovations continue on Second Street near Second Avenue as La Salle Academy readies its longtime East Village building for the 2025–26 school year. 

The move marks a homecoming for one of New York City's oldest all-male Catholic high schools, which had operated out of nearby St. George Academy on Sixth Street since 2010. (The school opened on Second Street in 1856.)

The Nord Anglia International School New York, which leased the building, relocated to Gramercy Park for the fall.

The decision to return follows years of financial restructuring after the 2008 economic downturn, when La Salle began sharing facilities with St. George while maintaining its own identity. At the same time, leasing its East Village property helped the school stabilize and retire debt, school officials have said.

La Salle also sold its annex at Second Avenue and Second Street in 2020 for $14.5 million. The site, which included several other parcels, remains undeveloped.

The school announced its return to Second Street in March 2024.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• School shuffle: La Salle Returning to 2nd Street as St. George seeks new tenants

Krave It has not been open lately on 2nd Avenue

Krave It has been closed during its announced business hours in recent weeks.

Google still shows the outpost as open on Second Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. 

We reached out about he status of this location, which just opened in March.

This was the brand's first Manhattan location. It was founded in 2015 in Queens by husband and wife (and high school sweethearts) Vishee and Jenna Mandahar. Krave It also has several locations in the metropolitan area, including Bayside, Huntington and Astoria. A Krave It just opened in Denver.

Krave It specializes in "creative, out-of-the-box sandwich and pizza options," such as the birria pizza, ramyun pizza, Hot Cheetos pizza, Biggie Mac pizza, and more.

The space was, until March 2024, Planet Taco. Recent past lives include Otto's Tacos for seven years. Before that, many things came and went here, such as Good Guys, a Subway (sandwich shop), part of a Max Brenner outpost, and Burritoville.

H/T Steven!

About a Jeopardy! trivia night at the Brindle Room

We received an email from John Tobin, a Brooklyn Heights resident who spends a lot of time in the East Village. 

"I'm a big fan of the show Jeopardy!, so I created my own clone of the game. Basically, I bought some replica buzzers and found a database of the real Jeopardy! questions online, then stitched it all together with a web-app I coded. It's a pretty realistic recreation of the show!"

You can play it yourself tomorrow (Monday) night, as Tobin is hosting a Jeopardy! night at the Brindle Room, 647 E. 11th Street at Avenue C. 

"My hope is that this is a differentiated trivia night," he said. 

Games will run every 20 minutes from 7-9 p.m., with a champions round at 9 p.m.

About the mini East Village food tour with 2 members of Everton FC

Two members of Everton FC in Liverpool were spotted in the East Village last week — and their visit wasn’t as random as it seemed. 

On Thursday, Dave on 7th caught a glimpse of Youssef Chermiti and Beto outside Tompkins Square Bagels on Avenue A near 10th Street. The English Premier League players were in town for the Premier League Summer Series, a set of friendlies at MetLife Stadium featuring Everton, Bournemouth, Manchester United, and West Ham United, which took place yesterday. 

As part of the visit, the two Everton strikers joined "NYC food aficionado" Matt James on a local tour, with stops including Bobwhite Counter on Avenue C and Danny and Coop’s on Avenue A. (Spoiler: The players said the Philly cheesesteaks were their favorites.) 

Here’s a clip from their bagel break...

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Premier League USA (@plinusa)

By the way, Everton lost 3-0 at MetLife.

Get the latest EV Grieve newsletter right here

Actually here.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with an Ozzy tribute photo from Fourth Street by Derek Berg)...

Get the week in review via email by signing up here.

• Petition seeks to landmark Most Holy Redeemer ahead of possible closure (Tuesday, July 22) 

• Buddies Coffee, forced out of Williamsburg with a rent hike, still on track to open East Village location (Monday, July 21) 

• What's next for the Minca space on 5th Street? (Thursday, July 24) 

• The Rainbow is a new play and community space for kids, complete with a mini Ray's Candy Store (Monday, July 21) 

• Celebrating the life of Jason Goodrow (Saturday, July 27)

• East Village openings: Wait a Second on 11th Street (Thursday, July 24) 

• Checking in on Irving Green (Wednesday, July 23)

• Parks Department prunes drooping elm in Tompkins Square Park (Wednesday, July 23) … Post-mortem on the freshly cut-back American elm in Tompkins Square Park (Friday, July 25) 

• When Black Sabbath played in the East Village (Tuesday, July 22)

• ICYMI: East Village Rite Aid sets closing dates (Monday, July 21) 

• An encore presentation for the cumgirl8 clothing and merch sale on 2nd Street (Friday, July 25) 

• Some more decade-spanning looks at 5th Street and Avenue B (Wednesday, July 23) 

• Beer & wine in the works for Danny & Coop's (Thursday, July 24)

• A pharmacy for 6th Street and Avenue C (Tuesday, July 22) 

• From a Food Market to a Swap Shop on 2nd Avenue (Wednesday, July 23)

• Signage alert: Village Bites on Avenue A (Monday, July 21) 

• Love, American 1990s style (Saturday, July 27)

... and keeping tabs on outdoor dining trends along Avenue B (photos by Stacie Joy)...

American elm chainsaw massacre

Parks workers chopped up and removed the remains of the stricken American elm in Tompkins Square Park. 

However, it wasn't easy. East Village resident Joe Kay shared this photo, noting "that elm ate one of their chainsaws!"

Saturday's parting shot

A well-attended Nettspend pop-up late this afternoon on 10th Street near Avenue A... (Thanks LJ for the pic!) 

Primer: "Every generation makes music that their parents just don't understand, but Nett's music seems custom-designed to irritate and alienate anyone over, say, 19, particularly seasoned hip-hop fans whose conception of the genre doesn't involve feral white children reared on Roblox."

Because we always post photos of mannequin parts

Thanks to Scuba Diva for this photo from Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Let them say we're crazy, I don't care about that...

Celebrating the life of Jason Goodrow

Friends and family will gather Sunday (tomorrow) from 3-8 p.m. at La Plaza Cultural to celebrate the life of Jason Goodrow, who passed away in May. 

Here's more about his life from a memorial page titled Jason Goodrow Forever: 

Jason Charles Samuel Goodrow was born to Garry Goodrow and Anne-Juliette Marlowe in NY City in 1959. A bright child of hippy beatnic parents who moved to San Francisco (father Garry a founding member of the Committee). 

Jason went to Berkeley High School, playing in many a punk band, and returned to NY to study at Hunter College. Rock and Roll took over his life, where he played guitar (bass, sitar, mandolin, and banjo) all over the Tri-State Area for the next 50 years. 

A fixture of the Lower East Side of Manhattan, playing in too many bands to mention, but a few of note: musical director and guitarist for 25 years for the Jive 5, Episonic, Slow Poke, Dum Dum Project, Spy Vs Spy (then Two Spy Guys), Rogue's March, Seanchai and many gigs with Adam Roth. Mixing and producing countless musical projects at Context Studios on Avenue A for many years... 

He is survived by his wife, Satoko; his sons, Ichiro and Tadashi; and his sister, Georgia.

Jason will be remembered for his musical talent, his deep ties to the Lower East Side, and the community he built through decades of performing, mixing, and mentoring.

There's also a "Life Celebration Jam" on Tuesday evening at Revision Lounge on Avenue B.

H/T Steven

Love, American 1990s style

Film crews descending upon the East Village this week, Wednesday, and last night for a vague "ABC Studios" shoot... (thanks to Jacob Ford for these two pics along St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue)...

This is for Ryan Murphy's 2026 series "American Love Story," which will chronicle the (love) lives of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. 

Last night, they were back on St. Mark's Place, as well as on 10th Street at Second Avenue outside St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery (thanks to the EVG reader for these)...

There were some early 1990s props...

... and a fleet of dated cars...

The crews were also here in June (with film notices marked "White Plains"). 

And why the East Village? Bessette Kennedy reportedly lived in the East Village when she first moved to NYC in 1989... the two started dating in 1994. 

The cast includes Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy.

Friday's parting shot

Photo by Robert Miner 

Sunset cloud action from Seventh Street...

All and 'Some'

 

Avishag Cohen Rodrigues, part of the cumgirl8 collective, also has a promising solo career. 

You can see for yourself tomorrow afternoon as Cohen Rodrigues is part of the free Show Brain show in Tompkins Square Park. 

The video here is for her latest single, "Some Are."

About tomorrow's Show Brain-sponsored concert in Tompkins Square Park

Tomorrow (Saturday!) afternoon, Show Brain is presenting another free show in Tompkins Square Park with the following bands (set times are approximate!):

• 1:55 to 2:25 — Torture and The Desert Spiders 

• 2:40 to 3:15 — Joudy 

• 3:30 to 4:05 — Two Man Giant Squid 

• 4:25 to 5:05 — Avishag Cohen Rodrigues 

• 5:20 to 6 — P.H.0. 

And next weekend (Aug. 2-3) — The free concerts commemorating the 37th anniversary of the Tompkins Square Police Riot of Aug. 6, 1988. Bands are scheduled for both days. We'll share more info in the days ahead.

Post-mortem on the freshly cutback American elm in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by and reporting by Stacie Joy 

On Tuesday, the Parks Department cut back the drooping American elm inside the Seventh Street entrance to Tompkins Square Park between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Before this happened, I had reached out to urban forestry expert Georgia Silvera Seamans, founder of Local Nature Lab. (Read her initial response here.) 

As she's out of town, I sent her several of the photos of the trimmed back tree. Her response: "Looks like there was a major crack in a large branch. It also looks like staining from Dutch Elm Disease on the left front branch."