A tree grows on Astor Place

EVG contributor James Maher shared this photo with us... a shot of a lonely-looking Chase branch on Astor Place. Upon closer inspection, you can make out a little life...

Per James: "Thought it showed this interesting spark of life and human presence within the soulless empty bank."

This morning at Astor Place

...where a creative makeshift shelter has emerged... photo by Shawn Chittle.

The city really wants Jerry Delakas out of Astor Place

[Photo by James Maher from January. Find more photos here]

Apparently the city will stop at nothing to evict longtime Astor Place newsstand vendor Jerry Delakas. The Post reports this morning that the city has retained — for free — the services of powerhouse international law firm Proskauer Rose for the eviction process. Previously, the city used a Law Department attorney.

Said the steamed attorney for Delakas: "What this means is that while Proskauer could have used its pro-bono time toward protecting battered women or saving someone from execution, deportation or eviction. Instead, that time was taken up assisting the city in conducting an eviction!"

Delakas has been in the space for 25 years. He has been subleasing the newsstand from the family who held the license. However, in the eyes of the city, this is an illegal arrangement.

A city Law Department spokesperson told the Post: "The city must decide who can operate newsstands in a fair and evenhanded way. The fact that Mr. Delakas flouted the rules for so long cannot — and should not — be the basis for denying another vendor an opportunity that's rightfully his or hers."

As for retaining an attorney who works for a firm charging upwards of $800 an hour:

"The lawyer handling the matter worked on it while part of the city’s Public Service Program for young attorneys before she left to go into private practice," the spokesperson said. "It made complete sense for her to continue on the case given that she’d worked on it since its inception."

Does this make complete sense to you?

Read more about Jerry's situation at Jeremiah's Vanishing New York.

Today in photos of someone sitting in a bathtub on Astor Place

Charles Eshelman has his tub on Astor Place today. Jerry doesn't look so amused.

Photo by Dave on 7th.

Behold the Cyclo-Phone in Astor Place

[Curbed]

Here's something that you can take for a spin during the next two Summer Streets on Saturday and the Saturday after that (aka Aug. 18).

Curbed has the details on the above:

The Cyclo-Phone is a bicycle-powered musical instrument, in which the kiddie pools with protruding PVC pipes are hooked up to a bicycle's drive mechanism, and powered by hopping on the stationary bicycle and pedaling away.

And it's there for you to play with between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. There's also a $1,200 penalty if the Cyclo-Phone is stolen while you're on it.

DOT removing bike racks from Astor Place

EVG reader 8E sends along this photo from today at Astor Place, noting: "Looks like there'll be fewer bike racks at Astor Place by Friday."

Indeed.

Anyone know what's going on here? A ramp up to the Citi Bike system? Back in April, StreetsBlog noted that Astor Place will be home to a 55-dock station next to the uptown 6 train entrance.

Or. Something related to the Death Star?

Just guessing...

One reason why there were police barricades outside the Starbucks on Astor Place yesterday

Several news photos related to the events Saturday night outside the Astor Place Starbucks show police barricades alongside the store... such as this one in DNAinfo...

The accompanying caption notes, "The Starbucks on Astor Place with police barricades in front on April 15, 2012." (The Daily News published a similar photo.)

Yes, those are police barricades. However, it's unclear from any media accounts or live tweets whether police actually used the barricades Saturday in the skirmish that led to the arrest of three men.

However, one thing is certain about the police barricades... the NYPD used them earlier on Saturday for an Astor Place street fair.

Crews likely stacked up the barricades after the street fair ended early Saturday evening for pick up later.

This doesn't change what transpired on Saturday night... but there is a difference between using the barricades to block off an intersection for a street fair and put them to use to protect a storefront from so-called anarchists.

Previously.

[Street fair photos by Bobby Williams]

[Updated] Report: NYPD arrest 3 men in last night's melee in the East Village

[The broken window at 7-Eleven on St. Mark's Place. Photo by Shawn Chittle]

The Post is reporting this evening that the NYPD arrested three men who were involved in last night's melee on Astor Place and St. Mark's Place.

The Post, who in the headline refer to the men as "anti-government goons," reported that "a gang of 25 authority-haters, some wearing masks, wielded 8-foot-long metal pipes and smashed the windows of the Starbucks at Astor Place and Lafayette Street, police said."

The NYPD news release notes that Starbucks patrons hid under tables during the incident. However, a store manager told amNewYork "there was no damage done and that the only 'panic' was outside the store."

The Post article says that two police officers were treated for minor injuries; an NYPD news release on the incident cites one injury.

Gothamist points out that one of the men arrested is Alexander Penley, an attorney who has been an Occupy Wall Street organizer. Police took one man in custody at Starbucks. Police arrested Penley and Nicholas Thommen at the Sixth Street Community Center about 90 minutes later. The two were attending a party related to the 2012 NYC Anarchist Book Fair. Among the reported charges: "assaulting a police officer, menacing, criminal possession of a weapon, resisting arrest and inciting a riot."

According to various reports, the group that swept through the neighborhood last night was not associated with #OWS.

Previously.

A Blue moment on Astor Place

This afternoon... Anyone?

Via Matt LES_Miserable

Astor Place this morning

The Pies of March

Members of Time's Up today at Astor Place... Per the description:

Feeling a little betrayed by your bank lately? Feel like banks got bailed out and you go sold out Don't want to associate your money with dirty coal and oil? Get on your bike and join us as we ride and take the banks to task. It's time to Occu-Pie the Banks! Ride will end at 4th Annual Unforgettable Pie Fight!

In the shadows of old Astor Place

Photo of Jerry Delakas, the newsstand guy of Astor Place, taken last night by James Maher.

Read more about Jerry's plight at Jeremiah's Vanishing New York.

Agata Olek yarn bombs the Astor Place cube

Several readers have noted that Agata Olek has left her mark on the Alamo in Astor Place...

[EV Grieve reader Anne]

[VH McKenzie]

[EV Grieve reader Blaine]

Seems to clash with the Flaming Cactus, yes?

When Paul Richard curated an art exhibit in the Astor Place Kmart

[Image via PaulRichard.net]

This talk about Kmart reminded me of Kmart's history on Astor Place ... That and the fact that I brought up the now-defunct Kcafe in the comments last week... here's an article from the Times, dated July 8, 1999, titled: "Corn Dogs, White Sales and . . . Modern Art?; In East Village, Atypical Kmart Gives a Nod to Irony as Its Cafe Becomes a Gallery."

The story looks at an art show by Paul Richard inside the Kcafe.

To the story!

You can put a Kmart in the East Village, but you can't keep the East Village out of Kmart.

When the behemoth discount store arrived on Astor Place in 1996 — much to the chagrin of many neighborhood eccentrics — corporate officials knew they would have to adjust. They expected the people with green hair and nose rings who now stroll through the aisles of polyester pants and plastic kitchenware. They knew the handy spacemaker shelf organizers would sell better than the pitchforks in the garden center. They axed the auto department and stocked up on tacky glittery nail polish.

So maybe it should not be so surprising to find an art exhibit on the walls of the KCafe.

And later!

In some ways, having a Kmart in Astor Place at all is a kind of self-parody. The teen-agers with tattooed arms and the actresses with cellular telephones strapped to their ears look odd among the stacks of faux-wood furniture and knockoff Knicks T-shirts. But while officials refused to release sales figures, [Kmart executive Greg] Abraham said the store increased revenue 25 percent from 1997 to 1998 by tweaking its inventory: More clothing for juniors, less of lines like Jaclyn Smith's. Lots of makeup and exercise equipment, not so much fishing gear. Paint sells well, as does Martha Stewart's line of bed and bath items.

"Whether you're a hip person or not, there's a lot of basic essentials that people need," Mr. Abraham said. "We're just trying to tailor to those."

You can read the whole article here.

Workers remove Astor Place token booth

Or "customer assistance booth." Since tokens are long gone... They broke it down and took it away this morning, as these photos by Elizabeth Frayer show...

We're on our own down here now. Woo!

People like the Department of Transportation's Flaming Cactus installation, the Department of Transportation says

[Bobby Williams]

The Times has an update on Flaming Cactus, those neon zip ties on light poles on Astor Place/Cooper Square ... And EV Grieve readers make an appearance in the article:

To judge from a few of the anonymous comments on the EV Grieve blog [Ed note: WOO!], a couple of people would happily start the untying tomorrow. Others wonder about how the ties will look after a few seasons have passed. Or they worry that the needlelike loose ends of the ties might poke a child or a dog in the eye.

But Scott Gastel, a spokesman for the Department of Transportation, said on Friday that the agency had received no complaints so far; only compliments.

Read the whole article here. You have until next June to enjoy/hate it.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Tying one on at Astor Place (32 comments)

You have another 10 months left to discuss the Flaming Cactus at Astor Place

Where the wild things are — Astor Place

Earlier today. Photo by EV Grieve reader Grant.

Astor Place, people free

Thanks to EV Grieve reader Ryan for these shots of Astor Place earlier this evening...

Important mysteries solved: When (and why) Ryan Gosling intervened in that fight on Astor Place

June 24...after a man allegedly stole a street vendor's painting (Jezebel ... previously)

When did Ryan Gosling break up that fight on Astor Place?

So you probably saw the video yesterday of Ryan Gosling (or a lookalike!) break up that fight (or whatever you want to call it) on Astor Place ...

Most news outlets said that the skirmish occurred this past weekend... (The video was uploaded on Saturday.)

Several EV Grieve readers pointed out the following: The fight couldn't have happened this past weekend. Where are the Flaming Cactus on the light poles?

Ah, true!

Here's a photo that EV Grieve reader Stephen Popkin sent us yesterday... the light pole in question is the background... Look, zip ties!

Same corner, but a different angle on Aug. 10 ...

Again to a clip from the skirmish...

Workers put up the zip ties on July 30.

The description by Queen of Pinups on YouTube doesn't mention when the fight happened. Anyway, we're not trying to dispel Mr. Gosling's Dreamy McHunkster image here... just curious when this peacemaking occurred. Of course, there are some people who doubt that this is even Gosling... but that can be fodder for another post...