An ugly 2-car collision on Avenue B and East 7th Street

For the second consecutive Saturday... there has been a nasty collision on Avenue B... late this morning at East Seventh Street...


[Photo by Shawn Chittle]


[SC]

No one saw what happened... just the aftermath... it appears at least one person was taken away on a stretcher. We haven't heard any reports of the extent of the injuries...


[Photo by Joan Pantesco]


[JP]

Avenue B laundromat headed south to Clinton Street

When we saw the familiar "for rent" sign of Steve Croman recently arrive above the laundromat at 44 Avenue B… well, we knew the place was a goner…

Sure enough!



At least they are just moving … down to 47 Clinton St. between Stanton and Rivington… not exactly as convenient for residents along here...

Somewhere on Avenue B, a New Year's Resolution has started

Today in posts about Duane Reade getting a new Duane Reade sign

Exciting times this afternoon over on Avenue B and East Second Street, EVG regular Salim reports ... the recently expanded Duane Reade is getting its new 2014-style wraparound signage ... replacing that 1999-style Duane Reade signage that was synonymous with long lines, indifferent customer service and lost prescriptions the smaller Duane Reade that had been there.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Reader report: Duane Reade expanding on Avenue B

The Duane Reade expansion is underway on Avenue B

Scenes of Halloween on Avenue B

Thanks to EVG contributor Stacie Joy for these photos from trick-or-treating late this afternoon on Avenue B...

Fall on Avenue B

Today, a littler earlier.

Affaire has closed on Avenue B

Several tipsters have pointed out that Affaire recently closed on Avenue B... Calls to the restaurant go unanswered — the number is no longer in service. However, an employee confirmed the closure to a reader, noting that management was not sure if they would reopen a new concept in the space.

Most recently the French bistro and lounge had only been open on Friday and Saturday... and they had curtailed food service for the summer...



Affaire took over the China 1 space in December 2010.

Memories from Avenue B

Bloom 62 is a new luxury building on Avenue B at East Fifth Street that features a landscaped roof deck with showers, Weber grills and a "teak sundeck" for apartment dwellers paying upwards of $7,600... the building was formerly the Cabrini Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation ... and the American Nursing Home.

This development brought back some memories for artist Julius Klein, who lived next door for 11 years.

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For many years, (’82 –’93) living at 60 Ave. B, Apt 2B, between 4th & 5th St., late at night, while laying in bed, I would hear wailings coming from the then named American Nursing Home, across the loading dock. It was a regular, nightly utterance — “arolegemmyt yato me air”, like hearing a cubistic coyote in the distant desert.



Again, another night lying in bed, say, 3:45 am, “aerol, aerol, osh oshh –mtwon”.

One night, when well oiled on mushrooms, it became clear to me.

“HAiRrrrOLDD, ET E OT O ERE”!!!
“HAROLD, GET ME OUT OF HERE”!

In the 80ies and into the 90ies, a grand yearly 4th of July party was held in the back seating area behind the loading dock. It was mainly a party for the staff, as the band hired yearly, was a sort of funk jazz R&B ensemble.



The old folks would be wheeled out and afflicted by the way too loud, amplified sound. You could see them pushing their arms forward, as if to push the offending sound away, as they then covered their ears, the staff trying to sell them on the musical offerings such as “Grooving, on a sunny afternoon, La La La.”

At some point, the lead singer, the MC, without any sense of irony, posed the question. “Does anyone here know who Old Blue Eyes is?” the one song in their set approaching era appropriateness for the audience.

After a few moments the band jumped into Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” — “And now the end is hear, and so I face the final curtain”.

It just felt, from my 2nd story window, a bit cruel ... and a bit funny too.

And so it went, and so it goes ...

Tu Casa Recording Studio is leaving Avenue B

We heard a rumor last month that Tu Casa Recording Studio was going to leave its longtime home at 95 Avenue B between East Sixth Street and East Seventh Street.

Now, this weekend, there's a Tag Sale at the studio. Per the Facebook invite:

Drums, Guitar amps, Base amps, PA, etc, everything most go.

(bring your guitar or bass to test amps)

Saturday 11 am - 3 pm and Sunday 12 noon - 4 pm

And there's currently a listing for the space in the co-op building.

Ground and first floor are zoned commercial, third and fourth floors are zone Residential

Description

Ground floor Commercial Store, presently used as a music studio, 12ft ceilings. Suitable for all kinds of legal retail use

The current price is $1.095 million.

Tu Casa has been around since 1972. A very lengthy list of musicians have played here through the years... including Butch Morris, Black Flag, the Bush Tetras, Dee Dee Ramone, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs... (Find more names here.)

At this time, it's unclear if Mario is moving Tu Casa to a new space in Brooklyn ... or closing altogether.

Man can't remember where he left his shoes in one of these Avenue B buildings

EVG reader Derrick Loris spotted this sign on two Avenue B apartment buildings Tuesday night... apparently a man with a phone number in the 203 area code had, possibly, a little too much fun (or something!) the other night ... and couldn't his way back to wherever he was...

Per the note:

"I forgot what apt. + building I left from, why I didn't return on Sunday. The guy who left his shoes. Hope it was here."

Perhaps he could try posting a Missed Connections?

And we welcome your theories about what possibly happened here.

'Authentic Georgian-Mediterranean cuisine' coming to Avenue B

A reader told us that a new restaurant is opening in the space recently vacated by Caffe Buon Gusto on Avenue B and East Fifth Street.

We don't know much about the space. The reader noticed diners inside Sunday night, but thought that it was a friends-family kind of thing.

The restaurant is called Oda House, serving "authentic Georgian-Mediterranean cuisine" per the signage outside, from chef and managing partner Maia Acquaviva. Sounds interesting... hope to receive more information later...

Meanwhile, on Avenue B...

Oh, it's only ravioli, per EVG reader Mike.

Funny, because it really didn't taste like ravioli...

[Updated] Report: 28 Avenue B has been evacuated

#Manhattan *UNSTABLE BUILDING* 28 Ave B & E 2 St. #FDNY has cracks from 1st to 2nd floor. Building has been evacuated & req buildings dept
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 16, 2013

This is the building with Croxley Ales on the ground floor...


[Google]

This was filed with the DOB at 3:48:

Re: FDNY REQUESTS A STRUCTURAL STABILITY INSPECTION DUE TO VERTICAL CTACK AT REAR OF BUILDING FROM THE 1ST TO TOP FLOOR AND

Category Code: 30 BUILDING SHAKING/VIBRATING/STRUCT STABILITY AFFECTED

Construction recently started in the empty lot next door on a new 6-story apartment building...


[April 2]

Updated 4:28

Via EVG reader David... firefighters waiting across the street...



Updated 4:35

Unconfirmed reports that adjacent buildings have also been evacuated...


[Via @black_von]

Updated 4:54


[EVG reader David]

Avenue B between East Second Street and East Third Street remains closed...

Updated 6 p.m.

Here's more information via DNAinfo, who reported that the evacuation occurred after debris started falling from the building's fifth floor earlier in the afternoon.

A woman who has lived in 28 Avenue B for 20 years said she started to notice cracks in her ceiling after construction started in a vacant lot at 26 Avenue B next-door to her building.

"It was shaking the building," said the woman, who would only give her first name, Charlotte, 40.

Also,the following report is on the DOB website now for 26 Avenue B, where the 6-story building is under way: "EXCAVATION WORK HAS UNDERMINED ADJACENT PROPERTY."

Joe Ferrante, an FDNY battalion chief, told DNAinfo that excavation "possibly contributed" to the damage. The developer did not have a comment yet from the developer.

Updated 6:49 p.m.

The DOB ordered that residents must stay out of 28 Avenue B for the foreseeable future


[Photo via @zigisitch]

Updated 7 p.m.

Avenue B is now back open between Second and Third.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] 6-story apartment building ready to rise from the former Croxley Ales beer garden

Dutch Kills crew aiming to take over former Mercadito Cantina space on Avenue B

Looks as if the former Mercadito Cantina space on Avenue B near East 11th Street is getting a big-name suitor. The flyer attached to the window shows that applicants repping a new bar/tavern called The Asphalt Jungle will be on the April 8 CB3/SLA committee docket...



... and (at least) two of the names involved are part of the team behind Dutch Kills, the popular Long Island City cocktail lounge where bartenders hand-cut block ice down to size for cocktails behind the bar. (You can read more about their ice program here at the Times and here at Forbes.)



One of the applicants, Richie Boccato, is a veteran of Milk & Honey. He also co-owns tiki lounge Painkiller/PKNY on Essex Street, among other ventures (including Sweetleaf). We emailed Boccato yesterday afternoon to find out more about The Asphalt Jungle.

Mercadito Cantina closed in January 2011.

Previously on EV Grieve:
About Mercadito Cantina closing:'Open letter to EV Grieve and CB3' (58 comments)

Price drop on the former Luca Lounge space on Avenue B

While on the topic of Avenue B storefronts... Luca Lounge closed on Avenue B last spring... the first listing that we spotted for the space between East 13th Street and East 14th Street had an insane $19,995 monthly rental ask... (A stated 1,800 square-foot space.)

Now! An Avenue B tipster points out that the rent is now $14,000, per this Loop Net listing. Our tipster notes the price is still high, but slightly closer to market...

Previously on EV Grieve:
What the rent is for the former Luca Lounge space on Avenue B

Updated: Gruppo Thin Crust Pizza opens at new Avenue B location tonight (free beer alert)

The renovations are done here at 98 Avenue B between East Seventh Street and East Sixth Street... Per the Gruppo Facebook page:

Grand Opening at our new location, 98 Ave B (6-7 st), Free Draft beer when you dine with us! See you tonight!

Their previous home at 186 Avenue B is now closed.

Updated 8:21

The sandwich board out front via @dens

Here are the new bike corrals outside Continuum Cycles on Avenue B

Thanks to @chufucious for passing along this photo showing the brand-new bike corrals in front of Continuum Cycles (and Continuum Coffee) on Avenue B near East 12th Street...

Here's a photo of the DOT installing them yesterday via @nixta ...



Back in December, we noted that CB3 OK'd bike corrals (CityRacks!) for the 4th Street Food Co-op and Continuum Cycles.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Here's your new East Ninth Street bike rack (18 comments)

More bike corrals on the way for East Village businesses

Beware the cone-eating sewer grate of Avenue B

At East Ninth Street at the entrance to Tompkins Square Park. Photo by Bobby Williams.

And it's still so early...

Spotted on Avenue B...

Snow Bills season has started

Spotted on the plywood on Avenue B at East Fifth Street.