How much has it been raining of late...?

Spotted on Avenue C and Ninth Street.

By any means possible

Avenue C and Seventh Street.

Everyone is getting on the Hurricane Irene marketing wagon

"possibly hurricane-proof"?

EV Grieve reader faces spotted this on Avenue C at 14th Street.

Belated announcements: TenEleven has reopened

Um, sorry... I meant to note this much earlier than this. Anyway, TenEleven is back open on Avenue C... The bar had to temporarily close while waiting for its liquor license renewal... The CB3/SLA committee refused to renewal the bar's license due to some complaints last month... You can read about that here.

Anyway, the SLA renewed TenEleven's license.

Meanwhile, we're glad that a good bar has returned...

Poker den folds in the East Village; shuffles off to Midtown

On Wednesday, a reader noted that Chico was painting this "for rent" sign above the retail space at 27 Avenue C between Second Street and Third Street. It looks like a typical storefront. However, since late June, New York City Poker had been operating out of the space.

The Poker folks closed the place on Aug. 1, choosing to move to larger quarters in Midtown. Per the New York City Poker website:

Why is NYC Poker Tour relocating?
• Friday, July 29th 2011, there were too many effing people. With only 4 poker tables and a wait list of 25+ people there was mayhem. It was hot. It was disorganized.
• Our venue was wonderful. Previously, it was a poker room and had tons of nostalgia, plus room for improvements. At first I really wanted to spruce up the place, but in the end popular opinion wanted a complete renovation. After reviewing the financials it just seemed smarter to relocate.
• The location was near some train lines, but was not central to Manhattan or easy to travel to at all times, so for our next venue we look to be more accessible by mass transit and near easier parking.
• Security. Security. Security. Our storefront was great, but security is really important, so for our next venue players will need to do more than just knock on the door.

Speaking of security, Ian Duncan reported at the Local East Village on Aug. 2 that two armed men robbed the club on July 30. The robbers — who weren't wearing masks — left with $6,500 in cash and a Medicaid card, according to the Local. The operator, Jeremy Martin, told Duncan that the robbery played a major part in the decision to move.

P.S.
Go here if you want to read about their new home on West 35th Street.

Monday new Last Night for Banjo Jim's

Banjo Jim's has been able to squeak out a little more time before closing its doors for good (originally set for Aug. 2) ... per the Banjo Jim's website, Monday is the grand finale.

And as the site shows, random musicians have by stopping by to play...

Prime time

A reader sent along the above photo tonight with a note: "The old dinosaur was booted out off of 9th and C only to be replaced by this young, skinny and NAKED mannequin! Oh so telling..."

True!

Worse, I'm suddenly reminded of The Alan Parsons Project.

Is Fine Fare trying to kill this tree?

A reader sends along these photos from in front of Fine Fare on Avenue C at Fourth Street. According to the reader:

"Fine Fare did some repairs to their sidewalk and the workers just dumped the leftover cement onto the tree bed and left it there. This has been there for at least 2 weeks. This is a huge old majestic tree. I don't know what effect this is having on the tree, but it can't be good."

City gets results from digging through the trash

Two weeks ago, we noted watching a sanitation department official sort through discarded mail in the trash can on the corner of Avenue C and 11th Street.

So, yeah the city can and will fine you $100 for throwing trash from your apartment into city-owned trash cans on the street.

EV Grieve reader thisboyshouts passed along this yesterday: "Someone in my building, a couple of doors down from that corner, got a ticket this morning for doing exactly that from the sanitation dept. It was tacked on to the front door of the building for all to see. The SD has the address, you think they could at least mail it..."

Previously on EV Grieve:
The city is working hard to fine you for throwing away household trash

The Wayland aiming for a fall opening on Avenue C

Just an update on the new bar coming to Ninth Street and Avenue C, where Banjo Jim's threw a closing-night party last evening.

The working name had been The James Daniel, after two of the grandfathers of proprietor Rob Ceraso and his business partner. The new name is The Wayland. (And they have a website up and running now.)

Ceraso said that they still plan to work with Banjo Lisa to continue to host some live bluegrass and American roots music at the Wayland.

He is aiming for a fall opening.

The city is working hard to fine you for throwing away household trash

Yesterday morning, we spotted a city sanitation agent pulling up to the trash can on the corner of Avenue C and 11th Street. He put on a pair of latex gloves and carefully began to sift through its contents.

He paid particular attention to a bag (Lord & Taylor?) that someone had placed next to the can. He spent several minutes pulling out pieces of mail and inspecting them.

Eventually, he found some letters/bills with someone's name on them. He walked away with that mail.

Anyway, the city can and will fine you $100 for throwing trash from your apartment into city-owned trash cans on the street — like this one! Just ask the 83-year-old Upper East Side who was treated like crap for doing so. Plus, there is a warning right on the side of the can.

For $100, you could probably buy a top-of-the-line executive shredder.

CB3 OKs transfer of Banjo Jim's to The James Daniel

Last Thursday, we first brought you the news that changes were in the works for Banjo Jim's, the ramshackle live music joint on Avenue C and Ninth Street. Plans call for an "artisanal neighborhood cocktail bar" named The James Daniel.

As Devin Briski reported for Eater, the CB3/SLA committee OK'd the transfer during Monday night's meeting.

In the comments on our post, owner Lisa Zwier-Croce left this message:

Hi. Banjo Lisa here! It is sad for me to lose Banjo Jim's but I am so proud of all the amazing musicians that have passed through our humble place. Rob and Timothy are down to earth guys and care about the community. i wholeheartedly embrace them and encourage everyone to continue to support their place. Don't let the word "artisnal" scare you! What [they're] saying is they don't want to serve you the same crap you can get in any bar! It's even possible that there may be a "Banjo Jim's night"(of music) occasionally! Anyone whose been in Banjo Jim's knows there's magic in those walls! With tears in my eyes I pass these guys the baton. Maybe I'll see you there!!!!!

Also, on Monday night, Briski reported that the committee also OK'd the transfer to The Phoenix to new owners. Hello Open Mic Night!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Banjo Jim's space to become home to an 'artisanal neighborhood cocktail bar' (47 comments)

CNN will report live from Zum Schneider during the women's World Cup final

Doors opened at 1 for the championship game at 2:45 between the United States and Japan. A CNN truck in parked out front... to bring live reports during the game...

And if the U.S. team wins, then we're taking the fire truck!

Banjo Jim's space to become home to an 'artisanal neighborhood cocktail bar'

Banjo Jim's is on the docket for Monday night's CB3/SLA meeting. Banjo Jim's opened in December 2005, and the small space quickly became a well-known spot for live (and inexpensive) Americana, bluegrass and jazz music.

Lisa Zwier-Croce named the space for her husband, the musician James Casmire Kaminski Croce (Banjo Jim), who died in a car accident in January 2003.

However, we understand that Lisa is moving on, and Rob Ceraso and his business partner hope to get the OK for the liquor-license transfer.

"The space has sentimental value to me," Ceraso said via email. "Not only have I been coming to Banjo's for bluegrass for the last five years, but my wife and I also celebrated our wedding across the street at La Plaza Cultural Garden four years ago ... with musicians that I met at Banjo's."

Ceraso, who runs White Noise on Avenue B with Timothy Falzone, provided us with details about what they have planned for Banjo Jim's. The working name — The James Daniel.

"We are calling ourselves an 'artisanal neighborhood cocktail bar,' which I know is a mouth full," only because I couldn't think of another label that necessarily fit what we'd like to create," Ceraso said. "Cocktail bar in the sense that we will offer beautifully rendered cocktails, putting care into ingredients and making as much as we can from scratch."

"Neighborhood bar in the sense that we are trying to do what we do with the same spirit of creativity mixed with a tinge of rebelliousness that has existed in the neighborhood for the last 60 years or more. We're not putting ourselves on [that] level, but if we can do our thing with the spirit of creativity that existed ... then that would be cool with us."

A few other details...

Food:
"We'd like to push the limits a little of what you can create with a small convection oven and a couple of induction cooktops," he said. "It will be a learning experience for us and I'm sure everything won't be awesome, but I can promise it will be interesting and made with care."

Live music:
"We thought it would be great to be able to honor it with an occasional "Banjo Jim's" night of music. We're thinking of something weekly or monthly as well as possibly having some piano and fiddle, etc. for happy hour from time to time. Whatever we end up doing it will be pretty low-key. We would always plan it for earlier than later and we aren't getting any of the amplification equipment from Banjo's. All we're hoping to hang onto is the old piano."

The block:
"We love the block, the two gardens around us and the neighborhood. To us it embodies the same bohemian sensibilities that used to exist everywhere downtown. [Avenue] C seems like it's becoming the last refuge for everyone escaping the craziness and fratty takeover of the LES. We'd like to be part of that refuge and maybe help to remind people a little of what the spirit of the neighborhood still is to a lot of us."

In closing...

"If we're doing our thing right, neighbors can come in and talk about and enjoy some food, drink, music and neighborhood culture."

[Banjo Jim's photo via Down Home Radio]

Claudius the turtle is lost

Spotted on Ninth Street and Avenue C by Dave on 7th.

Easy Painter

This afternoon on Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street. Photos by Bobby Williams.

Yankee Pizza coming soon to Avenue C

Here near 11th Street, at the site of the short-lived Bread N Butta ...

...part of the burgeoning Yankee Deli empire...

At the C-Squat sidewalk sale

Photo by Dave on 7th

Report: Avenue C deli owner busted for possession and sale of narcotics

[Photo by Dave on 7th]

On Friday, we noted that the NYPD had shuttered the deli on the corner of Fourth Street and Avenue C... The Local East Village followed up on the story later on Friday, reporting that the NYPD arrested and charged the shop's owner with possession and sale of narcotics. Undercover officers reportedly bought narcotics from the store on five occasions. The owner is expected to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court today, according to the Local East Village.

NYPD closes deli on Avenue C and Fourth Street

Several readers reported a major police presence last night at the deli on the corner of Fourth Street and Avenue C.

Dave on 7th walked by this morning and found that the NYPD has closed the deli.

The sign says for "the criminal sale or possession of controlled substances SA." One reader believes it was for "discounted" cigarettes.