Why Summit was closed Monday night

Meant to post this yesterday... Anyway, I always appreciate a little humor in signs... spotted outside Summit, the cocktail emporium on Avenue C near Ninth Street.

Why they'll be dancing now at 55 Avenue C

Olivio's, a homey and unusual little shop (part gaming, part yarn!), closed at 55 Avenue C in July 2009 after 36 years in business. While there was a slight rent increase here near East Fourth Street, the proprietors of this father-son operation said that they simply couldn't make a go of it anymore...




Given that Avenue C of late has attracted fancy drink emporiums such as Summit and Bedlam, we figured a more-upscale business would likely take over the space.

Well, turns out something that we never quite expected is opening here this week...



The East Village Dance Project, in partnership with GOH Productions, is opening the Avenue C Studio ...





The space will offer ballet classes for kids and adults... Check out their website for more information. There are free classes being offered this week... and an open house on Sunday afternoon...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Olivo's on Avenue C.

Bread and Butta is toast

Reader Dianeb sends along the photo and news that Bread and Butta on Avenue C near 11th Street has closed... there's a "so long and thanks" sign on the door of the coffee shop...



After a series of setbacks, the cafe finally opened last May...

Pollo Cafecito space on the market

Back in the fall of 2009, Avenue C's Cuban eatery Cafecito opened Pollo Cafecito, a take out/rotisserie chicken joint... I noticed that the space was closed this past summer for renovations or something... Now that I see the space is on the market ...



... Cafecito is still going strong, as far as I can tell...

Monk Thrift Shop is closing — but, it remains open for now

On Monday we noted that the Monk Thrift Shop on Avenue C at 11th Street had closed. Well, as a walk by today revealed, the store is closing, but they remain open... with 50 percent off sales...



And what of the Madonna/Jesus pairing... ?

Doomed corners

Oh, I'm just taking photos of some seemingly doomed locations... spots where you figure a condo will be plopped down some day soon... Avenue C between Houston and Second Street the other day....

Some place that the Wall Street Journal should discover

And I wish that today's Wall Street Journal piece on the new hotbed of action on East Third Street and Avenue C included a mention of the 5C Cultural Center and Cafe ... they do some great programs here... and they really need support... Here's their upcoming schedule. Maybe the Journal could also dig into the nasty landlord dispute here.

We don't really know either

Weather balloon crashed into the new Edi & the Wolf, the Austrian Wine Tavern!, here on Avenue C near Seventh Street?

A tweet from RCN

Yesterday, I sent out a tweet about the RCN-Chico post... and RCN responded ...



Previously on EV Grieve:
RCN Cable discovers 'illegal graffiti' two years later

RCN Cable discovers 'illegal graffiti' two years later

As Jeremiah reported on Monday, workers at the RCN Cable building on Avenue C and Sixth Street painted over the Obama-McCain election mural and others on the site last week....



Now...



Patrick Hedlund has a follow-up piece today at DNAinfo. He speaks with an anonymous RCN spokesperson who sounds a little huffy about Chico's mural, which graced the wall for two years.

"The bottom line is the building had illegal graffiti on it and we cleaned it up — period."

And!

But the RCN spokesman quickly dismissed the idea that Garcia might return to work on the wall.

"We're not interested in doing business with him again," he said.

Curious to see how long the building sits tag free.... this little doodle was quickly painted over....



Anyway, there were all sorts of Chico murals on this corner...



Are you telling me that RCN just figured out that there are murals here? (What about the illegal ads?) And it wasn't as if Chico just ran up here and tagged the wall in the middle of the night... this corner art took a long time to create... And this entire time RCN was unaware of the activity?

A side note, perhaps ... graffiti artist Jairo Pastoressa, accused of murdering Christopher Jusko, helped Chico create this mural ... His signature was in spray paint below Chico's name.


[Photo via DNAinfo]

5C Cultural Center and Cafe needs support

The owners of 5C Cultural Center & Cafe at Avenue C and Fifth Street are back in court Wednesday to battle being evicted by their landlord... they can use some support...Willie Mack will be playing some Harlem-based jazz there tonight at 8. $5 cover.

5C Cultural Center & Cafe continues eviction battle

The owners of 5C Cultural Center & Cafe, which opened in 1995 at Avenue C and Fifth Street, continue to battle being evicted by their landlord... As Time Out put it earlier this month: "Sadly, it’s an all-too-familiar story: Another cherished downtown cultural hub is in danger of disappearing."

Here's more from the piece and co-owner Bruce Morris: “'The basic claim is that we violated the terms of the lease,'” explains Morris, noting that he feels 'the landlord’s thought is, How can we harass them enough to get them out?' Based on the landlord’s claims — that they changed the facade, altered a window and didn’t soundproof the space, all of which Morris denies."

You can read the rest of the TONY article here. And Morris wrote about their ongoing landlord troubles in The Shadow here.

Meanwhile, there's a fundraiser tomorrow night at 6 featuring Shoshke-Rayzl on guitar and co-owner Trudy Silver on piano...it's also the birthday of one of their founding directors, Silvia Ravelo.

Via e-mail, Silver told me: "We're back in court on November 10th, ... last court date many students, parents, seniors, musicians and educators showed up in support."

The 2-hour lines for Octoberfest at Zum Schneider this weekend

...and people dress the part...



Octoberfest here runs through Sunday.

On Avenue C, get a Tetsu Ohara-designed home with 'potential terrace'

Hmm. Here at 149 Avenue C, there's a one-bedroom co-op new to the market for $525,000. Here's a listing:

Quality, Perfection (and perhaps a terrace!) This gorgeous renovated home exudes style and is perfectly located in the hippest part of the East Village only 1 1/2 blocks from Tompkins Square Park. Meticulously designed by Tetsu O'Hara, this home boasts subtle carefully placed angles that invoke intrigue as you examine the space more closely. The sleek hand crafted wall cabinet provides a clear focal point and is backlight for evening ambience. The exposed brick adds warmth and the three exposures add natural light. The beautiful kitchen features maple cabinets, Corian counters, a Miele cooktop and a showpiece Grohe faucet. The windowed bathroom is classic white with a green glass tile border and there is a walk in closet in the master bedroom. This is an exceptional opportunity to possibly acquire rights to build a private deck on an adjacent 10x12 ft outdoor space (subject to board approval).

So you'd build this terrace on someone else's outdoor space? Oh, and it's Tetsu Ohara, not O'Hara. He's Japanese, not Irish. Anyway, pretty nice looking space...





See for yourself during the first open house on Sunday from noon to 1:30 p.m. You'll be out before the boozehounds show up for the free booze at the Sunburnt Cow.

Why you'll have a cow this Sunday afternoon on Avenue C

The Sunburnt Cow, a favorite weekend afternoon binge drinking spot of people I don't know, celebrates its seventh birthday on Sunday from 3 to 8 p.m. Free food and booze "for Friends of the Sunburnt Cow." Plus, there's the annual cow spit roast. Moo-ve it!


[Via The Sunburnt Cow website]


Speaking of the Sunburnt Cow....

Previously on EV Grieve:
Speaking of the Sunburnt Cow, have you seen my collection of Moo Mobile photos?

If it's the end of September, then it must be time for Octoberfest

The annual Octoberfest at Zum Schneider starts Saturday... through Oct. 10...




[Via Zum Schneider]

Will the Germans take Avenue C again the fall?

Why Casa Adela is temporarily shuttered

Here at Casa Adela on Avenue C between Fourth Street and Fifth Street....



... per the sign: "Not having the refrigerator at appropriate temperature."



I appreciate the transparency here... Some of these DOH violations can seem pretty ticky-tacky... better to let customers-neighbors-bloggers know...

Of course, I'm not sure what my counsel would be for more serious offenses.... "XYZ Restaurant will reopen as soon as we kill off the 350 rats the DOH found in the walk-in pantry!"

By the way, if you've never been Casa Adela, you should give it try when she reopens...

Bedlam brings the stars to 'a relatively dingy, run-down neighborhood'

[Photo via the Voice]

Well, Black Book has a press release feature on Bedlam, the new venture from Eastern Bloc's Benjamin Maisani. Here are some passages for you:

What used to be a dingy, run-down bar in a relatively dingy, run-down neighborhood has transformed into a posh lounge destined to draw crowds to Avenue C. Bedlam, named after the first insane asylum in London, opened its doors this past week, offering a new hang-out spot for those who like to feel old-world in a modern way. Non-crazies Sara Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Anderson Cooper, Solange Knowles, and Alan Cumming made it to the opening fete earlier this week. The new bar and lounge captures the mood of late 19th-century parlor life — think Edith Wharton or Robert Louis Stevenson.

And!

Thankfully Bedlam isn’t a showy, out-of-place jewel box of smartness; the flavor of the neighborhood and the former space is retained with the exposed brick wall and original, red vinyl benches. The back room—slated to host private events—still features 40C’s generous-sized bathroom and skylight (in addition to—surprise!—more animal heads).

And!

Creative cocktails like the Sagamore House — named after Teddy Roosevelt’s country house — will be available for whoever’s feeling fancy, but the average hipster can still order their Bud. The new bar has also plucked some top DJs from well-known establishments like Santos, Heathers, Le Bain at the Standard, and the former Mister Black, so expect — dare I say it — bedlam.

OK! Will take some time to process all this. Meanwhile, you may have some comments.

Previously on EV Grieve:
40 Avenue C getting another renovation

Anderson Cooper's boyfriend opening 19th-century cocktail bar on Avenue C

Anderson Cooper's boyfriend opening 19th-century cocktail bar on Avenue C

Last month, we noted that the former 40C and Batista was undergoing renovations on Avenue C between Third Street and Fourth Street... Thanks to Fork in the Road, we have a better idea of the new tenant. It's called Bedlam Bar and Lounge.

According to Chantel Martineau:

It's the latest venture by Benjamin Maisani of Eastern Bloc in collaboration with illustrator Pablo Raimondi. The décor is 19th century parlor chic, with plenty of antique-looking leather-bound books and taxidermy lining the walls. The cocktails will offer subtle twists on classics like Negronis and Side Cars, and will be complemented by a selection of craft beers. Bedlam soft opens September 16, with a grand opening on October 1.

[Photo via the Voice]

The post didn't note, though, that Maisani is reportedly the boyfriend of CNN personality Anderson Cooper.

Previously on EV Grieve:
40 Avenue C getting another renovation

Woman struck by vehicle on Avenue C and 10th Street

Just after noon, a woman walking west on 10th Street across Avenue C was struck by a vehicle turning left...



Police and emergency vehicles responded in a near instant...





There was no discussion of blame — the driver or the pedestrian. Everyone was concerned about the victim's status. She was moving. Paramedics put a neck brace on her as a precaution and placed her inside an ambulance. Meanwhile, a police officer used a fire extinguisher to spray a pool of blood that had collected in the middle of Avenue C.