Saturday's parting shot

A moment on Broadway near 11th Street earlier today... photo by Derek Berg...

A Broadway-worthy marriage proposal where east meets west

[Photo courtesy of Diana Catherall]

Diana Catherall grew up on Fourth Street in the East Village. Her boyfriend, Daniel Heydebrand, grew up on Fourth Street in the West Village. Their respective families still live on the street.

So this past Sunday, when Heydebrand proposed to Catherall, he decided to do it in a familiar location — on Broadway, in the crosswalk where East Fourth Street meets West Fourth Street.

"I loved the setting. It was perfect because it’s the halfway point to where we both grew up," Catherall told me. "It was very thoughtful and appropriate."

The proposal included the presence of their dogs and a moving truck owned by Heydebrand's family adorned with a colorful "Diana, will you marry me?" message. Heydebrand's cover story for that morning: They were going to have photos taken of their dogs, hence the presence of a photographer.

Given the time on Sunday morning, there was light traffic on this usually busy Broadway intersection. But it wasn't as if they had time to dawdle.

"Cars eventually honked for us to get out of the way," Catherall said. "But that’s New York ... I would expect nothing less."

12th and Broadway, Thursday

In the air and on the ground... thanks to Dan Efram for letting me repost the photos...

On Broadway, Blatt Billiards building will be much taller with a glassy face

Catching up to an update about Blatt Billiards, a pool table manufacturer, who will be leaving its longtime home at 809 Broadway near East 12th Street.

The 126-year-old loft building sold for $24 million in May. And the new owners have big plans here, as The Real Deal reported, by nearly quadrupling the building's height with the addition of three apartments.

IDM Capital filed plans to boost the height of the 55-foot building at 809 Broadway to 199 feet, adding 10 stories to the five-story structure.

And!

The new building is expected to have about 22,000 square feet of commercial space, 10,400 square feet of residential space and a 167-square-foot wedge set aside for community facilities, the DOB filings showed.

It all goes as planned, the building will look like this:

Report: 90-year-old Blatt Billiards leaving Broadway

Blatt Billiards, a pool table manufacturer, is leaving its longtime home at 809 Broadway near East 12th Street. As The Real Deal first reported yesterday, the building is changing hands for $24 million. The deal includes an additional 7,045 square feet of air rights.

Blatt was a longtime tenant here before buying the building in 1972. The manufacturing portion of the building will move to New Jersey while Blatt looks for a showroom in Hell's Kitchen, per The Real Deal.

The closing is expecting to happen early next year. The new owner is only ID'd as 809 Broadway Associates.

As The Real Deal noted, the building is "one of the last relics of the area’s manufacturing past."

There's now a 7-Eleven conveniently located next door.

[Updated] Heavy FDNY presence on Broadway; Heather Graham's bathroom candles reportedly spark blaze

Several readers are sending us photos of the FDNY responding to a situation at East 13th Street and Broadway around 10:20 tonight ... no sign of smoke or flames.... per EVG reader John who sent these shots: "something going on — every type of truck, including hazmat, is here..."

Updated:
Well! Thanks to the readers for the links... The Post reports that the fire started in actress Heather Graham's penthouse.

[Via the Post]

Per the Post:

A blazing fire in the sexy actress’ Union Square pad was sparked when burning candles left on her bathtub ignited nearby clothes, according to FDNY officials.

The fire in the 12th-floor Broadway home started at about 10 p.m. and took 45 minutes to put out.

“It was candles that maybe caught some clothes that were left near the tub,” said FDNY Chief John Bley.

Heather Graham's Bathroom Candles. Future band name?

Broadway near Eighth Street tonight

Photo by 8E

It's hard out here for a droid

Tweet and photo on Broadway near East 11th Street by @willphoto ...

Yet another child actor falls on hard times: R2 hocking bootleg DVDs and bottled water.

Zumiez opening first Manhattan outpost on Broadway and East 13th Street

The Seattle-based skate/snowboard shop is opening its first Manhattan outpost on Broadway and East 13th Street... the coming soon signs are up now in the space that was last home to Forbidden Planet, which moved a few storefronts to the south earlier in the summer ...

Per the Zumiez website:

We made our debut in the Seattle area in 1978, with a single store location at Northgate Mall. Now we have grown, and currently have over 400 retail stores that reach across the United States. We do what others have only dreamed of! We provide you with cutting edge clothing, footwear, accessories, DVDs, hard goods for skate and snow for active lifestyles. Everything we do revolves around the customer—you are the heart of our company.

Zumiez has a store in Queens and Staten Island, but not in Manhattan...

Bon Vivant replacement closed after 13 months on Broadway; long live Bon Vivant

Burger House, the so-called "Zen Grill," opened on Broadway near East 12th Street in June 2011... it was another in the rather suddenly trendy Asian-style burger places popping up (see Bento Burger) ... there were better places for burgers, though the fare here was always solid enough... anyway, the place closed on July 10 and the space is for lease...

Prior to this ... and for decades, Bon Vivant served always-reliable, reasonably priced diner food... Eater reported that the same owners were behind the new concept...


As New York magazine noted: "Imagine a prototypical old-school diner and, chances are, you’ll get a close approximation of Bon Vivant. Owned for decades by a Greek family, it has a huge illustrated menu, vinyl maroon booths, and chrome chairs."

That description sounds like the makings of an obituary in the new New York City. (See Jeremiah's Vanishing New York for the graveyard full of diners that have closed ... Tiffany Diner, Chelsea Gallery Diner, the Galaxy Diner, etc.)

The landlord upgraded all the storefronts along here... given them a sleek, impersonal feel ... So even if the owners were to reopen Bon Vivant, it would, of course, never be the same... Or could it work again, some equilibrium maintained...?

Previously on EV Grieve:
A bad sign at Bon Vivant

Street fair! Street fair! Street fair! (plus, Best Pickle on A-Stick)

In case you missed yesterday's street fair on Second Avenue ... there's another one today on Broadway, from Union Square to, oh, maybe Astor Place. Didn't actually look ...

...and cliffhanger ending...

The Bean's new home on Broadway

On Friday, we reported that the Bean is expanding its operation from its Third Street/First Avenue home... We're just confirming the second location on Broadway at 12th Street across from the Strand...

...at the former home of Quiznos and its toasty bullets.

The Bean opening a second location across from the Strand on Broadway

EV Grieve reader/contributor jdx notes this sign in the window at the Bean on First Avenue and Third Street. Perhaps at this location?

Noted

Dave on 7th notes a crucial new business opening along Broadway at Eighth Street...

Formerly home to stores such as Benetton ...

Looking for the old Bon Vivant space

Last July, I noted that Bon Vivant, the usually reliable Greek diner on Broadway near 12th Street, had closed after several decades in business.



Eater later reported that the owners would reopen ... but "lose its diner atmosphere, have a new name, and focus on 'organic foods.'"

So I thought I'd check up on the new space. I couldn't find it at first. Been some time since I've been right on this stretch of Broadway. That Quiznos Subs on East 12th Street and Broadway with the erotic ads closed late last summer... and here's its replacement... Cafe Reunion! (Update: Per the comments ... it already came and went)

Meanwhile, as for the Bon Vivant space, I didn't spot it right away... everything looks the same here now. It's all so sterile... a spa!

Finally...

No sign of life at Bon Vivant

Still no activity at Bon Vivant, the Greek diner on Broadway near 12th Street. The diner, owned several decades by a Greek family, remained shuttered over the weekend... no sign, no explanation... and no answer on their phone...

Previously on EV Grieve:
A bad sign at Bon Vivant

A bad sign at Bon Vivant

Late yesterday afternoon I noticed that Bon Vivant, the Greek diner on Broadway near 12th Street, was closed... no sign out front... No one answered the phone when I called... I'm hoping that this is just temporary, like, something suddenly came up...

As New York magazine noted: "Imagine a prototypical old-school diner and, chances are, you’ll get a close approximation of Bon Vivant. Owned for decades by a Greek family, it has a huge illustrated menu, vinyl maroon booths, and chrome chairs." The Bon Vivant was especially welcome in a Broadway corridor filled with chain eateries such as Quizinos and Cosi...

[Update: Called again this morning and didn't get any answer...]

On 12th and Broadway, Quiznos and its erotic ads are gone, apparently

Our friend Alex over at Flaming Pablum noted over the weekend that the Quiznos Subs on East 12th Street and Broadway has apparently closed... I don't think I have ever eater at one... Regardless! A quick salute to the nudge, nudge promos from this store's front windows... to all the beef dips and toasty bullets that I never had!





Previously on EV Grieve:
Window shopping at Quiznos

Noted

Somehwere on Broadway downtown.

Tower to reopen on Broadway (for a multimedia installation)

From the press release:

Spotlighting more than 20 artists that work with sound, light, and image, Never Can Say Goodbye celebrate the store’s historic role as the locus of the community — the old way to meet people face to face and share music and information.