Dumpster of the day

From the signature collection? Fifth Street near Second Avenue.

On the way: A five-story apartment building for Fifth Street

Last November, I noted the destruction of 532 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. The four-story home was quickly knocked down.



And today, work continues on the land's new tenant: A 10-unit, five-story apartment building. Staten Island-based Door to Door Realty's name is attached to this project. According to their Web site: "[W]e create an environment that is affordable, welcoming and chic."





And two notes from locals on the plywood:




Previously on EV Grieve:
Demolition on East Fifth Street
East Fifth Street update

Caffe Buon Gusto looking a little sad, neglected

Work on Caffe Buon Gusto on Avenue B and Fifth Street has seemingly come to a halt. More graffiti appears by the day. The paper covering the windows has fallen down. Not much progress can be seen inside.




An EV Grieve reader files this report after a walk by this past weekend:

One of the plate-glass windows has a big crack running from side to bottom, most of the new paintwork is tagged and defaced, and the paper peeling back from one of the windows shows that construction inside has come to a halt. I have eaten at the Buon Gusto on the upper east side a few times, and found the food tasty and the staff welcoming; not that the East Village or the Lower East Side wants yet another homespun Italian restaurant, but the empty storefront has a very sad look to it.

The motorcycle diaries

There was a rather mysterious beeping noise on Fifth Street near Avenue A. Neighbors first started hearing it Thursday night. The source was traced to a covered motorcycle parked by the Con Ed Avenue A substation. As of yesterday, the motorcycle's alarm continued to make the beeps at intervals of 10 seconds or so.

The Scavengers

Last Saturday, a group of post-collegiate types took part in a scavenger hunt throughout the neighborhood. Sometime after 7, the group reportedly convened in front of Sophie's. There, the group members assembled many of the things they apparently had on their list to find. They all took pictures of each other with their junk. They were rather harmless in the grand scheme of annoying post-collegiate types who go on scavenger hunts and/or pub crawls in the neighborhood. Still, as several people confirmed, they were characterized as rambunctious and oblivious to their surroundings. They were, we understand, shooed away from the front of Sophie's by management. They were giving the impression that the ruckus on Fifth Street was caused by bar patrons. This was not the case. The group moved west toward Avenue A with their scavenger-hunt possessions in tow for more pictures. Then, the group parted ways, leaving behind everything that they had collected for someone else to clean up.

Fire trucks at Fifth Street and First Avenue

Around 6 p.m. Turned out to be a false alarm. But it provided for a few moments of drama.





And people watching.

Construction worker confirmation: Italian restaurant coming to the former Zips space

The neighborhood rumor was the former Zips space at Fifth Street and Avenue B would become an upscale diner-type place.... Well, according to a construction worker entering the storefront, the space will be..."an Italian restaurant."

Hmmm, well, is there room for another Italian restaurant in the neighborhood? The spot is right next door to Lavagna. Max is down the street. Il Bagatto is on Second Street just west of B. Supper is on Second Street... Perbacco is on Fourth Street near B....Cannonau is also on Fourth Street ... Uh, you get the idea.

Previous Zips coverage here.

Your daily Zips update

Yesterday, a fellow was tearing up the entryway at the former Zips space on Avenue B and and Fifth Street...

As it once looked...



I saw a pack of kids standing in the doorway last night...What were the kids doing?After the group moved on, I went to investigate... Ah!

Why the trees were cut down on Fifth Street next to the Cooper Square Hotel

To make room for the hotel's trash.

Previously on EV Grieve:
What's new around the Cooper Square Hotel: Sidewalk, lack of trees