A sign of love at the incoming Paloma Rocket-Carbone Pizza on 7th Street

EVG reader Chris Rowland spotted this illuminated LOVE neon sign outside the former Jimmy's No. 43 space the other day.

So we asked proprietor Jimmy Carbone what this was about.

As we previously reported, Carbone is collaborating with Graham Winton of Paloma Rocket for a new venture in the basement space here between Second Avenue and Cooper Square. The plans for Paloma Rocket-Carbone Pizza were put on hold during Carbone's health scare.

In an email this week, Carbone said that the two are still awaiting on the final approval from the State Liquor Authority.

As for the sign, he said "in these troubling times all you need is ❤️ LOVE." He explained that Winton bought a vintage sign collection, many of which will hang in the new space.


[Photo by Jimmy Carbone]

There isn't a firm opening date yet, but they are in the sign-decorating stage!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Jimmy Carbone on the long recovery ahead: 'Starting each day is a challenge'

Jimmy Carbone and Paloma Rocket collaborating on new venture for the Jimmy's No. 43 space

Jimmy Carbone on the long recovery ahead: 'Starting each day is a challenge'

Interview and photos by Stacie Joy

It’s a brisk 22 degrees out at noon on a Friday when I meet up with Jimmy Carbone to accompany him on a trip to his twice-weekly physical therapy sessions at Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health on East 38th Street.

He’s drinking a cup of coffee and is perched on the seat of his walker, cane and resistance band strapped to one side. We set out to catch the bus, Carbone’s preferred method of transport since his illness and surgeries.

Carbone, an East Village resident and the longtime restaurateur behind the now-closed Jimmy's No. 43, talks about traversing the city with his disability, how accessible NYC is and isn’t for those with mobility issues, and what he’s thankful for during his recovery.





You’re facing some significant health challenges; can you summarize what happened?

In the summer of 2017, I got an undiagnosed staph infection that spread to my spine. I was first hospitalized in October 2017, but it was never diagnosed properly. By June of 2018 I was paralyzed, had two emergency spine surgeries, spent three months that summer in ICU...now I’ve got two titanium rods in my back.

It seems so long ago. I’ve been in outpatient physical therapy since the fall. I’ll be on antibiotics forever with the infection, and I will never regain full mobility.

You’re entering the eighth month since your last surgery. How are you feeling about your recovery?

I’m always positive. I make a point of recording my progress month to month. I get tested each month too.





What has been the most challenging part of the recovery process?

Learning that I have a new life. Knowing that recovery will take time. I'm sorry, I'm having a hard time reflecting on this. I want to move on ... It’s tough because I try to schedule meetings and too often I have to cancel them because I need a lot of rest.

What are the realities of the day-to-day struggles?

Starting each day is a challenge. My wife has to help me put on socks and shoes. I need to do in-bed stretches and exercises before I can get up. Washing, dressing — all take thought and time. I can’t just throw on some clothes and start my day.

What is something that helps brighten your day?

Going outside! A big part of my physical therapy is getting outside, taking the stairs, walking outside each day as much as I can. The hardest part of my hospital stay was not being able to get out of bed for so long.

I like MTA buses and courteous bus drivers — the lifeline of elderly and disabled people. I especially like M103 and M8 buses.

In what way has the East Village/local community helped with your recovery?

I’ve lived in the neighborhood since 1991 and I opened my first restaurant, Mugsy’s Chow Chow, in 1994. The small biz and community network really rallied after the 2015 East Village gas explosion. [Jimmy's No. 43 is located next to the explosion site on Seventh Street.] I got involved then with EVIMA [East Village Independent Merchants Association] as a founding board member.

The merchants have been super supportive: Exit 9, Mud, the Roost, Random Accessories, Block Drug Store, Anthony Aidan opticians, East Village Meat Market, Veselka, the Bean and others, plus community nonprofit leaders like Steve Herrick at the Cooper Square Committee, Harry Bubbins at the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, and so many more.

A crowdfunding campaign has been set up on your behalf to help with expenses. How do you feel about the ongoing support?

I’ve been living off the GoFundMe since the end of 2017. In October 2017 things got really bad. I was in hospital for the first time, couldn’t walk. My brother helped me set up the site and encouraged me to share it. Almost 1,000 people have contributed. GoFundMe has become de facto one of the largest health insurance safety nets in America. Most money raised on it is for medical-related expenses.

You were collaborating with Graham Winton of Paloma Rocket for a new venture at Jimmy's No. 43. What is the status of those plans?

It’s been on hold due to my health. It’s still in the works for 2019. I have to look to athletes who have come back from serious injuries for inspiration. Ryan Shazier of the Pittsburgh Steelers was paralyzed, one year later he was walking in public. He is still recovering. My surgeon says it will take on average one and a half to two years for recovery. So that puts me at the end of 2019.

What are you most looking forward to in a year’s time? Two years?

I’ve got intense physical therapy for this year and I’m trying to stay healthy in general. There will be news with EVIMA, moving forward, as an independent merchants association with City Council member Carlina Rivera. I’m taking time to get more involved in public affairs.

I’m wrestling with this. I want the spine thing, the rehab and recovery to be over...but I also want to keep telling my story because I still need people’s support. I also want to acknowledge the East Village people who supported me through this journey.

Carbone and NYU OK'd Stacie taking photos during a recent session with Dana Lotan, senior physical therapist at Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health.















Previously on EV Grieve:
Jimmy Carbone is on the mend

Jimmy Carbone is on the mend

[Photo via Instagram by @jtaggfoto]

This has been an extremely challenging summer for Jimmy Carbone, the East Village resident and restaurateur.

Carbone, the proprietor of the currently closed Jimmy's No. 43 (and Mugsy's Chow Chow previously), shared the above photo on Instagram this past week of his "new look," featuring a spine brace and wheel chair.

His brother Christopher provide background in this update on Wednesday:

As you know, Jimmy had been in the hospital since June, where they found spinal infection and he had two emergency surgeries.

Since then he had been in and out of ICU and the Acute Rehabilitation wing of the hospital for recovery and rehab. Jimmy was recently shifted to a less intensive facility: NYU Gouverneur Medical Rehab on the Lower East Side.

1. Infection: generally stable, but there is still bacteria lingering in the spine where the rods were installed that can't be cleared out due to the sensitive area in the spine. He will be taking antibiotics for at least another year with the hope there is no relapse.

2. Legs & Spine: Doctors report that Jimmy is very lucky that he was finally diagnosed in June. He was very close to being permanently paralyzed in his legs. Now with ongoing rehab work, he is getting stronger with sitting up with back brace for longer periods of time – and LEGS are BEGINNING to MOVE and get STRONGER!!!

Now Jimmy is STANDING with support for brief periods and Taking SUPPORTED STEPS as well — with Walker/Crutch-support to walk in the future: seeing a chance to cross a finish line, even if it takes a long time… One day, One week at a time.

Financial difficulties forced Carbone to close Jimmy’s No. 43, the restaurant he owned and operated on Seventh Street near Second Avenue for 12 years, in August 2017. (Read more about that here.)

Carbone fell sick last fall and wound up in a hospital. "That was from my 20 years of running a restaurant," Carbone told me on the phone in February. "I let my health go. I had diabetes."

He had lost weight (40 pounds) and was trying to get healthy when doctors at NYU Langone made the spinal diagnosis — stemming from a knee infection last fall. (You can find more information at the Jimmy's Wellness Fund here.)

Meanwhile, the 9th annual Pig Island NYC takes place tomorrow on the Red Hook waterfront. Carbone, who founded the food-and-beer fest, sounded confident of attending via this Instagram post earlier this week:

Hell yeah, I'll be there! I'll take a hospital day pass, practice occupational therapy tasks like: taking a wheelchair in a taxi, using crutches in public, and getting some sun! I've been cooped up in hospitals since June 19, I will not miss this 9th annual event...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Jimmy Carbone and Paloma Rocket collaborating on new venture for the Jimmy's No. 43 space