Ted Leo and the Pharmacists & the Make-Up headline the Seaport Music Festival

Via the EVG inbox today...

The Seaport Music Festival is proud to announce its 15th anniversary celebration in partnership with The Village Voice and South Street Seaport Museum ...

In addition to live music, Seaport Music Festival will feature film screenings, comedy and dance.

This year’s lineup includes performances by:

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, who’s self-releasing his first album since 2010 called "The Hanged Man." At this year’s festival, Ted curated a special lineup which includes: comedic, musical and visual artist Jean Grae, heavy-beat minded electronic duo Azar Swan and NYC rock’n’rollers Big Huge.

New York Night Train DJ Jonathan Toubin has also been invited to curate a line-up, which features The Make-Up, who announced highly anticipated reunion shows this year. The line-up also includes Martin Rev (the surviving half of one of the most important bands of all time, Suicide), James Chance & The Contortions, The Wolfmanhattan Project, Death Valley Girls, Surfbort and Warm Drag.

The free Festival takes place at the South Street Seaport from Sept. 7-10. For more details go here.

At the South Street Seaport: Ice Rink, tree lighting and another VBar

Just mentioning a few things happening at what's left of the South Street Seaport in case it's of interest...The Seaport Ice Rink returns today, and the Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony takes place on Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. You can find more info here.

In other news, VBar, which has a location on St. Mark's Place and First Avenue, is opening a location at the Seaport … at 212 Front St. (former home of, sob, Carmine's).

And what does the future hold down there? Here's a video with details, if you dare…

That's it for the New Amsterdam Market at the South Street Seaport

This is outside our usual coverage zone. However, we know several East Village residents who used to frequent the market at the South Street Seaport. The following letter is via the EVG inbox...

I am sorry to announce that New Amsterdam Market has ended, and will no longer take place on South Street.

Founded in 2005, New Amsterdam Market was first staged at the site of the Old Fulton Fish Market in Lower Manhattan on December 16, 2007. Over the ensuing seven years, the market grew in frequency and scope while nurturing an evolving community of small businesses dedicated to sustainable food production, regional economies, and fair trade.

Through our steadfast presence under every adversity, we also championed the preservation of New York City's oldest commons, where public trade has been conducted since 1642. We held a total 88 markets and numerous innovative celebrations of our region's bounty; supported nearly 500 food entrepreneurs; and contributed to the creation of more than 350 jobs.

However, I was never able to raise the funding or attract the influential backers needed for our organization to thrive. Furthermore, we were dealt a mortal blow in 2013 when Council Member Chin, who had long professed to support our cause, betrayed the community in favor of a suburban shopping mall developer, Howard Hughes.

As a result, Lower Manhattan has already lost more than one acre of beloved and irreplaceable public space and is now seeing its most precious public asset ruined by inappropriate programming and terrible waterfront design.

Our last market at this location was held on Saturday, June 21, 2014.

I thank all of you who supported this endeavor.

Sincerely,

Robert LaValva, Founder
New Amsterdam Market

A look at (what's left) of Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport; also, it's 4Knots Festival time!

The Village Voice's 4Knots Music Festival is tomorrow down at the South Street Seaport ... you can find all the info about it here.

The main stage will be on Pier 16.

And have you seen Pier 17 lately, where the that mall and stuff was? I was randomly down that way last weekend.







It has all been demolished. I've been reading about the proposed redevelopment, which may or may not include a 50-story hotel/condo, but this was the first time I'd seen it for myself. (This Curbed post will bring you to to speed on the plans here.)

Aside from last weekend, I haven't been to the Seaport much, it at all, since Carmine's closed.

Anyway, you can see the former Pier 17 for yourself if you go to the day-long festival. And here's a map...


[Click on image to enlarge]

Walls and memories left at Carmine's

Early last week, Julie Shapiro at DNAinfo reported that the bar and other fixtures from shuttered EV Grieve favorite Carmine's were sold and shipped to the Old Stein Inn near Annapolis, Md.

The 107-year old eatery at the South Street Seaport looked like this...


[Photo by Goggla via The Gog Log]

EV Grieve reader Tony Devers caught a look inside the other day. Ugh.

Tony has also sent along this shot... (Despite the weather, this was NOT taken last night...)

Previously on EV Grieve:
Hope fades for a new Carmine's at the Seaport

Hope fades for a new Carmine's at the Seaport

[Via Jeremiah's Vanishing NY]

Back in July, amNewYork reported that Carmine's, the 107-year-old Italian eatery in the South Street Seaport, had abruptly closed. The reason: Higher rents.

Ugh.

Some reaction from the faithful:

From Brooks at Lost City: "The decor was priceless, a dusty nautical theme, wooden bar, wooden booths, falling apart. It had its regulars and its lifer waitresses ... It had a soul and a life."

At Jeremiah's Vanishing NY: "It never ceases to amaze me how places so old can just shutter like that, after everything they withstood to survive."

As we reported, a few days after the closure news, a very reliable source said that Carmine's was planning on reopening further north on Front Street. Unfortunately, we've since learned that the deal fell through ... ditto for the plan to lease space in the Best Western Hotel on Peck Slip.

On his Facebook page Monday, Carmine's owner Greg Molini wrote, "I've tried to find a spot for a year, but it's just not going to happen."


[Photo by Goggla via The Gog Log]

Hope for Carmine's at the Seaport?

Earlier this week, amNewYork reported that Carmine's, the 107-year-old Italian eatery in the South Street Seaport, had abruptly closed. The reason: Higher rents.

The closure prompted a new post from the semi-retired Lost City. As Brooks wrote: "The decor was priceless, a dusty nautical theme, wooden bar, wooden booths, falling apart. It had its regulars and its lifer waitresses ... It had a soul and a life."

Jeremiah writes about Carmine's today. "It never ceases to amaze me how places so old can just shutter like that, after everything they withstood to survive."

I was kicking around my own little tribute as well...

[Photo by Goggla via The Gog Log]

However, an EV Grieve reader and reliable source told me that the owner is planning on reopening a little further down on Front Street in a few months.... I'll remain hopeful about this... and I wonder if they'll be able to transport that wood paneling to the new spot...

Front and Maiden back to being Front and Maiden

An intersection in the Financial District became 54th Street and Third Avenue...

Yesterday!



Now!



Oh, well. I was with Goggla, who left a comment yesterday saying:

Ha, I hope they leave the street signs up! I'd love to see lost tourists milling around, looking at their maps and saying, "Whaa?"

Previously on EV Grieve:
Financial District becomes Midtown for "The Other Guys"

Financial District becomes Midtown for "The Other Guys"

There are gawkers galore now down in the Financial District next to the Seaport, according to a source standing right in the middle of it. People are lined up to see the likes of Will Ferrell, The Rock and Mark Wahlberg film "The Other Guys."

Anyway. Midtown must not have that Midtown feel these days...which may explain why the corner of Maiden Lane and Front Street is standing in as 54th Street and Third Avenue.

At least the South Street Seaport waited until after Halloween to put up the Christmas tree

The tree went up over the weekend...And, on a personal note: I'm just not ready for this!

At Manhattan's first Water Taxi Beach

If I'm getting dragged down to the vicinity of the South Street Seaport, I'm at least going to make us take a look-see at Manhattan's first Water Taxi Beach. Which opened this past weekend behind Pier 17, where the suburbs meet Manhattan.

First things. You will really want/need a drink.



I went to look for a beer in the tent.



There is food. Burgers. Hots dogs. Fish tacos. Etc. And there's soda. Including root beer on draft. The beer?



On the boat/yacht. Which seems to be lurching a bit in the wake. Or maybe I'm just lurching.



They have three kinds of bottled beer for sale now: Old Speckled Hen, Harpoon IPA and Jever. Nothing more obscure, like Budweiser?

Hey! Watch out for the bridge! Hard right! Hard right!



Anyway, I ask the bartender if they will sell beer elsewhere on the Beach. Like under the tent. Absolutely! Give them a few weeks. They are just getting up and running. Speaking of running, where are the bathrooms? Oh, you have to go up to the second level inside Pier 17. They'll have bathrooms eventually, too.

During this late-afternoon hour, it's mostly families on the beach. And tourists. Tourist families? Kids are playing in the sand. Having fun. Being kids. A mother changes her son's diaper on the picnic table. I wish I was wearing a diaper so I didn't have to traipse up to the second level restrooms. It's not so bad. It's a chance to browse in the As Seen on TV store.

As for the activities, you can listen to your fellow picnic tablers talking on cell phones to friends and loved ones back home. "I am L-I-T-E-R-A-L-L-Y looking at the Brooklyn Bridge..."

And there are activities for kids of all ages...like skee ball...



...Ping-Pong



...putt-putting (just watch the water hazard!)...



...bridge watching...



...trying-to-be-abstract photo taking...



...taking pictures of people taking pictures...



Uh, miss? Yes, you squatting there. The restrooms are on the second...Oh, sorry.



...listening/dancing to the DJ.



But there is no fishing.

Dog day afternoon

At the South Street Seaport.

15 Seconds of window shopping at Pier 17

The Jason Giambi nutcracker? (At the year-round Christmas in New York store.)

If you're not looking for something New York City related, may I suggest the "Make Love Not War" T-shirt? You can work it into the rotation alongside your WHAM! "Choose Life" T-shirt.