Random new bench randomly arrives on East Houston and the Bowery

[Bobby Williams]

Swear that this wasn't here on Tuesday... anyway! Perfect for sitting and watching diners on the DBGB sidewalk cafe ... or taking in the ongoing Bowery/East Houston Street reconstruction project. Not sure which one is more fun!

Today in Hells Angels bench coverage

The Post has a follow-up on our Hells Angels bench story from yesterday (and they did credit EV Grieve in the story — thank you!).

Here's the article, in part:

Not even tourists are intimidated by the Hells Angels anymore.
The once-menacing motorcycle club has been unable to keep people from sitting on its beloved bench outside its East Village headquarters.
A sign stating "Private Property" failed to keep guests at neighboring hotels from taking a seat, so a few weeks ago, the club finally installed a yellow metal bar and lock across the bench that only members can open with a key, noted the Web blog EV Grieve.
The only hogs the club cares about more than their Harleys are the folks who lounge on their bench, said Mario Cornejo, manager of Sanctuary Guest Suites, one of two hotels neighboring the Angels' East Third Street den.
"They really care about their bench," he said.
The hotel urges guests not to use it, even posting its own signs in the lobby, he said.
Members of the club — apparently now as gentrified as the rest of the East Village — declined to comment.

No word yet if the Angels are planning their next rally at 1211 Avenue of the Americas.

The Hells Angels unveil new line of defense for their bench

Back in June 2009 we pointed out the sign on the bench outside the Hells Angels headquarters on Third Street ...



This was an effort to thwart clueless hotel guests from the Sanctuary Guest Suites next door for plopping down here ... However, this reporter still saw European thrillseekers taking a seat here...

So now! It's a little more difficult...

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Hells Angels kindly request that hotel guests please refrain from sitting on their bench

We now know what building is for sale for $15 million on East Third Street (hint: buy an alleged illegal hotel and live next to the Hells Angels!)

Back in late October, we speculated about what home was for sale for nearly $16 million on East Third Street. (Read all about that right here.)

Now, thanks to a tip from a reader, we apparently have our answer: 73-75 E. Third St., directly to the west of the Hells Angels HQ. According to the listing, the 49 units in the buildings are going for $15.7 million...



75-75 E. Third St. is currently home to the Sanctuary Guest Streets, the vegan bed-and-breakfast with rooms going for $180 per night.



There are some Third Street residents who have alleged that this is an illegal hotel...(The DOB has received nearly a dozen complaints about the hotel in the last two years...)

And this was also the hotel with the guests who enjoyed relaxing on the bench in front of the Hells Angels HQ.



Perhaps, in the short term, the language should be changed to "not for hotel guests or potential new landlords..."

For further reading on EV Grieve:
The Hells Angels kindly request that hotel guests please refrain from sitting on their bench

Continuing to speculate about what 10-room, $15-million home is for sale on East Third Street

And please do not ask to have your photo taken on the Harley

Oh, a few weeks ago we wrote about the "do not sit on bench" sign at the Hells Angels HQ. As we learned (thanks to a reader), the sign was directed toward the guests of the secret vegan hotel operating next door on Third Street.



Maybe hotel officials figured they didn't want their guests plunked over the head with a wrench or something. The hotel recently added their own sign to the front door.

The Hells Angels kindly request that hotel guests please refrain from sitting on their bench

The bench outside the Hells Angels headquarters on Third Street now features a recently added sign:




Given the proximity now of the Bowery Hotel and, more recently, the Cooper Square Hotel... I'd say one too many clueless hotel guests plopped down with a cup of FroYo to take in some authentic NYC scenery. Woo, honey check out the mopeds! Sit on one while I take your picture!

Man, I wish I would have seen this!

[Update: In the comments, reader James provides more information: "The sign is actually for the guests of an illegal hotel next door at 73-75 E 3rd. I used to live there as the building 'management' was turning the building into a 'Vegan Hotel' despite 8 complaints into the department of buildings to my last count. Now they even have a blog... I can see how the Hells Angels could be upset. They are great neighbors btw, if you don't sit on their bench."]

Not too long ago, I saw a harmless-looking delivery guy start to chain up his bicycle on the light pole to the west of the HQ's front door. The delivery was for the building next door. From a doorway across the street, a man emerged and hollered with authority: "MOVE THAT BIKE." Somehow, the delivery guy missed the "No Parking Except Authorized Hells Angels" sign.

Sitting one out

The benches on the eastern side of Tompkins Square Park were painted yesterday.




Someone wondered about the wisdom of painting the benches on a late-spring Saturday... a day that promised to bring many people to the park. The person who wondered this could not find a suitable spot to sit. And he did not want to sit in the grass next to people in swimming attire.