The EV Evil Triumvirate (IHOP, 7-Eleven and Subway) sends David Cross packing to Brooklyn

In an interview with Gothamist today, our friend David Cross says that he's leaving the neighborhood behind for Brooklyn... He specifically mentions 7-Eleven, IHOP and the various Subway sandwich shops as helping hasten his exit ... "It's mildly heartbreaking. It's just becoming more and more like a mall. I might as well be in St. Louis. It's very, very quickly, rapidly losing a lot of its character."

We hope that he still stops by here to visit, especially when people start badmouthing UCBeast and cargo shorts again.

Anyway, the East Village stuff is one small part an interview where he talks about the upcoming season of "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret." (Begins Jan. 6 on IFC! Woo!)

Dunkin' Donuts is really dead on Second Avenue

After inexplicably speculating this morning about the future of the Dunkin' Donuts on Second Avenue (as in, is it really closed?), a well-informed reader reports the following:

This location is closed due to extremely high rent and tax. In the future, landlord is planning to split this store, to make more money….

As Esquared said below in the comments:

...even a chain store can't afford the rent in the ev anymore...

Dunkin' Donuts closes on Second Avenue; only 428 left in NYC

Several readers have noted the closure of Dunkin' Donuts on Second Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street. Serving up Double Chocolate Cake Donuts one day, windows papered up the next. Perhaps it's just a renovation, though you'd think they'd put up a sign or something...



Of course, Dunkin' Donuts is the most dominant (prominent?) chain in NYC with 429 locations, according to the last report by the Center for an Urban Future. This includes two locations right near the Second Avenue spot...First Avenue (below) and 14th Street...




All this reminds me of this fellow below who apparently really liked Dunkin' Donuts...taking the time to memorialize it in paint...

Soon we'll be saying, "At least it's not a Starbucks AND a bank"

Are there that many Starbucks/bank combos around town? (This one only shares an entrance -- the businesses are separate. But the thought of them together...) I've never paid much attention. Saw this one om Sixth Avenue in the 50s. Actually, it was handy. I could use the ATM to get enough money to buy a cup of coffee. [Booing myself]

Chain reaction

Local independent businesses in the East Village have had a challenging time making a living in recent years. Here's a group trying to help.