Photo by Stacie Joy
Especially when you've been away for a few days... as seen on Sixth Street west of Avenue B...
Saturday, December 27, 2025
At play in the fields of the snow
Saturday's opening shots
Photos by Stacie Joy
Our intrepid reporter ventured out into Tompkins Square Park during the latest fizzled Storm of the Century last night around 10 ...
We had a few inches of snow, thought nowhere near the projections.
In Central Park, officials measured 4.3 inches, per reports.
Friday, December 26, 2025
Stella Soltowska, a fixture at Ray’s Candy Store since 1977, has died
Reporting by Stacie Joy
Photos from 2024 by Stacie Joy
Sources say she suffered a heart attack at her home in Queens.
Stella, a longtime friend of owner Ray Alvarez, had been with Ray's Candy Store since 1977.
This afternoon, the 24/7 Ray's was closed during what was traditionally Stella's shift. Updated: For the foreseeable future, the hours at Ray's will be 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.
We're told that Ray is in shock over Stella's passing. 
She will be missed by generations of East Village residents, past and present, and by all those who made Ray's a neighborhood favorite over the years.
On a personal note, I will miss Stella's sweet yet steely disposition — and the way she always tried to ply me with a soft serve or an egg cream. I'll miss how she took care of Ray, making sure his meds were in order and that he ate his dinner.
It's heartbreaking to know I won't see her on my endless trips by Ray's — waving through the to-go window or smiling from behind the counter, always with style and panache, her signature blue rinse and sweater sets firmly in place.
We'll share more information as it becomes available.
Photo of Ray and Stella in 1975 via Peter Brownscombe
It's a sin
A favorite EVG release this year includes "Tripla" by Miki Berenyi Trio.
The video here is for the single "8th Deadly Sin."
Berenyi, the former singer/co-guitarist of early 1990s dream-pop favorites Lush, has also published a damn good memoir, "Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me From Success."
A ghostly parade for long-lost local music venues
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
A roaming musical parade moved through parts of the East Village and Lower East Side on late Sunday afternoon as part of Radiant Revelry for Make Music New York, a Winter Solstice happening presented by HONK NYC! and Moment NYC.
The procession, known as Ghost Band Plays Ghost Venues, is an annual project led by musician Stefan Zeniuk that honors former music venues and creative spaces that once shaped New York's cultural landscape.
This year's route focused on the area around East Houston Street, stopping at locations that were once home to clubs, bars and performance spaces — many of which have since been replaced by new businesses.
At Eastpoint, the band marched straight in while patrons were watching Sunday night football. The bar staff appeared welcoming, and the musicians played as customers looked on...
At Duane Reade, a security guard watched the procession pass through the store, visibly puzzled but not intervening.
The group continued on toward Rossy's, formerly Slug's Saloon, on Third Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.
According to organizers, the project is meant to "touch the past and sing a song for the town," paying tribute to venues that helped incubate punk, jazz, folk, experimental music, performance art and other scenes across decades.
This year's list of ghost venues included Lismar Lounge, Princess Pamela's Southern Touch, the Spiral, Tonic, Cake Shop, Luna Lounge, Surf Reality and the Living Room, among others.
The parade began at Baker Falls on Allen Street, where participants gathered to prepare costumes, props and instruments before stepping off in the late afternoon. Live music and DJ sets followed the procession's return to the venue.
ICYMI: Fire disrupts operations at Norwich Meadows Farm, a Tompkins Greenmarket regular
According to the farm in Upstate New York, the fire caused significant damage to its main barn. No one was injured. The barn played a central role in daily operations, housing washing and packing areas, refrigeration, equipment storage, and other essential systems that help move food from the fields to markets, restaurants, and community partners.
For decades, Norwich Meadows Farm has supplied produce to New York City farmers' markets, CSA members, restaurants, and food access organizations.
In response to outreach from customers, chefs and community members asking how to help, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support short-term and transitional recovery efforts. Funds are intended to help cover temporary measures and related expenses as the farm works toward stabilization and rebuilding.
You can find the GoFundMe here.
Thursday, December 25, 2025
Scenes of the season, lately
Wednesday, December 24, 2025
Dec. 24
Oh, and he does have a new tree, which he found left on the sidewalk on 14th Street two days ago.
Here's the old tree meeting the new tree.
On Christmas Eve morning, ICE agents take East Village restaurant worker into custody on 7th Street
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
A kitchen worker at Ho Foods on Seventh Street was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents earlier this morning, according to her cousin and eyewitnesses.
The woman, identified by her family as Evelyn, was working in the prep kitchen when she received a message instructing her to step outside to speak with immigration officials here between Avenue A and First Avenue, her cousin said.
When she exited the restaurant, which is closed today and tomorrow, several vehicles were waiting, and ICE agents handcuffed her and took her away.
The detainment was captured by a passerby just after 8:30 a.m. and shared on social media.
According to her cousin, Evelyn was born in Peru and lives in Queens. She wears an ankle monitoring device and had previously been involved in immigration proceedings. Her family said she had complied with all required check-ins and directives from immigration authorities. She has a child, who is currently with her former partner.ICE picks up woman on 7th St b/n 1st & A 8:35AM. Help find her family! @ZohranKMamdani @RepDanGoldman @HarveyforNY @SenSchumer @nycdistrict1 @bradhoylman @MarkLevineNYC @JumaaneWilliams @DeborahJGlick pic.twitter.com/Wnie4ky8Eb
— Jeannine Kiely (@JeannineKiely) December 24, 2025
District 2 City Council Member Harvey Epstein was on the scene this afternoon at Ho Foods, and his office is seeking pro bono legal assistance for her.
Epstein responded to the incident, telling EVG: "I am saddened to see another New Yorker taken off the streets of our great city with no due process by masked ICE agents. Our community and city deserve better. Efforts are underway to identify her so she can be provided zealous representation."
Co-workers have organized a crowdfunding effort to help with legal fees, which you can find here.
An NYPD source told EVG that the department was not aware of any ICE-related activity in the neighborhood. The source said that this is typical, noting that the NYPD is generally not notified of immigration enforcement actions unless they are connected to a criminal investigation or drug-related activity.
The incident has prompted heightened concern in the neighborhood, with messages circulating on Signal and WhatsApp claiming ICE agents were canvassing Tompkins Square Park and surrounding areas.
At this time, EVG has not confirmed any additional ICE activity beyond this incident.
We will update as more information becomes available.
Noted
Dec. 24's opening shots
Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Dec. 23's parting shots
Photos by Stacie Joy
A holiday tip reminder at C&B, 178 E. Seventh St. near B... and a rat-adorned Christmas tree at Spooksvilla + Friends, 309 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue...
NYC retrospective for No Wave filmmaker Amos Poe opens Jan. 3 at Metrograph
Updated Dec. 25: Amos Poe, who was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2022, died today. He was 76.
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The program marks the first dedicated New York City retrospective for Amos Poe, often called "the first punk filmmaker" and a key figure in the No Wave Cinema movement that emerged from the Lower East Side in the late 1970s and 1980s. Many of the films are rarely shown theatrically.
Poe collaborated with downtown icons, including Richard Hell, Debbie Harry, and Cookie Mueller, among many others, capturing a New York that no longer exists.
Screenings include a number of his films and those of his collaborators in which he appears, among them "The Blank Generation," "Downtown 81," "Smithereens," "Subway Riders," "Unmade Beds" and "Variety." The full schedule is now live on Metrograph's site.
Metrograph is at 7 Ludlow St. between Hester and Canal on the Lower East Side.
RIP Stanislawa 'Anna' Sulkowska
Anna was born in Branica, Poland, and lived there throughout World War 2. She arrived in the United States in the early 1970s and became a fixture in the East Village restaurant/bar scene, dating to 1977.
She owned The Baltyk, a Polish restaurant on the corner of First Avenue and First Street. She also owned Downtown Beirut on First Avenue. Her final venture, Oasis Lounge, was located on St. Mark's Place just off Avenue A and closed in 1997.
From her obituary:
These businesses were built and run by Stanislawa while she was well into her 50s, 60s, 70s — a reflection of her tireless work ethic and unwavering belief in herself. Her businesses were a big part of her identity.More importantly, she was a devoted mother and grandmother, and nothing brought her greater joy than her family. She is survived by her daughters, Bozena and Barbara; her grandchildren, John, Robert, Diana, Kim, and Daniel; and her beloved four-year-old great-granddaughter, Kaylee, who brought her endless happiness.Stanislawa will be remembered for her strength and determination, and for the simple truth she shared so often with our family: "life is beautiful."
Previously on EV Grieve:
Monday, December 22, 2025
Remembering Joe Strummer
Photo from Dec. 14
Joe Strummer (aka John Graham Mellor) died on this day in 2002 at age 50.
As always, a photo of Dr. Revolt's mural — the first iteration created in 2004 — outside Niagara on Seventh Street and Avenue A.
[Updated] NYPD searching for the hit-and-run driver who killed pedestrian on Clinton and Stanton
Photos by Stacie Joy
Updated: Police have arrested a 54-year-old suspect who is accused of striking the woman in the crosswalk, PIX 11 reported this morning. Streetsblog has a detailed piece here on how the NYPD made the case and the arrest.
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Police continue to look for the driver of an SUV who fatally struck a woman Thursday evening on the Lower East Side and then left the scene.
According to the NYPD, the collision occurred around 7 p.m. as the driver was making a right turn from Clinton Street onto Stanton Street. The woman was reportedly crossing Stanton Street from south to north in the crosswalk when she was hit.
Witnesses told police that a black SUV fled the scene immediately after the collision.
The woman was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The investigation is ongoing. Authorities have not released the name of the victim, who was believed to be in her 60s.
The NYPD has been canvassing the area in search of leads. Yesterday, officers were seen stopping drivers nearby.
Streetsblog cited city stats showing that in the 30-square-block Lower East Side this year, there have been 478 reported crashes, injuring 235 people, including 60 cyclists and 46 pedestrians.
Someone has left a handwritten message on the scene:
We are so sorry about the tragic loss of our neighbor during the holiday season. Our condolences to her family and friends.
The former Rite Aid is looking more like a grocery store every day
Photos Saturday by Stacie Joy
The grocery transformation of the former Rite Aid on First Avenue at Fifth Street continues.
In recent days, workers have brought in refrigeration units, and a check-out of sorts is shaping up...
Unfortunately, we still haven't learned which grocery this will be... no one, including neighbors and local officials, seems to know. Even a few workers who spoke with us at the start of the renovation didn't know — they were just there to install lighting for what will be a new grocery store.
The East Village Rite Aid closed on Aug. 24 after five weeks of going-out-of-business sales. The 63-year-old pharmacy chain filed for bankruptcy twice in two years before shutting down entirely last month.
The EV lease for the 8,500-square-foot space was auctioned off this past summer. (The auction was just for the lease, set to expire in January 2032, not the building.)
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