How about some more gelato for Second Avenue?

Jeremiah and I have both been watching the former Estroff Pharmacy space on Second Avenue between St. Mark's Place and East Ninth Street ... As he noted about the "cryptic symbol" in the front window of the incoming business... "Fro-yo? Mashed potatoes?" ... (And cause for an anxiety dream) ...

[Via JVNY]

Workers on the scene this morning are putting in the new signage and front window, etc. Any guesses?

It will be a gelato shop/cafe.

Gelato? Aren't you thinking that a new gelato shop just opened on Second Avenue? Yes, down just south of East Fourth Street...

Meanwhile, around the corner on St. Mark's Place...

The shell of the former Timi's Gelateria Classica™ — "a gelato franchise for the 21st century, with true Italian artisanal gelato made fresh daily" — sits empty since closing late last year.

Canvassing Tompkins Square Park

Workers started hanging the canvas for Art Around the Park a little after 8 this morning...

...and workers were still at it around 10...

Seems as if there's more canvas up this year too. Anyway, all par of the Howl! Festival.

In case you were going to hang out in a cemetery today

Via EVG regular Spike...

The rain (or threat of rain!) has KO'd the first Open Day of the summer at the New York City Marble Cemetery on East Second Street... they will be welcoming visitors tomorrow...

Noted

Spotted outside Tompkins Square Bagels on Avenue A.

Photo by Shawn Chittle.

Subway, 108 First Ave., 9:07 p.m., June 1

Breaking: The Pudgie's-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's eatery has (soft) opened on First Avenue

[A few days ago...]

The Pudgie's-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's action-packed combo at the site of the former King Gyro between Third Street and Fourth Street is soft opening...

Via the development agent for Pudgie's...

#eastvillage pudgies nathans and arthur treachers now open on 1st ave and 4th street! Soft opening today!

— FollowTheChickn (@FollowTheChickn) June 1, 2012

Previously.

Of 'Mice' and Mo-Dettes

The Mo-Dettes with "White Mice" circa 1979.

[Updated] Julius Klein has left the East Village

We recently heard that Julius Klein was closing up his studio/gallery space on East First Street at the end of May ... he has leased another space on 23rd Street and Lexington ...

Sure enough, we walked by his space today, and the landlord already put up the for rent signs ...

The for rent sign say "Food OK."

9300 Realty (aka Steve Croman) purchased the building at 44 E. First St. in February 2011 for $2.3 million, according to city records.

As for Klein... Among his many artistic endeavors, the writer-painter-sculptor-designer founded and directed XOXO, a gallery and performance space on East First Street at Second Avenue from June 1991 through July 1997. That was one of the many buildings demolished to make way for the sterile, glassy hell of Avalon Bowery Place.

[Steve Carter circa 1997]

[Julius Klein in front of the former XOXO via Facebook]

Countdown to Howl!

Gets under way at 4:30 today.... Here's the schedule.

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Also, be on the lookout for walking crosswalk signs

In Tompkins Square Park.

Photo by Bobby Williams.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning edition

[St. Mark's Place at sunset. Photo by Guido H.]

Remembering (and honoring) the Justus Schwab Saloon on East First Street (DNAinfo ... and some history via Off the Grid)

Hilly Kristal's son Dana continues to fight CBGB movie (SPIN)

CIA "frame job" in the East Village? (BoweryBoogie)

About the Funny Songs Festival next week (The Lo-Down)

Growing pains for Chelsea Residents (The Wall Street Journal)

Stars canoodle at one of those places foodies like on First Avenue (Page Six)

Day trip to Asbury Park (The Gog Log)

When New York was the King of Beer (Capital New York)

For no reason: Guns N' Roses ban fans from wearing Slash t-shirts to their UK gigs (NME)

White Rabbit Coffee officially opens today (with something free for EVG readers)

White Rabbit Coffee officially opened today... it's is the new daytime component of Jim Chu's White Rabbit bar/lounge (formerly Den of Thieves and Idlewild) on Houston Street between Eldridge and Forsyth (or, First Avenue and Second Avenue if it helps...)

In addition to selling coffee and sandwiches and what not during the daytime hours... his friend Rob Aloia will share his pop up art shows featuring local artists in the space. Plus, Chu aspires to encourage the development of community and collaborative work. "I am inviting small groups to use reserved space during the day, free of charge and obligation, to develop their work, be it arts, philanthropy or entrepreneurial," he told us via email. "The goal is to create a living expression of the environment that people from my generation were so lucky to have."

You can read more about all this via an interview with The Lo-Down the other day. (BoweryBoogie has more on this news here.)

Meanwhile! Chu is offering EV Grieve readers "a free beverage of their choice" (during cafe hours!) ... to the first 20 customers who swing by 145 Houston today and mention EV Grieve (no shouting) ...

Photo via The Lo-Down.