Wednesday's parting shot

As seen by Stacie Joy today on Fourth Street between Avenue B and Avenue... cue the Alice Cooper!

Big Belly trash cans go MIA around Tompkins Square Park

As you may have noticed, the city has removed the solar-powered, Big Belly trash cans around Tompkins Square Park. 

The plain ol' trash cans are now back on the corners, such as Seventh Street and Avenue A (above!) and 10th Street and Avenue A...

And Vinny & O shared these photos from 10th Street and Avenue B yesterday ... (that one outside Sheen Brothers seemed to be chronically full or on the fritz) ...

The Big Belly trash cans arrived here in July 2017 as part of the city's $32-million plan to combat vermin in rat-popular neighborhoods, like this one.

The Daily News previously reported that each can costs $7,000. Not sure how effective they are/were with trash piled atop the pricy cans (here and here, for example) or being out of order (here and here, for example).

The Big Belly receptacles remain inside Tompkins Square Park...

Do you have what it takes to Stomp?

Open auditions are taking place this morning for Stomp at the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Seventh Street. (Top photo by Steven) 

Per the casting call:

Who you might be:

• A drummer who moves well 

• A dancer who can drum 

• An athletic individual with a great sense of rhythm 

• Acting ability is strongly preferred

As these photos by Derek Berg show, the line for tryouts goes around the corner on Seventh Street... 

Stomp returns to the Orpheum Theatre on July 20. Tickets go on sale this coming Monday.

As Deadline noted, "Stomp will be among the city's first Off-Broadway productions to resume performances post-pandemic shutdown." Proof of vaccination will be required for entry, per reports.

The show is now in its 26th year in the East Village.

Owners of the Masalawala said to be opening to-go spot for Indian street food on 1st Avenue

In recent weeks the for-rent sign has been removed from 149 First Ave. 

Now a tipster tells us that the owners of Indian street food hit the Masalawala are opening a to-go spot from this storefront between Ninth Street and 10th Street. We're told that this will be a takeout-only establishment, and the owners won't be looking at any indoor or outdoor dining. 

Back in April, restaurateur Roni Mazumdar and chef Chintan Pandya didn't renew the lease for the Masalawala, bringing an end to its 10-year run just below Houston at 179 Essex St., as Eater first reported. 

This was the first NYC restaurant for Mazumdar, who later opened Adda, Rahi and Dhamaka. 

As for No. 149, the storefront has been vacant since Afandi Grill closed after 13 months in October 2019. And several years earlier, This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef roamed the space until March 2014.

H/T EVG reader Jason! Photo by Steven earlier this month

Notes for Apt. #2

An EVG reader shared this photo of two notes from the lobby of an undisclosed East Village building... both missives are directed to the resident(s) of Apt. #2 about the use of the fire escape.

 Note No. 1:

Hey, Apt. #2. A fire escape is not a terrace. I understand you need to smoke outside. Really. But listening to your experience of body issues and freshman year in Italy dealing with pasta is really dull. People in this building work early in the morning. S.T.F.U. Thank you. ❤️

The note writer in the second missive is now more agitated.

Day after day. Hearing your difficulites with life when you are spoiled brats is awful. Stop making hard working people listen to your crap. Move back with your jefk off Boomer parents in NJ, CT or LI. TY

A quick turnover at 328 E. 6th St.

Asian Wave came and went very quickly here at 328 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

We understand that it was open for about a month... before a quick turnover to a new venture called Miso Sushi, which is now in grand-opening mode. You can find their menu here.

Asian Wave is the second consecutive restaurant to close within six weeks at this address. Lovenburg, an outpost of a restaurant based in Turkey serving burgers and a variety of Mediterranean cuisine, opened in February 2020 and closed for good when the PAUSE went into effect.

Tuesday's parting shot

A moment in Tompkins Square Park today by Derek Berg...

Primary Day

Our unscientific poll of TWO EVG readers finds that it been slow-going so far at the polls, which are open to 9 p.m. 

Among other races (public advocate, comptroller, borough president and city council, DA), voters will be picking the Democratic and Republican candidates for mayor. 

And a ballot primer ...

As you're voting today, you may have a two-sheet ballot. Here are a few things to remember:

- Complete both sides of your ballots.
- Insert ballots into the scanner one sheet at a time, and wait for the "thank you" screen before inserting a second sheet. pic.twitter.com/zO5Wb57A63

— NYC Board of Elections (@BOENYC) June 22, 2021

RIP Art Guerra

We were sorry to hear about the recent passing of Arthur Enrique Guerra, the founder of Guerra Paint & Pigment on 13th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Guerra, who suffered from Lewy body dementia in recent years, died on May 28. He was 81. (The mural in his honor, as seen in the top photo, went up on the store's gate here this past week.) 

Frustrated with the quality of paints available to muralists, Guerra launched the specialty paint and pigment store in 1986. In 2000, Jody Bretnall and Seren Morey joined the business, and the two will carry on after Guerra's death. 

Here's part of a tribute to Guerra on the shop's Instagram account:

Art was an institution in and of himself. A true original, one-of-a-kind character. They broke the mold after they made him. Wild man straight out of Haight-Ashbury, painter, lover of life, good Spanish wine, great Mexican food, art, artists and art materials. He was a chronic saver of homeless animals and a connoisseur of pigments and classical music. 

Forever a kid at heart, Art's boundless energy for art, art materials and the teaching and sharing of his knowledge knew no bounds. We will sorely miss his laughter and his presence. He was not only our partner but our friend. 

As his business partners for 20 years, we would like to assure you that the business that he founded and so loved is secure and will go on in his name. Though right now we are crying we will continue the teaching mission of this business to supply artists with the highest quality paint components possible to make the best paint possible. This was his vision and it is ours as well.

Some longtime East Village residents will recall Guerra's mural on St. Mark's Place of John Spacely, aka Gringo, from 1983 (it was up through the early 2000s) ... Photo by Peter Bennett ...

As an EVG reader said of Guerra's death: "It's a big loss, and not just for the neighborhood."

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Guerra Paint & Pigment Corp (@guerrapaint)

Sushi next for the former Fresco space on 2nd Avenue

We heard rumors that a sushi restaurant was taking over the former Fresco outpost at 138 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. 

There's now a note on the door for the contractors, and it lists the name of the incoming establishment — Moko (thanks to Steven for the photos)...

The restaurant has an under-construction website, which notes: "High-end Omakase starting at $65."

As previously reported, the owners of Fresco — citing a decline in business during the pandemic — temporarily shut down their 8-year-old gelateria-cafe and returned to their native Greece last October. 

They had hoped to reopen in January, but those plans didn't materialize at the time with the surge in COVID cases and continued limits on indoor service. The space hit the rental market in April.

However, Fresco hopes to find a new storefront elsewhere downtown in the months ahead.

A residential conversion for the former storefront at 111 St. Mark's Place

Plywood has covered the subterranean retail spaces at 111 St. Mark's Place in recent months.

Now, though, as you can see, workers have removed the barriers... revealing that the spaces have been converted into apartments here between Avenue A and First Avenue ...

Work permits show renovations at the basement level — with a note about a new certificate of occupancy. 

The storefront had been on the rental market in recent years. The last tenant here, Macaron Parlour, left in March 2017 for a larger space on the Lower East Side.

Monday's parting shot

Pro skateboarder Brian Anderson has finished his mural outside 50 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street... this Pride Month work coincides with his first board release (via Clown Skateboards) ... with proceeds going to the LISA Project.

Our previous post has more details. 

Photo today by Stacie Joy!