Week in Grieview

[Bond Street looking east one recent nice day]

The Marshal seizes Kate's Joint (Tuesday) ... and the "for rent" signs quickly arrive (Wednesday)

Summering in Tompkins Square Park (Friday)

Filming at the Holiday Cocktail Lounge (Wednesday)

A bike rack for East Ninth Street (Wednesday)

CB3/SLA OKs Joe's to Josie's (Monday)

A campaign to save the library at the Neighborhood School (Thursday)

007 moving to East Fourth Street? (Friday)

A bigger Bean for First Avenue (Wednesday)

FDNY rescues resident from a Shaoul-owned building after staircase is removed (Thursday)

Noted

From an article in The Forward today:

Israel has a shortage of civilian gas masks, but you wouldn’t know it from walking down Manhattan’s St. Mark’s Place, where the masks are on sale in half a dozen stores for a mere $25 each.

The Israeli model 4A1 gas masks on display in the East Village — where storefront noodle shops bump up against vintage clothing stores — might not protect you from a chemical weapons attack. That’s because their protective filters have been removed and replaced with foot-long acrylic bongs meant for smoking marijuana.

According to the article, the bongs feature the rubber-triangle seal of Shalon Chemical Industries Ltd., the Tel Aviv-based company that makes all the civilian gas masks of Israel. And they are likely surplus, "sold by the Israeli government in bulk without filters."

Previously on EV Grieve:
This fall's must have item: Gas Mask Bongs

[Image via The Forward]

Sales continue outside Billy's Antique's

Well, you know that Billy's Antique's & Props closed up at the beginning of the year... Still, you can, on occasion, find the crew out front selling various odds and ends. Like earlier today. Here, Billy Leroy and Sugar-Bear discuss the finer points of selling a Lincoln hubcap.

[Updated] Tomorrow: First Park Earth Day

From the EV Grieve inbox...

Join our April 22nd Earth Day grand opening of our first season of cultural programming in First Park at 33 East First Street from 2:30 – 6:30 p.m. We will unveil a sculpture by Robert Sestok, listen to guitar wizard, Gary Lucas, and Sunday New York Times columnist Rosie Schapp. There will be dance, collaborative painting, and children's events. The day will provide a sample of the season to come.

This is the first event here since the BMW/Guggenheim Labbers left last fall.

Also, in case of crap weather... the organizers hope to do this rain or shine... Per one of the organizers on Facebook: "if weather is bad, we have a small pavilion to put up, and a large tarp, and if need be we can take shelter in #35, next door to the park, starting the after party early."

Tomorrow: De-Flea Market at Bar 82

We always enjoy these.... thanks to Our Lady of Perpetual PMS for organizing and hosting...

And a few photos from the March De-Flea Market via Stacie Joy...

Noted

Today in Tompkins Square Park.

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Just for kicks

Tompkins Square Park this afternoon... photos by Bobby Williams.

The great Pretenders

The Pretenders ... circa 1979...

Claim: Crusties will be returning to Tompkins Square Park this spring and summer

As you may recall, last spring/summer, there were fewer travelers/crusties hanging out in Tompkins Square Park. Instead, the group took to Washington Square Park, Union Square, parts of Brooklyn... However, in The Villager this week, Scoopy hears from Black Ops-Bob that "the 'travelers' will be returning to Tompkins Square Park this season."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Crusty Row, now with a vacancy in Tompkins Square Park

From the Times:
In East Village, Harbingers of Spring Are Missing

[Photo last year by Melanie at East Village Corner]

Tomorrow is Record Store Day

It's that time of year again, when I receive news releases like this:

Longstanding Fugazi fans, JuiceheaD and Osaka Popstar, teamed up and took on the challenge of covering the punk classic, “Waiting Room.” A limited copy of the cover’s 7” will be released on Record Store Day (April 21st) with exclusive artwork by world-renowned Shepard Fairey (Obey Giant Art/Studio Number One).

Meanwhile, Iggy Pop is serving as the 2012 Record Store Day Ambassador. (Which means, basically, that you can enter to win this poster.)

Several East Village shops are participating... such as!

Here is a list of area stores participating. Right here. And Pitchfork has a listicle titled The Top 45 Releases of Record Store Day 2012 here.

Finally, found this chart at the Times from 2008 ... showing how many record stores had closed in recent years... and look how many more stores have closed since then...

Behold the inside of St. Brigid's

We continue to watch the renovations at St. Brigid's on Avenue B at East Eighth Street... while we have a good idea of how the exterior of the historic church that was left for dead is shaping up, we haven't seen the inside in some time...

Yesterday, Bobby Williams had a chance to take a look...

Previously.

Is James Bond moving to the East Village?

Well, at least Daniel Craig, the actor who has played James Bond of late ... along with his wife Rachel Weisz, the Academy Award-winning actress ... The Post reported yesterday that Weisz looked at the soon-to-be-on-the-market 238 E. Fourth St., that condo with a private garage (paparazzi shield, as Curbed put it) near Avenue B.

This address is/was a favorite of EV Grieve, who, we're told, posted a lot of items on the construction. (Obsessively so, to be honest.)

Let's take a quick look back at the EVG archives...

In November 2008, Grieve noted that Bellet Construction at 238 E. 4th Street near Avenue B was coming down... At that time, the paperwork taped to the front said the space will become a two-family residence....



Soon enough!



Turns out that those Novogratz people with 38 kids designed the penthouse...



In any event, Weisz-Craig have reportedly been looking all over town for a place to live ... so the chances of them landing here seem somewhat remote...