Workers removing the sidewalk bridge from around the explosion site condoplex

Workers this morning are removing the sidewalk bridge from around 45 E. Seventh St., the 7-story, 21-unit condoplex on the northwest corner of Second Avenue...

In recent years, this corner has been a gathering spot in the summer-fall for travelers/crusties. In October 2018 (pre-sidewalk bridge), for instance, the NYPD set up a light tower here to deter anyone from congregating and camping out.

People have been living under here in recent months as well, capturing the ire of the Post.

As noted previously, this condoplex is on two of the three lots destroyed during the deadly gas explosion here on March 26, 2015. 

Thanks to Steven for the photos... and thanks to Alex R. for the tip!

Updated 5:30 p.m.

Tompkins Square Bagels on Avenue A continues on without gas — or help from the city

By all accounts, it looked like business as usual yesterday at Tompkins Square Bagels at 165 Avenue A between 10th Street and 11th Street. Customers and delivery people were coming and going through the open doors. The smell of fresh-baked bagels was drifting from inside. 

However, behind the scenes, patrons may not know what owner Christopher Pugliese and his team needed to do to open.

On Wednesday, a carbon monoxide sensor went off related to the storefront's hot water heater.

"We discovered a hole in the flue that brings in replacement air. Because of the hole, replacement air wasn’t getting into the basement, thus the high carbon monoxide reading," Pugliese said. 

However, despite identifying the problem and quickly having it repaired, ConEd shut off the gas to the business. And Pugliese is angry.

"They could've disconnected the water heater. I get why they turned off the gas. It's easier ... I get that life was at risk," said Pugliese, stressing that safety is always a top concern. "But once it's determined that it wasn't a gas issue and the flue had been fixed, I shouldn't have to file permits and jump through hoops, pay fees, and be put on a ConEd waitlist. That is absolute bullshit."

For now, he's estimating a four- to eight-week period to get gas service to the bagel shop restored, a process that includes hiring a plumber, filing permits with the Department of Buildings, waiting for the city to inspect the space — all before ConEd even steps in, all for an issue that has already been addressed.

On Wednesday, Pugliese figured he'd need to close for the interim. "If we didn’t have the Second Avenue store this could've been a death blow," he said.

By yesterday morning, however, Tompkins Square Bagels, which first opened in December 2011, was up and running on Avenue A.

"Over the past 24 hours I bought three electric grills and had three 220-volt power lines installed so I could cook," he said. "They tried their best to shut me down but I am smarter and work harder than they could ever imagine." 

Total cost of the interim cooking system: $7,000

"I am open in spite of the city," said Pugliese, who noted that his shops helped feed the homeless and essential front-line workers during the pandemic's worst days in the spring. "I still did my part to help this city ... and we are all in this together? I just don't see the support on the other end."

A break in at China Town on East Houston

There was a break in this week at China Town, the reliable quick-serve restaurant at 250 E. Houston between Avenue A and Avenue B...

EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared these photos and spoke with the proprietor, who said that their cash box and other various items were stolen in the process... the proprietor encouraged patrons to order delivery or come pick up food to go ... noting that "things are difficult now."

Autumn leaves

Tompkins Square Park today...

Grant Shaffer's NY See

Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around NYC ... as well as political observations on current events...

A visit to FlyeLyfe on 11th Street

I’m meeting artist and store owner P.J. O’Rourke at FlyeLyfe, 434 E. 11th St. between First Avenue and Avenue A, to see what the 35-year-old East Village resident is showcasing at his 13-month-old shop.

He’s selling his original design magnets, tees, hoodies, sweatshirts, hats, masks, prints, patches, bags and caps, all printed in house. I’ve seen his stickers around the neighborhood, especially Dr. Fauci the Chronic 2020 and Wuhanalds, but it’s the Trumpkashi, a mashup of Tekashi 6ix9ine and Donald Trump that is getting the most attention while I am visiting...

O’Rourke previously sold merch in the subways via mobile art cart, what he calls his “subway hustle” and a bit of that hustle remains as he sits outside his storefront and calls out to passersby, holding up favorite designs and asking if they want to pay by cash, card or Bitcoin. “NY saved my life,” he tells me. 

“The access to foot traffic is why I am successful. I need the exposure of living in a city with a concentration of so many people. This is especially important if, like me, you don’t have money.”

FlyeLyfe has a month-to-month lease for now, and O’Rourke plans to keep the store in the neighborhood, but hopes to move to an on-the-Avenue spot for increased foot traffic and exposure.

You can keep up with the store here. The shop is open from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

Gov. Cuomo sets new curfew for NYC bars and restaurants as COVID-19 cases rise

ICYMI: With the rising number of cases in the state, Gov. Cuomo yesterday announced new COVID-19 restrictions on bars, restaurants, gyms and residential gatherings in New York.

What does this mean?

Effective Friday at 10 p.m., bars, restaurants and gyms or fitness centers, as well as any State Liquor Authority-licensed establishment, will be required to close from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily. 

Restaurants will still be allowed to provide curbside, food-only pick-up or delivery after 10 p.m., but will not be permitted to serve alcohol to go. 

NYC bars and restaurants were previously mandated to close outdoor dining at 11 p.m. and indoor dining at midnight.

And what else came from yesterday's announcement?

The Governor also announced that indoor and outdoor gatherings at private residences will be limited to no more than 10 people. The limit will be implemented due to the recent prevalence of COVID spread resulting from small indoor gatherings including Halloween parties. 

These gatherings have become a major cause of cluster activity across the state. 

"If you look at where the cases are coming from, if you do the contact tracing, you'll see they're coming from three main areas: establishments where alcohol is served, gyms, and indoor gatherings at private homes," Cuomo said in a statement announcing the new restrictions.

The city’s overall infection rate is roughly 2.5 percent in a seven-day average. According to data from the city, the 10009 zip code has an infection rate of 1.16 percent in that timeframe; 0.52 percent in the 10003 zip code.

Reader report: The NYSC outpost reopens on Avenue A

Updated 11/14: This is now a TMPL outpost.

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From the EVG tipline: The New York Sports Clubs outpost reopened this week on Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street.

Several balloons now beckon gym goers through the front door here...

This development comes after Town Sports, the operator of New York Sports Clubs and Lucille Roberts gyms, won bankruptcy court approval last week to sell itself to a group of lenders and private-equity firm Tacit Capital LLC in a deal valued at about $85 million, as I cut-n-paste from a Wall Street Journal article behind the paywall. 

New ownership said they'd reopen 80-plus of the locations.

Town Sports filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sept. 14 ... and this branch opened for a day or two in late September before quickly shutting down again, once again confusing and angering patrons. 

The NYSC website still lists this location as closed. However, people could be seen working out through the windows on the upper floors. Our tipster, a former member, said that he did not receive any notice about a reopening.

This past spring, NYSC members were angry that the club was still charging them membership fees despite the COVID-19 closure. Town Sports did eventually offer refunds.

This 2nd Avenue building comes back into full view

The sidewalk bridge was removed the other day from outside 104 Second Ave. at Sixth Street... ending a nearly three-year run (as seen in Google Street View).

One building resident said that no work was actually done during this time. The Department of Buildings had issued several permits in recent years, including for "removal/replacement of defective brickwork, limestone and terra cotta segments." 

The two restaurants in the retails spaces have also moved on, most recently Jiang Diner after six whole weeks ... and, in the corner space, Madame Vo BBQ, which seems to have permanently merged with its sister restaurant on 10th Street. 

Anyway, nice to see the building again. (And bring back Bamboo House!)

As for sidewalk bridges, I'd say the one outside 19-23 St. Mark's Place has the current record with more than five years maybe? (In emeritus status: the sidewalk bridge around the long-empty P.S. 64 on Ninth and 10th streets.)

Wednesday's parting shot

The East Village-based Thing 1 and Thing 2 playing a few songs along Avenue B this evening... photo by Stacie Joy...

Gallery Watch: Total Running Time by Jibade-Khalil Huffman at Magenta Plains

Text and photos by Clare Gemima

Total Running Time by Jibade-Khalil Huffman

Magenta Plains, 94 Allen St.

Having stumbled across Magenta Plains awaiting the results of the election, my mood was tense and suspended. I was cynical and in urgent need of a distraction, but entering this gallery gave me so much more than that. I was elated by what I saw the second I walked into the almost disguised gallery space on Allen Street (refer to the top photo to avoid missing it entirely).

 
The atmosphere was moody and engrossing. Neons, vocal soundscapes and jolted light flashings from unconventionally hung projectors filled the two-storied gallery space. 

Total Running Time presents a multifaceted insight into the practice of inter-disciplinary artist Jibade-Khalil Huffman, a successful writer and poet working with text and imagery to re-imagine and challenge semiotic hierarchies. His object making involves the re-contextualization of text presented through densely layered video pieces, light work, moving imagery and digital stills. 

The exhibition includes photographic lightboxes and digital photo-collages printed onto transparencies that are manipulated and scrutinized by looped video projections. Layering visuals for Huffman intentionally speaks to conversations and language pertinent to race and visibility. 

Upon looking at a projected transparency work, you’ll find yourself becoming confused about what is printed and what is projected while being completely mesmerized by the piece and its much larger light leak onto the back wall. The prints are saturated with color and cartoon graphics, making for an almost psychedelic and explosive experience. 

Huffman’s work confronts serious subject matter while colliding loose and dated graphics together such as paint-by-number motifs, classic television stills, advertisements from the 1960s and iconography from various American comic books. 

His work embraces contemporary interests such as the degradation of digital media while also saluting recognizable imagery to draw his viewers in. Because of the ephemeral nature of Huffman’s work, I suggest Total Running Time be a show you visit more than once. 

Whether his pieces juxtapose illustrations with video or projections with digital prints, his work looks and feels different with every photographic iteration, video capture and sensory interaction. 

Total Running Time by Jibade-Khalil Huffman is showing at Magenta Plains until Dec. 16. 

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 

Clare Gemima is a visual artist from New Zealand. New-ish to the East Village, she spends her time as an artist assistant and gallery go-er, hungry to explore what's happening in her local art world. You can find her work here: claregemima.com 

Last Avenue B Flea for 2020 is this Saturday

The fourth and final Avenue B Flea for 2020 is coming up on Saturday. Same time and place: Avenue B between 10th Street and 12th Street from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Find the vendor info via the Facebook link.)

The Avenue B Flea this past Saturday turned into a celebration ... as news broke that morning that Joe Biden had become the president-elect. EVG contributor Stacie Joy was on the scene...

... and organizer Lisa Marie with her husband Suke...

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• The next Avenue B Flea is Saturday, and here's how they came to be

'Say Their Names' at the Public Theater

Starting this evening, the Public Theater will convert their facade at 425 Lafayette St. into a blank canvas for a new installation.

Via the EVG inbox:

Say Their Names will honor, remember, and include over 2,000 names and accompanying sentences of Black lives murdered at the hands of the police.  

Curated by Garlia Cornelia Jones and designed by Lucy Mackinnon, this installation will cover the entire front of the landmark building and feature work by 10 visual artists from varying mediums ... responding to one single prompt: 

For centuries, the murders of Black Americans have been overlooked, covered up and disregarded.
We invite you to remember.
We invite you to honor.
We invite you to Say Their Names.

The installation will take place from 5 p.m. to midnight daily through Dec. 5. You can read more about Say Their Names at the Public Theater's website.

Image via the Public Theater

J-Spec, specializing in waygu beef, opening this evening on 5th Street

At the end of October we mentioned that J-Spec, which specializes in wagyu beef, is opening at 239 E. Fifth St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square.

Well, today is J-Spec's opening day.... and a rep shared more info about the owners and what to expect here:

We will be offering A5 rank wagyu at a more-affordable price point. J-Spec is the abbreviation for "Japan-Specification," a unique phrase created by the team.

This marks the first restaurant venture for Tomoe Food Services  a New York-based wholesale Japanese meat distributor that has been in business since 2014.
 
When the pandemic hit and many of their clients were forced to suspend services, the team decided to open their own restaurant so they could offer guests different varieties and cuts of Japanese beef at affordable prices, served and cooked by specialists who have studied the art and intricacies of these meats... 

For now, the restaurant will be open for dinner only with indoor dining (at 25 percent) and curbside seating available; take-out for lunch and dinner will be offered soon.

A few other things: the beer-wine license is pending. Hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays from 5-10 p.m. You can find the menus here ... and the website here. 

This space was previously Jewel Bako, the sushi restaurant that maintained a Michelin star for the last 15 years. The Jewel Bako closure was made official in May.

Taste Wine returns as Taste Wine on 3rd Avenue

From the EVG tipline: Taste Wine is back open at 50 Third Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street.

As we reported back in the spring, owner Gary Landsman was hoping to sell the 5-year-old business as he continued to help raise awareness of Canavan, the fatal genetic disease that his two young sons have. 

He and his family were expected to travel to Dayton Children's Hospital in Ohio later this spring. 

Meanwhile, it appears that he was successful in finding a buyer for Taste Wine. After renovations in the past month, the shop reopened last week. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Owner of Taste Wine leaving the business to help save his young sons Benny and Josh

Eyes on 5th Street

ICYMI: This mural, depicting the eyes of Eric Garner, was created by the French artist JR, debuting on Election Day here outside the Standard East Village on Fifth Street at Cooper Square.

Per the hotel's Instagram account, the piece was originally presented at the Millions March in December 2014, and again for the Wide Awakes day global march on Oct. 3. 

"The piece is a reminder to keep our eyes open, and continue to fight for racial justice and against police brutality. "

Garner died after being put in a chokehold by now-former NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo during an arrest on suspicion of selling untaxed cigarettes. The investigation continues into how the NYPD handled the aftermath of Garner's death in July 2014 on Staten Island.