Look for "unique gifts at affordable prices" Wednsdays through Sundays from 1-6 p.m.
Photo by Stacie Joy
Saturday, December 12, 2020
Saturday's parting shot
The Grinch at the 2nd Avenue F stop
Mural by @turrtlecaps and @citykittystreet.
Oh Santa
2) Today would have been SantaCon.
Report: Faulty wiring caused fire that destroyed SE corner of 2nd Avenue and 7th Street
An FDNY spokesperson told 1010 WINS that the fire has been deemed "non-suspicious."
The five-story building, which has been demolished, had been vacant since another fire this past Feb. 10. Faulty electrical wiring was also the blame for that three-alarm fire, FDNY officials said.
No. 48, which included retail tenants Via Della Pace and Cafe Mocha, was under renovation this fall.
There were approved work permits dated from Oct. 29 on file with the DOB.
According to the permits: "Repairs due to fire; interior non-structural demolition, removal of damaged floor and roof framing, replace damaged floor and wall joists, reconstruct floor and roof joists, reconstruct roof joists, reconstruct roof bulkhead, repair interior stairs ... install new windows, installation of new roof."
The estimated cost of repairs, per the permit: $1.2 million. It was unclear how far along workers were with renovations. In a Facebook post this week, a longtime tenant from one of the building's four rent-controlled units said they were planning on moving back in next summer.
Meanwhile, workers have mostly cleared away the remains of No. 48.
And here's a quick video clip showing the work yesterday...
A detail from Myles N. Miller at NBC 4...
BFI sources say witnesses in the area first started smelling smoke around Midnight, Saturday. However the first 911 call wasn’t until hours later when a @nyctaxi driver saw flames rising from 48 E. 7 and pulled over to report it.
— 𝐌𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐍. 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 (@MylesMill) December 12, 2020
One last flea market for 2020 at 1st and 1st
Some East Village-based musicians will be providing the soundtrack from 1-3:30... find a list of participants at the Facebook Events page here.
Organizer Lisa Marie promises to be back with more flea markets in the spring.
Friday, December 11, 2020
Friday's parting shot
Gleaming the 'Cube'
Indoor dining at 25% comes to an end after this weekend
As expected, Gov. Cuomo announced today that NYC restaurants must end indoor dining after this weekend following an ongoing increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.Indoor dining will close in New York City starting Monday.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) December 11, 2020
Hospitalizations have not stabilized, and with a rising infection rate and NYC’s density, this means that indoor dining is too high of a risk.
Takeout, delivery and outdoor dining will continue.
Restaurants will still be able to continue outdoor dining, takeout and delivery.
"You're going to see a bad December, a bad January. How bad is the question," Cuomo said at today's press briefing.
You can read more about the new shutdown and its impact on the local restaurant industry at Eater.
Some local restaurants preemptively closed for the time being ... while others today announced they are shutting down after this weekend until the spring, including Van Da on Fourth Street, whose last day in business for now is tomorrow.
A new survey that the New York State Restaurant Association conducted revealed that 54 percent of NYC restauranteurs say it is likely that they will close in the next six months if another federal relief package does not come through.
Meanwhile, gyms and salons will be allowed to continue operating in orange zones with lowered capacity from 33 percent to 25 percent. Find more details at Gothamist.
Cuomo said officials are especially concerned about "living room spread." The state's contact tracing data shows nearly 74 percent of new COVID-19 cases are coming from households and social gatherings, Cuomo said. Restaurants and bars accounted for 1.43 percent of new cases while gyms caused less than 1 percent, he said.
Inside the long history of two East Village neighbors — Veselka and Dinosaur Hill
Linda explored the long history between Dinosaur Hill and Veselka for a detail-rich article that is now online at The New York Times. (Find it here. It will be in Sunday's print edition.)
Here's more about what to expect once Veselka expands into the former Dinosaur Hill:
[T]here will be more indoor seating, more wall space for the murals by the house artist Arnie Charnick, a larger kitchen and a sushi bar-style showcase for the team of women who make its pierogi by hand.
Standing in another section of Veselka’s new space will be a gift from its soon-to-be former next-door neighbor: a rocket-ship gumball machine. The area will be called Dinosaur Dining.
Noted
Bike lane detour confusion as construction starts along the East River Greenway
This is considered Project Area 2, which encompasses work between 15th Street and 25th Street including Asser Levy Playground, Stuyvesant Cove Park, Murphy Brothers Playground as well as local streets around the Con Edison facility.
... and Second Avenue at 10th Street...
Given the work start, the bike lane along this stretch of the East River Greenway — between 20th and 23rd — will close.
Despite promises of a two-week notice ahead of any closure, there's no word of a detour route for cyclists, according to residents and community groups.
In addition, there's some confusion about these mystery signs that have appeared in and around different streets with bike lanes ... and the partially covered signs we spotted earlier on 10th Street at Avenue A have disappeared ... while other ones have arrived, such as on First Avenue by Fourth Street (h/t Choresh Wald) ...
The hotly contested flood-protection plan that will bury/elevate East River Park by eight feet as part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project is expected to start in the spring. (This is Project Area 1 between Montgomery Street and 15th Street.)
That work is expected to bring a permanent protected bike lane to East Houston and Avenue C.
On Nov. 24, Community Board 3 endorsed the plan — specifically a 20-block protected bike lane along Avenue C and a protected bike lane on Houston Street from Second Avenue to the East River Greenway.
Here's a look at the current Avenue C bike lane configuration at East Houston...
Per Transportation Alternatives: "These bike lanes are essential for New Yorkers getting around the Lower East Side, and these projects are especially critical in light of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project that begins in the spring and will shut down the East River Park for at least five years."
Thursday, December 10, 2020
First night of Hanukkah in the East Village
... and in order of appearance (from the top):
-Duane Reade on Avenue B
-Holyland Market
-99 Center Store on First Avenue and 5th Street
-Key Food
2nd Avenue reopens to traffic; workers remove more of fire-ravaged 48 E. 7th St.
For now, one lane ... as well as the floating parking lane and bike lane, are closed off for the work crews to use for access between Sixth Street and St. Mark's Place...
As for the southeast corner at Seventh Street...
Workers have mostly cleared out the rest of what was 48 E. Seventh St., where the six-alarm fire started ...
Looking north from Sixth Street, you almost can't even tell that Middle Collegiate Church suffered such massive damage...
There hasn't been any official word on the cause of the fire... or the fate of the remaining structure at the church.
Derek Berg got this dramatic shot yesterday of two fire marshals outside the church's north-facing wall...
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 the neighborhood and NYC...
Another chance to hobnob with some Marvel superheroes
As the top sign shows, they'll be filming on some different streets than on Tuesday, including 11th Street (a Szold Place mention!) and 13th Street.
On Tuesday, crews were filming along Fourth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B (check out Stacie Joy's photos here).
In the series, Jeremy Renner is reprising his Marvel Universe role as the superhero Hawkeye and his alter ego Clint Barton while Hailee Steinfeld plays his protégé Kate Bishop (also known as Hawkeye). Cameos include the Discount Wine & Champagne's shop on 4th and A...
A partial reveal shows off the now-taller 94-96 Avenue A
The building's current square footage will increase from 8,304 to 10,151. Despite the expansion, the taller No. 94-96 will have 10 residential units instead of the current 11. The filing also shows that there are plans for a roof deck.
This corner was home for 32-plus years to the Sidewalk, which closed in February 2019.
Penn South Capital paid $9.6 million for the property in March 2019, per public records. Pini Milstein, who retired, was the principal owner of the building as well as the operator of the Sidewalk.
A bar-restaurant called August Laura opened in the building's retail space last October.
Previously on EV Grieve:
• 1-floor expansion planned for Avenue A building that housed the Sidewalk
• The building housing the former Sidewalk sells on Avenue A
Nón Lá debuts on 4th Street
Ronny Nguyen, who runs the very solid Sao Mai on First Avenue, is behind this family-run venture along with his son Tommy.
You can check out their menu of Vietnamese staples below... or visit this link.
Here's the number for some takeout: (917) 388-3321
The E. 10th St. Finest Deli has closed
The space is now vacant... as the deli moved on at the start of the month...
This is the second corner deli on this stretch of First Avenue to close this fall. Best Price Deli & Grocery on the southeast corner of 12th Street closed in late October.
Boulton & Watt and Mister Paradise decide to temporarily close for now
The message on the door (and Instagram) for patrons reads in part:
Restrictive government rules and rising cases has forced our hand. We close now so that we can do our part in helping stop the spread of this virus, and so we have the opportunity to re-open again as soon as is safely possible.
Meanwhile, another property in the Paradise Hospitality family, Mister Paradise, has also decided to close temporarily. However, the bar on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street will be offering a Paradise Holiday Market delivery service.
Two other Paradise Hospitalty establishments, Drexler's on Avenue A and Paper Daisy on St. Mark's Place, have yet to reopen after the PAUSE.
With the threat of indoor dining shutting down in the near future, several bars-restaurants have decided to proactively close, a list that include's Phebe's on the Bowery.
Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Gallery Watch: Nosegay Tornado by Ambera Wellmann at Company
Text and photos by Clare Gemima
One of the many tokens of pleasure during the pandemic I have come to find is stumbling across an incredible art show by accident while on my way to another. I suffer from option paralysis, a serious-sounding faux disorder that makes it difficult for me to commit to choosing only one gallery to go to at a time.
Nosegay Tornado by Ambera Wellmann
Company Gallery, 88 Eldridge St.
One of the many tokens of pleasure during the pandemic I have come to find is stumbling across an incredible art show by accident while on my way to another. I suffer from option paralysis, a serious-sounding faux disorder that makes it difficult for me to commit to choosing only one gallery to go to at a time.
Even as COVID-19 continues to impose itself, there is still so much new artwork to see and for that, I am bountifully grateful. I urge you to go out and explore for yourself too. There is nothing quite like seeing artwork in the flesh.
Regardless of prior planning or research, the sensation of walking into a gallery you’ve not even heard the name of before is something exciting in and of itself. When a body of work appears so forceful in its serendipity, you can’t help but wonder if the paintings were in fact waiting for you to appear this whole time. Who cares how you got there, the point exists in your arrival.
Company Gallery was by far the best pit stop of my whole week.
Ambera Wellmann presents her first solo show, Nosegay Tornado in this hidden gallery on Eldridge Street. Walking down a dauntingly long hallway to arrive at the show (on your right), Company is surprisingly welcoming and warm for a large white space. This feeling was most likely caused by a combination of witnessing more and more people visiting shows (some seemingly had the same gallery route as me), mixed with the maturity of Wellmann’s use of paint.
The paintings throughout the space represent the last six months of Wellmann’s studio time. Using inspiration from the romantically distorted and anamorphic bodies of William Blake’s apocalyptic work, these paintings are vibrant and undeniably sexy. There’s narrative, lust and confusion in the room, brought to life through oil paint and soft pastels.
Nosegay Tornado presents paintings that embody alternative and perhaps conflicting narratives. Whether it be the choice to construct internal (oil on linen canvas) and external (painted frame) structures (The Unicorn Captivity) or in creating a scene where a sinister figure voyeuristically watches two lovers reach ecstasy (Nox Tendencies), her canvases home a level of uncertainty within them.
Wellmann’s vibrant colors bleed into animals and ornaments, blurring forms with shapes and patterns. Figures softly turn into abstractions and the combustion of needs and desires portrayed in these paintings emit a kind of sexy, kind of serious but definitely catastrophic steam that demands the viewer’s attention. The work dramatically (and dreamily) deals with ideas of fluidity in sexuality and gender, the psyche, and queerness.
Nosegay Tornado extrapolates the potentiality of who we are as animalistic creatures and romanticizes the idea of what human desire looks or feels like beyond any and all of its confinement.
Nosegay Tornado is on show at Company Gallery until Jan. 9.
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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
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