Tonight: Fighting the NYU expansion plan

Find more details here.

Life Cafe listing now online

Earlier today, we pointed out that a for lease sign has appeared in the window of the Life Cafe space on 10th Street and Avenue B.

NYREX has now posted the listing, though there isn't much information, such as the monthly rent for this prime space.

Owner Kathy Kirkpatrick closed the 30-year-old cafe last September ... while the two landlords completed long overdue repairs. Life "spans a space belonging to two different buildings with two different landlords whose dispute over the price of the work contract has prevented construction from starting," as The Villager reported last fall.

There goes the Holiday Cocktail Lounge

Workers are cleaning out the space at 75 St. Mark's Place this afternoon, as this photo by EV Grieve reader David shows...

The bar closed back on Jan. 29. Robert Ehrlich, the founder of Pirate Brands, and Barbara Sibley, the owner of La Palapa next door, are teaming up to open a tavern-restaurant that serves staples such as fish-n-chips.

Sibley told Grub Street that they were "going to try to preserve as much of the history as possible."

Previously on EV Grieve:
The founder of Pirate's Booty is taking over the Holiday Cocktail Lounge

Why the future of the Holiday Cocktail Lounge may be in doubt

EV Grieve Etc: Mourning Edition

A video tour of Anthony Pisano's Seventh Street apartment (Gothamist)

City may eliminate half the pre-K classes at two East Village schools (DNAinfo)

Andy Warhol's New York — 25 years later (The Village Voice)

Inside the last Times Square flophouse — the Elk Hotel (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

A new record from Joey Ramone 11 years after his death (Rolling Stone)

Why underage drinking in New York is on the rise (The Daily News)

FDNY on the scene at 20 Avenue A

RyanAvenueA notes that firefighters were on the scene this morning at 20 Avenue A at Second Street. Residents said that they smelled smoke. One firefighter on the scene said that everything was OK, though he didn't provide any further details.

A major roof fire broke out next door at 240 Houston back in July 2010.

[UPDATED: Store back open] Marshal seizes Avenue A Wine & Liquor

Last night, a reader noted that the Marshal had closed Avenue A Wine & Liquor between 12th Street and 13th Street... The paperwork is on the front door...

Updated 2:01 p.m.
EV Grieve reader dwg says that the store is back open this afternoon.

Last month, the Marshal seized Furry Land Pet Supplies on the other side of Avenue A. That storefront is now for rent.

Life Cafe looks officially dead on 10th and B

After 30 years in business, Life Cafe abruptly closed "until further notice" last Sept. 11, as we first reported. Owner Kathy Kirkpatrick said that she'd stay closed until the landlords completed long overdue repairs.

Apparently we've seen the last of Life here: The for lease signs went up yesterday here on East 10th Street and Avenue B.

The listing isn't online just yet. We sent an email to Kirkpatrick last night for more details.

Previously.

David Schwimmer's unfinished mansion makes New York City celebrity homes map

We received this news release yesterday from Rentenna, a newish rental search tool:

Rentenna's first-ever New York City Star Map features the buildings of over 100 celebrities across Manhattan and Brooklyn, so everyone can look up their famous neighbors, gloat to friends elsewhere in the country, then quickly go back to pretending they never cared in the first place.

We took a quick look... and were rather surprised to find that David Schwimmer's incoming home at 331 E. Sixth St. made the list... considering it's still in that hole-in-the-ground phase...

One explanation for the existence of IHOP on East 14th Street

Back on Jan. 3, we pointed out that 235-237 E. 14th St., which houses the IHOP, was on the market for $14.5 million. The Massey Knakal listing noted that IHOP was paying $45,833 per month on a 10-year lease.

The Real Deal had more details on the sale in this piece published Monday:

Just over a year after buying a bland, mixed-use building on the border of the East Village for less than $4 million, retail-focused landlord Ashkenazy Acquisition is ramping up efforts to sell that location, which is home to a popular International House of Pancakes restaurant, for $14.5 million. That extraordinary, potential growth in value at 235 East 14th Street, between Second and Third avenues, is due to the long-term IHOP lease inked at the building last year, property sales marketing material shows. But that valuable lease was a bit of an inside deal, because Ashkenazy Acquisition Chairman and CEO Ben Ashkenazy is a managing member of the company that owns the IHOP franchise rights in the tri-state area.

So to review, as a friend of EV Grieve did for us. Buy an undervalued asset. Place a retail client that you own the rights to in the space with a long-term lease. Then turn around and sell the building for more than triple what you paid for it. Not a bad day's work...

The Standard East Village's solution for making nice with neighbors: Outdoor ping-pong

André Balazs has been making the media rounds, discussing what a good neighbor the Standard East Village will be... As you know, the manager types at the former Cooper Square Hotel weren't so popular with nearby residents.

As Balazs told The Wall Street Journal: "It's a very residential community and they managed to make a design that pissed off the neighbors immediately. That's a mistake. That's not what we're going to be about."

Meanwhile, we heard from a few amused-horrified residents who passed along this link to a piece in UrbanDaddy yesterday about the new hotel's new restaurant. The Restaurant at the Standard East Village opens today. Aside from things like burgers ($15) and BLT turkey clubs ($12), the eatery sports an outdoor ping-pong table.

As only UrbanDaddy can do:

The vibe here: distinctly more laid-back than its MePa sibling. A little world wearier. Just a little readier to kick your ass and take your name at the patio ping-pong table that calls to you from among the wooden furniture and gardens.

We see you hustling the naive masses, lime-lingonberry-puree-infused cocktail in hand, in front of an awed crowd, giving a clinic on the art of topspin.

You know, keeping it low-key.

P.S. Here's the menu:

Your chance to discuss plans for a new Pier 42 park

As you may know, there are now plans (with funding!) that would redevelop Pier 42 to build a new park along the East River between the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges ... the park/urban beach would include green space and river access, according to one report. "Visitors to the fenced-off beach would not be permitted to swim in the river but would be allowed to dip their feet into it," the Post noted.

Per The Lo-Down: "Part of the Pier 42 money will be used to remove an abandoned shed to make room for more public space, and to stabilize the pier, which is just south of Montgomery Street. The entire Pier 42 park project is expected to take about five years and cost more than $40 million."

This would all eventually connect Lower Manhattan's waterfront parks.

You'll have your chance to tell our elected politicos what you think of the plan... there's a public meeting tonight hosted by CB3, the Parks Department and State Sen. Daniel Squadron’s office. It takes place at 7 p.m. at the BRC Senior Services Center, 30 Delancey St., which is between Chrystie and Forsyth.

For further reading ... The Lo-Down has been following this story for some time. Read more here.

What's happening next to the former East Village Farms at 100 Avenue A

[Bobby Williams]

After a rather long goodbye, East Village Farms closed for good on Feb. 9. (The flower guys stuck around until last Wednesday.)

There were all sorts of rumors about this space that included a not-so-secret old movie house. The employees of East Village Farms had said the building's landlord would demolish the building.

However, there weren't any work permits to back up these claims.

But there are now.

There's a permit pending — dated today — at the DOB. According to the all-cap job description:

TO RENOVATE EXIST. HIGH TWO STORY BUILDING INCLUDING THE EXPANSION OF THE CELLAR FLOOR, THE RAISING OF THE ENTIRE SECOND FLOOR AND INSTALLING A NEW STOREFRONT. 2) TO ADD A NEW PARTIAL THIRD AND FOURTH FLOOR FOR ONE DWELLING UNIT WITH A ROOF GARDEN ON THE 2ND FLOOR ROOF ACCESSORY TO THE DWELLING UNIT.

So, no demolition. But, if approved, the landlord plans to renovate the existing building, including the storefront, and add one doozy of an apartment (3,000 square feet in total) with an outdoor space.

We'll have more on this later.

At first glance, though, this sounds like the $4.8 million "owner's triplex" above Sunny and Annie's on Sixth Street and Avenue B...


Previously on EV Grieve:
A little bit of Hollywood on Avenue A

East Village Farms is closing; renovations coming to 100 Avenue A

Inside the abandoned theater at East Village Farms on Avenue A

Reader reports: Village Farms closing Jan. 31; building will be demolished