Meanwhile, in other news today, there's Hurricane Irene

So far, depending on your news source, we are all gonna drown or get a really nice rainstorm.

The latest forecast that EV Grieve IreneWatchCenter© has seen is 8-12 inches of rain with gusts of wind up to 80 mph. And the ugliest of Irene's wrath will be mid-day Sunday through 3 or so. But that could all change.

Meanwhile, there is a lot of discussion about Zones.

So let's map this out for you:

Oh, right sorry. Here it is, via WNYC.

It's possible that Zone A could face an evacuation. starting at Houston... East of Avenue D ... north to East Ninth Street, then west on East Ninth Street to Avenue B then north to East 14th Street...

Here is a link to the city's hurricane zone finder. I typed in an address in Zone B. According to nyc.gov, my evacuation center is Hunter College on Park Avenue between 68th and 69th Streets. May be tough to get that far north if the city shuts down the public transportation grid.

A Tompkins Square Park rat(s) update

[Reader submitted dead rat photo]

An EV Grieve reader asked city parks officials what they were doing about the rat overpopulation in Tompkins Square Park. Here is part of the response that the reader received via email:

1). Parks has removed the garbage bags from the rats.

2). All garbage bags, once removed from garbage drums, are taken off-site. Bags are not left overnight in the park.

3). Parks is working with a garbage bag distributer MINT-X and using their rat-resistant garbage bags in the park.

4). Parks are using rat snap traps inside plastic boxes to kill rats, without the use of posions.

5). Tompkins Square Park has a red tailed hawk that frequents the park regularly, so Parks does not use rat poison.

6). Parks has reached out to the organizations that feed the hungry and homeless in Tompkins Square Park to minimize littering of food in the park.

7). Park night Crew cleans every night to sweep up around garbage drums, removes food from the ground and in garden beds, and removed garbage bags from the park.

8). Undesirable plants and shrubs, that offer rats harbage have been reoved from the park.

9). Parks is continuing to use non-poisonous methods to reduce rat population in the park.

Per the reader: "I think they deserve some credit ... also, it shows that going through the 'proper channels' ocassionaly works!"

We also hear that 20 more of the snap traps are on the way... Plus, well, there's some talk that the deluge on Sunday may drown a few of the rats...

Bob Arihood notes that "Inside Edition" returned to film in the Park... and, once again, the rats didn't disappoint. Read his report here.

Forces of nature: Hurricane Irene forces NYU to change dorm move-in day to Monday

NYU students were originally scheduled to move into the dorms on Sunday. However, as I exclusively reported, Hurricane Irene is also expected to arrive around the same time.

So, NYU officials pushed the date back. Per the NYU statement:

NYU has changed Move-In Day to Monday, Aug 29; while this may cause some inconvenience, we believe this is the course that will best ensure the safety of our new and returning students. Students will not be allowed to move in before Monday, and should make appropriate adjustments in their travel schedules; services usually provided to students beginning Sunday will not start until Monday.

So, Monday would be a good idea to avoid the Third Avenue Dorm Region... not to mention Trader Joe's, Bed, Bath and Beyond ... Surprise Surprise ... to name a few... You may add other locales in the comments..

The best part of NYU move-in day, maybe

You get the chance to see the full battalion of NYUmobiles! Such as...

Muzzarella Pizza ... and what the East Village is not

Eater is running a new feature in which the editors solicit some non-foody, farm-to-table foodapalooza restaurant suggestions from readers, who have the chance to highlight the essential, unglamorous places that we need more of here and everywhere ...

Yesterday, an Eater reader gave props to Muzzarella Pizza on Avenue A just south of 14th Street. It soon became less of a restaurant review and more of a battle cry... thought it was worth noting... in part:

The East Village that I know and love is not the glitzy $15 cocktails and $20 two-bite snacks. ... It’s not a happy-hour hangout for Murray Hill finance investors. It’s not a place for mommies with strollers sipping $7 lattes. It’s not a high-rise glass tower blocking my sunlight. Muzzarella Pizza is everything that the East Village used to be and is losing at an alarming rate.

Muzzarella's pizza never quite gets that kind of response from me... but I appreciate and understand the sentiment. I have those moments more often than I'd like.

Read the whole post here.

Belated announcements: TenEleven has reopened

Um, sorry... I meant to note this much earlier than this. Anyway, TenEleven is back open on Avenue C... The bar had to temporarily close while waiting for its liquor license renewal... The CB3/SLA committee refused to renewal the bar's license due to some complaints last month... You can read about that here.

Anyway, the SLA renewed TenEleven's license.

Meanwhile, we're glad that a good bar has returned...

And now, a word from the East Fifth St. Tree Committee

Between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Good luck getting around on Saturday

Well, by public transportation anyway. The city is planning to shut down the entire transportation system on Saturday in anticipation of Hurricane Irene's arrival, officials revealed today. (The Daily News) What, no curfew?

And how are we supposed to get to our designated city shelters? Pedicabs?

Image via.

Threat of Hurricane Irene forces cancellation of Charlie Parker Jazz Fest Sunday in Tompkins Square Park

Oh, well, the headline is pretty much the whole post. This information comes via Brooklyn Vegan.

More info here.

Noted

You may soon be able to buy frozen Artichoke Pizzas. (Eater)

The Bean is now open on Broadway and 12th Street

EV Grieve regular jdx notes that the new outpost of Bean is now open on Broadway at 12th Street...

Meanwhile, as we first reported yesterday, the Bean will open a new cafe in the "Crazy Landlord" building...

Irene is coming — are you prepared?

As the media have reported, we're doomed. High winds. Storm surges.

NYC Hurricane Map

But one concern that people who are concerned have: Fallen trees. An already soggy August will get soggier today with more rain ... which heightens the concern for downed trees from strong winds, per the Weather Channel...

So be careful ... particularly in Tompkins Square Park ... by the dog run, where several trees have already come down this year...

[Allen Semanco]

Gothamist has more on what the city is doing. And for another take, here's our friend Jen Doll at Runnin' Scared. Here.

Meanwhile, stock up?

Tomorrow:
The 5 Best East Village Bars to Watch Hurricane Irene (Kidding! Though I wouldn't put it past someone to create this listicle...like me)

Lavagna the setting for an AARP commercial

Filming now on Fifth Street near Avenue B.

Why we need to protect 316 E. Third St. — and other East Village properties

We've been writing about 316-318 E. Third St., the historic townhouse between Avenue C and Avenue D. The home belonged to Barden Prisant, a member of Community Board 3 who advocated for affordable housing.

As Curbed reported on Aug. 12, the new owner will turn the space into a Karl Fischer-designed, 33-unit apartment complex. This will not only destroy the home, but also the bucolic adjacent garden space.

On Monday, Off the Grid — the blog of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation — laid out seven reasons why the home needs to be saved. You can read those here.

Here's No. 7, and arguably the best reason:

Frankly, we’re just getting sick of seeing the neighborhood turn into this:

[Off the Grid]

The have created a template letter to send to the Landmarks Preservation Commission urging them to landmark 316 E. Third St. You can find that here.

Per usual, so far the Commission just doesn't give a shit. Per the GVSHP:

"The Commission has responded by refusing to hold a hearing on designating the structure, claiming that 'senior staff' at the Commission internally reviewed the building and found it not to be worthy of designation. This follows the Commission allowing other historic houses in the East Village ... to be destroyed." Like 35 Cooper Square and 326 and 328 E. Fourth St.