His work reflects the diverse influences of late medieval and quattrocento painting, aboriginal, African and naive art, and the European graffiti movement.
Name: Ilyse Kazar (and Shiro)
Occupation: ‘Professional Dilettante’
Location: 4th Street between 1st Avenue and 2nd Avenue
Time: 6 pm on Wednesday, June 10
I’m from very far away in the nether regions of Long Island — a universe away. I moved here when I was 20, so I’ve done my major growing up here. I was going to school in Long Island and I had picked my courses out there. I came here for the summer just to experience the city — 38 years ago. It’s been a long summer.
I actually started out on the Upper West Side, but I got my first job at Phebe’s, when it used to be Phebe’s. I just fell in love with New York and I still am. I’m hanging on here in the East Village.
But more than anything it was, for me, the foundation of what this neighborhood used to be, which was an incredible network of people who formed an adoptive family. That started right of the bat for me in this neighborhood, whereas on the Upper West Side at the time, particularly in the area of Columbia University where I had my first sublet, I wasn’t feeling it at all and they weren’t feeling me. I couldn’t find a job.
Somehow just by happenstance or by fate, I ended up all the way down on 4th Street and the Bowery, and got a job. I walked in, said I was looking for a job for the summer, because that’s what I thought. I was tired of lying trying to get a job, so I just said I have no experience but I’m just here for the summer, and I got the job on the spot.
Imagine being from suburbia, having gone to a suburban high school that had tennis courts and then coming here and getting your first job in a restaurant where everyone you worked with and almost everyone that came in was an actor, a dancer, an artist, a writer, a musician, a composer. It was amazing. It wasn’t uptown art. It was that downtown spirit. I was 20 years old. I was fresh blood.
It was a community of people who were misfits, where they came from, and of course there was the continuous population of immigrants. I think there probably was always a high population of students and artists because it was just so low rent. When I moved in my apartment was $135 a month. I’ve been in the same place [ever since]. I was 20 and I have two daughters who I raised here and the baby is 22 now.
I worked at Phebe’s for a couple years and then did a number of restaurant, food and beverage service stints. Then computers came in and I picked up on that, everything from temp office work to starting my own tech business. Mainly I’ve just lived a very unstructured East Village life. I’ve raised my kids… now I’m just rethinking things. I’m the crazy lady — you might find me after a good rainstorm scavenging umbrellas. I snip the fabric off of them. I’m involved in composting, in particular with an organization called Earth Matter that’s headquartered in the Lower East Side and their facility is on Governors Island.
It’s hard to explain. It was just like a big soup pot that was spiced just right. Back in the day, which is some extent to this day, you could interact with people of every type, the person who hands you the slice of pizza, the person standing on line with you at the bodega, the people who used to be in my building. You could knock on your neighbors door and ask, do you have a Q-tip? We knew everyone by first name; we’d have dinner at each other’s houses; we raised kids together. And now I actually find with the people moving in that when you try to introduce yourself, ‘Hey I live in this apartment. I’ve lived here a long time, if you have any questions. I just want you to know who your neighbor is and knock on my door any time you need.’ They actually look at you like you’re weird and they literally back up. Who’s this strange lady talking to me?
But that’s my strongest memory of this neighborhood … that as much as there was a range of ethnic backgrounds, a certain range of income level, and everything from blue collar to complete drop outs, to well-known artists, who were all able to talk to each other. There was a lot of inspiration and cross-pollination going on.
While it "appears' that SRO has shuttered, it is indeed still operating, and quite successfully! Due to overcrowding inside our former 12-table restaurant on the weekends, we finally decided to take over the larger dining space in the back and continue to operate as a pizza speakeasy, serving the incredible pies of our pizzaiolo, Giuio Adriani. The dining room capacity has now tripled and is much more comfortable, and our menu has also expanded — serving both the $38 pre-fixe menu, as well as pizza, appetizers, and dessert a la carte.
Senate President John Flanagan, a Long Island Republican, said the debate would likely stretch out until the end of the legislative session on Wednesday, since lawmakers don’t want to go home without a deal. “Given the fact that we’re [in Albany] for another 48 hours, we’re going to have further discussions,” he said Monday evening.
Mr. Flanagan dismissed concerns that chaos could ensue at midnight: “Do I think anything tumultuous or crazy is going to happen overnight? Absolutely not.”
In a news conference after the vote, Sen. Adriano Espaillat, a Manhattan Democrat, said “this is the Senate Republicans telling tenants in New York City to drop dead.”
Due to an unexpected gas leak in the basement of our building, Con Edison has shut off the gas supply to the entire building. This is not good news. We tried our best to persuade them otherwise, but because of the explosion across the street, they err on the side of over caution.
The bottom line is we do not expect to have the hot water restored for days. We do not expect the cooking gas restored for weeks.
The East Village Community Coalition (EVCC) announces the release of "Preserving Local, Independent Retail: Recommendations for Formula Retail Zoning in the East Village." The report analyzes the growing presence of chain stores, proposing a framework for limiting the expansion of formula retail.
Three possible methods of formula retail zoning are proposed within the report. These options — aimed at informing decisions by East Village policy makers — have been crafted using case studies, legal suggestions and preexisting zoning frameworks from other parts of the country.
"As the trend toward homogenization progresses in New York, with respect to both the built environment and retail landscape, a timely solution is needed to preserve the individuality of the city’s neighborhoods," said Sara Romanoski, EVCC's managing director. "Placing restrictions on formula retail establishments via zoning amendments provides a path to preserving the rapidly changing East Village. An East Village Special District using the proposed framework will emphasize the importance and uniqueness of the community."
Own an iconic penthouse, featured in a number of publications for its unique rooftop cottages perched atop this historic boutique pre-war condominium. Penthouse 4CD is a breathtaking light-filled 1,972sf three bedroom, three bath duplex with four wood-burning fireplaces and two private garden terraces totaling 795sf.
This loft-like home features soaring 11’8” ceilings, exquisitely restored exposed brick, pristine hardwood oak floors, and carefully crafted carpentry throughout. Spanning nearly forty feet, with bright South and West exposures, the corner living and dining room are separated by a magnificent brick archway and bookended by two gracious wood-burning fireplaces.
An open kitchen features stainless steel appliances including Miele dishwasher and Wolf range, along with a dramatic Thermador vented range hood. Hand-painted Victorian-era aluminum casted balusters line the staircase leading up to the stunning master bedroom suite.
Enter this second level through the spectacular solarium, sun-flooded during the days and great for stargazing at night through its numerous skylights. This well-designed suite is complete with a spa-like master bath featuring a deep-soaking tub and separate steam shower, a windowed study/dressing area, and corner fireplace. The two spacious terraces flank the second level, the larger featuring an outdoor wood-burning fireplace, retractable awning, and four exposures with views of the Empire State Building. There is also a new irrigation system in place.
@evgrieve it's true, the great sandwich experiment of 015' has ended- thank you, that was fun! now what to do with all these Capri Suns...
— lord hamm's (@lordhamms) June 16, 2015
