Tuesday's parting shot

EVG contributor Stacie Joy spotted this thank-you note — written on a Whole Foods bag — on Second Avenue at Fourth Street... the note is dated Friday. 

It reads in part: "To the kind person who loaned me money at Whole Foods last night. I want to repay you, but I've lost your name and phone number." 

The letter writer then says the manager (Mahanie???) has an envelope with the money at Nomad at Second Avenue. 

"Thank you again and tell Mahanie to call me if you'd like to have a drink."

Afternoon conure break

As seen today outside the the Sixth Street and Avenue B Community Garden ... thanks to Steven for the photo...

At the first Pinc Louds show of 2021 in Tompkins Square Park

Saturday saw the return of Pinc Louds to Tompkins Square Park.

The band's eclectic, freewheeling live shows in the Park were a bright spot during the pandemic summer of 2020. 

EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared these shots from the crowd...

Also on the bill Saturday: Local talent Dirty Circuit and Ayla.

1st sign of new-building construction on the northeast corner of Avenue C and Sixth Street

Preliminary work is underway in the long-vacant lot on the northeast corner of Sixth Street and Avenue C... an excavator is now on the scene... and someone discarded all of the contents that had been stored on the property ...

As we reported on Oct. 19, there are approved permits for a 6-floor building with 11 residential units, a storefront and space for an unspecified community facility. 

And as a reminder, here's a look at the rendering for the new structure...

There has been development talk for this lot dating to 2003. A former gas station, this corner has been vacant since the early 1980s. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• At the Heap of Ruins Garden Party

• This is the new building slated for the corner of 6th Street and Avenue C

This week in East Village TV shoots

The NBC series "The Blacklist" makes a return to the neighborhood today...  the FBI show starring Megan Boone and James Spader — now in its eighth year — has filmed in and around Tompkins Square Park multiple times through the years (2014 ... 2017).

Signage today points to a shoot around (or in?) the Park... with production vehicles parked on parts of Seventh Street, Eighth Street, Ninth Street and 10th Street.

Also returning this week... "Russian Doll" (still going as "Black Gumball" on film notices)... looks to be filming in multiple locations... with notices up along several streets and avenues... including in and around St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church on 10th Street and Avenue A... 

... whose exterior doubled as Maxine's apartment building, where the party never stopped. 

Aside from "The Blacklist" and "Russian Doll," here are the other TV shoots around here in 2021:

• "FBI" 

• "New Amsterdam"

• "Pose"

Activity at the former Khyber Pass

There has been activity in recent days over at 34 St. Mark's Place ... the former Kyber Pass here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...

Not sure at the moment what's happening with the space. Permits point to some plumbing work.

The Afghani restaurant that dated to the mid-1980s quietly closed during the pandemic. (Reported here in June.) Given its longevity on the block, some readers felt as if Khyber Pass deserved more press following its closure.

The storefront is currently for rent. 

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Greenwich Marketplace debuts on 4th Avenue

Greenwich Marketplace is now open at 120 Fourth Ave. at 12th Street... (coming-soon coverage here).

An EVG reader ducked his head inside the door and reports finding the usual corner market offerings with a larger-than-average deli counter serving up a variety of sandwiches, wraps, paninis and salads as well as breakfast items (omelettes, French toast, egg sandwiches, etc)... and not to mention smoothies and fresh juice.

There are also geographically friendly names on the menu, such as the NYU Wrap featuring grilled chicken, mozzarella cheese, onions, lettuce, tomatoes and avocado ($9.49). You can find the menu at Seamless.

The previous tenant, the PokéSpot, officially closed this past summer after four years. Before that, we had a Subway (sandwich shop) here.

Subway Dreams on 2nd Street

NYC-based illustrator Peach Tao has a new mural up on Second Street at First Avenue (outside the First Avenue Laundry Center).

There are a lot of details in the mural ... including a tribute to the Asian grandmother in San Francisco who fought back against someone randomly attacking her...

EVG contributor Stacie Joy shared these photos of the work in progress late last week...

In the summer of 2019, Peach helped paint a new sign at Ray's Candy Store on Avenue A.

A sneak peek at the new C&B space

As we reported on Dec. 2, C&B chef-owner Ali Sahin is expanding his cafe into the vacant retail space — the former dry cleaners — next door here at 178 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The other day, Ali gave EVG contributor Stacie Joy a sneak peek at the under-renovation storefront...

Ali hopes to have it up and running in about a month. The larger C&B will not have indoor dining, but rather increased space for staff — and more room to bake bread. The reconfigured C&B will also have a longer to-go counter for patrons.

Meanwhile, C&B remains open daily for to-go service from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

With sale of building, the Central Bar signs off after nearly 20 years on 9th Street

The Central Bar, the bi-level sports bar-lounge at 109 E. Ninth St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue, has closed.

Ownership made the announcement back on March 18 via Instagram. (Thanks to MP for the photo!)

Per the notice: "Our landlord has sold the building and the new owners will not be keeping us as tenants."

The note goes on to thanks patrons for nearly 20 years of patronage.

The sale hasn't hit public records just yet.

Some years back, the address was home to Pageant Book & Print Shop, and its storefront served as a location for Neil Simon's "Chapter Two" and Woody Allen's "Hannah and Her Sisters."

And you can now find Pageant Print Shop at 69 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Four Four South Village is now open on 7th Street

Four Four South Village is now open (as of last Thursday) at 11 E. Seventh St. just east of Cooper Square...

... this is the first NYC outpost for the chain that specializes in Taiwanese beef noodles. (Find their menu here.) 

They are open for dining indoors and out...

The previous tenant, Le Sia, which served a Chinese crawfish boil, was not able to survive the downturn during the pandemic. Le Sia debuted in January 2018. 

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

The last days of the former B Bar & Grill

The one-level structure that housed B Bar & Grill (1994-2020) awaits demolition on the southwest corner of the Bowery and Fourth Street.

Meanwhile, several people have noted the unglamorous ending for the one-time hotspot... the exterior walls now a high-profile spot for tagging...

As we first reported in January, permits were filed for a 21-floor mixed-use development — a 283-foot-tall office building. According to the proposed plan, the well-employed architect Morris Adjmi's building will encompass 98,799 square feet, with 26,000 square feet set aside for use as an unspecified community facility. 

CB Developers paid $59.5 million for a stake in 358 Bowery, previously a gas station before its conversion into the bar-restaurant. B Bar owner Eric Goode, who owns a handful of hotels, including the Bowery Hotel across the way, assembled air rights to build the larger development on this corner space. 

As for the B Bar, it was expected to close for good this past August. However, the bar-restaurant never reopened after the PAUSE. As we reported back on April 3, 2020, nearly 70 B Bar employees were laid off without any extension of benefits or offer of severance pay.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• CB Developers pay $59.5 million for an interest in 358 Bowery — current home of the B Bar & Grill and likely a new development

• B Bar & Grill lays off its staff without severance

F&M Slice Pizza has closed on Avenue C

F&M Slice Pizza closed up on Saturday over at 153 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

Eden shared the photo, noting: "Not enough business, and the rent is too high." 

The pizzeria, which arrived here as F&F in late 2011, served budget-friendly 99-cent slices and other items like Jamaican beef patties.

You can bet your bottom dollar that you'll find things for $1 and more here

The Dollar & More store (first reported here) had its grand opening on Saturday at 135 Third Ave. between 14th Street and 15th Street  (thanks for the photo, Doug!) ... expect to find a variety of, say, bulk paper towels, cleaning supplies and other assorted housewares.

Signage also promises toys, pet supplies, party supplies (balloons, much like the ones at the front door, and wrapping paper, not White Claw Variety Packs)... 

Longtime tenant JAM Paper & Envelope closed here in January 2018 after 25 years in business. The company closed its storefronts in a shift to e-commerce.

Sunday's parting shot

Photo on Second Avenue today by Derek Berg...

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo by Derek Berg from Friday on Sixth Street)...

• Donations for Ryo, who returned home after a months-long hospitalization to find an empty apartment with new locks (Thursday)

• A walk around inside the long-abandoned — and ghoulishly beautiful — P.S. 64 (Thursday) 

• Hate crime arrest made in assault of Asian woman on Astor Place (Tuesday) 

• A visit to First Avenue Laundry Center (Tuesday) 

• The shirtwaist dress on the Bowery (Wednesday) 

• On the runway along Avenue B (Tuesday) 

• More scaffolding — and now demolition — for this troubled Avenue C corner (Friday) 

• Van Da to treat NYC's 'Warrior Women' to dinner on its 1st night back (Friday) 

• This week's NY See finds a lovingly cradled bottle of wine (Thursday) 

• Gallery Watch heads to Canada (Wednesday) 

• Report: Hate crime investigation on Allen Street as 66-year-old Asian man assaulted (Sunday) 

• Bagel Boss to preside in storefronts on 14th Street, East Houston (Monday) 

• There's now a sidewalk bridge outside Cafe Himalaya (Tuesday) 

• The disappearing pay phones along Avenue A (Wednesday) 

• 2 break-ins on 7th Street (Friday) 

• This new map will immerse you in the neighborhood's Greek Revival style (Friday) 

• Planet Taco now orbiting 2nd Avenue (Monday) 

• With lease up, Squish Marshmallows will look for a new home (Monday) 

... and someone decided to toss a rock through an Avenue A-side window at Union Market last night ...

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And now, YOUR NEW RITE AID SIGNAGE ON 1ST AVENUE

After weeks of anticipation, the new Rite Aid signage/brandage has arrived at the outpost on First Avenue and Fifth Street. 

As you can see, gone are the blue and red chevron color blocks (sob!) with a new blue and green (Seattle Seahawks-esque) logo that includes a graphic of a mortar and pestle with an herbal sprig. 

This "integrated rebranding effort is part of Rite Aid’s RxEvolution strategy ... to transform the company into the leading whole health destination that treats mind, body and spirit," per a press release.