Cutting condo prices by 20 percent on East Second Street

Back in November, we took a look at the new million-dollar condos hitting the market on East Second Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.... there were five units, ranging then from $1.2 to $1.9 million...

You remember 229 E. Second St., it looked like this...



And now...



In any event, the price of each unit was just chopped by anywhere from 10 percent to 20 percent... as StreetEasy (and Trulia) shows... the priciest of the units has dropped to $1.61 million from $1.98 million... ... what to do with that extra $380,000?

Well, they look like great homes...



...so close to the trash-strewn lot next door (one of my favorites)...



...and the busy fire station directly across the street...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Million dollar condos hit the market on East Second Street

229 E. Second St. sprouts a roof deck

Post-seizure sale at Thai on Two

Thai on Two on Second Avenue near 12th Street closed several weeks ago...




..and now we learn from East Village Feed that there's a big auction there on Feb. 3... Per Craigslist, everything looks to be going, from cases of beer and wine to fish tanks... Via the listing, in that ANNOYING ALL-CAP style:

CONTENTS OF RESTAURANT TO INCLUDE
FULL ITCH, POTS PANS COMMERCIAL DUSHWASHER 2 FRIALOTORS, WOLF OVEN STAINLESS WORK STATIONS, ORIENTAL WET STATION GRILL, PLATES, CHAIRS 14 WROUGHT IRON OUTDOOR TABLES, BEAUTIFUL ORIGINAL ANTIQUE GOLD LEAF MIRROR APPX 6'.
AN ORIGINAL 16 FOOT ANTIQUE MAHOGHONY BAR COMPLETE WOLD IN FREEZER BOX. SOME CASES OF BEER AND WINE, CC MACHINE STEREO, BLENDERS, 2 FISHTANKS ON STAND, FIXTURES

More on 95 Avenue A: Private chef's lounge and a rum punch bar

Keep seeing more details about what's coming to 95 Avenue A at Sixth Street. Sounds like quite the little empire. This detail is from Metromix:

From a team featuring alum from Mayahuel, Death & Co., and Bourgeois Pig, Carteles is the first of a four-part planned series of Cuban-themed bars and restaurants collectively known as Cienfuegos. The other phases include a rum punch bar, a more formal Cuban restaurant, and a private chef's lounge, but for now this tiny storefront is serving a menu of carefully curated sandwiches.

This all suddenly seems like less of a restaurant and more of a scene.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Coming soon: Work starts on Cienfuegos at long-dormant (and soon-to-be-expanded) 95 Avenue A

Something finally coming to 95 Avenue A

The Save Ray's Twitter feed

There's now a Save Ray's Twitter feed, which will have the latest updates...

www.twitter.com/saverays

And there's the Save Ray's Facebook page, which already has 783 members...

Save Ray's organizers are also putting together a benefit concert. Anyone interested in performing can send an e-mail to Lilly O'Donnell: lillytylluan@gmail.com

Meanwhile, here's a screenshot of Ray's from "What About Me" by East Village filmmaker Rachel Amodeo. She wrote, directed and starred in "What About Me, which was filmed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with a release in 1993.

Rusty Knot Party Bus makes East Village debut

As Eater noted, last night marked the debut of the Rusty Knot Party Bus, which picks up Knotgoers in Williamsburg and the East Village and plies them with alcohol before they go to the nautica-themed faux dive on the West Side Highway for a big party or something ...

Given the crazy-cat Web site, I figured this might be a shitshow...



I had no intention of getting on the bus -- just curious what might happen while waiting to board. The bus was scheduled to stop at First Street and First Avenue at 8:30 last night (and later at 10:30) ...and it promptly rolled up at 8:28.




Two people were waiting to board. Three more people hustled across First Avenue... other passengers included three-four people who were waiting inside at One and One...and three guys who arrived on skateboards. So 12 by my count. No one was in costume. And only two people sort of squealed while boarding.



The bus idled for nearly 15 minutes...



...before taking off, making a clumsy left onto Third Street...

Gratuitous bikini photo alert: Sports Illustrated swimsuit model buys East Second Street pad

According to a post yesterday on BlockShopper Manhattan, Australian swimsuit model Pania Rose and her beau bought an East Second Street condo for $712,000.

We look forward to seeing her at Hamilton Fish Park this summer.


[Image via SI]

Small shops continue to struggle

We noticed that small shops were either closed or on their way out on Avenue B near 12th Street...



...First Street near First Avenue...



...and Avenue C near Sixth Street...

What cigarettes will cost during Bloomberg's 10th term in office...

An EV Grieve reader sent along the following photo from the bodega on Third Street and Second Avenue... A rather startling price for Newports: $97.5....

Mysterious 81 Cafe mysteriously back open

Last fall, we noticed that Krystal's 81 Cafe, the former Verchovyna Tavern aka George's Bar aka Bar 81, on Seventh Street near First Avenue started keeping irregular hours... Then, the bar never reopened as promised on Oct. 1 after a vacation. We hadn't seen it open since then. Until!

Last night, the bar was back open, a happy hour sign out front...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Cafe 81 will be back from vacation on Oct. 1

At Butcher Bay: A dishwashing/laundry equipment notice

Things still seem awfully quiet at Butcher Bay on East Fifth Street.... Back in November, the eatery papered over the windows...the sign on the door said: "...closed temporarily to write our memoirs..." The other day, we noticed an addition to the front door...



...this sticker.



Perhaps Auto-Chlor wants their equipment back?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Butcher Bay deep-sixed?

EV Grieve Etc: Mourning Edition

An appetizing post (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

"Looks like this is the beginning of the end for Superdive." (NY Barfly)

Old Times Square as a backdrop for celebrity photo shoots (This Ain't the Summer of Love)

Looking at what's left of St. Ann's on East 12th Street (Scouting NY)

East Village Radio is hiring (Crain's via East Village Feed)

More Pike Loop Installation for you (BoweryBoogie)

We're not the only ones worried about Caffe Reggio's future (Lost City)

Slacktivists plan protest/fundraiser/street party for Ray's Saturday night

From John Penley:

There's a protest/fundraiser/street party Saturday night at 8 for Ray's Candy Store. It's being organized by Black Ops Bob and the Slacktivists.

From a comment by Penley: "I was contacted tonight by Black Ops Bob and others who requested my help. I said HELL YES !!!!! Yuppies and NYU students who want to help Ray will be welcome.

A Save Ray's Benefit Concert is in the works; $550 collected so far via PayPal

Last Tuesday, we told you that a PayPal account has been established to help Ray's Candy Store. Those who are interested in helping out may use this e-mail address at PayPal:

saverayscandystore@gmail.com

The organizers -- Lilly O'Donnell and Haley Moss Dillon -- said that, to date, $550 has been collected.

Meanwhile, a Save Ray's Benefit Concert is in the works. Anyone interested in performing can send a note at saverayscandystore@gmail.com.

And for the latest on Ray's...(as well as photos from the weekend), visit Neither More Nore Less.

Ray's on Fox 5 last night

Thanks to Slum Goddess for letting us know!

What's coming to the former Marion's Continental space on the Bowery

Work continues on the former Marion's Continental space on the Bowery... The Bowery institution closed in August 2008. (Their Web site is still up and running, and includes the history.)




As Fork in the Road first reported, the space is becoming the new home of Hecho en Dumbo. The Mexican eatery will seat 65 and include a 10-seat bar. (According to the Voice, the new owners had to go before the Community Board three times before winning approval...)

Hecho en Dumbo was originally slated to open just after Jan. 1. It is now set to open next month...



And, despite the move from Dumbo (that location closed last fall)... Dumbo will remain in the name. Per the Voice:

When the restaurant opens, their Dumbo customers will still be able to find the same staff and the same Brooklyn beers. And, of course, the same name. "We're not changing our name," Smith says. "We thought about it, calling it Hecho en Bowery or Hecho en Noho. But at the end of the day, I think the thrust has always been that we are Hecho en Dumbo. It comes from the Hecho en Mexico logo, and we always saw that as our little play on it, speaking to how authentic the cuisine is and also speaking to our roots in Brooklyn. I think when we move we'll still see ourselves as a Brooklyn-style restaurant."

According to a press release on the new location:

The new space, designed by Architect Laura Gonzalez Fierro in concert with Architect of Record Ralph M. Beiran, AIA of Urban Design Office, will be built almost solely from non-virgin and repurposed materials and will treat patrons to a sparse, rustic ambiance fusing aspects that are quintessentially "New York," such as exposed sun-baked brick, with architectural elements that showcase Mexico’s long-standing tradition of repurposing materials -- wood, metals, and concrete -- and fashioning them into sophisticated furniture and fixtures.

Meanwhile, perhaps this is a message on the old sign directed to the new tenants?



And check out this cool apartment that was sold upstairs...

123 Third Avenue ramps up its marketing efforts with an ad facing away from traffic

There's a new ad up for 123 Third Avenue, the high-rise condo on Third Avenue and 14th Street. (Or, "East Union Square"...) The ad promises the sale center is coming soon... The 123 Web site still says sales office "opening late fall 2009."



Anyway, seems like kind of an odd spot for an ad -- especially given that it faces away from the traffic on the one-way 10th Street between Fourth Avenue and Third Avenue...



Anyway, this 19-story, 47-unit condo will include a ground-floor garden and outdoor movie screen. The developer of 123 is Orange Management, which currently has its hands full with the 22 Renwick property...

For further reading:
3 angles on 123 Third Condo (A Fine Blog)

Things that I was blissfully unaware of: 16 Handles delivers, though not beyond Avenue B

Quite a delivery zone too: 23rd Street to Spring? And you folks on Avenue C and Avenue D are apparently out of luck: No FroYo past Avenue B!

A Building puts away its glass balls; plus lobby update

Renovations continue on the A Building lobby on East 13th Street...now stretching into their sixth week...




Meanwhile, also spotted in the lobby: Boxed Christmas decorations... Seems like the A Buidling's halls are always decked...

Luke's helping Ray's

From Neighborhoor. Spotted at Luke's Lobster on Seventh Street between First Avenue and Avenue A...

Seeing double at former Tasti-D-Lite spot

Signs are up at the former Tasti D-Lite on Second Avenue near Ninth Street...



..for something called New City Vision.



An optometrist perhaps? Or a real-estate company?

Ray's to be on Fox and My 9 News tonight

Sorry...short notice....just saw this over at Slum Goddess...Fox 5 and My 9 are doing pieces on Ray's tonight. Fox 5 is on at, uh, now...and My 9 at 11.

Update: Fox posted the segment here.

Get your calcium chloride on East 13th Street

Get your salt from inside that rather mysterious building on 13th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B...

Futurizing about the corner of 14th Street and Third Avenue

Earlier today, we spotted workers cleaning out the former Robin Raj space on the southwest corner of 14th Street and Third Avenue...





Perhaps this is an early sign that a new horrible tenant is on the way... The space has been vacant for nearly a year. As reported then: The landlord was looking for $60,000 a month in rent...

The holidays on ice....

The holiday decorations on Ninth Street at Second Avenue came down this morning...





...ruining a potential blog post when I discovered that they were still up in April...

Ray's makes the Times

From a feature today titled "Fixture of Avenue A Faces the Threat of a Padlock."

A few excerpts:

Opposite Tompkins Square Park, the usual sort of post-midnight gathering was taking place on a recent evening inside a cramped storefront with tile floors and a worn blue counter.

Kevin Mag Fhloinn was there, talking about a probability system he invented, which makes a spin of the roulette wheel so inviting it barely feels like a bet. Mitch Green told how he once tried to interest Rocky Graziano in buying a neon sign. And there was a smiling man who introduced himself as Thrilly-D; he plunked a large order of Belgian fries onto the counter, and, with beery breath, invited his new comrades to dig in.

And!

It was just past two in the morning and steel gates rattled on Avenue A as neighboring stores locked up for the night. Mr. Alvarez peered through a window as a police car sped past. And Mr. Green reminisced about the neighborhood in the mid-1970s, when the streets were so desolate that you couldn't find a cab.

"When there was nothing else around," he said, "Ray was around."

[Photo: Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times]

Haitian relief efforts in the neighborhood

Many neighborhood bars/restaurants/schools are holding fund raising events to help victims of the earthquake in Haiti... For instance:

Bespoke Chocolates on Extra Place is donating 100 percent of their profits today toward Americares’s Haiti relief fund. (Via The Feed)

Drink specials tonight at Professor Thom's on Second Avenue...



At St. Brigid Catholic School on Seventh Street and Avenue B...



From Hearth on First Avenue at 12th Street... "The events have particularly hit home for us as one of our own staff members was born in Haiti and has many friends and family there at the moment. In support of him and all those immediately affected by the tragedy, on Tuesday, January 19th, Hearth will be donating 50% of our gross revenues received that evening to help fund the relief effort." (Via Eater)

And I don't exactly know what this is at Zum Schneider on Avenue C and Seventh Street...



On Wednesday, Knife + Fork on East Fourth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue is giving 20 percent of every customer's bill, including tip, to Haitian relief efforts. (Via Eater)

If you know of any other neighborhood relief efforts, then please let me know, via e-mail or in the comments...

Open Road Park, East 12th Street, 9:16 a.m., Jan. 17

A listicle to debate: The best East Village restaurants

I originally posted this on Friday morning...The conversation in the comments continues. So I decided to move it up for the weekend...



As promised, Robert Sietsema listed "the best East Village restaurants" over at The Village Voice today.

And....

10. Dirt Candy (Vegetarian), 430 East 9th Street, 212-228-7732
9. Porchetta (Central Italian), 110 East 7th Street, 212-777-2151
8. The Smith (Gastropub), 55 Third Avenue, 212-420-9800
7. Back Forty (New American), 190 Avenue B, 212-388-1990
6. B & H Dairy Lunch (Jewish Dairy), 127 Second Avenue, 212-505-8065
5. Hasaki (Sushi), 210 East 9th Street, 212-473-3327
4. Prune (New American), 54 East 1st Street, 212-677-6221
3. Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar (New American), 101 Second Avenue, 212-979-1012
2. Momofuku Ssam Bar (New American), 207 Second Avenue, 212-254-3500
1. Ippudo (Japanese Noodles), 65 Fourth Avenue, 212-388-0088

No Odessa! Why you *&^%*#%*&^3!

OK, I've only been to four on the 10 here. And of those four, I'd never go back to Porchetta, which I tried once after caving in to peer pressure.

Also included in the feature....

Readers' Suggestions

Mamoun's Falafel (Middle Eastern), 22 St. Marks Place, 212-387-7747
Veselka (Ukrainian), 144 Second Avenue, 212-228-9682
Degustation (Science Chef), 239 East 5th Street, 212-979-1012
The Redhead (New American), 349 East 13th Street, 212-533-6212
Motorino (Pizza), 349 East 12th Street, 212-777-2644
Ukrainian East Village Restaurant, 140 Second Avenue, 212) 614-3283
Kyo Ya (Japanese), 94 East 7th Street, 212-982-4140