Now hear this: About the new book of East Village bar quotes from Billy the Artist

[Image via @Instagram]

Billy the Artist is never without his sketchpad, which aided him with his latest project — a book of illustrations with snippets of conversation titled "Things You Don't Hear Twice: Quotes From the East Village."

The copies just arrived ahead of a signing this Saturday at one of his favorite neighborhood haunts — International Bar on First Avenue.

In a recent exchange, he shared a little about the book and his thoughts on the East Village ...

I’ve lived in the East Village for 30 years and have always loved the vibe and people here ... I almost always have my sketchpad on me and would draw in my various East Village bars and, of course, hear the craziest quotes from my friends or strangers. I would write down the quotes in the back of my sketchpad and that’s how this book became a reality.

Living and working in my studio in the East Village I need to get out and be with people — be it in the afternoon or night. As I’ve gotten older, I tend to like the daytime in a bar because it [attracts] more regulars.

This book has been in the making for a long time, and both the quotes and illustrations I hope remind everyone how great the East Village was and still is.

[Image via @BillytheArtistNYC]

Billy the Artist will be signing copies of his book this Saturday (Feb. 1) from 2-6 p.m. at International Bar, 102 First Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.

That unique pop-up gallery space on 7th and C is now home to a palm reader

[Photo from 2012]

For several years, starting in 2012, the shed/storage space outside Wholesome Foods on Seventh Street and Avenue C was home to the Stand, a wholly unique pop-up gallery and performance space.

The Stand featured work by street, homeless and unknown artists. You never knew exactly what you'd find there on a given weekend night. It lasted until October 2017. The space was a holiday market during the 2018 Christmas season, featuring the work of local vendors and offering entertainment such as a shakuhachi zen flute performance during the opening reception.

After that, we hadn't seen much, if any, activity here. Last fall, someone tagged the Bruce Lee mural on the gate.

Well, there's a new tenant now. The gate was open the other day, showing that the space is now home to a palm reader...

Pinks Cantina bringing the tacos to Webster Hall

Pinks Cantina is teaming up with Webster Hall to serve food during concerts and club nights starting on Tuesday.

Pinks Cantina, which started at the Bowery Market in 2018, has an outpost on the Lower East Side at 203 Chrystie St. that serves a variety of tacos and sides. (Find their menu here.)

The taco shop is an extension of Pinks Bar & Grill, which opened in the fall of 2014 on 10th Street near First Avenue.

The revamped Webster Hall, now owned and operated by BSE Global and The Bowery Presents, reopened last April with Jay-Z over on 11th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

Wednesday's parting shots

Some time on Monday night or early Tuesday morning, someone took a firehose to the Con Ed substation on Avenue A between Sixth Street and Fifth Street...



This past August, someone sprayed DBDBDBDBDBDBDB from Sixth Street all the way across Avenue A. It took two months before Con Ed had the tagggggggg removed.

Thanks to Stacie Joy for the photos!

Recognizing Debi the Gardener for her years of service in Tompkins Square Park

Deborah Hulse, better known as Debi the Gardener to regulars of Tompkins Square Park, retired in December after nearly 15 years with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

During the January Community Board 3 meeting last night, local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera recognized Hulse for her years of service to the neighborhood. Hulse had worked in Tompkins Square Park since March 2009.

EVG correspondent Steven shared the above photo from the meeting. From left: Alan Good, who donated the ping pong tables to the Park, Hulse, Park regular Monica Rittersporn, and Rivera.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Debi the Gardener retires

Noted

A reader shared this today from along the Verizon building on 13th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

On the bright side, per the reader — at least the truck isn't parked in the bike lane.

P.S.
Might need to revisit the Brown Paint Wars

EVG Etc.: Appreciating East Village street art; ranking City Council members

[Gnome side table spotting on Astor Place via Derek Berg]

Supporters trying to get activist Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker Movement with roots in this neighborhood, canonized as a saint (The Washington Post)

Jeremiah Moss meets his new EV neighbors: "Young and funded, they belong to a certain type: utterly unblemished, physically fit, exceptionally well dressed, as bland as skim milk and unsalted saltine crackers." (N+1)

A look at some East Village street art (Off the Grid)

Ranking the City Council members — Carlina Rivera listed at No. 18 out of 50 (City & State)

Chinatown residents are stocking up on masks in the wake of coronavirus fears (Gothamist)

There's a Q&A with "JoJo Rabbit" writer-director (and Hitler star) Taika Waititi after the 7 p.m. screening Friday at the Village East on Second Avenue and 12th Street (Official site)

Peter Brant preps for a major Warhol exhibition in 2021 at his foundation's East Village HQ on Sixth Street (Architectural Digest ... previously on EVG)

Several swastikas were found scribbled inside the Hillman Houses on Grand Street (The Lo-Down)

Passersby lift SUV off woman after collision on Delancey and Norfolk; victim speaks (CBS 2)

A Manhattan judge awarded a Brooklyn-based artist more than $250,000 after a now-closed Lower East Side gallery failed to pay her for the pieces she sold there, and refused to return her unsold work (Daily News)

Recovery efforts underway to salvage the archives of the Museum of Chinese in America after last week's fire on Mulberry Street (Gothamist)

East Village, an overlooked UK band (1987-1991), gets the re-release treatment on Slumberland Records (Official site)

... and via the 9th Precinct... Enrique Jones was last yesterday afternoon leaving 420 E. 12th St. ...

He’s about 5'11" tall, 180 lbs., wearing eyeglasses, a black jacket, blue jeans and black sneakers. Anyone with information, please ☎️ @NYPDTips at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or DM 📲 @NYPDTips.

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) January 29, 2020

A musical reunion to celebrate Tribal Soundz,

In 1998, musician Nora Balaban opened Tribal Soundz, a community-oriented world music store that had a 10-year run at 340 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

The shop's legacy has endured since closing in 2008. Tomorrow (Thursday) night, Balaban is hosting a Tribal Soundz musical reunion with a variety of performers in the space, now the East Village Playhouse.

Per the invite:

The space is now a wonderful small theater and we've been invited back to reunite, play some music, hang out, brainstorm & imagine what we can do together in the future. Come early for seating! Doors 5:30 p.m. Limited Seating.

The free performances will run until 9:30 tomorrow night.

I asked Balaban about what made the store special.

"Our tagline in the Tribal Soundz days was 'Bringing you the world's music, and everything you need to play it,'" she said. "Tribal Soundz was more than just a store — it was the nerve center for global music action in NYC. We sold instruments from around the world, CDs, held music workshops and performances. All kinds of musicians and people from the neighborhood were brought together, centered around global music."

And for one night, that will be happening again.

Behind the build: Amelia and Christo's dream nests 2020

[Amelia]

In recent weeks, Amelia and Christo, the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, have been busy building their 2020 nest.

East Village-based photographer Laura Goggin (aka Goggla!) shared these photos of the two in action...


[Christo]

Amelia and Christo have been working on two nests — one in a ginkgo on the east side of the Park, and one in a locust near Temperance Fountain.

To date, the Temperance Fountain location (seems a little noisy?) is further along ...


[Amelia]

Hard to say which one they'll end up nesting in for the season...



Be sure to follow Goggla's website (link here) for updates on the red-tailed hawks ... and other urban wildlife ... as the year unfolds.

Deadline extended to apply to serve on a Community Board

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer's office has extended the application period for the 2020-2022 class of Manhattan Community Board members.

You now have until Feb. 14 to apply. Here's another look at the info:

Interested in what gets built in your community and how government works to deliver services in your neighborhood? Apply to join one of Manhattan's 12 Community Boards.

Every Community Board has 50 seats which are filled for two-year terms by volunteers, who are selected by the Borough President and local City Council members. Half the seats are up for appointment or reappointment every year.

Community Boards get a seat at the table in high-stakes land use, real estate, and zoning negotiations, and they work directly with city agencies to influence how government services are delivered at the neighborhood level.

If you'd like to serve as a member of your Community Board, apply online here! Community Board applications will be open until 5 p.m. on Feb. 14.

Physical applications (downloadable here as a PDF) may also be dropped off at the Manhattan Borough President’s Office or mailed and postmarked by Feb. 14, but online submissions are strongly preferred.

You can find more details about our local board — Community Board 3 — via this link.

Tuesday's parting shot

Move-out day at Addiction NYC on St. Mark's Place ... photo today by Derek Berg...

Wallace was found

Updated 2:55. Turns out Wallace was found yesterday and is back home.

Several readers have shared these lost dog posters that were spotted along Avenue A and Avenue B in recent days. Wallace went missing back on Saturday.

H/T Gojira

A reading series at Odessa

Odessa has been playing host to a literary reading series in recent weeks on Wednesday evenings.

There hadn't been much notice about the events. Now, however, there's a sign up for the readings...



The series, which takes place in the back of the diner (near the bar) on Wednesday evenings, features several guests as well as an open-mic portion. There's a suggested donation of $5 as well as a request to order something from Odessa. (Ed pick: challah grilled cheese!)

Michael Graves, who started the Phoenix Reading Series in the West Village in the late 1990s, is the organizer. Amy Barone, Ron Kolm and Karen Neuberg are the featured poets tomorrow (Wednesday) night. The reading starts at 6 p.m. and runs to 8-9 p.m.

Demolition watch: 270 E. 2nd St.

Workers have prepped the four-story 270 E. Second St. for demolition here between Avenue C and Avenue D.

This is the former home of Barrier Free Living (BFL), the nonprofit that provides transitional housing for survivors of domestic violence with disabilities.

In December 2018, BFL officials unveiled plans for a new state-of-the-art facility to replace its current building.

As a reminder, here's a rendering of the new 12-floor structure, designed by JCJ Architecture ...



And here's more from the news release about the new No. 270:

The new 65,000-square foot facility will provide permanent housing specifically to meet the needs of this population and will include 74 apartments, administrative offices, a rear garden, an elevated outdoor recreation area, and community and support spaces.

The building will challenge assumptions about the aesthetics associated with supportive housing and create a more direct and engaged relationship for residents with the surrounding environment. The new facility is intended to efficiently serve the needs of BFL’s clients, to provide a sense of pride, place and home for residents, and to create a unique architectural presence in the rapidly changing neighborhood where the East Village and Lower East Side converge.

Inspired by the parameters of Mayor de Blasio’s Housing NYC Plan, this project will provide affordable housing and support services for a grossly underserved population. The project team will work alongside agencies and stakeholders including NY State Home and Community Renewal, ESSHI and NY City Board of Standards & Appeals. Funding for related services and rent support will come from the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative.

BFL closed here in April 2018 after 28 years in service. The project was originally expected to be complete in late 2021.

Prince Tea House expanding to the East Village with an outpost on 10th Street

Prince Tea House, with six locations in NYC, is expanding this year, adding several new outposts — including one at 204 E. 10th St. just east of Second Avenue.

The new shop will be located in the currently empty space that last housed the Le Pressing dry cleaners (and perhaps next door?).

Expect some storefront renovations here in the weeks/months ahead... here's a look at the rending for the new 10th Street ...

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Prince Tea House (@princeteahouse) on Jan 16, 2020 at 2:56pm PST

This is a tea-heavy area with several established shops nearby, including Cha-An on Ninth Street ... and Uluh Tea House opened right around the corner on Second Avenue in November 2018.

A new tree nest for El Jardin del Paraiso

In recent weeks, several EVG readers shared the news that a new tree nest is under construction in El Jardin del Paraiso, the community garden on Fourth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D.

Back in the summer, the octagonal treehouse that East Village resident Roderick Romero created in 2003 was removed...


[Photo by Roderick Romero]

Apparently a garden committee member thought the 16-year-old structure had become decrepit. (This article for the Times in 2003 has more background on Romero's structure.)

Romero is not behind this new work, which he complimented in an email.

Monday's parting shot

From the Instagram account (@lesecologyctr) of the Lower East Side Ecology Center: A bald eagle was spotted perched near the Houston Street baseball fields this morning in East River Park.

Also, as previously reported, you can sign the petition to help save the Center's community compost program at this link.

Get well soon, Ray!

[Photo from Friday morning]

Ray Alvarez, the tireless proprietor of Ray's Candy Store at 113 Avenue A, was admitted to the hospital this past Thursday morning for emergency hernia surgery.

Several Ray's regulars have said that he's resting comfortably and doing fine. Word from the shop is that Ray, who just turned 87, wants to return as soon as possible (like, today).

And it sounds as if he's OK. According to Peter Brownscombe, who paid Ray a visit at Beth Israel: "Apparently his first action on coming out of the anesthetic was to get on his phone and order more potatoes for the store."

H/T Dave on 7th and Stacie Joy!

Factory Tamal bringing its freshly made tamales to 4th Street

Factory Tamal, which offers a variety of popular tamales, egg sandwiches and panini from a small take-out space on lower Ludlow Street, is opening an outpost at 63 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square.

The signage arrived a little earlier this month with an expected soft opening on Friday. (And this is a second location — they're keeping the current space at 23 Ludlow St.)

Owner Fernando Lopez makes his own masa — "faithful to the ancient Mayan way," as the Times put it in an August 2017 feature. And the result of his hard work? "Mr. Lopez’s tamales are beautifully fluffy, clingy and crumbly at once, a texture that calls to mind the airiest of poundcakes."

Check out this Eater video from Jan. 2 for a behind-the-scenes look at the process...



No. 63 previously housed Miscelanea NY, the Mexican cafe-market that closed back in June after owner Guillaume Guevara decided to return to his native Mexico.

Thanks to Vinny & O for the photo!

Kissaki debuts on the Bowery this week

Kissaki opens on Wednesday here at 319 Bowery between First Street and Second Street. (We first reported on this arrival back on Sept. 3.)

Mark Garcia, a former chef and partner of sushi bar Gaijin in Astoria, is among those behind this venture that features a 16-seat Omakase bar and a small dining area. There's a cocktail lounge coming soon.

According to the Kissaki website, they'll offer lunch and dinner service. The omakase menu in the evening runs $160 for 12 pieces of seasonal nigiri, three kaiseki-style prepared plates and one dessert.

As previously reported, the restaurant is the first retail tenant for the former Amato Opera. In January 2009, Anthony Amato, the company's 88-year-old founder, announced that he had sold the building that was home to the opera since 1964. Amato Opera staged its last performance in May 2009. (Earlier history: The four-story brick building was a cigar factory from 1899 to 1926.)

Steve Croman bought No. 319 in December 2008 for $3.7 million. The retail space had been on and off the market since at least 2012.

The retail listing had originally asked $34,995. A post on @TradedNY noted the 1,800-square-foot space went for $200 per square foot.

No. 319 also features three luxury residences, with monthly rents between $8,995 and $10,995.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Life after the Amato Opera

• Costume drama on the Bowery as the Amato Opera empties out

• Amato Opera looks to be getting an encore as city OKs residential use

• Work permits arrive at the former Amato Opera on the Bowery

• Residential rentals at the former Amato Opera on the Bowery start at $10,995

• 2nd acts: Sushi counter for the former Amato Opera on the Bowery

Avenue A storefront watch

Obscura Antiques and Oddities has officially closed, and a for rent sign now hangs in the storefront at 207 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street.

A variety of factors led to the closure. "Our lease is up at the end of February and we are a bit burned out," co-owner Mike Zohn told us back in November. "The business has changed as has the neighborhood, plus the expense and overhead are high."

The asking rent for the space is $4,995 — all uses considered, per the listing.

And on Avenue A at Ninth Street... a for rent notice is up at the recently shuttered Arepa Factory. The listing hasn't made it online just yet.



Meanwhile, the corner space — the former Gelarto — has been leased. The brokers didn't disclose who the new tenant is, however.

These spaces, overseen by two difference landlords — Icon on the corner and Steve Croman next door — were home to Cafe Pick Me Up until May 2015...



One last nearby storefront to note... Three Seat Espresso is now officially closed (as of Jan. 19) at 137 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street...



No word on what might be coming to this space.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• A visit to Obscura Antiques and Oddities, closing soon on Avenue A

• After 20-plus years in the East Village, Obscura Antiques and Oddities is closing

• Arepa Factory closes up on Avenue A

• Three Seat Espresso will close by the end of 2019 on Avenue A; founder blames Starbucks

Addiction NYC space for rent on St. Mark's Place

[Photo by Steven]

For rent signs recently arrived at 18 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

Now the tenant, Addiction NYC, the tattoo parlor and smoke shop, is closing. There are sales...


[Photo from Thursday via @EdenBrower]

The business, on the block since 2003, was previously across the street at No. 27. They moved in March 2017.

No. 18 had been on the retail market since November ($158 per square foot!). Per the listing:

• The block is trending with new exciting retail with new building development on the corner in the near future.

• Access to high density student & younger population. Cannot miss on this block!

Meanwhile, I already know what everyone is thinking about for this retail space: BRING BACK CHERRIES! (RIP 2011)

Sunday's parting shot

A reader spotted this on 12th Street east of Avenue A.

Paul Richard just so happens to have a solo show at 212 Arts at 523 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B through Friday...

Week in Grieview

[In Tompkins Square Park Friday via Derek Berg]

Posts this last week included...

• 2nd Avenue gas explosion trial recap (Tuesday)

• Soft opening for Baji Baji on 1st Avenue (Monday)

• A new East Village home for Social Tees (Thursday)

• Discarded flower power (Monday)

• Former Crooked Tree transforming into Isabella on St. Mark's Place (Thursday)

• Bait & Hook has closed (Tuesday)

• Picture this: Details on how you can be part of an East Village photo club (Thursday)

• Report: Half of the units in Raphael Toledano's former East Village portfolio remain vacant (Wednesday)

• Sanpoutei Gyoza & Ramen debuts on 2nd Avenue (Thursday)

• Construction watch: 799 Broadway (Wednesday)

• City Council bill will make sure that your cash is good at all businesses (Friday)

• The artists will run Performance Space New York in 2020 (Friday)

• The Sunshine Cinema closed 2 years ago on this date (Tuesday)

• This East Village view greets visitors to new exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York (Saturday)

• La Mia Pizza coming to 4th Avenue (Wednesday)


[Nice addition on 1st Avenue — photo by Derek Berg]

• Chase unveils its Coffee Shop-replacing sign on Union Square (Tuesday)

• Today in vehicles with diplomatic plates on 6th Street (Friday)

• S'MAC is now open until 5 a.m. on weekends (Friday)

• iSouvlaki Greek Grill on tap for 139 E. 12th St. (Tuesday)

• Police looking for 5 suspects in robbery inside building near 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place (Wednesday)

• NYPD officer pinned between vehicles during traffic stop on Houston and Avenue D (Tuesday)

• Bites of Xi'an looking to make its mark on 10th Street (Wednesday)

• Evening Dew Spa rides off into the sunset on 9th Street (Thursday)

• A random appreciation: the Immaculate Conception Church on 14th Street (Monday)

• Citi Bike docking station arrives on 12th Street at Avenue C (Tuesday)

• Room rental of the day (Monday)

... and a random sunrise photo along Avenue A today...



---

Follow EVG on Instragram or Twitter

Retirement road

On Friday, Chief of Housing James "Jimmy" Secreto retired after 40 years with the NYPD.

And he chose NYPD Police Service Area 4 on Avenue C at Eighth Street for his sign-out ceremony.

EVG contributor Stacie joy shared these photos of his retirement ride, this vintage Plymouth ...





Police Service Area 4 serves 25 New York City Housing Authority developments in the 5th, 7th, 9th, and 10th precincts in Manhattan.

Saturday afternoon's rainbow spectacular

For a moment around 3:45 this afternoon... the above shot is from Avenue A... and a few other vantage points... via Salim...



... and Jeanne Krier...



... and @TimHayesNYC...

This East Village view greets visitors to new exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York

"Collecting New York's Stories: Stuyvesant to Sid Vicious" opened this past week at the Museum of the City of New York.

Per the museum, the exhibit "features highlights drawn from the hundreds of additions to the Museum’s permanent collection over the past three years, running the gamut from the colonial era to the recent past. A gallery of historic and contemporary photographs, currently open, showcases works by both well-known and emerging artists..."

As Lindsay Turley, vice president of collections at the museum, told Gothamist: the exhibit gives people the opportunity to see how New Yorkers have interacted with a city changing "physically, culturally, economically, and aesthetically over more than the past century."

East Village-based photographer Sally Davies has three shots on display. However, her photo titled "Rearview" is the image that greets visitors outside the museum on Fifth Avenue and at the start of the exhibit...



"I had no idea that they were going to use my image to represent the whole show," Davies said via email. "I was absolutely gobsmacked at that 12-foot reproduction that greets you as you walk in... lucky me."

The photo, from 2018, is officially titled "Rearview, From My Apartment on East 5th Street."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by sally davies (@sallydaviesphoto) on Jan 22, 2020 at 10:34am PST

The show remains up until Dec. 31. The museum is at 1220 Fifth Ave. at 103rd Street. It's open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.