Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo of the new East Village Meat Market sign on Second Avenue by Steven) 

• RIP Patricia Kennealy-Morrison (Tuesday) 

• Former tenants of the fire-destroyed 48 E. 7th St. want to hear from landlord Faith Popcorn (Monday)

• Thanks to Humans of New York, Mary O's will be making scones for the foreseeable future (Wednesday) 

 • Advocacy group: Mayor 'overrules' comptroller on East River Park reconstruction contract (Monday) 

• Police searching for suspect who fired a shot outside the Ace Bar on 5th Street (Wednesday) 

• Celebrating Luna's 2nd birthday (Tuesday)

• Broken stage rail derails show at Webster Hall (Sunday) 

• At the LESUPA Reunion 2021 (Saturday) 

• Checking in on the intersection of 7th Street and 1st Avenue (Thursday) 

• Pete's Tavern is back open (Tuesday) 

• Empty 5th Street lot seeks $2.75 million (Wednesday) 

• Planet Taco reenters 2nd Avenue's orbit (Thursday)

• Oh-K! Another Korean-style hot-dog chain to give the East Village a go (Tuesday) 

• New 2nd Avenue sushi restaurant unveils attempt at humor (Monday) 

• 1st round of necessary permits OK'd for the incoming Wegmans (Thursday) 

• New boutique office building on East Houston shows off some glass (Monday) 

• Craft beer specialists Top Hops on tap for Zero Irving food hall (Wednesday) 

• Dumpling Lab to test out 9th Street (Thursday) 

• The FedEx Office Print & Ship Center is shipping off to a new storefront on East Houston (Tuesday) 

• 75 Degrees Cafe & Bakery slated for this 7th Street storefront (Monday) 

• An August break for Baker's Pizza (Monday) 

• Two Perrys makes first appearance on Avenue C (Tuesday)

• Local blogger annoyed by new blog look (Thursday) 

And: This past week, workers removed the tree adjacent to the Con Ed substation here on Fifth Street at Avenue A ...

... and replaced by a hard drive...

While we can't recall the exact condition of the tree, the tree well was a well-known rat hotspot.

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Expect some 'Meet Cute' moments this week

Filming notices are up along First Avenue and on parts of Sixth Street (and elsewhere?) for "Meet Cute," a romantic comedy starring Kaley Cuoco and Pete Davidson. 

Per Deadline:

"Meet Cute" ... is a wildly inventive deconstruction of the romantic comedy built around the question: What would you do if you could travel to your loved ones’ past, heal their traumas, fix their problems, and change them into the perfect partner?

The production started filming in NYC this past week. Per these notices, the crews will be here this week Monday through Wednesday. 

 

About Tompkinstock today in Tompkins Square Park

Today, the Meetles, the local classic-rock tribute band, are paying homage to Woodstock (52nd anniversary) with this Tompkinstock lineup ... 

• 1 p.m. The Meetles 

• 2:15 p.m. Michael G Potter (singer/songwriter)

• 3 p.m. The Beatles @ Shea Stadium '65 revisited by The Meetles 

• 4 p.m. RAGA ensemble with Morgan Horowitz/Andru Cann/Jansen Bennet 

• 4:45 p.m. The Meetles & friends/52nd Anniversary of Woodstock

Saturday's parting shot

A moment from the second Saturday of Summer Streets along Fourth Avenue today... thanks to Jeanne Krier for the photo!

At the LESUPA Reunion 2021

Going back to last Saturday for this photo feature by EVG contributor Stacie Joy, who has attended the reunion hosted by the Lower East Side Unity & Pride Association in recent years. 

This annual event is an opportunity for many longtime neighborhood residents — representing various local schools, clubs and organizations — and their families to gather in East River Park (at 10th Street). Here's a look at the 2021 edition...

You can find Stacie's photos from the 2020 reunion here ... and 2019 here.

A holiday break for B&H

In case you were thinking about going to B&H Dairy in the near future... may want to do it sooner rather than later: The kosher lunch counter will be going on an August break starting on Monday... returning to service on Aug. 25. 

B&H Dairy: 127 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. Phone: (212) 505-8065.

Also... Il Posto Accanto will be on a break after dinner service tomorrow, with a reopening date of Aug. 24.

Il Posto Accanto: 190 E. Second St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. Phone: (212) 228-3562.

Summer in the City returns to 3rd and B'zaar TODAY

Summer in the City is back today at 3rd & B’Zaar.

The mixed-vendor market and event space at 191 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B is hosting another day-long pop-up today featuring more than 20 local artists, designers and vintage sellers indoors and out from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Jane's Exchange next door will be in on the action too!)

 Here are a few scenes from the first SITC on July 24 via EVG contributor Stacie Joy...

3rd & B’Zaar debuted late last year with a month-long Holiday Market ... followed by Sex, Love & Vintage in February and Spring Into Pride in May and June...  with several art shows along the way.

Friday's parting shot

Keeping cool on 11th Street today... thanks to Lola Sáenz for the photo...

One's own worst enema

Surfbort released a new single and video yesterday. Please enjoy "White Claw Enema Bong Hit."

This Friday the 13th is a lucky day for Lucy's reopening on Avenue A

After a two-week break (per usual this time of year), Blanche's Lucy's Tavern — aka Lucy's — reopens this evening here at 135 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. 

Happy Friday the 13th!

Photo from last summer by Stacie Joy

EVG Etc.: Analyzing NYC's Census data; protesting the mayor's plan to demolish East River Park

Photo on Seventh Street by Derek Berg 

• 2020 census shows NYC's diverse population grew (Daily News via MSN ... more analysis at The City)

• Supreme Court blocks part of New York's eviction moratorium (The Hill) 

• Speaking out against the current plan to demolish East River Park (The Indypendent ... previously on EVG) 

• Police make arrest in near-fatal stabbing on the LES (amNY) 

• Details on Pria Chouhan's Indian-Mexican concept at Desi Galli on Avenue B (Time Out ... previously on EVG)

• Updates on the debate over the city's Open Restaurants program, with a focus on the East Village (Gothamist) 

• Latest curbside-dining amenity: air conditioning (Eater)

• History of Hartman Triangle, the narrow park where Second Street, East Houston Street and Avenue C all meet (Off the Grid) 

• Trying the tasty tofu pockets at Yubu on Seventh Street (Gothamist ... previously on EVG)

[Updating] Local blogger annoyed by new blog look

There's trouble behind the scenes at evgrieve.com, where a new template — and new fonts — inexplicably made their way onto the Blogger platform. 

As you may recall, there were template/HTML changes last fall that made uploading photos and copy more tedious. 

Meanwhile, as of this evening, the classic EVG template that you've come to enjoy these past 37 years is now apparently gone for good. 

For now, we'll be working on some repairs in the background, which may mean a lack of new posts here in the near future. We'll also see if we can restore all the EVG mixtapes to our MySpace page. 

So please excuse this rather funky look as we stare at our computer.

Updated 

8/13 9:09 a.m.

I am pleased that everyone has bought the "template" story.

So I'd like to introduce you to the EVG OnlyFans page account!

Kidding!

For real, thank you for the kind words — even the commenters who said "If you don't like new Blogger templates, then move to Iowa" and "Blogger used to be such a safe platform" and "Blogger has always been about change." 

So Blogger will let you return to the Classic template that EVG has used since Dec. 21, 2007.

But!

I won't be able to do much with it, such as have access to the theme designer.

Meanwhile, the inventory of available Blogger templates to choose from are uniformly awful — wait till you see their Soho Pink (for real!).

Updated 

8/13 2:24 p.m.

We've spent the day with the Ping Intelligence Team and have made progress with restoring the content to the side of the site (archives, etc.). There is no going back on the previous template (RIP December 2007-August 2021) and will move forward with the Best of the Worst template currently available. 

Thank you for your patience and kind words!

Where to find a local cooling center

The city is under an Excessive Heat Warning through 8 tonight. 

According to the National Weather Service, we're facing "dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 107." There's also an Excessive Heat Watch for tomorrow. 

The above graphic — via Loisaida Community Fridge — shows three cooling centers in the neighborhood. This map has more locations in the city. 

Meanwhile, the city is asking people to conserve energy, etc. ...

Turn off any appliances that you don't need on right now, turn off lights, and avoid things like running the laundry if you can.

— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) August 12, 2021

Checking in on the intersection of 7th Street and 1st Avenue

Last week, EVG regular Daniel Efram reported on the hellish roadwork consuming the west side of First Avenue at Seventh Street.

Crews reporting to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) returned to the intersection to replace portions of the water main back in May. 

As previously reported, there were back-to-back breaks here in late December. The multiple ruptures sent water rushing into businesses and residences along Seventh Street between First Avenue and Avenue A. 

Neighbors talked about an all-consuming noise, both during the day when the work crew was on the scene, and after-hours when cars and trucks would pass over the multiple metal plates on the roadway.

Neighbors now report a slight improvement, as workers removed some of the metal plates and hauled away stacks of old pipes and other constructions materials left scattered on the curb along Seventh Street (thanks to Steven for these photos...)

Over the weekend, the Post picked up our story (even linking to EVG, a rarity — clunk).

The folks at E7 Deli & Cafe on the northeast corner of First Avenue and Seventh Street are understandably not happy. A few hours after their grand opening this past December one of the water main breaks flooded the basement.

"It is a big pain in the ass, I am pissed off," E7 owner Esam Alreyashi told the paper about the ongoing construction. "There's noise every day."

Local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera's office has been working with the DEP to clean up the site and do a better job of securing the metal plates.

The Post also got a comment from a DEP spokesperson:

"The ongoing upgrades to the critical infrastructure that serves the East Village must be carried out in a way that respects the residents and businesses in the area and we have directed our contractors to take several steps to ensure that this happens. Inspectors will be following up with regular visits."

Still no word on an end date for the work.

Planet Taco to reenter 2nd Avenue's orbit today

After a nearly two-month closure, Planet Taco reopens today. 

Per the door signage, "we are all systems go."

As noted last week, an unspecified utility in the building here at 141 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street had kept the newish quick-serve taco shop out of action. (Planet Taco debuted in March; the temporary closure started in mid-June.)

The reopening signage also notes that they will be offering a limited menu for now — which may not be a bad thing as even fans of the place said that the extensive offerings can be overwhelming. 

Not sure what the new hours will be: they were previously open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

1st round of necessary permits OK'd for the incoming Wegmans

The Landmark's Preservation Commission (LPC) has approved what is likely the first of many permits needed for the build-out of the Wegmans site on Astor Place. 

This is a bit of a formality, as no one that we're aware of was speaking out against renovations for the Kmart-replacing grocery at the landmarked 770 Broadway between Eighth Street and Ninth Street. You can read the approved LPC permit here. 

Wegmans signed a 30-year lease last month for what will be the grocer's first Manhattan outpost. It is scheduled to open in the second half of 2023.

Kmart closed in this space after 25 years on July 11. Wegmans had agreed to buy out Kmart's lease to make this deal possible.

H/T Upper West Sider! 

Dumpling Lab to test out 9th Street

The East Village is about to get another dumpling option.

Signage is now up for Dumpling Lab at 214 E. Ninth St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. (Thanks jba for the photo!)

The Dumpling Lab website describes this as "a contemporary Tsingtao-inspired" restaurant.

Tsingtao, known for its beer, has rich offerings of the most flavorful seafood in Northern China. Seafood dumplings and Chinese tapas are the main focus at Dumpling Lab. 

Based on the photos of the dining room, Dumpling Lab looks to be more of a sit-down experience rather than a grab-and-go spot.

No word just yet on an opening date.