Bellet falls on East Fourth Street

The plywood went around the former Bellet Construction site on East Fourth Street near Avenue B last November....



...and it slowly...



...was dismantled to make room for what the building permit describes as a two-family residence.

During recession, local barbers expand their services

On 14th Street between Second Avenue and First Avenue...



On First Avenue between Third Street and Second Street....

Dumpster of the day

Avenue A near 12th Street.

Noted

On Avenue C at East Seventh Street. And, uh, what door?

Something for Joey

This Ain't the Summer of Love reminds us that yesterday marked the 8th anniversary of Joey Ramone's death. Alex also marks the date at Flaming Pablum.

By the way, his 2009 Birthday Bash is coming up on May 19 at the Fillmore/Irving Plaza.

Looking at 89 Clinton Street

Walked by the newly renovated 89 Clinton St. between Delancey and Rivington the other day....



Open house? Don't mind if I do!



The unit I saw was advertised as a three-bedroom apt. The bedrooms -- I only noticed two -- were on the smallish side. But very nice. Tiny closet.



This unit has access to the still-being-groomed outdoor space. You have to share the space with the two apartments below...




Everything about the space, which had two bathrooms, was topnotch... wide plank oak flooring, washer and dryer, high ceilings, dishwasher, exposed brick, pinpoint hallogen lighting, individual climate control and video intercom....There was even a wine thingee in the kitchen for people who don't want to keep wine in the fridge. (Will it also hold beer?)



And all on Clinton Street! According to the realtor's Web site, this is an "Awesome Trendy location."

So...what's the bottom line here for the two-bedroom space? $4,695. Oh, excuse me for a moment.

OK, OK... there's no fee. And there's something about a free month of rent with a two-year lease. And with a two-year lease, there will not be a rent increase. Still, that rent seems like a lot in these recessive times. I was under the impression that prices were coming down... The agent said that most of the units were already rented for a May 1 move-in date. What do I know then.

Oh! And the sales agent was sitting in the living room. His said this could be converted into a third bedroom.

St. Hummus Place?

As my tipster suggested, Hummus Place is expanding into the empty Sympathy for the Kettle space at 109 St. Mark's Place.



And was the matching sign above the door to the apartment building really necessary?

A message from John Penley: "Hey man, I'm in Erie"

In this weeks's issue of The Villager (not yet online), Scoopy gets a call from Slacktivist leader John Penley from Pennsylvania. "Hey man, I'm in Erie ... I'm here. I'm staying, and I'll see what happens."

Red Light District

Avenue B near East Seventh Street. And you call this spring? At least it will feel like spring today and tomorrow and....

Unopened restaurant has stern warning for anyone thinking of soliciting, loitering, littering, etc.

For reasons unknown to even me, I've been keeping an eye on 424 E. 9th St. between First Avenue and Avenue A. The Moroccan-themed Sintir is planning on opening here...(The owners were denied a beer/wine license in February ... there is opposition from members of the Block Association concerned about the possibility of live music here...)



Work continues at the space... and check out this warning on the front window....



Is that stern warning so necessary?

New Yankee Stadium wasn't built in 26 seconds -- or was it? (Plus, where is the old stadium?)

As you read here exclusively, the Yankees have a new stadium. And today is the home opener in said stadium. And here it is being built.



And here is a video uploaded in March 2008 titled "Yankee Stadium 2009 Opening Day Presentation." Notice anything missing in this soundless video? Like the old Yankee Stadium? And what about some of those businesses that line River Avenue? Where's Ball Park Lanes?

April 15 humor

On St. Mark's Place.

Is there a connection between increased unemployment rates and higher crime rates?

The Wall Street Journal explores the topic.

"High unemployment is likely for the rest of 2009. Does that presage a year of violence? Maybe not."

EV Grieve Etc: Mourning Edition

Second business coming to Extra Place? (Grub Street)

Death of a newsstand (BoweryBoogie)

Nusraty Afghan Imports celebrates its Grand Re-Opening today (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

New fancy Tequila bar for EV? (Eater)

Looking at Lift newyork (East Village Podcasts)

Highlights from yesterday’s Landmarks Preservation Commission meeting (Washington Square Park)

Have you looked at Melanie's photos? (Melanie)

Highlights from the Chelsea Hotel Film Festival (Living with Legends)

Listen to Jesus; random clothes at the Pee Phone (Slum Goddess)

And finally.....via Buzzfeed:



"Only GaGa would have the balls to make the 'don't look at me' hand gesture while walking around wearing a wig shaped like a cone. Never change, GaGa!"

If you stare at Blue long enough, it begins to lean

Plus, I didn't realize Blue — at 105 Norfolk on the LES — left space for retail.



Lastly! I did a Google search to double-check Blue's address. Hmmm..."This site may harm your computer." The url or 105 Norfolk?

Help wanted: "Pretty, sexy, must love go go dance"

Unfortunately, this ad on Craigslist has been removed...but not before I did a cut-n-paste...:

Hey ! We are a Friday night party of the Lower East Side. We are looking for GO GO girls. Pretty, sexy, must love go go dance !!! Check out [Web sites redacted] to get the idea / feel of the party type.

We are expecting you to go go and walk around the place and keep up the vibe of the party approximately 11pm-3am. There is a hot body contest at 2am. Also, Open Vodka Bar 10-11.

The party is every 1st and 3rd Friday of the month. We are looking for someone who wants to Go Go more than once. We will be using you again, starting April 17th.

Please reply for all the info :)

Nino's vs. Artichoke

As Grub Street noted last week, Nino's at St. Mark's and Avenue A is now serving an artichoke and spinach pizza, perhaps to rival that of the too-crowded-and-expensive-for-my-tastes Artichoke Basille's around the corner on 14th Street.

So I thought I'd try Nino's new slice for a Very Special Easter Holiday Weekend. With the Christmas tree still up, it's easy to be in the holiday spirit at Nino's.

For starters, can you tell the difference between Nino's ($3) and Artichoke ($4) in the two photos below? (Also, I realize that none of this pizza looks very appetizing thanks to my photos and the lighting. Kind of looks like a car just drove over them...)




Yeah, the top photo is the work of Nino's. (By the way, I love the fountain drinks machine at Nino's.)



Anyway! As for Nino's new artichoke slice... Well, I'm not much of a foodie/reviewer type, though I do like to use "drizzled" and "artisanal" and "seasonal" in everyday conversation... Oh, so Nino's was quite tasty...less of a gutbuster without so much cheese and the overpowering goopy garlic aftertaste of Artichoke. And it's $1 less...and Nino's has fewer annoying people in line...

Also, I've been to Artichoke twice. Back in August. I was walking by and there wasn't a line, so I wanted to see what the fuss was about ... And more recently, well, I just felt like a slice. Too bad I got stuck in line behind the NYU students who were — seriously — debating where the best ski spots are in Switzerland. (Totes, Zermatt!)

Anyway, I swear the slices at Artichoke were smaller during my second visit...the photos don't quite do them justice, but... And the Artichoke slices weren't as good as the first time. But is it ever?

Recently:



August:



P.S.
The reality is that I miss Five Rose's Pizza. That was the best. By the way, a rumormonger at Eater says the Five Rose's space on First Avenue will be home to another pizza place.

Exotic Minature Breeds flier of the day

On Avenue B near Third Street.

Noted

From Page Six:

"THE class structure is alive and well in New York Major League Baseball. Both new stadiums have VIP areas where owners of the highest priced seats won't have to chafe elbows with the unwashed masses. The high rollers have their own entrances, their own bars, concession stands and restrooms that are off-limits to fans in the cheaper seats. At the Mets' home opener at glorious Citi Field Monday night, among those who took advantage of the exclusive Delta 360 Club were Mayor Bloomberg, Gov. Paterson, top cop Ray Kelly, Donald and Melania Trump, Drew Nieporent (who has a Nobu over left field), pharma billionaire Stewart Rahr, taxi banker Andrew Murstein, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who was sharing the home-cooked chicken he brought."

East Village has highest rental vacancy rate in NYC

"Manhattan’s East Village had the highest vacancy rates in March with 3.24 percent of its rental units available, Citi- Habitats said. Soho and TriBeCa, both in Lower Manhattan, had the lowest vacancy rate: 1.84 percent." (Bloomberg)

Reminders: Record Store Day is Saturday

Go to the Record Store Day Web site for info on participating stores. (Dunno how updated the list is... For instance, Etherea's name is on it...)

The only free-standing single-family mansion in Manhattan can be yours (for $30 million)

Seems reasonable to me! Considering what you get at 351 Riverside Drive at the northeast corner of 107th Street, the home known as the Schinasi Mansion. According to New York Architecture, the Schinasi mansion was built in 1909 for Morris Schinasi, an immigrant from Turkey who made his fortune introducing Turkish tobacco to the United States. There's plenty of fascinating history about this space.

This is info on the place from Brown Harris Stevens, who featured the pad in their spring-summer 2009 "Important Residential Properties" catalog:

This magnificent mansion, built in 1909 by William Tuthill, the architect who designed Carnegie Hall, is presently the only free-standing single-family mansion in Manhattan. It is an exquisite French Renaissance jewel box executed in pristine white marble, boasting deep green roof tiles and bronze grills on the balconies and at the main entrance. The building is 41' wide and 73' deep, surrounded by private grounds, and located on a corner lot overlooking the Hudson River. The Interior is approximately 12,000 square feet, comprised of four stories plus an English basement. An extraordinary amount of unique original detail has been retained and the mansion has superb views, with luminescent sunlight glass windows. Exterior space is approximately 3,400 square feet. There are numerous fireplaces, a library, and other grand public rooms. Truly a European palazzo.

Among other features (like FIVE kitchens!), the mansion had a tunnel down to the Hudson River for bringing in tobacco. Unfortunately, this has been sealed up. (Or so they claim!)

According to a May 1997 article in the Times:

In 1979, Hans Smit, a law professor at Columbia University, bought the building, and has been working on the restoration for almost two decades. In an interview last month, he said he was now "just a couple of inside doors" short of a complete interior restoration. The new exterior iron doors are among the final touches on the exterior restoration. The outside is presentable, but not pristine. "If I really fix up the outside, the undesirable elements will pay attention" Smit says. "When I bought it, most people said, 'You're a raving maniac.'

But it's the best investment I ever made."

I'll say! After Morris Schinasi died in 1930, the place became a finishing school for girls. According to an April 2007 article in the Times: "By the 1960s, the mansion had been bought by Columbia University as part of a larger land purchase. At different times, its tenants were an Episcopal private school, a publication called the Digest of Soviet Press and a day care center.

"Then in 1979, Dr. Smit noticed the house while biking and bought it from Columbia for $325,000. He has been working on its restoration for nearly three decades."

Also, as the article points out, Smit "has never lived in the house but rents it out for movie shoots, including the Woody Allen film 'Bullets Over Broadway,' and holds pizza parties for his students there. His son, Robert, also a lawyer, has lived in the home since the early 1980s after he graduated from college, sharing it with his two daughters in a much more relaxed style than the original owner."

The New York Sun reported in September 2006 that Smit lived in the house when he wasn't at "his home in upstate New York, or his Chateau in Burgundy, France." By the way, his son is Robert Smit, a partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.

Anyway, as far as I can tell, the house, er, mansion, was put on the market for $31 million in 2006. The price was lowered to $20 million. Now, it's back up to $30 million. In 2007, there was reportedly interest in the property by a foundation seeking a headquarters and a British men’s club.

Oh, and there's a video tour here. As your hostess, Felise Gross of Brown Harris Stevens, says in the video, it will be another 100 years before another property like this hits the market. So hurry!

For further reading:
Morris Schinasi and the Manisa Children's Hospital (Turk of America)

People who viewed 351 Riverside Drive also viewed...former William Randolph Hearst mansion in Beverly Hills for $165 million (Yahoo!)

Easter Sunday at the Blarney Cove

Who keeps playing the Joe Cocker on the jukebox? Like Kansas' "Dust in the Wind" is any better. Jimmy figures you can live to 100 by drinking and having sex. Maria says she doesn't drink or have sex anymore. But she has a short beer after her shift. Jimmy figures he has another 10 years. Or at least two years, he admits. The Yankees lose. Who's this closer for Kansas City anyway? He's quite good. Now it's John Denver and "Take Me Home, Country Roads" -- first the live version, then the studio recording. Can you skip the jukebox, or is that rude? Is the person in the green hoodie a man or a woman? (Doesn't anyone notice the sideburns?) Ah, Leonard Cohen. Squiggy is asking who won the NCAA men's basketball tournament. "North Carolina." Angel Cabrera wins the Masters! Who is he again? He's from Argentina, not Nicaragua. By the way, does anyone know that the heat is on in here?

Extra Place is now officially a Dead End

As the new city sign on the left shows...
Previously on EV Grieve: The End of Extra Place

An independent film shoot at Sophie's

On Saturday morning, there was a small film crew assembled in front of Sophie's. Perhaps Bourdain was back for seconds?




Uh, nope...I asked one of the fellows standing there what was happening...he said it was a small independent film. This was their first day of shooting...and they were expecting to be done for the day by the opening 2 p.m. bell at Sophie's.

Overpowered by Funk

Filmmaker Paul Dougherty passed along the link to his most recent creation, White Collar Funk 1. (A sequel to his July 2008 video White Collar Funk.)

As Paul notes on YouTube, "In the summer of 1975 while working on E. 23rd St. I'd take a porta-pak out at lunchtime for people watching and capturing street scenes. The area, not *that* different from today, was east of the Flatiron building (district) and was/is kind of a office area, lacking the glamour of midtown (hence the tape name). A little like today, it harkened to an earlier era. It was grey and gritty and I liked it just fine. Besides the office workers, some "street" types came from a welfare hotel(s) east of Lexington. I'm pretty shy so I couldn't bring myself to follow or go up to people, so I did a kind of surveillance. For those reasons many of the shots are very short. Anyway taken together you get a feel for a NY street at the time. Enjoy."

Previous Paul Dougherty videos posted on EV Grieve can be accessed here.

Ulterior motives

On Avenue C.

Noted

From the Times today:

Much Vilified, Financial Titans Find a Friend in Bloomberg

By DAVID W. CHEN

The mayor’s refusal to echo the chorus of anti-business criticism is refreshing to the financial community, but critics say he is too cozy with his business-class brethren.

Dumpster of the Day

Avenue C at East Seventh Street.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

From a party to a protest: Bob Arihood has photos and a narrative from Saturday night's CATastrophe event (Neither More Nor Less)

Six Years Ago Today: Mainstream media Hailed "End" of Iraq War (Editor & Publisher)

Heroin is cheaper than a six-pack of beer (CNN)

Why young Americans still want to move to NYC (New York)

Discussion: What was the hipster? (New York Observer)

Plastic and rubber on Canal (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

A 1930 street fair on East 12th Street (Ephemeral New York)

The return of Chico?

Back on March 5, we did a post on a new mural by Chico/Tats Cru at Houston and Avenue B. It was our impression that this was Chico's last work before moving to Florida.



Well, maybe not. Spotted this on Houston and Avenue B...at the exact spot of their last mural....

The Remaking of Pelham 123

We did a little moaning hereabouts at this time last year over the remaking of one of our favorite NYC films, "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three."

Anyway, the posters are up and the trailers are out for the Denzel-Travolta remake coming June 12. We don't feel much better about this.



And the original trailer from 1974...



For further reading on EV Grieve:
New York City subway films of the 1970s