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

More on the EV ATM skimmers

The Post yesterday had more on the ATM skimmers found at two East Village banks.

"I was at the Chase Bank on the corner of 2nd Avenue and East 10th Street, where the old Second Avenue Deli used to be," said 34-year-old New Yorker, Sean Siebel. "I was on my way to get a haircut and stopped to get cash but noticed something was wrong with the ATM card slot."

When Siebel, who works for Microsoft, inserted his card the machine produced an error message. "Then my card came out really slowly like it was being obstructed," Siebel added.

He jiggled the card slot to try to get his card out and the plastic front piece, which he thought looked odd, came away easily in his hand. "It was just stuck on with tape -- there was a magnetic-card reader inside and a USB port."

Siebel said he took his find inside the bank and asked for help. Maria Pascuas, the assistant branch manager, "immediately freaked out," he said, telling Siebel she had heard of similar devices elsewhere but not in New York City.

Pascuas then called Chase security and sent Siebel on his way. "I asked her if she wanted my details and if I should file a police report but she said no," Siebel said.

The Consumerist first broke the story. Here are some other ATM-skimmer links.

And isn't easier to just crash a van into the ATM and haul it off...?

For further reading on EV Grieve:
Avenue ATM (aka, how many stupid ATMs does one block need?)

The R&S Strauss signs are gone

Last Monday we noted that R&S Strauss on 14th Street and Avenue C had been sold... And now, the signs have been removed...

There's no such thing as a free lunch....

OK, so I looked. Based on this ad on East Seventh Street at First Avenue, went to NBC's new New York Locals Only Web site.



Anyway, while there, you can vote on the city's "best 'old' bar," McSorley's or Old Town.

Coming soon on Avenue B: "Exclusive Smoke Shop and Deli Corp."

The Tibetan specialty shop Lhasa Boutique on Avenue B near Fourth Street closed up in February. Replacing it: Looks like another convenience store.




This addition will bring the empty storefronts total down to 21.

New Armani Exchange campaign captures exactly the mood of how we look, feel, live

What lies beneath?

Have you taken the interactive tour of the Seward Park/LES area yet? A good spring activity. The Villager did a piece on the project last October. Dunno, though, if Kicking over the Traces ask this question: Why hasn't the largest tract of vacant city-owned property below 96th Street been touched in decades?

The woman who "captured graffiti’s golden and assaultive years"

The Times has a feature on Martha Cooper, the photographer who captured the prolific NYC graffiti artists of the 1970s-1980s. As the paper notes, her 1984 book “Subway Art,” created with Henry Chalfant, a photographer and filmmaker, "captured graffiti’s golden and assaultive years."

The above photo from 1980 by Cooper at the East 180th Street subway platform in the Bronx.

Dueling Easter egg hunts

Some chicks and a bunny on Avenue A

At Lucy's.

To your Easter

Something for the 33-and-under crowd this Easter

At the New Museum, 235 Bowery. The Younger than Jesus exhibit started last Wednesday.

Related reading:
Department of Bad Exhibition Titles: "Younger Than Jesus" at the New Museum

Happy "Gang Initiation Day"

"A violent Easter ritual has Times Square businesses beefing up security as they brace for a surge in post-Auto Show gang activity this weekend. Easter Sunday -- which has become known as "Gang Initiation Day" because of the parade of hoods wearing Bloods colors who swarm the area -- has scared tourists and store owners alike." (New York Post)

Noted

Doing yoga with your dog. (The New York Times)

[Photo: Michael Nagle for The New York Times]

Though somehow, this still seems really expensive (call me when it drops to $29,999)

From the Times:

Bargain seekers, nostalgists and ascetics, take heart: the $200,000 apartment has returned to Manhattan.

And breathe easy: the location is not Yorkville or bust. At these prices, you’d be excused for imagining a box perched on the West Side Highway — or at the very least, a treacherous trek to the subway. Instead, you’ll find properties in Carnegie Hill; Avenue B in the East Village; Tudor City; and the East 50s, 70s and 80s.

Brokers and sellers expressed mild shock — and in some cases outright chagrin — that prime Manhattan property can now be had for a fraction of an A.I.G. bonus.

“When was the last time I saw these prices?” said Dan Danielli, a broker at Halstead Property. “Not in a long time. Let’s put it that way.”

"Oh, you know, it's bank, nail salon, bank, nail salon, bank, nail salon"

I missed this piece in the Observer yesterday titled, "Chloe Sevigny, Miss East Village, Waxes on Changing Nabe and Embattled Beatrice"

It's about Ms. Sevigny being at the 158th-anniversary party for Kiehl's.

A few snippets:

"If Kiehl's were a woman, she'd be Chloe!" the president of Kiehl's, Chris Selgardo, declared to the Daily Transom. Mr. Selgardo, a bulky, muscular man with a thick black beard, was dressed casually in jeans, a muscle shirt and a blazer. "We love Chloe. Someone like Chloe, she's just so East Village."

And!

Given that Ms. Sevigny and the store are both residents of the East Village, we asked Mr. Selgardo how he felt about his little apothecary being surrounded by all the shiny glass buildings sprouting up in the area. (One Ten Third, for instance, which has gone up directly across the street.)

"Yes, that was new, that was definitely new," he replied. "The Village has changed, but it's not so bad. New York is cleaned up. But, I think, more so than any other part of the city, it remains very spirited and very interesting. But, you know, I don't want to see a Pottery Barn on the corner."

And Ms. Sevigny? How does the 34-year actress think the neighborhood has changed?

"Oh, you know, it's bank, nail salon, bank, nail salon, bank, nail salon," she replied. "The Subway across the street from Veselka, it's just an eyesore. The bigger chains coming in everywhere, it's depressing. You know what really bugs me about the neighborhood, actually? The students! The N.Y.U. kids and they've opened an SVA dorm near my house, so now it's even more."

Konged

The 1976 version of "King Kong" is playing on AMC these days. It's fun in that hey-here's-an-awful-movie-playing-now-on-AMC-and-don't-Jessica-Lange-and-Jeff-Bridges-make-a-nice-couple? kind of way.

Noted

The LES legend continues...Yes, it's Lady GaGa:

"I do have a bit of a rock and roll heart even though I'm a pop artist. But I'm a different kind of punk. I like clean, sophisticated lines and detail, which is why I love Chanel and Versace!"

"If people are inspired by my looks, then I love that I'm affecting culture. But I do think that whatever your influence you have to be careful to execute properly."

Have a good Friday

Things that will get you in the mood for Easter if...

...you like chocolate crosses...



...or Flamin' Jesus shots...(at the Double Down on Avenue A)

At St. Brigid's: That sinking feeling

In his most recent letter to parishioners (dated March 25), Edwin Torres, chairman of the Committee to Save St. Brigid’s, reported that the steeples at the church on Avenue B at Eighth Street will not be replaced as previously reported.

Torres also reported that the church's entire foundation needs to be stabilized. Why?

"The church sits on what is basically porridge," he wrote. "There is no bedrock until you reach 92 feet. There is also an underground stream which runs very close to the property."

However serious, Torres said he's confident the problem "is being addressed by well-qualified people with experience and knowledge in restoration."

This is the No. 1 bar in NYC?

Something called The Clubplanet Nightlife Directory has named its top-10 bars of NYC. And No. 1 bestest of the best bars?

#1 Best Bar in NYC
Elsa
217 East 3rd Street
New York, NY 10003

Just when you think East Village will forever stay in its un-gentrified hip-ness, a snazzy, upscale place like Elsa opens, as if the be-seen type of bars simply spilled out of the over-packed Lower East Side, and nestled in the surrounding neighborhoods. Well, the better for East Village scenesters. One thing is sure— if you like your drinks well-mixed, Elsa is the place to be, mostly due to its signature cocktails, courtesy of the best bartending pros, which is why its made our list as one of the best bars in New York City. And in case you were wondering about an appropriate outfit — you can get tailored on the spot two days a week. Elsa is styled after a tailor shop, but those old-school sewing machines are not a simple decoration. Now, we’ve already heard about linking the idea of shopping and drinking (boutique lounges), or drinking and doing your nails (Beauty Bar), but drinking while waiting for your hand-made jacket, that’s quite a new take on New York watering holes’ versatility.

Why have these storefronts been empty for so long?

Today, Jeremiah has a list of places loved — or just well-liked — around town that have been sitting empty with "for rent" signs.

Meanwhile, there are other storefronts in the LES/East Village that have seemingly been empty for years... Look at the recent photo below taken by the EV Grieve Intern of the former Tina Nails on First Avenue near 14th Street. The "Dear customers" sign remains. The place has been closed since September 2007.



Or how about the Coffee Pot (and, since last fall, Two Boots Restaurant) on Avenue A? Or the long dormant (and jinxed?) restaurant space at 171 Avenue A...?

These storefronts all seem like prime EV/LES locations. What gives? Shit economy? (Though some of these places have been empty since the recession...) Jinxed locations? Stupid landlords?

Here are just a few of the storefronts that remain empty....

There's the former Tonic space on Norfolk, sitting empty next to Blue.



And Kelley & Peng on the Bowery and Second Street.



Second Avenue and Third Street. (The one with the CRAZY landlord!)



East Sixth Street near Avenue A.



East Sixth Street near First Avenue.



Third Avenue near 12th Street.



First Avenue between First Street and Second Street.



First Avenue near East Seventh Street.



For further reading on EV Grieve:
Cafe de Nova space for rent; Avenue B back up to 22 vacant storefronts

A 35-year-old former Ivy League fencer and “Star Wars” buff is pretty much running the city

Well, at least according to the Times. Meet Edward Skyler! (Kind of like Skywalker!)

(And that's NOT Mr. Skyler in the photo.)

A little creativity outside a Duane Reade

On Third Avenue and 10th Street.