First look at PermaBase, opening soon on Third Avenue

Ha. Just kidding about the PermaBase. Old construction joke.

It's actually going to be a Japanese restaurant called Kotobuki here on Third Avenue near 10th Street... and we're sure their food won't taste like cement board...

Strangely enough, during my last reading here, I envisioned this happening

The "for rent" sign went up Friday on East Third Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

Breaking: First frozen leaky hydrant of the season

11th Street and Third Avenue ... via Matt LES_Miserable ...

'CHARAS Comes Home For The Holidays' ends with arrests

Today, members of the community as well as Occupy Wall Street came together to mark the 10th anniversary of the eviction of CHARAS (aka El Bohio Community Center) on Ninth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C. (A flyer for the event is here.)

People met at noon... and, led by the Hungry March Band, paraded through Tompkins Square Park for a "holiday party and community potluck" — dubbed "Charas Comes Home For The Holidays" — on Ninth Street. Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping "Earthalujah" choir were among the performers.

Bobby Williams was along for first leg of the parade...

According to The Observer, the NYPD arrested several people on Ninth Street ... As The Observer's Henry Krempels wrote:

As the banging progressively grew louder the New York Police Department became aware of the disruption, dispatching five cars which pulled up only minutes after the drumming began. From then on, they attempted to get the situation under control, resulting in at least three arrests and numerous confrontations. Police at the scene declined to comment on what those arrested were charged with, and as The Observer was leaving one of the arrestees was let out of the car, but remained in handcuffs.

The crowd, who were ushered to the other side of the street, stood on the sidewalk chanting “Viva Charas!” and “Tear it Down!” while officers cleaned up the mess.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Will old PS 64 get a theater for nonprofit groups?

Rebranded P.S. 64 up for grabs: Please welcome University House at Tompkins Square Park to the neighborhood

'Public Assembly' for the former P.S. 64 on Friday

Celebrating the arrival of Jesus one week early in the East Village

Tim Tebow humor spotted at Standings on Seventh Street. Posted by Here Comes the Pun.

H/t Neighborhoodr.

Week in Grieview

RIP Anthony Amato (Thursday)

The Sunburnt Cow reopens after drug bust (Friday)

More details on the Schwimmer Estate (Tuesday)

Ben Shaoul gets The Landmarks Preservation Commission moving (Thursday)

Astor Place cube pranked (Wednesday)

Tompkins Square Bagels (soft) opens (Friday)

The 6th Street Kitchen space is for rent (Wednesday)

The Bean opens its Second Avenue location (Monday)

EV Grieve reader David Cross is moving to Brooklyn (Wednesday)

First sign of Michael White's new pizza place on Second Avenue (Thursday)

Hospital Productions closes shop (Tuesday)

99-cent pizza coming to Avenue C (Thursday)

Tonight at Unsilent Night

Ending the parade in Tompkins Square Park... by Bobby Williams...

The holiday line for pastrami

Outside Katz's this afternoon. By Dave on 7th.

Against all 'Oddities'

The third-season premiere of "Oddities" is on the Science Channel tonight at 9. In the Post today, TV critic Linda Stasi gives the show three out of four stars. Excerpt:

The series takes place in New York’s East Village shop, Obsurca Antiques & Oddities, at 280 East 10th Street, one of the few true peculiar shops left in this city, where strange and disgusting have been smothered by expensive and chic.

BoweryBoogie notes that the "Best of Oddities" premieres on New Year's Eve.

Unsilent Night tonight — and now with an app

[Unsilent Night last year by Bobby Williams]

Time for the annual Unsilent Night, the boombox caroling walk... Composer Phil Kline's holiday tradition got its start in 1992... meeting place is 7 at the Arch at Washington Square Park... and the group makes its way over to Tompkins Square Park.

The official website is here. The Times has a piece on the new Unsilent Night app here. Still, long live the boombox.

Tomorrow in Tompkins Square Park: CHARAS/El Bohio Community Center celebration

Stars at noon... with a march over to the former CHARAS/PS 64 space on Ninth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C...

You can read more about this here in The Villager this week.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Will old PS 64 get a theater for nonprofit groups?

Rebranded P.S. 64 up for grabs: Please welcome University House at Tompkins Square Park to the neighborhood

'Public Assembly' for the former P.S. 64 on Friday

More about that potbellied pig walking around Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Bobby Williams, who was told this was all some part of some music video. Previously.

The Sunburnt Cow will be open this weekend

A statement form the Sunburnt Cow folks after Thursday night's drug bust....

The Sunburnt Cow will open this weekend and honor all reservations and specials as usual, including the Endless Brunch. After Sunday, December 18th, we will close and remain so until the police complete their investigation. We plan to reopen in time for our annual New Year’s celebration.

We are working with the authorities to bring about a swift and just resolution to this issue and want to reiterate that we had no prior knowledge of illegal drug activity on our premises. We do not and will not condone, endorse or tolerate such behavior at any of our establishments. During this temporary closure, we invite all of our loyal patrons to visit The Sunburnt Calf, Bondi Road and The Sunburnt Calf Brooklyn to experience the quality and service that has made The Sunburnt Cow a local favorite for the past 10 years.

Heathe St. Clair
Moo Life Group

Life on Mars

The Cramps with "Weekend on Mars" circa 1978.

[Updated] FDNY blocks off part of First Avenue

[Photo via @MaryJSums]

Per a reader: "Lots of fire dept action on First Ave between First and Second Streets for the last half hour. Lots of firemen going in and out of [Lil' Frankie's] and the block closed off."

Bobby Williams was on the scene and took these photos... Lil Frankie's passes along word that they are open tonight... the FDNY extinguished a small blaze this afternoon, according to several EVG readers on the scene ... (DNAinfo has a report here.)

Just another photo of someone walking their potbellied pig around Tompkins Square Park

Via Dave on 7th this afternoon... not sure what this was all about just yet... a photo crew was along for Buddy's walk...

Sunburnt Cow releases statement about last night's NYPD bust

Here's the statement sent to us by the Sunburnt Cow's rep:

On Thursday, December 15th, The Sunburnt Cow was closed due to suspected illegal drug activity taking place on the premises. This activity comes as a shock to the entire Moo Life Group family and is not something that we endorse, condone or had prior knowledge of. We are currently working with the New York City Police Department to ensure that justice is served so we can get back to serving the public very soon. The health and safety of our patrons is a priority to us and we will do everything we can in order to make sure that our establishments support that mission.

Heathe St. Clair
The Moo Life Group

Previously on EV Grieve:
NYPD shuts down the Sunburnt Cow

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning edition

[Hanging out in front of the 7-Eleven on the Bowery the other afternoon, by Bobby Williams]

A Catholic Womanpriest leads mass on East Fourth Street (WNYC)

Overheard at Key Food (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

Meet the owners of Ciao For Now (The Villager)

An interview with Arleen Schloss (The Lo-Down)

A retrospective of Chico's work at Houston and Avenue B (BoweryBoogie)

About "murderers’ alley" (Ephemeral New York)

Holiday scenes (The Gog Log)

Tompkins Square Bagels is now officially open

At 167 Avenue A near 10th Street.

Previously.

[A little earlier today... via Dave on 7th]

This Seventh Street co-op studio fetched nearly $200,000 at an auction

An EV Grieve reader told me about attending the New York County Public Administrator's real-estate auction on Dec. 8. I've heard about these, but have no idea what's involved... (To bid, you take a certified or official bank check equal to 10 percent of the minimum bid and payable to the public administrator.)

The auction took place at The Surrogate Court Building on Chambers and Centre. Two of the properties that people bought were in the East Village, according to Malcolm Carter's blog at Charles Rutenberg Realty:

• 512 E. 11th St., #2D, estate of Carl Grimmett, 295 square feet, studio, $300 maintenance, income limited, $110,000 minimum bid/sold for $152,000

• 204 E. 7th St., #12, estate of Gary Walden, 304 square feet, one bedroom, $375 maintenance, $43,000 minimum/sold for $194,000

Per Carter:

The first property offered, a 304-sf co-op in poor condition at 204 E. 7th St., had 15-20 bidders jammed in front of a long conference table at which city officials and lawyers were seated as the sale of Unit 12 began.

Bids for the apartment rose in uncharacteristically high increments, skyrocketing to $194,000 versus the $43,000 minimum. The winning amount was an unlikely 451 percent of the upset price.

The reader noted that both East Village units were in "really bad shape," but "could be very cool renovation projects."

So how bad is "really bad"? Here are two photos from 204 Seventh St.:

Interesting that even a 300-square-foot studio in this current state would fetch nearly $200,000. And some people consider this a good deal. Tells you something about the current state of real estate here.

Noted

Rent 2012	UCBcomedy.com
Watch more comedy videos from the twisted minds of the UCB Theatre at UCBcomedy.com

Via the Upright Citizens Brigade — "The hit musical Rent is updated for the hip East Village of today."

Things we like: Odessa's business card

Just when you thought it was safe to venture out again on a holiday Saturday...

If you can't make it early, then don't worry — drink specials run until 4 a.m.! Woo!

[Photo by Bobby Williams]

This weekend: It's the 7th annual d.b.a. holiday fair (part 2)

NYPD shuts down the Sunburnt Cow

A little earlier this evening, several readers noted that a strong force of NYPD detectives zoomed in on the Sunburnt Cow on Avenue C near Ninth Street...

Detectives at the scene weren't talking, though one did offer "they won't be open this weekend." According to a flyer attached to the front gate ... the NYPD closed the bar-restaurant for ...

"Criminal sale and possession of controlled substances  — marijuana."

We left a message for the Sunburnt Cow's rep.

People are still throwing away Christmas holiday trees before Christmas Dec. 25

Earlier today, EV Grieve reader Corina spotted this on Sixth Street between Second Avenue and Cooper Square... Although this is very likely not a tree leftover from last Dec. 25, she quickly found a paper to use for authentication purposes... just in case...

Indeed, Europe is still straining world's banks...

Currently, we are in the lab trying to determine the tree's age...

Previously.