Today's hawk in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Bobby Williams.

Week in Grieview

[East Ninth Street near Broadway looking east toward 51 Astor Place]

Here is the 'East Village3' (Monday)

The excavation outside the former Cabrini Center (Monday)

Out and About with Mistress Evil (Wednesday)

The Lucky Cheng's sign comes down (Monday)

Photos from the Coney Island USA Spring Gala (Sunday)

Zaragoza turns 13 (Thursday)

The Bleecker Bob's sale is under way (Friday)

Papaya King for St. Mark's Place (Thursday)

Steamed at Con Ed (Monday)

Laundry-bistro still in the works (Friday)

Flea Market Cafe reopened (Monday)

A good sign for the Native Bean (Tuesday)

Jennifer's Way Bakery to star in reality-TV pilot (Wednesday)

Trees for 51 Astor Place (Wednesday)

[Video] Really liking this board (Thursday)

A Subway seized on East 14th Street (Tuesday)

A gluten-free Italian cafe for East Fifth Street (Wednesday)

Where is Biker Bill? (Tuesday)

A Ramones movie? (Wednesday)

... and Richard Hell at East Village Radio (Wednesday)


[Richard Hell photo for EV Grieve by James Maher]

Reminders tonight: Meeting to discuss incoming East Village bars

As noted back on Monday, there's an East Village community meeting tonight ... of particular interest to residents of the southern stretch of Avenue B and the side streets. (Read that post here.)

The meeting, sponsored by the East 4th Street A & B Block Association, will be held from 6:30-7:30 in the community room at 535 E. Fifth St.

Of particular interest is 14 Avenue B, where folks behind Urge hope to open a new bar.

Casey Rubber Stamps hosts their 7th annual St. Patrick's Night Party tonight

Casey Rubber Stamps on East 11th Street is one of the most unique shops around... and one of my favorite places here.

Tonight, owner John Casey, who moved here from Ireland at age 16, throws his annual St. Patrick's Night Party... No woo, just some local fun...


[Courtesy of EVG reader Chris]

Here's a little more on the shop via WNYC...

The walls of his narrow shop — which doubles as his workshop — on 11th Street in Manhattan are lined with myriad stamps ranging from whales to peas-in-a-pod, spider webs, shells, guns, teeth, the Manhattan skyline and even that most fearsome creature: the bed bug. About half his business comes from selling pre-made stamps that range from $3 to $15. The other half is custom designs that customers request or bring in.

Rubber stamping is a simple technology that dates back about 150 years — and to judge from the operation at this tiny store, it really hasn't changed that much.

East Village residents already giving up on spring

East 10th Street and Third Avenue this morning... wind chill is in the 20s at the moment.

Also! To show the trend. From last Sunday on Second Avenue and East Fourth Street...

At 9:12 a.m., there were 7 people waiting for McSorley's to open

The other two people were across the street having a cigarette. Anyway, I expected more people by now.

The bar opens today at noon.

A more traditional St. Patrick's Day celebration at St. Brigid's this morning

During the 10 a.m. mass today ... Avenue B and East Eighth Street...

Photo by Bobby Williams.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Editon

[East Second Street]

St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery seeks donor for ramp for disability access (DNAinfo)

Citysearch names Tompkins Square Bagels as Best Bagel in NYC (Citysearch)

Recalling the squatter evictions at 545 and 541 E. 13th St. (The Villager)

Con Ed overcharges this East Village resident (Gothamist)

East Houston Street construction update (DNAinfo)

First look inside Duane Park on the Bowery (Eater)

Figuring out where Mick Jones of the Clash was standing on Third Avenue (Flaming Pablum)

At Bugs on East 12th Street: "It is the kind of place you are relieved still exists in the East Village: tiny, a little kooky, with its own weather." (The New York Times)

St. Patrick's Day history on the LES (The Lo-Down)

George Tabb's new guitar straps (Guitar International)

Rules at the new Delancey Plaza (BoweryBoogie)

Check out "Rhapsodic City: Music of New York" coming to the New York Public Library (Stupefaction)

Remembering the Rawhide (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Nothing Wimpy about Crash's Popeye mural

Crash has finished his work on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall ...



And perhaps my favorite mural here in some time. You?

Find more photos from yesterday afternoon at Animal NY.

P.S.
Sorry about that headline. It's really bad.

Please explain

Spotted this morning on East 10th Street near Fourth Avenue.

Morning tweets

Flea market today -- St Brigid's at 7th and B. twitter.com/evgrieve/statu…

— evgrieve (@evgrieve) March 16, 2013

What times does McSorley's open on St. Patrick's Day?

Noon. Because someone asked.

And today they opened at 8 a.m. No line. At 8:45 anyway.



And not all that boisterous inside...



...and the McSorley's bus idles outside to take people to the St. Patrick's Day today...



And no — the driver doesn't take requests to drive people out to the middle of nowhere and leave them.

[And yes on that headline.]

Green days

For this weekend. New Order with "Everything's Gone Green" live from The Ukranian National Home on Second Avenue ... Nov. 19, 1981.

At long last, Hyatt Union Square branded

Five years later here on Fourth Avenue and East 13th Street... we'll check back with the latest opening date....

Previously on EV Grieve:
Through the years with the sunlight-blocking Hyatt Union Square, opening Nov. 15

The Bleecker Bob's closing sale is under way

Via Bleecker Bob's Facebook page:

thursday 3/14/13
well folks, very sorry but.....
Bleecker Bob's
C-L-O-S-I-N-G S-A-L-E
starts today!!!!!

No word on an actual closing date... or whether they will actually have a counter inside the new tenant's place — Forever Yogurt.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[UPDATED] Let's help Bleecker Bob's find space in the East Village

Bleecker Bob's is for rent

Everything's gone green

Everyone is getting in on the act — even Nicoletta. Second Avenue and East 10th Street... Photo by EVG contributor William Klayer.

And the whole ad...

Report: NYC is now sterilizing rats

Every so often, at the right time, there seem to be more rats than humans around here. And, apparently, there's little to stop their fucking spawning.

Per this article in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, "rats are remarkably fertile, sometimes birthing 12 pups per litter and as many as seven litters in a year."

The article goes on to cover how city officials are planning on curbing the rat population in the subways.

The Metropolitan Transport Authority has kick-started a pilot program to sterilize female rats. To do this, it is teaming up with Flagstaff (Ariz.)-based SenesTech, a company that invented ContraPest, a product that, when consumed orally by rats, accelerates egg loss and can cause infertility in days.

But!

The article is quick to note that the end goal isn't to completely get rid of the rats. That may actually make things worse.

Said SenesTech CEO Loretta Mayer: "The overall goal is to diminish rat populations — but not wipe them out entirely because that would simply cause an influx of new rats."

What do you think of the idea? Could anything possibly go wrong?

[Image via]

Zoltar apparently no longer sees all

This morning on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place... What happened to his halting "I see you ..."?

An update on the laundromat closing on East 10th Street

Earlier in the week, a reader said that today marked the last day for the laundromat at 204 E. 10th St. near Second Avenue... (closing due to a large rent increase)...

This is not the case. Here is updated information from another reader:

"They have stopped accepting dry cleaning and hand pressed shirts. They will stop accepting laundry for service on Friday 3/22. They will not close until the following week. During those last days customers will be able to pick up as the Laundromat is cleared."

If you don't like 3 days of St. Patrick's Day pub crawls, then move to...

As you may have heard, St. Patrick's Day is Sunday. (Or, apparently, St. Paddy's Day.) Which, of course, can only mean three days of pub crawls at participating East Village bars, as the sign in the window there above at Village Pourhouse shows...

How bad will it be? What will do you do?

Anyway, suit up, bitches. Enjoy the weekend.


[Photo from Kmart via Crazy Eddie]

Favorite East Village places: The Odessa

At 119 Avenue A.

And don't forget the Odessa Cafe next door for some drinks.

Photo by EVG contributor Michael Sean Edwards.

Laundry-bistro concept not washed up

During Monday night's CB3/SLA committee meeting, members did not approve of the venture for 44 E. First St. — The Wash House, the laundromat-bistro concept that we reported on here. (Per an EVG informant at the meeting, committee members were apparently turned off, in part, by the fact that the applicants didn't have a clear idea of how much of the business would be derived from alcohol sales.)

We reached out to the proprietors via email to see what the next steps were. They had already signed a lease for the space here between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

"We're considering taking the concept to another space and subleasing the current space to an all-night arcade or skateboard shop/cafe."

Previously on EV Grieve:
A 'laundry bistro' in the works for East First Street

First Avenue $1 Pizza Wars — now with draft beer

@evgrieve $1 #Pizza wars on First Ave. Vinny Vincenz holding the lead with bigger signage and draft beer. twitter.com/tenementcity/s…

— Tenement City (@tenementcity) March 14, 2013

Indeed. Go Vinny's!: 2 slices AND a draft beer for $5.

Previously.


[Dave on 7th]

Joe's Pizza + Papaya King = Hope?

The recent opening of Joe's Pizza on East 14th Street ...



... and the signs that a Papaya King is coming to St. Mark's Place...



... have been a welcome bit of restaurant/food news for some people ...

Per sam_the_man the the comments yesterday:

First Joe's, now Papaya King? Another win. Could the tide be turning at last?

We heard this same sentiment from others too, either on Facebook or via email. Maybe not every storefront will become, say, a 7-Eleven?

Reader report: Bus strikes boy on Avenue C

Photographer East Village Hawkeye was on the scene after a boy apparently rode his bike through the light at East 13th Street and Avenue C ... where he was struck by an M14D... East Village Hawkeye noted that that boy was lucid while being loaded up for transport to Beth Israel...

Late-afternoon Popeye break

An update on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall, where Crash continues his work... He told Animal NY that he should be done on Saturday... check out more photos at Animal NY here.

Street dreams

Heh. From our friends over at Reciprocal Skateboards on East 11th Street... captured by the store's security camera... (the music was added later, you know)...

Dorm-style studio for five guys is back on Craigslist

Hey, one of our favorite Craigslist, uh, listings is back!:

$500 / 500ft² - Apt to share with 4 guys (East Village)
Roommate needed to share my studio apt. for just $500 a month plus a $500 refundable deposit. I'll pay all the utility bills!
This is a 1-room studio apt. that is set up dormitory style with loft beds and curtain dividers.
The space is perfect for someone who won't be spending all their time in the apt. and who won't be bringing in much stuff.

No smokers please. I have a tiny dog and a big cat. The space is available immediately.

At least this time the ad isn't in all caps, like last June.

Previously on EV Grieve:
We'll always have Craigslist: 'Seeking third roommate that doesn't suck'

h/t @serenaspeaks

[Photo is not of the actual studio]

East Village (early) morning

A look to the southeast earlier today... Photo by EVG Facebook friend Nick Solares. (Find more of his photos here.)

[Updated] Water main break on East 7th Street; no water between B and C today

Dave on 7th reports there is a water main break on East Seventh Street at Avenue C. Crews are on the scene now — since roughly 4 a.m. The water has been shut off here on East Seventh Street for the time being. DEP notices say that the water could be off for up to 16 hours ... one resident has already expressed his or her sentiments on this flyer ...


[Photo by Robert Miner]

Updated 8:19 a.m.
The scene now on East Seventh at Avenue C via EVG reader Steven Matthews...



Updated 5 p.m.
Dave on 7th says that water service has been restored.

Do you live near a business with a noisy ventilation system?

I've been talking with a longtime resident about an ongoing problem in her building... where the resident and other tenants are at odds with the newish commercial tenant on the ground-floor ... and an outlandishly loud ventilation system.

There are a lot of details. But quickly. The landlord won't do anything, saying that it's not his responsibility. Meanwhile, the business owner has been unresponsive, in part because he's been having an ongoing fight with the landlord about a leak.

"It's been a nightmare and I finally have the energy to take it to the next level to fight it. I want to join with others in the community if possible," the resident said.

The DEP has already issued five noise violations against the business owner, and the case has apparently been working its way through the courts/enforcement control board since last August.

"We have no way of checking on where this matter stands — no records anywhere. A phone no one ever answers. We feel helpless."

The resident is interested in hearing how other people how dealt with similar situations, which seemingly are becoming more commonplace as more franchises take over spaces previously held by mom-and-pop shops (i.e., Papa John's on First Avenue) ... or carve out space in buildings (i.e., IHOP, where neighbors suffered from bacon-related problems).

"This influx of chains to our neighborhood has meant that they have expectations of being able to do whatever they want regarding ventilation and A/C — they aren't always used to dealing with mixed-use buildings," said the resident.

Anyone had advice to leave in the comments? You can also send a note to the EV Grieve email ...

[RANDOM photo via]

An Avenue B and East 14th Street now and then

Ace photographer East Village Hawkeye shared these now-and-then photos with us... showing the southwest corner of 14th Street and Avenue B today...



...and in 1914...


[NYPL Digital Gallery]

What do you think? I like the looks of the 14th Street Cafe ... (Click on the image for a better look...) Maybe pick up a pack of Piedmonts and a copy of the New York Herald...

Papaya King coming to St. Mark's Place

[Last week]

We've been waiting to see what would emerge from behind the plywood at 3 St. Mark's Place just east of Third Avenue... where the gem-jewelry store moved next door...

Signs went up this week — Papaya King...



Per the Papaya King website:

Papaya King is the original. Accept no imitations. Since 1932, we have been serving our special recipe, one-of-a-kind franks and tropical drinks to New Yorkers and visitors of all ages and from all walks of life at our original 86th Street location. We have a passion for freshness, quality, flavor & fun. We cook your franks while facing you so that we can see each other’s smiles (and because it’s rude to have you stare at our backs).

Here's Ralph Gardner Jr. talking about them a few years back at The Wall Street Journal:

I almost feel foolish describing Papaya King and its franks, so familiar I assume it is to just about anybody who has landed in New York more than 15 minutes ago. But for the record, it serves an arguably unimprovable hot dog. Slightly spicy and garlicky, its casing explodes in your mouth to release its mouth-watering contents.

Jules celebrates 20 years on St. Mark's Place

EVG regular esquared™ passes along the above photo, noting that Jules Bistro on St. Mark's Place is celebrating its 20th anniversary starting Saturday...

And here are more details via the Bistro's website...

Zaragoza Mexican Deli & Grocery turned 13 yesterday

[via Facebook]

Several readers told us last night that one of our favorite places around, Zaragoza Mexican Deli & Grocery on Avenue A near East 14th Street, celebrated its 13th anniversary ...

Here's their message on Facebook yesterday:

It was 13 years ago today, when we first opened our doors in the East Village and shared our cooking with everybody. We want to say Thank You very much for all the support you have given use throughout all these years and look forward to many more.