A favorite of hungry cab drivers in search of good food and a spot to rest between fares, the span of East 1st in front of Punjabi between 1st and A was once lined with the parked yellow cabs of satisfied customers. Now that span is home to a battered cement median, some orange cones, and not much else.
At around 11:20 pm, July 19, a group of drunk friends (who obviously were all still in college) were playing truth or dare outside 97 East 7th. They were obnoxious and loud.
Bro #1 dared bro #2 to climb the fire escape.
Bro #2 foolishly did, but he immediately fell from hanging onto the 2nd floor fire escape to the basement staircase.
There was a loud thud.
The girl friends of the bros started to panic and a commotion ensued. Bro #2 was unconscious. Calls to 911 were made.
The ambulance came to the scene 10 minutes later and bro #2 seemed seriously injured. I witnessed the whole thing … from the moment the group of friends started hanging outside the bldg till bro #2 got injured and was brought to ambulance. Everything happened so quick.
I don't know how to feel about this whole situation. I am livid about how these kids think that it's okay to just party like that on the sidewalk. They were bothering several neighbors as they were loudly hanging out on the sidewalk and they bothered even more neighbors the moment bro #2 fell to the basement up until the ambulance came.
I also feel quite sorry for bro #2, but he clearly brought this upon himself and it's sad how NO ONE among his friends tried to stop him from climbing the fire escape..
Oh, by the way, seconds after the ambulance left, his "friends" who were left at the scene started to laugh and giggle about what just happened.
The seller of the lot is listed in public records as 24 Second Ave. Corp., whose phone number was disconnected. The buyer took out a $39.5 million mortgage on the property, according to records, and is listed under an LLC. Yan Ouaknine, who appears to be the co-founder of development firm AORE Holdings LLC, is listed as the borrower in the mortgage.
City law bans such bins from being placed on sidewalks and streets; they are legal on private property with the consent of the owner. Once found by Sanitation Department enforcement officers or reported by residents to the city’s 311 help line, an illegal bin is tagged and the owner has 30 days to remove it. Summonses are not issued, a department spokeswoman explained, based on the theory that those distributing the bins have factored any fines into the cost of doing business.
A similar pattern has emerged nationally, according to officials at leading charities. They are alarmed by the misleading competition, which, they maintain, is undermining their own efforts.
“These dark-of-night property violators have proliferated nationwide,” said Jim Gibbons, the president and chief executive of Goodwill Industries International Inc. “They use a charitable veneer then extract the value for their business, versus the Salvation Army or St. Vincent de Paul, where the value is distributed in a more thoughtful way throughout the community.”
Hello and thanks to all of you who attended our farewell gathering on June 7 and/or have inquired about our well-being.
The Tiger and I are in the capable hands of Ernest. He's young and filled with inspiration. He reveres and respects us.
[Via Kevin Wick Photography]
During the last month the Tiger and I have had a chance to rest and reflect on the 22 years we spent in the neighborhood and ponder the question: What did we mean to you all?
Were we a nuisance? Was I a rusty, pock-marked eyesore whose noisy engine and fumes were out of step with the "new" East Village? Or were we old friends who welcomed you each day and made you smile and evoked in you a sense of wonder?
Truth be told, one's actions and thoughts reflect a lot about themselves. Those in the nuisance camp are probably the same self-entitled folks who don't say "thank you" when you hold the door open for them or who run the red lights on their Citi Bikes and nearly mow down the pedestrians who have the right of way. The Tiger and I actually feel sorry for those in the nuisance camp.
But the announcing of our farewell showed us that we had many more friends than foes.
Like the Second Avenue gas station manager from Ghana who said that he grew up and became a man during the years he knew me — as he ponders his next job because his gas station closed down recently and yet another high rise will take its place.
Or the Egyptian deli worker who told my owner to keep me because I would be a valued antique car in his country —which he may soon have to return to when his deli's 30-year lease ends next year.
Or the car repair shop owner on Attorney Street who said that I was a classic car and it was a damn shame my owner couldn't keep me in the neighborhood. That same shop owner pisses off the real-estate speculators (who hound him daily to sell his building) when he tells them to get lost — that he loves his work and is loyal to his older workers and no amount of money will persuade him to sell his building and close down his shop. (Quite a rare, remarkable guy he is don't you think?)
Nor do we have to look further than our own block to find our good friend Camille — she yelled at the frat boys who shoved a table under me that tore off my exhaust system a couple of years back.
Her landlord took her to court to remove her from the apartment she shared with her 93-year-old mother for over six decades until her mother died last year. Camille fought valiantly to keep the apartment — until two malignant tumors where discovered in her brain in March. Weakened by chemotherapy and stressed out by her housing court case she has decided to give up her lifelong home and move in with her boyfriend in Pennsylvania.
I don't begrudge her decision. The Tiger and I stayed as long as we could but we decided to move on, too.
We were tired and had been having trouble keeping up. The rapidity with which the East Village is changing exceeds the cruise limit on my speedometer. The greedy developers and the city are turning the neighborhood into a giant shopping and entertainment complex.
When they're done, they will have succeeded in turning every block from Delancey to 14th Street into a soulless glut of high-rise luxury condos and mega-stores making it indistinguishable from any other such Manhattan block.
But ultimately it will be their loss. No amount of dollars will buy them the rich, cultural and multi-ethnic heritage of the Lower East Side.
Parting thoughts from me and the tiger?
We — the former and current residents of the neighborhood — are outnumbered. We might win some battles but we're going to lose the war.
We're losing as many old time Mom & Pop stores in the East Village each month as the country is losing World War II veterans.
But never let the interlopers crush your spirit. Stay as long as you can. Like Pete and Sandy did. Like Camille did. Like the Tiger and I did. Remind them that you're still here. It will annoy the hell out of them. And maybe some good will come out of it. Maybe some in the nuisance camp will grow up and say "thank you" when someone holds the door for them and appreciate what the old neighborhood has to offer before it disappears. And you should all say "thank you for sticking around as long as you did" to the small business owners who are closing up shop.
And if and when you decide to leave, try to do it on your own terms
The Tiger and I saw and were moved by the spirit of all of our friends and well-wishers on EV Grieve and those who came to say farewell over the last few weeks. And in return we hope that even if you don't believe in magic maybe for a brief moment in the midst of all this mayhem, an old rusting car and a stuffed animal brought something magical into your life on East 2nd Street.
@evgrieve I saw that Audi too...Looks like *someone* prefers sporty imports now. #GoldDigger pic.twitter.com/PNC4F7rzsV
— Pinhead (@evpinhead) June 20, 2014
As an avid biker/alternative-transportation-seeker in New York City, the past few years have been a neverending whirlwind of emotions. The city has done a great job building bike lines, bike racks, hosting bike parking at events, and much more to encourage two wheeled riders.
The East Village is as busy of a neighborhood as any for bikers, with hundreds of delivery bikes roaming the streets alongside the commuters up and down First and Second and the casual neighborhood riders around Tompkins.
One issue remains, which I was reminded of in this post; bike theft seems to be as big of an issue as ever. I bought my first NYC bike about 2.5 years ago, and it was stolen within a month of owning it, despite it being locked up to an Equinox (improperly, but still, locked). I luckily got insurance money back for it, but the new bike I purchased has hardly seen the light of day during the week. When I lock up my bike outside a restaurant, I spend the entire meal EXPECTING it to get stolen. I can be 6 feet away from my bike on a patio eating, and I'll still stare at my bike to be sure it hasn't been taken.
Meanwhile, I signed up for Citi Bike before it had even launched. It was a godsend to my anxiety; I would never have to fear getting my bike stolen again, I had 3 docks within an avenue of my apartment, and I could bike anywhere south of 59th Street without worrying about taking the same bike home if I had an extra drink or two.
But Citi Bike is far, far from perfect. The app tells me there are 3 bikes, and none of them work. I show up to a dock with 5 spaces, none of them work. There are no bikes in the morning, and no docks at night. One of the best things about biking to work is the consistency in how long it will take, no matter how bad traffic is...and this is providing an opposite experience.
But it's $95/a year. Even if they jack it up to $200/year, it still feels cheap. Who am I to complain?
The bigger issue remains bike theft. If I didn't have to worry about my personal bike getting stolen, I would use it more often, I would use Citibike only when I really need to, and I would have less anxiety in general. So I have some questions for you, community:
a) How many of you both have a Citi Bike AND a personal bike? If you do, what's your split on usage between the two?
b) What could the city do to prevent bike theft? Is it even their responsibility to do something or should we be the ones spending extra money on extra/fancier locks?
c) Do you think Citi Bike is going to improve its service and reliability in the next year, or is the increasing popularity just going to make it more frustrating?
It is with tremendous regret that I tell you all that Apartment 13 has closed its doors indefinitely. We would like to first and foremost express our eternal gratitude to all of you who took a leap of faith and decided to support and join us on what we fondly consider one of the most invaluable experiences of our adult lives.
Thank you all so very much for your unconditional support and unwavering patronage. It is truly humbling the way in which you greeted us with open arms and welcomed us whole-heartedly into what we consider one of the last remaining authentic “communities” in NYC.
Without burdening you all too much with the uglier side of business I'll explain it like this. Similar to a marriage, or divorce rather, our child (Apt 13), became collateral damage and fell through the cracks of a faulty foundation due to no fault of its own. Partnerships, be it business or personal, demands all parties involved to play for the same team at all times. When this fundamental law of business is tampered with, or worse disregarded, the potential for loss exponentially increases until destruction is an inevitability.
We look forward to seeing you all in the near future at the opening of our next venture and invite you all to continue the journey with us as we embark upon Chapter 2.
Oak strip flooring, high ceilings and crown molding.
Apartment has large, full separate bathroom.
Kitchen is also separate from the living space.
Bedroom is loft style!
There is a decorative fireplace!
Though the City and state government collect taxes for each trip from commuters in the form of surcharge through hard working of drivers, they do not create or give much facility and respect to taxi drivers. Since last many years this particular area is under major road and other repairs.
On the top of that construction companies using this area as their personal storage and stocking facility. Due to that in this all area you only see no parking signs. Parking to use the facility become more and more difficult and drivers get parking violation tickets. But the city government official do not think about creating facility but they are only interested in creating more hardship to their hardworking community.
Small, vented restaurant available for 1 August move in on East 3rd St, steps from Ave B. Good dining corridor - Fonda, Root & Bone, Ethiopia Meskel, Café Cortadito, Poco NYC and others.
