Mount Sinai submits updated plan to close Beth Israel on July 12

According to published reports, Mount Sinai sent the New York State Department of Health a new plan to close Beth Israel, sticking to the previous timeline to shutter the 799-bed teaching hospital on First Avenue at 16th Street on July 12. 

Mount Sinai Health System CEO Brendan Carr said, per a letter dated May 17, that the health system will open an urgent care center at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary compound (also once on the chopping block) on 14th Street and Second Avenue to lessen the impact of the closure, as Politico reported. 

The facility would provide a broader range of services, including x-rays, ultrasounds, and CT scans, than a typical urgent care center, like the two on 14th Street at or near Third Avenue.

"In looking at the current patients using the 16th Street emergency department, I believe that this expanded urgent care will address many of the concerns and needs of current patients," Carr wrote in the letter.

The latest plan also promises to help Bellevue Medical Center expand its existing emergency department to absorb and care for at least some of the patients displaced by a Beth Israel shutdown.

In December, the Department of Health ordered Mount Sinai to immediately stop the Beth Israel closure.

Despite the updated closing plan, 16 local elected officials voiced their opposition in a signed joint letter released yesterday...

Our coalition remains steadfast in the fight to keep healthcare services available at Mt. Sinai Beth Israel. This hospital is vital to our community’s wellbeing. We urge the State Department of Health to return the application that has a closure set for July of this year. pic.twitter.com/BYbBg9E7s7

— Carlina Rivera (@CarlinaRivera) May 28, 2024

"Our offices have received notice that the Mount Sinai Health System has resubmitted their application to close Beth Israel Hospital on July 12 of this year. This elimination of services on a hasty timeline without adequate community engagement remains unacceptable, and we urge the Department of Health to return this application. Mount Sinai must engage in a robust and collaborative process to fulfill its obligations to the community in ensuring access to high-quality health care is protected in lower Manhattan." 

The Save Beth Israel and New York Eye & Ear Campaign also has concerns about the revised plan. Their letter can be found here.

The Times recently reported that patient care is suffering at Beth Israel, where cuts have meant the hospital can't care for critically ill new arrivals. 

Mount Sinai officials say Beth Israel lost $1 billion in the last decade, and only $29 million remains in cash reserves.

Beth Israel was founded 143 years ago on the Lower East Side, moving to its current location in 1929.

At the annual Loisaida Festival

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Yesterday, the 37th edition of the Loisaida Festival unfolded under sunny blue skies, as attendees celebrated the rich heritage of the Lower East Side during this annual Memorial Day weekend event. 

This year's theme was "A Cultural Mosaic." 

Here are a few scenes from along Avenue C/Loisaida Avenue, where festival-goers enjoyed live music (we saw Pinc Louds!), theater, food, a dancing F train and much more...

Days of wine and Rosé

Photos by Stacie Joy 

On a recent early Friday evening, Brix Wine Shop held its annual Rosé Gala ... this year in the courtyard at the Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish on Ninth Street and Avenue B. (Brix previously held the event at La Plaza Cultural down the block). 

It was a pleasant evening with many familiar East Village friends and neighbors, including Brix owner Beatriz Gutierrez and Pastor Will with his husband Steven ... and several bottles of rosé.

Reminders: The Loisaida Festival is today

Poster by Juan Carlos Pinto 

In case you missed our post this past Tuesday: The annual Loisaida Festival is today.

This year's theme is "A Cultural Mosaic," which organizers say "beautifully encapsulates the diverse heritage and vibrant spirit of New York City's Lower East Side." 

The event, which unfolds along Avenue C-Loisaida Avenue between Fifth Street and 12th Street, includes more than 50 artisans and 10 food vendors. (And this goes on rain or shine, in case you were eyeing the weather.)

There's also a slate of bands and musicians (including Pinc Louds at noon) on the main stage and elsewhere on the festival grounds. Visit this link for details.

Reminders: the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts is underway

In case you missed our post from Tuesday...

If you're looking for some free arts and entertainment this weekend, Theater for the New City is the place to be. 

TNC has scheduled more than 200 performing arts organizations, independent artists, poets, puppeteers, and filmmakers for its 29th annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts, which will continue through tomorrow.

Indoor performances will occur daily from 6 p.m. to midnight, using two of TNC's four theaters. Meanwhile, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday (today!), vendors and food sellers, including booths from nearby restaurants, will set up on the closed-off block of 10th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue during another series of performances. 

You can find the complete list of activities (and times) at this link. 

Admission is free, though TNC will gladly accept donations. 

TNC is at 155 First Ave. at 10th Street.

The 37th edition of the Loisaida Festival takes place on May 26

Poster by Juan Carlos Pinto 

The 37th annual Loisaida Festival is happening on Sunday, May 26. 

This year's theme is "A Cultural Mosaic," which organizers say "beautifully encapsulates the diverse heritage and vibrant spirit of New York City's Lower East Side." 

The event, which unfolds along Avenue C-Loisaida Avenue between Fifth Street and 12th Street, includes more than 50 artisans and 10 food vendors. 

There's also a slate of bands and musicians on the main stage and elsewhere on the festival grounds. Visit this link for details.

Get ready for 3 days of the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts

If you're looking for some free arts and entertainment this weekend, Theater for the New City is the place to be. 

TNC has scheduled more than 200 performing arts organizations, independent artists, poets, puppeteers and filmmakers for its 29th annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts, which will occur on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Indoor performances will occur daily from 6 p.m. to midnight, using two of TNC's four theaters. Meanwhile, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, vendors and food sellers, including booths from nearby restaurants, will set up on the closed-off block of 10th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue during another series of performances. 

You can find the complete list of activities (and times) at this link. 

Admission is free, though TNC will gladly accept donations. 

TNC is at 155 First Ave. at 10th Street.

These East Village residents are still cooking up a unique book of recipes

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Like a good meal, The East Village Community Cookbook is taking longer to prepare. 

As we reported last August, three East Villagers who bonded during the pandemic — Will Kroeze, pastor at Trinity Lower East Side, Dan Hyatt, a middle school teacher, and Will Horowitz, a chef and author who co-founded Ducks Eatery and Harry & Ida's Meat and Supply Co. — decided to create an old-school neighborhood cookbook. 

And they were able to secure more than 100 recipes from an array of local restaurants (C&B Café, Katz's, Nom Wah Tea Parlor, Russ & Daughters, SMØR, Superiority Burger, and Veselka, among many others) and residents (Alan Cumming and Richard Hell, to name two). 

We haven't heard much about the project since the end of 2023, and some residents who pre-ordered a copy wonder what's happening. 

"We've also gotten people asking about the cookbook, which is taking quite a bit longer than we had expected," Pastor Will told me the other day. "What originally was going to be a DIY project is turning into a real design masterpiece and is going through several rounds of edits .... it’s really going to be something so special for our community." 

Regarding design, East Village-based artist and illustrator Marcellus Hall (whose New Yorker covers are among our favorites) is lending his talents to the cookbook. 

Pastor Will and Horowitz shared some pages with me during a recent production meeting...

"I've been telling people that it's a volunteer-driven labor of love, and like any community project, it's taking time to get right," Pastor Will said. "But it will be so great that it will be worth the wait." 

The organizers said they hope to get the work to the publisher shortly and print it toward the end of the summer. 

Donations for the East Village Community Cookbook started at $30. Proceeds benefit Trinity Lower East Side Services and Food for the Homeless (SAFH) on Ninth Street and Avenue B. 

While I was talking with the organizers, workers were busy preparing meals at Trinity Lower East Side...

EVG Etc.: Report: NYCHA mishandled Riis Houses arsenic crisis; Beth Israel patient care lagging

Morning view of Astor Place

• Watchdog report: The NYCHA bungled its response to concerns about the water at the Jacob Riis Houses two years ago (Gothamist) ... NYCHA failures led to panic over nonexistent arsenic (The City) 

• 19-year-old Riis House resident on Avenue D arrested for alleged role in killing 16-year-old Mahki Brown in Soho (The Post)

• With Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital winding down to close, patient care suffers (The New York Times)

• Human service professionals discuss what's needed to reduce homelessness in NYC (NY1) 

• Harvey Epstein to run for City Council District 2, currently represented by the term-limited Carlina Rivera (City & State)

• E-bike shops are blowing off the city ban on unsafe batteries (The City) 

• Police arrest man who has allegedly been menacing neighbors for years along Avenue C (The Post) 

• The red-tailed chicks are GROWING in Tompkins Square Park (Laura Goggin Photography) 

 • Lower East Side History Month continues (Official site)

• Pastrogi: When you merge Katz's Deli pastrami and Veselka pierogi (1010 WINS)

• New single by Scottish alt-rock band Travis pays tribute to the now-closed Black & White on 10th Street (Billboard ... previously on EVG)

• A feature on East Village Pizza at 145 First Ave. (NBC 4) 

• Sietsema checks out the boba pancakes and Japanese souffles at Little Uluh on 14th Street (Eater) 

• Revisiting the sincere glamour of Candy Darling (Document Journal) 

• Out of the shadows! See "The Third Man" on the big screen on Monday (Village East by Angelika) 

• And a month-long trip back to the 1980s started yesterday at the Film Forum on West Houston (details)

 

Heading back to Downtown Beirut

Photo by David Vega via Flaming Pablum 

On Friday evening, you can revisit a celebrated and long-gone East Village bar (RIP 1994).

Lucky on B plays host to two shorts filmed at Downtown Beirut, 158 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street...

A description: 

Join Lucky for a little trip down memory lane with the premiere of two classic videos torn from the East Village's storied past: "The Look of Love" and "Night at Downtown Beirut." 

Created by Mike Enright, who has also contributed a bunch of CDs to our eclectic jukebox, these shorts were shot at the old Downtown Beirut, one of the best bars in history! We'll let people gather for a few drinks between 6 and 6:30, screen one film, take another drink break, and then screen the second film. They're each about a half hour long, and while everyone's drinking, Mike will be showing some of this other video art. 

Lucky on B is at 168 Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street. 

This screening is part of Lower East Side History Month. 

P.S. There was also Downtown Beirut II at 157 E. Houston St. near Allen. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Mourning lost bars; early morning at Downtown Beirut

• Downtown Beirut, around 1990, about 3 a.m. 

Alex has more on DB at Flaming Pablum.

King Flaco outside the 2nd Avenue F stop

Here's the final Flaco tribute mural outside the Second Avenue F stop on Houston.

Nite Owl, an Oakland, Calif.-based artist known for his expressive murals of owls, created this King Flaco memorial mural. (Check out his work on Instagram.)

Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl, was found dead on Feb. 23 after apparently colliding with a building on the Upper West Side. As the Associated Press put it, "Flaco ... escaped from New York City's Central Park Zoo and became one of the city's most beloved celebrities as he flew around Manhattan." 

Flaco also spent eight days in the East Village and Lower East Side this past November. 

A moment on 8th Street in 1983

The 1980s East Village photography of Peter Bennett is currently on display at the Tompkins Square Library branch.

Bennett, a native New Yorker now residing in Los Angeles, grew up in Greenwich Village and lived in the East Village from 1979 to 1988. 

The above photo (not one featured at the library) shows the south side of Eighth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C from 1983. (You can see St. Brigid's on the corner.)

Bennett told us this about the photo:

I used to hang out on that block in the 1970s. [He finished high school at Seward Park in 1972.] I had two friends who lived there, and I would visit them. It was a rough, rough block back then. I was mugged on at least one occasion. Tompkins Square Park was completely off-limits after dark; I remember walking around it coming back from my friends and hearing gut-wrenching screams coming from the park somewhere. It's come a long way. 

Tomorrow (Thursday) evening, as part of Lower East Side History Month, Bennett will be one of the guest speakers in a session titled "The East Village in Music, Art, and Words." He'll be joined by Linus Coraggio, MaryAnn Fahey and Andrea Wilson. Unfortunately, the session is full, and the registration is closed.

However, Bennett's photos will be up for the next few months at the library, 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Follow Bennett on Instagram here.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• The 1980s East Village as seen through the lens of photographer Peter Bennett 

An East Village tribute to Flaco

Photos by Laura "Lulu" Reich 

Here's an in-progress look at a Flaco tribute mural going up outside the Second Avenue F stop on Houston.

The work is, appropriately enough, by Nite Owl, an Oakland, Calif.-based artist known for his expressive murals of owls. (Check out his work on Instagram.)

Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl, was found dead on Feb. 23 after apparently colliding with a building on the Upper West Side. As the Associated Press put it, "Flaco ... escaped from New York City's Central Park Zoo and became one of the city's most beloved celebrities as he flew around Manhattan." 

Flaco spent eight days in the East Village and Lower East Side this past November. Flaco was first spotted in the East Village on Nov. 6 at the Kenkeleba House Garden off Avenue B and Third Street. He was seen repeatedly over the next few days here and on the Lower East Side.

Updated 6/8: See the final mural here.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (plus the crowd watching the wisteria on Stuyvesant Street — photo by Steven)...

• When a Dodge Charger drove down the sidewalk on 2nd Street during a high-speed chase (Saturday) 

• D.A. Bragg: Landlord indicted for harassing rent-regulated tenants, including in the East Village (Thursday) 

• On the CB3-SLA docket: New operators for East Village classic Lucy's on Avenue A (Monday) 

• How to take part in Lower East Side History Month activities this May (Friday) 

• The Ukrainian Museum revisits the early work of East Village-based photographer Peter Hujar (Wednesday) 

• On Avenue B, a there-goes-the-neighborhood building sells for $43 million (Wednesday)

• EVG Etc.: NYPD arrests 56 in clearing NYU and New School protest encampments; Knickerbocker Village sells for $85 million (Friday) 

• What happened to the famous East Village (replacement) pear tree on 3rd Avenue? (Thursday) 

• An extension for 'Houses and Hotels' at O'Flaherty's on Avenue A (Wednesday)

• Iconic East Village gay bar Boiler Room has closed ahead of move to a new location on 2nd Avenue (Monday) 

• A Link5G tower for Avenue C (Monday) 

• The fellow "looking for a girlfriend" is now "looking for the perfect woman" (Thursday)

• Spin-offs: Throwback Two debuts on 9th Street (Saturday) 

• The Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks returning to the Hudson River for some reason (Thursday)

• Friday at 5: The great new track by Pretty Sick (Friday) 

• Watch a large raccoon climb down a tree on 10th Street (Monday) 

• Openings: Hidden Grounds Chai & Coffee House on 3rd Avenue (Monday) 

• Coming attractions: The Oasis Cafe on Avenue A (Monday) 

• Tea Dealers & Ceramics is leaving Avenue B (Friday) 

• A Luscious new market option on 2nd Avenue (Monday) 

• Kōbo by Nai has not been open lately (Wednesday) 

• Today in thieving squirrels in Tompkins Square Park (Wednesday) ... Today in makeshift fire pits by the Hare Krishna tree in Tompkins Square Park (Monday) 

... and we had several readers spot a (presumably) pet parakeet in Tompkins Square Park... in case of an escape from your home...

---

Follow EVG on Instagram or X for more frequent updates and pics.

[Updated] When a Dodge Charger drove down the sidewalk on 2nd Street during a high-speed chase

With reporting by Stacie Joy 

Updated below with info from the NYPD

We heard about a high-speed car chase through parts of the East Village today just after noon. We haven't been able to piece it all together just yet. 

We received reader reports of a Dodge Charger tearing down Second Avenue, turning on Second Street, and driving up on the sidewalk on the south side of the street to avoid the vehicles stopped at the light.

The car exits the sidewalk, sending pedestrians scurrying, crossing First Avenue, and heading the wrong way eastbound on Second Street. There is one eyewitness report of the driver abruptly abandoning the car on Avenue C, sparking a foot chase.

A TikTok user captured 11 seconds of the chase from the SE corner of First Avenue and Second Street. (Unfortunately, the embed code isn't working. The link is here.) 

[Updated] 

The clip is now on Instagram, too...

 

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A second clip includes an ending showing the NYPD towing the car on the Lower East Side. There is no word yet on what happened to the driver (and any occupants in the vehicle).

 

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We reached out to the NYPD for more information about what transpired today... (see below)

Two NYPD sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the case, told EVG's Stacie Joy that the driver "stole" his own car from the impound lot in Brooklyn. 

Officers spotted the car in the 5th Precinct, which serves Little Italy, Chinatown and the Bowery. The car continued into the 9th Precinct and the 7th Precinct before the driver was apprehended with assistance from the NYPD Aviation Unit back in the 5th Precinct. 

The chase remains under investigation, and the sources said the narrative could change.

You can visit the New York Marble Cemetery this weekend on 2nd Avenue

The historic New York Marble Cemetery is open today (Saturday!) from noon to 4 p.m. ... as part of Lower East Side History Month. 

The cemetery, incorporated in 1831, is at 41 1/2 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street...

The gates are usually open once a month from April through October. You can check the schedule here. 

As of now, it's set to be open tomorrow too, though that can change if it rains.

How to take part in Lower East Side History Month activities this May

Flyer photo by Q. Sakamaki at Tompkins Square Park

Lower East Side History Month is underway, and more than 60 Lower East Side cultural and community groups, small businesses, and residents are hosting a variety of public events, exhibits, tours, and festivals.

There are activities planned for just about every day this May. Check out the calendar here. And find a list of this weekend's events below...

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On Avenue B, a there-goes-the-neighborhood building sells for $43 million

Photo by Stacie Joy 

The Villager, the 6-story apartment building that anchors the NW corner of Avenue B and Second Street, has a new owner. 

According to TradedNY, Skyline Developers sold the 61-unit complex at 194 E. Second St. to Benchmark Real Estate Group for $43 million. 

The building's completion in 1997 was seen by some as an (another) end-of-an-era/there-goes-the-neighborhood moment. (In reporting on the sale this week, Crain's called this a "Neighborhood-defining East Village rental.") 

Previously, this corner was home to a gas station... shooting gallery ... and then, for a 10-year run, The Gas Station, aka Art Gallery Space 2B (or Space 2B Art Yard), a freewheeling arts and events space.

Per the Times:

For 10 years, the Gas Station, with its towering sculpture built from discards ranging from a 1970 Plymouth Valiant to department store mannequins to television sets, has been a symbol of the Lower East Side's Bohemian ways and artistic resolve.

Alex at Flaming Pablum has written about the Gas Station and this part of its history:

The Gas Station is probably most notorious for being the site of the final, calamitous performance by G.G. Allin & the Murder Junkies. After the show in question ended in a riot (not an atypical situation for the Geeg), Allin tromped off into the East Village afternoon with some new friends, only to overdose on smack later that evening, undermining his oft-stated intention to kill himself onstage.

The Gas Station was cleared out in 1996.

An aerial view of 2B by LeoLondon from 1993.