Another reason why rollerblading can be dangerous

One of these could fall from the lightpole and hit you in the head.





11th Street and Avenue A.

EXCLUSIVE first look inside the new HSBC branch

Here we are outside the new HSBC branch on Second Avenue and Ninth Street. Just look inside! Three tellers! Two ATMs! Stock photos of smiling people who may enjoy banking!






And a new sign... something for future bloggers to mourn years from now when this branch becomes, oh, say, a robot daycare center for real...

CB3 says yes to fishmonger, rejects Michael Huynh

Only 8-9 hours left in tonight's CB3/SLA meeting... a few highlights:

-- Ludlow Street's TPoutine was rejected by the Board again for noise complaints from neighbors... and they're not even serving booze yet...

-- The Board rejected Michael Huynh's request to serve beer and wine at his newly opened DOB at 115 St. Mark's Place.



-- In the evening's most contentious battle (so far), the Board approved a full liquor license for Keith Masco's planned seafood eatery/bar/fishmonger at 171 Avenue A. With this, there are now six liquor licenses among nine storefronts on Avenue A between 10th Street and 11th Street. A whole lot more on this one tomorrow.

Michael C. Hall and 'East Fifth Bliss' filming on Seventh Street (right now!)

This afternoon, the small 'East Fifth Bliss' crew was camped out on Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue, providing some entertainment for shopkeepers and passersby who stood around and watched...





From our vantage point hiding behind a truck and dumpster, we spotted lead actor Michael C. Hall standing by a cab. We also found a decent bookshelf. But we left it behind.




Previously on EV Grieve:
Q-and-A with 'East Fifth Bliss' author Douglas Light

About the building that inspired the novel 'East Fifth Bliss'

Mud Truck still MIA on Astor Place

As Eater reported Friday, the Mud Truck on Astor Place was hit by the Department of Health... As of a few minutes ago, there was no sign on the familiar orange truck...They're usually here from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays...

The Ontological-Hysteric Theater leaving its home at St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery

The Ontological-Hysteric Theater is leaving its performance space at St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery in June, according to the Theater's Web site. The Ontological, which has had a permanent home at St. Mark’s since 1992, will wrap up their run at the Church on June 30. The Incubator presenting programs will take over the performance space on July 1.

[Via the Times]

Eatery odds-n-ends: College Night at McDonald's; renovation at Saint's Alp; mannequins at Spitzer's

Bar Paya on Second Street near Fourth Street is coming along... Grub Street has more details on this Peruvian restaurant.



The new smoothie place on First Street near First Avenue looks like this...




McDonald's on Third Avenue near St. Mark's Place has a College Night?



Saint's Alp Teahouse on Third Avenue at NYU has signed a new 10-year lease and is remodeling their place...




Something is going into the former Shiki Kitchen on First Avenue near St. Mark's Place...



The Film Academy Cafe at the former Starbucks Astor Place east location is now open...



...and serving bread, evidently, from Balthazar...



Ryan's Irish Pub on Second Avenue now has a live DJ weekend nights?



Sure, this is from February, but I just stumbled upon it...the Sony Mannequins do dinner and drinks at Schiller's (OOPS! Spitzer's!)

Home with Novogratz-designed penthouse now in full view

December!

And now... Hello 238 E. Fourth St.! Well, over here between Avenue A and Avenue B the former one-level construction company razed to become home a multi-million-dollar penthouse by the world-famous Bob and Cortney Novogratz is now in full view...





Is this a garage for a mini-Cooper? (There is a driveway left from the Construction Company that had this address before....)



The owner of 238 E. Fourth St., design writer Sue Hostetler, will live on the first four floors.

The upper-level, "magazine-ready" penthouse is going for $3.75 million... Dunno if that price includes periodic visits by the "9 By Design" troop...

Former Miracle Grill garden not-so-suddenly looks like a condo

Has it really been nearly three years since the Miracle Grill/Imagine garden was ko'd...? This space will soon be home to a six-story, eight-unit residential building that was designed by Andrew Fredman. (Jeremiah reported on this for Curbed back in August 2008...)

Anyway, workers removed the construction netting this past week, giving us a better idea of what Seventh Street's new neighbor will look like...





And, for the record, I echo Jeremiah's sentiments about this space: "Not that I had great love for the Miracle Grill, but I'm sad to say its garden is about to sprout a condo that's taller than its neighbors."

Previously on EV Grieve:
92 Seventh Street gets a sidewalk shed

B&H gets its canopy but loses a sign

We have good news and bad news about B&H... last week we mentioned that workers removed the canopy...and now, a new one that looks very familiar replaced it...



However! EV Grieve reader Dan was walking by on Saturday when two workers were removing the B&H sign. He took the two photos below. Will B&H simply refurbish the old sign or put up something new?




And here's B&H as it awaits a new sign...




[Photo above via the Voice]

Happy campers? The Free Willie Nelson gets some competition on East Third Street

The Free Willie Nelson RV has become a familiar site on East Third Street near First Avenue...



Now, it appears to be getting some competition... I spotted this beaut the other day on the same block... (the Free Willie Nelson was parked east of First Avenue...)




Also, someone purporting to be the owner of the Free WIllie Nelson recently left me this note:

Thank you for your kind remarks about the Free Willie Nelson. Unlike every other vehicle parked in the streets of manhattan the Free Willie Nelson gives back to the community with a nice deck on the rear where people can sit and smoke, eat a snack, sit in the sun and watch the world go by, or chat. Often my friends come by and we sit inside and jam. It's worth noting the Free Willie Nelson is the same size as my apartment, there by doubling my living space. Unlike my apartment it costs about $800 per year to own and it transports up to sixteen people out to the Mermaid Parade, Floyd Bennett Field, Dead Horse Bay, Wood-stock or away from ground zero on that terrible day.

This summer we are talking about putting on a rooftop garden.

I know that not everyone is going to get it or like it but if you take a man in the street poll, except for the people who want the parking spot, most all really like it.

This is a ride for the nomadic spirit, the open road and a romantic time in our history when people weren't afraid to boldly just go.

For the record: Mark me down for getting it and liking it.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Everything that you've ever wanted to know about the "Free Willie" Nelson RV on Third Street (and no -- he's not inside...)

East Third Street bonus sighting: Driving with Dandy, Ears and Patches

It's always a bonus to also spot the old Shriners ambulance on the same block...





Haven't seen it in a little while, though.

For second consectutive month, Superdive transer off the CB3/SLA docket

Superdive was originally on tonight's CB3/SLA docket for a full transfer of their liquor license.... no more, though, as a look at the updated rundown shows...



Just like last month!



Meanwhile! The smashing good times continue at Superdive!

January!



Saturday!




Sunday!



Pretty soon they should just remove the glass and go with the open air look...