[Updated] Hotel Toshi takes up residency at newly renovated 147 First Avenue

Funny, back in May 2010, a construction worker told Matt at Neighbohoodr that 147 First Avenue was going to be a motel. Ha, ha. Good one!

Anyway, work looks pretty complete on the upper levels here at East Ninth Street... and we've been waiting for any kind of rental-condo listings to go live at the Icon Realty website.

Well, turns out the construction worker was nearly right — the space is now part of the Hotel Toshi/Smart Apartments empire. Per the Smart Apartments website ...

"This is a self-service apartment style hotel located in the East Village on the corner of E9th Street and 1st Avenue. There is no front desk and check-ins must be completed at an iPad kiosk located in the building lobby. At a compact 280 square feet, this corner unit studio apartment packs everything you need for a modern and comfortable stay in New York City. The East Village is full of things to do: consignment and vintage shopping (Tokio 7, Ina), brunch (Prune, Sunburnt Cow), bars, cafes, lounges, and boutique shopping."

We typed in some random dates this month to see about rates. The "studio: corner series" is $299 a night ... and the "studio — standard" is $279.

[Updated] Here is the temporary certificate of occupancy.... the city issued this on May 4; it expires on Aug. 2. (The PDF is here.) It shows a Class B designation, which allows for short-term occupancy, such as hotel rooms...



Icon Realty is also listed on DOB permits as the owner of 325 E. 10th St. where another short-term apartment has been operating ...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Ninth Street and First Avenue shocker: Motel ... Hello?

Hotel Toshi takes over 325 E. 10th St.

When Hotel Toshi took over an East Village building

Hotel Toshi hit with all sorts of violations on East 10th Street

21 E. First St. has its first floor! (Sort of...)

Let's take a look at Second Avenue and East First Street. It has a skyline now.

One floor down, 11 more to go before a bland-looking apartment building is in place...

Also, we'll start referring to it by its official project name... which is, I think, 21 East First Street...

As the for rent signs turn at the former Amato Opera

Here we are at the Amato Opera on the Bowery, which has sat empty since the company closed on May 31, 2009.

A mini recap since the Amato closed: In July 2010, CB3 gave its blessing for the owners of the V Bars to open a "bar/restaurant/theater experience" in the former Amato Opera on the Bowery. However, those plans fell through. The space was for rent for $22,500 a month... then the whole building went for sale for $6.95 million. Now, we're up to our third or fourth real-estate rep...

The latest sign is now up ... RKF has the listing...

No price mentioned. A few details from the listing:

All uses accepted
Space may be leased in existing layout as a former theater
Entire building available for lease

Steps from The Standard East Village, The Bowery Hotel, New Museum, 40 Bond Street and AvalonBay at Chrystie Place

Likely won't be sitting empty for another three years.

Last thing... the rendering people (scalies!) seem quite life-like:

Particularly the texting zombie walking right into traffic on the Bowery...

For further reading:
Amato Opera (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

Life after the Amato Opera

Costume drama on the Bowery as the Amato Opera empties out

Ruin of the Bowery nearly complete: Last season for the Amato Opera

Go inside the Amato Opera here.

Steve's on the Bowery is for lease

[Via k::snyder on Flickr]

Probably not a surprise... aside from the 7-Eleven that opened across the street, it's a little grubby for the new Bowery. The space will be available in January.

Weekend recap: Julius Klein leaves the East Village; Pudgie's opens; Tahini temporarily closes

A few items from late Friday and Saturday...

Julius Klein has left the East Village

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How about some more gelato for Second Avenue?

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Breaking: The Pudgie's-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's eatery has (soft) opened on First Avenue

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Also, we didn't have a post about this, but on Friday, the DOH temporarily closed Tahini on Third Avenue at St. Mark's Place ... the DOH report isn't online just yet...

Meatball Factory back to meatballs, plus sangria, sake and a raw bar

OK, so The Meatball Factory apparently closed a few weeks ago on East 14th Street and Second Avenue ... quickly becoming a pop-up restaurant by The Hole people called Hole Foods.

On Friday, pcvstBee pointed out that...

The Meatball Factory was back! But! It's under new management... and they have expanded the menu to include fajitas, quesadillas and a raw bar ... not to mention more drink options...

Maybe they can add pancakes to the menu as well to compete with IHOP.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Renovations for the Meatball Factory

And how was your weekend?

Now know why they call it the big apple #toplessgirl #eastvillage.

— Ryan Kasko (@KaskoRyan) June 3, 2012

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A bargoer rests up against a car on East Second Street at Avenue A Saturday night via Matt LES_Miserable ...

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And a resident, tired of the constant pub crawls through the neighborhood, noted this one on Friday evening ... the "Hash House Harriers are self-described 'drinkers with a running problem' who get together about twice a month for events that combine running, orienteering, singing, and perhaps most important, beer drinking."

Low Life wraps up the Howl! Festival

Low Life wrapped up the Howl! Festival this evening... our friend Stacie Joy was there and shared some photos...

How was your double rainbow?

Late this afternoon...

Top two photos are via our friends James and Karla Murray ...

And via EVG reader Jan...

The Post making the case that it will be the Summer of the Bees

On Friday, we wrote about how this could be The Summer of the Bees... (taking over for the Summer of the Bedbugs and the Summer of the Rats...)

Well! According to the Post today... police were called to 30 different bee clusters buzzing around buildings, light poles and fire hydrants this spring...

There are now 161 hives registered with the city Health Department, compared to just three in 2010 — the year beekeeping was legalized, the Post notes.

"It hasn't even started yet," said Anthony Planakis, the police officer who for 18 years has been charged with removing the hair-raising clusters. "Within the next week, we're going to be bombarded again."

You've been warned!

[Updated] Blood outside Fine Fare

A reader notes that last night around 9:15, seven police officers, both uniformed and in plain clothes, chased down, handcuffed and searched a man in a baseball cap, T-shirt and shorts on the east end of the Fine Fare storage cages on East Fourth Street at Avenue C.

The NYPD cordoned off the area, placed the man on a stretcher and into an ambulance. An officer on the scene told the reader that the man had been chased from elsewhere and caught at that location. The reader also noticed that the man in custody was bleeding while standing against Fine Fare.

This morning, the reader saw that the man's dried blood was on the sidewalk ... along with a glove and gauze ...

The reader said that neighbors had talked to the Fine Fare manager about the blood. The manager allegedly said it wasn't his problem. Later this morning, two officers arrived on the scene, picked up the glove and gauze, and then went inside Fine Fare.

As of 11:30 this morning, the blood is still there.

Any other readers have further information about what happened here? Please send them our way via the EV Grieve email

Updated 1:16:
Gothamist has more on the incident here. According to their tipster:

"I talked to the manager who said he wasn't going to do anything about it and threw me out of the store ... I called 911 and 2 officers came, picked up those gloves and gauze you see from the street and threw them in the corner garbage can, and nothing else."