On Thursday May 14, Switzerland Tourism invites New Yorkers to experience the fun and freedom of bicycling in honor of Bike-to-Work Week. From 12:01 am to 11:59 pm, Citi Bike day-passes will be available for free at any Citi Bike station kiosk. This is the first time a partner has provided a free day of Citi Bike passes.
What makes Switzerland the perfect partner for Citi Bike? Easy: Switzerland offers 5,600 miles of cycling routes and 2,800 miles of biking trails as part of a program called SwitzerlandMobility. Switzerland is the place to go for anyone who wants to swap NYC's high-rise buildings for stunning mountain scenery and city bike lanes for well-marked cycling and mountain bike routes which crisscross a land full of surprises.
To ride New York City free on May 14 from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM, riders just need to swipe a credit card and select the 24-Hour Access Pass option. No promo code is needed. A $101 security hold may be placed on the card. Standard overtime fees apply to trips that last longer than 30 minutes.
[That same photo of 190 Bowery that we always post]
If you ever wanted to see the inside of 190 Bowery, then here's your chance.
Developer (and art collector!) Aby Rosen, who purchased the landmarked Germania Bank Building at Spring Street from photographer Jay Maisel for $55 million, is putting on an art show that opens Saturday night here along with Vito Schnabel.
Vito Schnabel is pleased to announce the opening of First Show / Last Show, a group exhibition at 190 Bowery on May 16, 2015. Featured artists include Joe Bradley, Dan Colen, Jeff Elrod, Ron Gorchov, Mark Grotjahn, Harmony Korine, and Julian Schnabel.
“The artists included in First Show / Last Show are seven of my favorite painters. I have had the privilege of living with some of their works and have long wanted to show them together. There are very few artists whose work immediately conveys its significance, like each of these seven. They represent three generations of great American contemporary art, ranging in age from 35 to 85.
I grew up in New York City, walking by the former Germania Bank countless times. I always wanted to go inside, thinking it might be a perfect place for an exhibition. This is the first time this 1899 landmark building will be open to the public since the bank closed in 1966 and it became a private residence.
The show runs through May 31. (We updated the post because we had it completely wrong!)
The Landmarks Preservation Commission — or a group pretending to be them — recently praised the owner's decision to keep the exterior graffiti, according to Curbed.
The NYPD has released a sketch of a suspect accused of two hammer attacks in and around Union Square last evening between 7:36 and 7:46.
According to NBC 4 New York, one of the victims was sitting on a bench in Union Square "when she saw the suspect looking at her, police said. When she looked back, he took out a silver hammer and struck her."
The second victim on West 17th Street didn't see the hammer but felt the impact, per NBC 4.
The women, ages 28 and 33, were taken to Lenox Hill HealthPlex with minor injuries, and have been treated and released. The man is also suspected of a third attack on a 20-year-old man earlier in the day on Sixth Avenue and 35th Street.
The NYPD released the above sketch, describing the suspect as having a medium build and wearing a black waist length jacket with a black backpack, dark-colored baseball hat, dark jeans, and black sneakers.
Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online.
A 28-year-old East Village woman leaving Union Square Park was struck by a man who she said had been sitting across from her on a bench in Union Square moments earlier, a law-enforcement official said.
She told police that the suspect had been smoking Newport cigarettes, the official said. The woman said that as she left the park, she was hit on the head from behind by the man with a hammer.
Updated 5/13
The NYPD has released a photo of the suspect...
Updated 11:17 a.m.
According to DNAinfo, the police shot the suspect as he tried to attack an officer with a hammer near Port Authority this morning. No word just yet on the condition of the victim.
Ethos Meze East Village closed for renovations at 167 Avenue A back in late March... and there hasn't been much activity in the space here between East 10th Street and East 11th Street ... except for someone removing the Ethos Meze sign.
The restaurant is owned by the same folks who run the Moonstruck Diner chainlet in the city. Now comes word via the rumor mill that the owners will convert the space into another Moonstruck, similar to the one on Second Avenue and East Fifth Street.
There's finally some activity to note at the southeast corner of 14th Street and Avenue A, home one day to a 7-floor retail-residential building from Extell Development.
Last week, workers erected some fencing and plywood …
Workers have put a temporary sidewalk in place on East 14th Street for pedestrian use once the construction begins...
Perhaps this is a sign that approved permits are on the way? The city has yet to OK the new building (the DOB disapproved the last round of plans back in November, according to city records). Meanwhile, the only thing happening here in previous months is the standing water on the lot freezing and thawing.
As a reminder of what the new development will look like… here's the conceptual rendering… 500 E. 14th St. will have 106 residential units.
And further to the east, 524 E. 14th St. will house 44 residential units…
The demolition of the one-level row of buildings along East 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B wrapped up last August.
As previously reported, the ongoing East Houston Reconstruction Project is having a major impact on Punjabi Grocery & Deli's business.
Through the years, cab drivers made up a sizable portion of Punjabi's business. The reconstruction, however, has prevented drivers from being able to stop by for an inexpensive vegetarian meal here at 114 E. First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. (Owner Jashon Singh told BoweryBoogie a few weeks ago that his sales are down some 60 percent in the past five years during the roadwork.)
Some relief might be on the way.
Tonight, CB3's Transportation & Public Safety/Environment Committee will hear a proposal for a taxi relief stand on the west side of Avenue A between East Second Street and East Houston. The proposal calls for four parking spaces for cabs.
[Avenue A]
Last summer, Punjabi started an online petition asking the city to approve a taxi relief stand — seven parking spaces on East Houston and two additional spots on the bend of East First Street. (There's currently a No Standing sign on East Houston, where there used to be metered parking.)
According to BoweryBoogie, "the DOT has been unwilling to talk to, or meet with Singh, according to their lawyer/advocate Ali Najmi."
EVG reader Jim Duffy, a Punjabi fan, has been in contact with the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission. A rep there told him via email that the Department of Transportation "sent a team out to do a field study and determine a good location for this relief stand." The DOT proposed the west side of Avenue A, which they say is about 150 feet from Punjabi.
The meeting tonight starts at 6:30 (there are several other items ahead of this on the agenda). The meeting is at the University Settlement, Houston Street Center at 273 Bowery.
Also, “#SAVEPUNJABIDELI,” a short directed by filmmaker Adeel Ahmed, debuted online yesterday at the the Tribeca Film Festival site. Per the film notes, the short "gives a glimpse into the unique hospitality that has made Punjabi Deli a cheap and delicious food staple in the neighborhood for over two decades and why it’s not just a cabbie stand, but an appreciated NYC icon worth saving."
Updated
The CB3 committee voted to support the cab stand. But! Per The Lo-Down:
The city says a decision on an exact location must wait until the end of the summer, when a long-delayed construction project on East Houston Street is expected to be completed. In the meantime, the city’s Department of Transportation has agreed to set up a temporary taxi stand on the west side of Avenue A, just above East Houston.
Enz's at 125 Second Ave. has reopened … The rockabilly boutique between St. Mark's Place and East Seventh Street was badly damaged in the deadly gas explosion on March 26 that destroyed the adjacent buildings at 119-123 Second Ave.
While rebuilding her storefront, owner Mariann Marlowe was able to do business from several different pop-up locations in the neighborhood.
When she was able to get back into the storefront earlier last month, "she found extensive water damage … The basement was flooded, the floors buckled and black mold had begun growing on the walls," according to DNAinfo. "It's a raw space right now. It's down to the beams," Marlowe said in a story published on April 21.
Here's a photo of the new-look shop via Enz's Facebook page from yesterday…
The bar-restaurant at 126 First Ave. between East Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place will close as Lunasa after service tonight. But the place will remain the same, except for the name.
We have some really sad news, today is the last day of Lunasa. After almost 12 years in the East Village, Lunasa will cease to exist from closing time tonight forth. We want to take this opportunity to thank all of our loyal customers, our not so loyal customers and even the irregulars that have graced our door over this time. You all mean so much to us and you are the reason we have managed to stay open for more than a decade. We feel so blessed to have met you all and we will cherish the memories (well some of them anyway).
The truth is very few of you could pronounce the bloody name so you lot are partially responsible for its demise, we never thought for a second all that time ago that 6 letters would be so difficult to say properly, it's only 3 syllables for feck sake! Now we know why so many immigrants changed their names after arriving in this beautiful new world.
Well now is the time for us to do the same (this is not all bad news), while the name Lunasa is getting buried, a new name has been carefully chosen with pronunciation as the primary element in the rebranding process. It is a 7 letter word but the key is it only has two syllables, so we are mildly confident that we won't hear similar abominations we heard with our beloved Lunasa.
Ladies and gentlemen we'd like to introduce you to The Grafton. Named after one of Dublin's most famous streets, The Grafton will be very much like Lunasa, except you just won't have to repeat yourself four times to your friends when your telling them where you are.
Tonight is Lunasa's last night and we'd love to see you, swing on by to say so long and tomorrow is the first day of a new era as The Grafton, so swing on by to say hello.
Here are more details about the new restaurant opening at 12 St. Mark's Place.
The V-Spot, with a location in Park Slope, offers Latin vegan cuisine. Here's a description via their website:
For people who eat vegan or kosher, or both, it's not always easy to enjoy tasty Latin dishes, but a one-of-it's-kind restaurant in Park Slope is changing that. The V Spot is a vegan restaurant specializing in Latin cuisine that is Kosher certified under IKC Kosher. We serve delicious meatless and dairy-free dishes that use traditional Latin seasonings, like adobo & sazon made from scratch. Instead of meat, we use our homemade seitan, which is wheat-based, full of protein but doesn't contain any carbohydrates. Our menu is full of flavor, cholesterol-free & no animals were harmed in the making of your dish.
We also offer gluten-free options such as Kale Tostadas or our Quinoa Curried Kale. If you have a sweet tooth you can try one of our soy milkshakes, fresh vegetable juice, fruit smoothies & vegan desserts. Our empanadas are famous through out New York City & also available via FreshDirect's online delivery system. Our current flavors are Colombian style, Black Bean, Jamaican Jerk, Philly Cheese Style & Breakfast Scramble.
No word on an opening date, though they are hiring now... the signs arrived yesterday...
The address here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue was previously home to Hanjoo, which closed in February after nearly three years. No. 12 has also been home to a number of bars-restaurants in recent years, including Hirai Mong, Gama, San Marcos, Siren and @Cafe.
On Saturday, EVG regular Salim noted that workers removed the plentiful plywood surrounding the under-renovation storefront at the northwest corner of Avenue B and Fourth Street … to reveal the new tenant at 58 Avenue B …
Presentation is key: Tables come with little metal buckets for chicken bones, mojitos and margaritas are garnished with appetizing fresh fruit, the traditional Korean soju (which you can get in a variety of fruity flavors) comes in a special ice-filled bowl, and is bedecked with flowers and umbrella-speared garnishes. But, best of all is the beer dispenser for Killians – it bubbles and gurgles with different colors and allegedly keeps your beer from getting warm and flat.
And?
In short, this place is perfect for drunk people looking to lounge and eat Korean fried chicken.
Well, they do have pitchers of Jager bombs on the menu. (In case you were wondering, this item was on the November 2014 CB3/SLA docket, but it was not heard during the committee meeting for whatever reasons.)
The New Yorker recently had nice things to say about Turntable's fried chicken here.
The previous tenant at this address, Vella Market, lasted just six months here, closing in October 2013.
Workers have gutted the former Lugo Hair Center at 209 First Ave. between East 12th Street and East 13th Street…
Not sure exactly when they closed (with that cinderblock storefront, they never looked all that open).
But the place had fans. The Village Voice named them "Best Place to Get Hair Extensions" in 2013, noting: "The East Village's Lugo's Hair Center, which specializes in extensions and wigs, provides beautiful … manes made specifically for you. The process is long and taxing, but well worth it (they don't call themselves the 'mecca of hair' for nothing)."
The business, which apparently opened in 1976, still has a Brooklyn outpost.
The sports bar-restaurant at 16 First Ave. between East First Street and East Second Street is looking closer to opening.
Bar Akuda is the latest from the owners of Murray Hill's Mercury Bar and Tonic East, among others. No word yet on an opening date for the space, which will serve lunch, brunch and dinner.
While the office component of 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/the Death Star is now fully operational leased, the retail spaces have remained empty for nearly two years. (Well, there is the showroom for Ian Shrager's incoming hotel-condo tower at 215 Chrystie, but that's just temporary. The showroom/sales office, not 215 Chrystie.)
Listing broker Patrick Smith of SRS Real Estate Partners said that the angular building presented a “bit of a puzzle” in terms of space configuration and said that Astor Place represents an “emerging retail corridor” that is forced to fill the gap between more popular retail destinations such as Union Square and Soho.
But! According to the article, expect to see some activity in this emerging 51 Astor retail corridor soon.
Three of the five retail spaces currently have leases out and they are in active pursuit on the other two — seeking a specialty fitness and a food tenant that sells prepared meals, according to Smith. [Developer Edward] Minskoff claims that Smith’s assessment of the leasing situation is modest, and that they are in fact finalizing leases for 100 percent of the retail space, to be announced within 30 to 40 days.
Day 2 of the garden's annual plant and bake sale continues today from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. ... on the southwest corner of Avenue B and East Sixth Street...
As a garden rep told us, "It's our main fundraiser for the season and allows us to put on hundreds of free events throughout the season for the community."
The Cake Shop turned 10 this month... to celebrate, the cafe/live music venue at 152 Ludlow St. between Stanton and Rivington celebrates with what co-owners Nick and Andy Bodor are calling a "house show"-themed lineup of shows, featuring the return of some favorite Cake Shop bands. (Find the schedule here.)
In an anniversary feature yesterday at DNAinfo, Lisha Arino reported that the Cake Shop's most recent call for investors in January yielded one unnamed person, who "stepped in and helped Cake Shop to pay back its debts and negotiate a new lease with their landlord, which they hope to sign next month."
Meanwhile, as for the anniversary ...
“We’re just really appreciative to the people who have walked in the door in the last 10 years. Every time somebody compliments us it’s such a rewarding thing,” Nick Bodor said. “It means a lot to us.”
