The 'Wild Culture' Saturdays on 3rd Street

This month and into the summer, Wild Project, the nonprofit arts venue at 195 E. Third St., hosts a series of outdoor performances and events on Saturday afternoons. 

The series, which takes place outside the Third Street venue between Avenue A and Avenue B, is called Wild Culture.

Wild Culture's purpose is to facilitate cultural sustainability and help support our artists and venue by bringing the East Village neighborhood together to overcome the challenges brought by the pandemic through art and performances. 

Throughout the summer Wild Culture will produce downtown artists across music, spoken-word, poetry, dance, and theater and more to our E. 3rd St. block, just outside our venue to help revive, with our neighborhood partners, the East Village, and our city.

This Saturday (tomorrow!), Wild Culture is hosting the Spring Into Pride fashion show with neighbors 3rd & B’Zaar, as well as a musical performance. 

While the performances are free, there is a suggested donation of $10 to help Wild Project, which has been shuttered these past 14 months during the pandemic.

You can learn more about tomorrow's activities as well as purchase tickets via the Wild Project website.

'Something' to talk about

 

The new single from local band Hello Mary is out today... check out the video here for "Take Something."  

You can find their Bandcamp page here... or the EVG feature from a few weeks back here. 

Hello Mary is playing a sold-out show this evening at Bowery Electric.

About the Champagne Diet pop-up boutique this weekend on 9th Street

This weekend, East Village resident Cara Alwill is hosting a pop-up for her The Champagne Diet brand at 434 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

There will be a selection of vintage jewelry, clothing and accessories for sale on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by for a quick sneak preview the other day...

You can also schedule an appointment here.

Police searching for suspect who punched an Asian woman at the 2nd Avenue F stop

The NYPD has released a sketch of a suspect they say punched an Asian woman on the F stop platform on Second Avenue at Houston. 

According to police, the attack occurred on April 28 at 6:40 p.m. 

From the PIX 11 report:

A 47-year-old Asian woman was walking on the southbound platform when a man approached her and punched her in the face before fleeing, police said. The woman fell to the ground and sustained bruising to her face and head, leg pain and lacerations to both hands, police said. 

No words were exchanged before the attack, according to police.

The suspect's description, per amNY:  "A 30-year-old man with a dark complexion, a full beard and short dark hair, standing 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing 180 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black hat, blue jeans and white t-shirt."

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the attack.

Hate crimes involving Asian-American victims soared in New York City this past year. This Curbed post has details on some of the crimes.

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. All calls are strictly confidential.

AuH20 Thriftique is returning full time to 7th Street

Last Friday, we reported that AuH20 Thriftique was making an encore presentation over the weekend in the shop's former home at 84 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

Turns out that things went quite well with the pop-up weekend... so much so that owner Kate Goldwater is reopening the space. 

Per an Instagram post:

It's been unbelievable seeing everyone this weekend and we're overwhelmed by the support. We're fortunate to have such great customers, employees and a landlord that's so willing to work with us, this past weekend and now moving forward. So we're reopening! 

For the time being, AuH20 will be open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 7 p.m. while Goldwater figures out the particulars.

Goldwater closed the shop last fall after 14 years of selling stylish women's vintage clothes and accessories. You can keep tabs on the reopening via the AuH20 website.

A-1 Record Shop reopens tomorrow (Saturday!) for in-store shopping

A-1 Record Shop will reopen tomorrow for in-store browsing/shopping for the first time since the PAUSE of March 2020... this following last Saturday's soft-opening sidewalk sale.

Via Instagram:

This year, A-1 Record Shop celebrates 25 years in operation. Come celebrate this milestone with us as we re-open the shop to the public this Saturday, May 22! New store hours: 12-8 p.m., every day. Masks required in the store, limited capacity, BYOH (bring your own headphones), fresh bins filled with heat and deals. 

The heat is on! 

A-1 is at 439 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Image via the Vinyl Factory

Thursday's parting shot

Photo from Fourth Street at Second Avenue by Derek Berg...

Details on the 34th annual Loisaida Festival

The 34th annual Loisaida Festival will be taking place in a virtual format again this year... celebrated over two days — May 23 and 30.

This year’s theme, ¡Viva Loisaida!, "celebrates the Lower East Side's roots, the elements that characterize the neighborhood, and its residents’ resiliency, creativity, growth and unity."

Here's more about what to expect:

The musical lineup includes: world-renowned Mexican singer and actor Fernando Allende; Afro-Caribbean/electronic music project ÌFÉ; Puerto Rican folk singer Chabela Rodríguez; Afro-Brazilian Samba Reggae All-Female Band Batalá, and acclaimed local contemporary R&B Soul-Jazz artist Duendita as well as Linda Díaz, the winner of NPR's 2020 Tiny Desk Contest.

And about this year's artwork as seen atop this post:

The official artwork for the 34th Annual [Virtual] Loisaida Festival was created by João Salomão, a local Brazilian artist also known as PIXOTE, whose distinctive style is heavily influenced by the Brazilian Pixação graffiti tradition. The commemorative poster for this year's festival was inspired by the LES punk and hip hop's NYC graffiti scene of the late eighties and nineties that helped form João's artistic practice. 

With this year’s design, the artist also pays homage to Loisaida's documentary photographer Marlis Momber, also well known as the co-producer of "Viva Loisaida," a 1978 film documenting life in the late 1970s Loisaida neighborhood.

You can find more info about the Festival and how to tune in online at this link.

Will leave you with the teaser video...

 

The first Loisaida Festival took place in 1987. You can revisit photos from the last one held in-person (2019!) on Avenue C right here.

St. Mark’s Comics is reopening this summer (in Brooklyn)

[Photo from 2015 by Stacie Joy]

St. Mark's Comics, which closed in February 2019 after 36 years at 11 St. Mark's Place, will be opening a new shop later this summer in Industry City, the retail and manufacturing hub on the Sunset Park waterfront

"We've had many offers to reopen over the past two and a half years," Mitch Cutler, one of the owners of the new shop, said in a statement. "The pandemic certainly slowed us down, but we were really waiting for the right situation. We’re tremendously excited to have found the perfect new home at Industry City."

The Brooklyn shop includes a new partner, Nick Giangarra, described as a comics professional and St. Mark's Comics veteran. 

St. Mark's Comics, which has been selling comics and collectibles online as well as appearing at the New York Comic Con in 2019, is already buying collections and stocking up to prepare for the grand reopening, currently slated for mid-summer.

Cutler said that a variety of factors, from increasing rents to changing consumer shopping habits, played a role in his decision to close on St. Mark's Place.

Land of Buddha, which specializes in Buddhist-themed antiques, jewelry, textiles, crafts and religious items, opened at 11 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue in early March 2020.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A visit to St. Mark's Comics

Openings: Soda Club on Avenue B; Jolene on Great Jones Street

Soda Club, the latest vegan concept from Ravi DeRossi's Overthrow Hospitality, is now open at 155 Avenue B between Ninth Street and 10th Street. (First reported here.) 

The restaurant is serving plant-based Italian cuisine and a large selection of natural and organic wines. You can check out the menu here. 

Soda Club is open Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to midnight. For now, they're only taking walk-ins. 

The previous tenant at No. 155, Donostia, the wine-and-tapas bar, closed in November 2018 after five years in business.

This is the third new East Village from DeRossi this year... joining Cadence on Seventh Street and Etérea on Fifth Street.

Photo by @ericmedsker via @sodaclubnyc

At 54 Great Jones St., restaurateur Gabriel Stulman has changed up concepts for The Jones, his all-day cafe that opened in August 2019 just west of the Bowery.

Starting today, the space is Jolene, which takes its name from Dolly Parton's song.

Here's more:

Inspired by the utterly charming Cafe de Flore in Paris...  Stulman has transformed The Jones into a new classic American bistro, cafe, and bar with partner and executive chef James McDuffee ... That means an extensive wine list, clutch cappuccinos, snackable bites like a "Della" tea sandwich, and satisfying mains like chopped steak frites.

Will update with the hours later. No website at the moment, but there's always Instagram.

Before The Jones, No. 54 was home to the Great Jones Cafe, which never reopened after Jim Moffett, the longtime owner, died in July 2018 at age 59. The Cafe, a popular yet low-key spot, first arrived in 1983.

Meanwhile, the bust of Elvis remains from the days of the Great Jones Cafe...    

Coming soon to 9th Street: Desert Rose Cafe

For the coming-soon files... signage went up yesterday for Desert Rose Cafe here at 350 E. Ninth St. just west of First Avenue.  (Thanks to William Klayer for the pic!)

Stay tuned for more info on the new establishment. This space was last briefly O Ramen Dim Sum M, which tried to open during the pandemic without much success. And previously: beQu Juice was here until November 2019 after nearly six years in business.

Today in neighbors being neighborly

Spotted on a car windshield on Second Street at Avenue B:

"Just wanted to inform you that you have a rat in your car! Sorry about that : ( Your neighbors."

And it's not even the summer yet. By August the rat might be driving.

Thank you to Patty Rat for stopping to take the photo!

Nest watch: The red-tailed chicks are growing up quickly in Tompkins Square Park

Just last week, we noted that Amelia and Christo, the resident red-tailed hawks of Tompkins Square Park, have three chicks in the nest this spring.

Since then, as Goggla notes, the hawklets have nearly doubled in size. (That's what a steady diet of rats and pigeons will do...)

So what's next?

Checking my notes from last year, the hawk chicks all fledged the nest the first week of June. The next two weeks should be interesting as the nestlings continue to develop their immature plumage and start exploring the branches around the nest.

Soon after, they'll start ignoring everything their parents say. 

Please visit Goggla's site for more photos of and observations about these red-tailed chicks.  

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop makes its long-awaited automat debut today

Brooklyn Dumpling Shop officially opens today after several pandemic-related delays here on the southwest corner of St. Mark's Place and First Avenue. 

As previously reported, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop features a contact-free, automat-type arrangement serving more than 30 varieties of dumplings and spring rolls around the clock. 

There's also a selection of beer and wine. Here's a look at what to expect via Eater:

Customers can either place orders on their phone by visiting the restaurant website or by using a digital panel inside the dumpling shop, where diners can simply hover their fingers above the screen to place the order ... 

Orders will be accompanied by locker numbers indicating where customers can grab their food. Red lockers indicate hot food like the dumplings and spring rolls, while the blue ones are for drinks and dessert dumplings. Customers then scan their phone on a screen located along the automat wall to access a locker once their order is ready.

Founder Stratis Morfogen recently gave EVG contributor Stacie Joy a preview...

While the ordering and pick up may all be contact-free, there are actual humans behind the scenes making the dumplings, varieties that include pastrami, bacon cheeseburger, lamb gyro, Philly cheesesteak and more. Find the menu at the Shop's website. 

There are several tables inside for dining as well as sidewalk and curbside seating. 

And while this flagship location is just opening, Morfogen already has several franchising deals in place.

Neighbors address the rooftop parties at this 6th Street building

Some residents on Sixth Street have launched a flyer campaign to help address the rooftop ragers at 330 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Per the flyers spotted on the block...

"We are a group of tenants living on 6th Street determined to address the issue of noise disturbances occurring every weekend — crowded parties on the rooftop with blasting music and guests yelling until late night."

Apparently, these have become a Friday-through-Sunday ritual these past few months.

There's an email address to receive updates on the group's action... as well as a prompt to file a complaint with 311. 

The landlord is Centennial Properties, which is the new name of convicted felon Steve Croman's 9300 Realty. 

According to Streeteasy, units range in price from $4,100 to $7,600 for three to four bedrooms. Amenities for a few units include balconies with at least one having a private roof deck.

H/T @vanishingny 

A look at the under-renovation Ideal Glass space on 2nd Street

A few readers have asked about the renovations at the Ideal Glass space at 20-22 E. Second St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

As reported last fall, Karma gallery is taking over this space... the latest EV expansion for art dealer and publisher Brendan Dugan, who debuted Karma on Second Street between Avenue A and Avenue B in November 2016. (Karma Books opened in April 2018 at 136 E. Third St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.)

According to artnet News, who first reported on this deal, this "latest venue is set to be the crown jewel" for Karma. Why? "The ceiling height alone is enough to make a dealer salivate, and there will no doubt be a number of artists maneuvering for spots on the programming schedule."

The Ideal Glass building dates to the 1950s, when used as a glazier's workshop.

Blackout along East River Park

In recent days, someone has blacked out all the Save East River Park flyers along the waterfront...

And apparently, this was more than a random act of spraypainting... EVG reader Robert Miner, who shared these photos, said every flyer from East River Park Action was like this from 18th Street down to the Williamsburg Bridge.

Opponents of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project have been asking for a "real environmental review" of the $1.45 billion plan to protect the Lower East Side and surrounding neighborhoods from a 100-year-flood event and sea-level rise. 

Opponents of the city's current plan — where workers will raze the 57.5-acre plot of land, bulldozing 1,000 mature trees and rebuilding the park atop eight feet of landfill — say there are better ways to preserve the park and provide flood protection, such as the one mapped out in the years after Sandy.

In late 2018, the city surprised community stakeholders by announcing a complete overhaul of a plan discussed over four years of local meetings.

Previously

A little love for Little Poland

Little Poland has been open almost a month to the date here at 200 Second Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street.

Jefferson Siegel shared this photo today of the diner's nice-looking sidewalk cafe. 

The diner, which opened in 1985, has daily hours of 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. (And keep an eye out for the $7.75 breakfast special.)

The remains of the Gem Spa can now be found in homes (and a barn) across the U.S.

Gem Spa closed just a little more than a year ago on the corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place. 

Parul Patel, who had been running the store that her father Ray owned since 1986, made a gallant effort to save the iconic corner shop that dates to the 1920s. However, whatever financial progress she was able to make was not enough to overcome a global pandemic. 

Late last year, Patel auctioned off the Gem Spa's sign, rolldown gate and other miscellanea.

At The New Yorker this week, Michael Schulman tracked down the owners of these Gem Spa relics.

Jason Sheehy nabbed one of the big yellow storefront signs (seventy-five hundred dollars), plus a milkshake machine (three-fifty). Sheehy lives on a grain farm in Ohio, but "the East Village has always just been my jive," he said. Both items will live in his nineteenth-century farmhouse, part of which he has turned into an Irish pub, furnished with a bar and stools from O’Lunney's Times Square Pub, another pandemic casualty.

Diana Goldfeder Stewart, a graphic artist in San Francisco, bought an egg-cream sign for her kitchen (three thousand dollars). Her family operated the store from the twenties through the fifties, when it was called Goldfeder's. She grew up hearing stories about her great-grandfather Nathan's chocolate-sauce recipe. ("He served what was called Goldfeder's Famous Egg Cream.") Like a lot of Gem Spa fans, she was anxious about what will replace it. "That corner — it's a magical corner for so many people," she said. "It can't be just nothing there."

As this photo from yesterday shows, nothing is here for now. The storefront is on the rental market.

Top photo from April 2019 by Stacie Joy

Trading places: Are you ready for some Unregular Pizza?

Unregular Pizza opens today at 135 Fourth Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street. There was a friends and family sneak preview last evening... (thanks to Steven for the pics!)

Owner Gabriele Lamonaca, who previously worked at EV restaurants Huertas and Cacio e Vino, made headlines earlier this year for his unique bartering system. 

Lamonaca, who has wanted to open his own restaurant, started experimenting with his pizza-making skills during the pandemic. From his Harlem apartment, he whipped up a handful of pies every week and made them available via barter. 

As the Rome native told the Post back in February, he didn't want to take people's money during such difficult financial times... so he traded his creations for everything from chocolate cake to chicken Milanese.

He said there's some historical precedent for bartering. During leaner times in post-World War II Italy, "My grandmother would bake bread and press olives into oil, and trade it to neighbors for eggs," he said.

Now though you can pay for the pies, which the Post declared the best in the city. You can follow the pizzeria on Instagram. It appears that Lamonaca will still hold some pizza barters. (Update: they will have once-daily trades.)

Hours: daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.