Monday, May 31, 2021
Monday's parting shots
6 posts from May
• Honoring the memories of Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Locón on 2nd Avenue (May 27)
• Woman dies after falling from Avenue A rooftop; Rivera demands review of building enforcement procedures (May 23)
• St. Mark’s Comics is reopening this summer (in Brooklyn) (May 20)
• The remains of the Gem Spa can now be found in homes (and a barn) across the U.S. (May 18)
• This East Village Easter footage from 1966 includes a crucifixion in Tompkins Square Park (May 14)
• Cinema Paradiso looks to bring foreign and independent films to Avenue A (May 10)
Tompkins Square Library hosting an online discussion with Grant Shaffer
Per the invite, Grant "will show and talk to us about his work. He will discuss his process and inspirations, including the work he has created inspired by life in NYC during the COVID pandemic."
Grant's illustrations have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times and Interview.
The discussion is from 6-7 p.m. Sign up at this link.
And coming up on Saturday: Longtime East Village resident Sarah Schulman will discuss her upcoming book "Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993." Details here.
Food Emporium has closed on Union Square
As we first reported back in March, this 14th Street location was to close on May 30, according to a WARN notice filed on Feb. 25 with the New York State Department of Labor.
The WARN filing says that the Food Emporium lease is expiring. The closure will impact 50 employees, per the notice.
In February 2020, Lois Weiss at the Post reported that Target signed a lease for the 32,579 square feet here in the base of the Zeckendorf Towers. At the time, the Food Emporium was said to stay here through the end of April 2023. Perhaps now Target will push forward their opening date.
And we'll walk off with a passage from Rachel Sugar's March 11 essay at Grub Street titled "New York Grocery Stores Are Uniquely Weird. That’s Why They’re Important" ...
In itself, the Union Square Food Emporium was not special. It was — and is! (until May 30) — what one might call "serviceable," which is to say that it does indeed sell groceries and has two stars on Yelp. But it is emblematic of its kind. It is, like Key Food and Foodtown and C-Town and Gristedes and Associated and Bravo and D’Agostino, a quintessential New York City chain. Are these stores largely mediocre? Of course, but they are distinctly mediocre. And while there are recognizable differences between them, such as quality and ownership and location, spiritually, they are the all same.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Monday's opening shot
Sunday, May 30, 2021
Week in Grieview
• Elected officials call for more rooftop oversight; details emerge about woman who fell from 202 Avenue A (Tuesday)
• Honoring the memories of Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Locón on 2nd Avenue (Thursday)
• Volunteer help wanted for the new Loisaida CommUnity Fridge and Pantry (Monday)
• Opinion: Against Upzoning (Wednesday)
• Report: One of Amelia and Christo's 2021 offspring has died (Thursday)
• Gas service is restored at Pangea after 7 months (Wednesday)
• The owner of alt.coffee and Cake Shop is looking to start a new cafe concept (Tuesday)
• A follow-up to the fire on Bleecker Street late Friday night (Monday)
• March gallery debuts on Avenue A (Friday)
• How expensive are the flowers here? (Friday)
• An organic grocery for the Bowery (Monday)
• Marufuku Ramen next up for 92 2nd Ave. (Tuesday)
• 7th Street Burger for 7th Street (Tuesday)
• Sidney's Five in soft-open mode on 1st Avenue (Monday)
... and in case the skies miraculously clear by this evening...
---Happy Manhattanhenge! It's TONIGHT- don't miss it!!#exit9 #exit9giftemporium #shoplocal #eastvillage #brooklyn #manhattanhenge pic.twitter.com/TbG05IuciY
— Exit9 Gift Emporium (@ShopExit9) May 30, 2021
Spring into Pride extended through June at 3rd & B’Zaar on 3rd Street
However! Based on the feedback this past month, the organizers have decided to extend Spring Into Pride through June (June 28 to be exact).
There will be a few new vendors joining the more than 30 local designers, vintage sellers and artists.
Spring into Pride is open from 1-6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
3rd & B’Zaar debuted late last year with a month-long Holiday Market ... followed by Sex, Love & Vintage in February.... with several art shows in between.
Today is the last day for Streecha Ukrainian Kitchen before summer break
The basement cafe, which generates income for the St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church on Seventh Street, is open today from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for takeout.
Stock up your freezer!
Previously on EV Grieve:
A visit to the Streecha Ukrainian Kitchen on 7th Street
Top photo from 2018 by Stacie Joy!
Saturday, May 29, 2021
Today's concert at the East River Park Amphitheater has been postponed
Friday, May 28, 2021
'Crisis' communications
For the holiday weekend... Holiday Ghosts have a new record out (the UK-based band's third)... the video here is for "Total Crisis."
Flashback Friday
March gallery debuts on Avenue A
Photos by Stacie Joy
As previously reported, Phillip March Jones, an artist, writer and curator, leased this space.
The debut exhibit, titled Pre-Renovation Potluck, is an installation of self-portraits by 16 artists whom March has worked with in the past. You can read more details on the March website.
Until June 2020, this storefront was Alphabets ... owner Linda Heidinger moved the novelty-gift shop to Palm Springs, Calif.
And wait until you see how expensive their balloons are!
The sign originally said "Florist Flowers." The new signage — "Very Expensive Flowers" — is definitely more memorable.
Anyway, they are running a special — the dozen red roses, previously priced at $19.99, are available for $101.11, which includes the "no sense of humor fee."
Photo by Stacie Joy!
Can you Dig it? [Update: Postponed due to the rain]
Update 5/29: The organizers have postponed the show to a later date given today's wind and rain...
Dig Stop! will bring together more than a dozen local bands, DJs and speakers from 1 to 5 p.m.
You can also purchase Save East River Park T-shirts and totes ... and bid on a mystery bag raffle with items donated by Patagonia. Proceeds go to the East River Park Action legal fund.
East River Park Action has 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, part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project, discussed over four years of local meetings.
Thursday, May 27, 2021
Honoring the memories of Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Locón on 2nd Avenue
Family members of Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Locón came together outside 121-123 Second Ave. yesterday morning for the dedication of a memorial plaque in honor of the two men who died here during the gas explosion on March 26, 2015.
Retired (2017) FDNY battalion chief John Dunne joined the families ... Dunne, the third-highest-ranking member of the FDNY at the time, was part of the massive response to the explosion that leveled three buildings here at Seventh Street.
State Sen. Brad Hoylman, City Councilmember Carlina Rivera and her predecessor, Rosie Mendez, who was in office at the time of the tragedy, were also on hand to pay their respects to the family members.
The Village Preservation advocated for the inclusion of the plaque here on the new residential building at 45 E. Seventh St.
Thank you to Steven for the photos
Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: One of Amelia and Christo's 2021 offspring has died
Local red-tailed hawk documentarian Goggla reported this yesterday:
Thanks to Goggla for the photos!
Unfortunately, we have no idea what happened, when exactly the chick passed away, or where the body is now. It's likely still up in the tree, but there is no way to check up there and, without a body, no way to know what caused the chick's death. Any stories floating around the park are pure speculation. The last time we observed the chick, it appeared fine, but they were all still too small to be able to get a really good look at them. Of course, we're watching the remaining two chicks closely.
As she points out, this is not the first time that the resident red-tailed hawks have suffered the loss of their fledglings. In 2018 and 2019, at least one of the chicks died from rodenticide poisoning.
In more positive news, the other two chicks appear to be doing well ... and they are briefly in that awkward 7th-grade phase as they mature into lean, rat-hunting machines.
The Lower East Side Festival of the Arts returns for in-person events this weekend
Expect to find a mix of theater, music, dance, comedy, poetry, film and fine arts indoors and out on Friday through Sunday.
You can check out the extensive offerings at the Theater's website.
The events are all free of charge. Theater officials have also noted the following about admission:
Thanks to Lola Sáenz for the photos. Lola also has a work on display in the art show.
[S]adly, we cannot be as uninhibited and laissez-faire with our audience as usual. So, we must let you know that you WILL BE ASKED TO SHOW US YOUR VACCINATION CARD or a NEGATIVE COVID TEST NO MORE THAN FIVE DAYS OLD, IN ORDER TO BE ADMITTED! There will be masking and social distancing, and we will adhere to the most recent rules promulgated by the CDC, State and New York City.In addition, TNC's Lobby Art Gallery is displaying the work of local artists...
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Wednesday's parting shots
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