EV Grieve

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Reminders tonight: Harvest party on First Street

From the inbox...

With the successful run last month of “First Growth,” a benefit exhibition of donated art works, First Street Green — the community organization working in cooperation with the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to create a community cultural park—will hold a follow-up party and sale of new and remaining works to complete its summer initiative to raise local support for the project.
Many of the works on sale will be offered at the bargain price of $100 to help raise funds and mobilize community support to convert the rat-infested vacant lot at 33 East 1st Street into a cultural center and park with a sculpture garden and temporary installations.

Local groups working with First Street Green include the First Street Block Association, The Lower East Side Girls’ Club, and the Citizen’s Committee of New York City, which awarded First Street Green two New Yorkers for Better Neighborhoods Grants to help launch its campaign.

The closing or “harvest” party will be held in the temporary gallery space next door to the vacant lot where the rubble of a building demolished in the 1930s continues to be a serious health hazard to the neighborhood due to a persistent rat infestation.

The bargain sale of contemporary works of art by well-known local artists will garner increased support for the project by providing visitors with an opportunity to view and buy fine works of art and to read FSG brochures and posters illustrating the projected plans for the park while enjoying free food and drink provided by Joe Doe, Prune, Arlo & Esme, the Lower East Side Girls Club Bakery, and other local venders.

The Harvest Party will provide a one-night-only opportunity to purchase works of contemporary art at excellent rates (works selling for $100 or less will be identified with green labels at the party). The event is free and open to the public.
Help green the city by enjoying its local culture!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Residents pitching in to help refurbish First Street garden

The gentleman kindly requests that you please refrain from touching his motorcycle

Spotted by a reader last evening on St. Mark's Place...

Thankfully there's no penalty for taking photos...

Police relocating vehicles to "no parking" zones; exploding bicycles next?

In preparation for President Obama's NYC visit today, police this morning are relocating vehicles from the motorcade route...

...and depositing them in "no parking" zones such as here on Avenue B ... as seen in the photo... When someone pointed out that the cab was being placed in a "no parking" zone and now in line for a ticket, the police tow-truck driver said that he didn't care.

Meanwhile!

Our tipster asked the NYPD if they would also be removing all the exploding bicycles off the route. He or she did not get a response.

The Greenpointing of East Fifth Street continues

So, here's a quarterly update on the construction at 532 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B ...

Before!

Now!

Someday! ... Six floors and 10 units of glass and shine...

As a Curbed tipster noted back in February: "Six stories & ten units sounds reasonable, but that building is stylistically out of sync with the rest of the block. Reminds me more of the condos going up in Greenpoint."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Beaming up on Fifth Street

Demolition on East Fifth Street

On the way: A five-story apartment building for Fifth Street

Wrapping up 'East Fifth Bliss'

Entertainment Weekly featured a shot from the upcoming "East Fifth Bliss" in its current issue...

The movie stars Michael C. Hall ... not to mention our very own Slum Goddess ... I asked Douglas Light, the former EV resident who adpated the screenplay from his novel, for an update...

"The movie is coming along very well. They're doing all the technical stuff now like color correction, sound, scoring. It looks really good. Everyone is pleased. Shooting to have it completely done by Sept 1."

Previously.

The developers are coming! The developers are coming!

There are are several upcoming events to help publicize the threat facing community gardens in the East Village and other areas of NYC ... the agreement protecting various gardens from developers expires in September...

So! If you want to get involved, here are some activities planned by Time's Up Save Our Gardens Action Group:

1. Paul Revere Ride "Get Your Horse Head On" Prop-Making Session, tonight at 6, Generation X Garden (Fourth Street between Avenues B and C)

2. Paul Revere Ride -- The Developers Are Coming, Thursday at 7 p.m. -- meet at Tompkins Square Park

3. Save Our Garden Celebration/BBQ -- Saturday, 4 p.m., Generation X Garden (Fourth Street between Avenues B and C)

4. Harvest Day Rally at City Hall (in conjunction with other garden groups' press conference), Monday at 10 or 11 a.m. (exact time and location TBA)

5. Proposed Rules Public Hearing/rally, Aug. 10, 10:30 a.m. rally before 11 public hearing (Tuesday), Chelsea Rec center, 430 W. 25th St.

If you want to speak at this public hearing, then e-mail Laura Velle at Laura.LaVelle@parks.nyc.gov and write, "I intend to make a statement at the August 10Public Hearing on the Parks and HPD Rules for Community Gardens. Please add my name to the list of speakers." Deadline is Aug. 9.

Also! The Daily News is doing a story on the gardens and Paul Revere ride. They will do a photo shoot for the story this morning at 11 at the Generation X Garden. Per the organizers: "If you can dress as Paul Revere (like have a three-corn hat) that's great, but not necessary. Please arrive by 10:45."

Beauty Crisis closing Friday

Beauty Crisis on Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue is closing on Friday...

Looks as if the store will live online in the short term...

Previously on EV Grieve:
East Village vintage stores doomed?

More vintage doom: Beauty Crisis is closing

Other closings:

Atomic Passion has closed

Monk Thrift Shop on Avenue B

Atomic Passion on Ninth Street

O Mistress Mine on 11th Street

Andy's Chee-Pees on St. Mark's Place

Fab 208 is moving into a smaller space on Seventh Street

Dumpster pool for Avenue C?

No! Sure looked like one, though... Kind of...

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Inside the Star Fucking Hipsters mosh pit

Bob Arihood braved the masses during the Star Fucking Hipsters set last Saturday in Tompkins Square Park....

Earlier, we posted some shots by Red Riotdog... see those here.

CB3 parks overrun by rats; lack toilets

We've been writing about the threat facing community gardens ... the agreement protecting various gardens from developers expires in September...

The matter will be discussed tonight during the full Community Board 3 meeting...

6:30 pm
IS 131 — 100 Hester St. (between Eldridge and Forsyth streets)

Information about the community gardens portion is in CB3 agenda statement ... meanwhile, few other things caught my eye while reading the agenda:

Parks/Recreation/Cultural Affairs/Landmarks

• Community Board 3, like most districts in the City, does not meet the City Planning Commission's guidelines for per capita open space. The open space/population ratio is approximately 0.7 acres per 1000 people. By comparison, the Governor's Open Space Report recommended 2.5 acres per 1000, and New York City averages 1.5 acres. The open space that we do have is not evenly distributed throughout the district. The area west of Avenue A and the Chinatown area lack adequate open space. Compounding this deficiency is the increased use of existing parks by individuals and groups for organized events from both inside and outside the community. Increasingly, groups from outside of our district are using Community Board 3 parks. While we do not seek to exclude outside groups from our parks, we do feel that priority should be given to local groups. ... The Community Board insists on policies that foster the most open use of facilities by residents of the community while respecting safety concerns. Any agreements between Parks and other entities should be brought to Community Board 3 prior to finalization.

• A few community gardens have been transferred to the Parks Department, but at the same time, the fate of many others is still uncertain. For sites not being transferred to the Parks Department, the City should consider transferring them to local community organizations that can maintain the locations as permanent open community space. Once open space is lost to development, it is very unlikely that it will ever be replaced.

• Community Board 3 parks have continued to be overrun with rats year after year. This is aggravated by some specific conditions such as the underground space beneath Peter Cooper Park and the dense grass coverage on the Essex strip at Seward Park. Although the grasses are beautiful visually, they must be replaced so that the park can be better baited and maintained. The Parks Department has only one full time exterminator, which does not allow for adequate baiting. Although many of the Parks staff has been trained to meet the need of more extermination, they do not have the years of experience and expertise that comes with experience. More full time experienced extermination and staff to maintain and clean the parks is necessary to protect the health and public safety of the community. Until it has enough staff to adequately deal with the problem, Parks should work with the Health Department for regular and frequent baiting.

• Parks also needs improved procedures for park event permits. Community groups complain that information and approvals are not communicated in a timely manner. The Community Board has suggested that small, non-recurring events, such as school end-of-year parties and similar events, be handled in an expedited manner. A birthday party for 3-year olds may not necessitate review by Parks.

• Toilets in Community Board 3 parks and playgrounds are badly needed. There are several locations of which the Parks Department is already aware, but some of the longest standing needs are the toilets in Luther Gulick Park, Corlears Hook Park, and Sol Lain Parks. The lack of functioning toilets in this park is exacerbated by its proximity to the East River Park amphitheatre. The numerous concerts in the amphitheatre and the continuing overflow of pedestrians through Corlears during concert season suggests that Parks make this a higher priority. Since 2008, Parks has not yet advised CB3 of any progress concerning toilets.

An eatery for nearly every corner on the Bowery

After seeing that 2 Cooper Square will likely one day be home to a restaurant in its retail space...

...it's time to look at the fledgling restaurant row here ... in which every corner has, or will have, a bar/restaurant...

Well, you could start at Houston with Pulino's on the corner...

...and, while DBGB, isn't technically on a corner, it is the next closest business to the corner...

...then you have Double Crown on the southwest corner of Bleecker...

with Think Coffee on the north side...

...there's the new Taavo Somer/William Tigertt diner on the northeast corner of Second Street...

...Sala next to the empty lot on Great Jones...

...and Gemma on the east side of the Bowery...

...it's just a matter of time before the former Salvation Army East Village Residence becomes a restaurant... (it almost became a sushi joint last summer...)

...And!... it's just a matter of time before Downtown Auto and Tire becomes a restaurant ... (it almost became a Segafredo Zanetti Espresso Café a few weeks back...)

...and, of course, Bbar and Grill here on Fourth Street across the way from 2 Cooper Square....

...and on the southeast corner of Fourth Street, there's Phebe's...

So! That's nine corner spots... with three on the way... one dozen spots for roughly four blocks...not to mention everything in between...such as the V Bar's new theater/restaurant combo action at the former Amato Opera...

The 'immense' work continues at St. Brigid's

A few weeks ago, I noted the ongoing work at St. Brigid's on Avenue B and Eighth Street... from my untrained eye, it appeard that the entire northside wall had been removed... I checked in with Edwin Torres, chairman of the Committee to Save St. Brigid's, for an update...