Tompkins Square Park loses another tree

Oh no. A tree came down last night in Tompkins Square Park... Doesn't appear to be any damage, but ... we've lost far too many trees this year in the Park, including five or so during Hurricane Irene ... Photos by Bobby Williams...

Reader report: Itzocan Café has closed on East Ninth Street

EV Grieve reader @bonatron9000 made an unhappy discovery this morning:

"Itzocan Café — the delicious French/Mexican restaurant on Ninth Street near Avenue A — is shuttered with a sign thanking customers for their years of patronage."

As you can see, the space is already for rent...

Today in the Mystery Lot

Per Goggla: "The engines are idling, but there's no one in sight. Gate is unlocked...I'm so tempted to go in and play with the machinery."

Previously.

Report: Local politicians reach out to Ben Shaoul as re-sale of the Cabrini Nursing Center seems likely

Last month, we first reported that Ben Shaoul was the mystery buyer behind the sale of the Cabrini Nursing Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation on East Fifth Street at Avenue B.

According to a source, Cabrini officials made an offer to Shaoul in November to pay a substantial amount of money just to receive a lease extension — in addition to more rent. (Cabrini officials have been planning to relocate to a still-unspecified site.)

As the Lo-Down previously reported, the Cabrini building sold for $25.5 million.

Today, the Lo-Down has a copy of the letter that elected officials have sent to Kenneth Fisher, the attorney representing Shaoul's Magnum Real Estate Group. There is now concern that Magnum plans to flip the building.

Here's part of the letter (read the whole thing here), written by State Sen. Daniel Squadron and signed by an array of local politicians:

As the Magnum Real Estate Group pursues a sale, we ask that the needs of the senior community on the Lower East Side be taken into consideration. There are a number of options to preserve nursing home beds. The critical importance of those beds for the individuals already accessing CCNR’s service, as well as for the wider community of families and caregivers, must be prioritized.

Cabrini's lease runs out in April.

The nonprofit, 240-bed nursing home — sponsored by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus — provides health care for low-income elderly residents in the East Village. The location at Fifth Street and Avenue B opened in 1993. This location serves 240 patients and employs nearly 300 employees.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Claim: Ben Shaoul is the new owner of Cabrini nursing home, will convert to condos

7-Eleven bravely enters the East Village $1 pizza war

Photo on the Bowery via Goggla.

The final countdown at Billy's Antiques

Yesterday, Billy Leroy and Jesse the manager removed the painting done of Leroy "back in the day" ... the store is closing Jan. 1. The iconic tent here on Houston at the Bowery is coming down to make way for a new two-level building. Billy's Antiques will return to the new structure when construction is complete.

Year-end listicle alert: The most-commented EV Grieve posts of 2011

Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting...

1) Occupy Tompkins Square Park this weekend (121 comments)

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2) RIP Bob Arihood (70 comments)

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3) An East Village pep talk (63 comments)

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4) In which a film crew calls your wife a 'stupid bitch' on Avenue A (59 comments)

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5) About Mercadito Cantina closing: 'Open letter to EV Grieve and CB3' (58 comments)

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6) Banjo Jim's space to become home to an 'artisanal neighborhood cocktail bar' (48 comments)

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7) Today's sign of the apocalypse: Starbucks taking over The Bean's space on First Avenue and Third Street (48 comments)

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8) [Updated] Resident starting a petition to have the 'Hot Chicks Room' sign removed at the Upright Citizens Brigade (47 comments)

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9) The Hot Chicks Room lives on! (46 comments)

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[Photo by Melanie Neichin via East Village Corner]

10) Crusty Row, now with a vacancy in Tompkins Square Park (46 comments)

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11) So where do you order Chinese food from? (43 comments)

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12) The East Village rolls out welcome wagon for new Starbucks (41 comments)

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13) Continuing to question the BMW Guggenheim Lab's benefits to the local community (39 comments)

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14) Does the East Village have enough places now to order hamburgers? (38 comments)

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15) One man's campaign against 'the doorshitter' on St. Mark's Place (37 comments)

The top-11 things that people mistook for Lady Gaga in 2011

[Via Eye Heart New York]

The top-10 EV Grieve posts that NO ONE read in 2011

Here's your second chance, people!

• If you stand just right on 14th Street and First Avenue, then it kind of looks as if the shadow is going up Leonardo DiCaprio's nose (Nov. 11)

• Today in sidewalk sales on St. Mark's Place (July 10)

• And the DEP catch of the day is... (June 18)

• THIS is why we need a second Chase branch on Second Avenue and 10th Street (June 24)

• Exclusive first look inside the new Capital One bank branch at 123 Third Ave. (Sept. 26)

• Today in interesting-looking boiler-service trucks on Seventh Street (Sept. 24)

• Today in dog poop etiquette signs (Sept. 12)

• You may now sign up for the TV/VCR (Aug. 5)

• An espresso to go? (May 14)

• Noted (Feb. 16)

Posts that I never got around to posting in 2011: Is this a good place for a cellphone call

[Photo by blue glass]

Rejected posts from 2011: New NYU outdoor swimming pool coming along

Yes, there's a reason the EV Grieve editorial board rejected this one. And others.

Rejected posts from 2011: Tonight on 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians'

Rejected posts from 2011: Trees on East Sixth Street now shedding condoms

Boo!

A grizzy discovery today at the New York City Marble Cemetery

Feel free to boo the headline. Photo on Second Street by Bobby Williams.

Protecting the artwork in Extra Place

Bobby Williams notes today that workers put a protective coating over the artwork on Extra Place...

Wasn't that long ago that workers were quickly removing graffiti as quickly as it went up on Extra Place ...

Polonia has closed

blue glass passes along the sad news that First Avenue Polish diner mainstay Polonia has closed.

Per the Polonia Facebook page:

I am sorry to announce that on this Christmas Eve Polonia will be closing its doors permanently. We would like to thank all of our amazing customers who have supported us this quarter of a century. As all good things, Polonia's time has come to an end. It is time for new ventures. Keep your ears open for NYC Pierogi Factory. And again... Thank You!

We're curious about the sounds of NYC Pierogi Factory. (Except for the "Factory" part of the name, which The Meatball Factory has ruined for us.)

Jozef and Renata Jurczyk opened Polonia in 1989. Per the Polonia website:

Jozef and Renata were both born in Poland and traveled to New York City in the early 1980’s in hopes of following The American Dream. Arriving in the US with very little money, they both worked dead end jobs until saving enough money to open their own business, a restaurant which would allow them to share their culture and memories with other New Yorkers living in this dominantly Ukrainian and Eastern European neighborhood — The East Village.

In November 2010, their son, 22 year-old Paul Jurczyk, officially took over the restaurant from his parents. He worked to update the menu, taking it from diner food to something more upscale. Jurczyk hired a chef, the 26-year-old Olaf Wozny, who previously worked at Il Bucco, to help update the menu.

We interviewed Paul here last year. Read those posts here.

A few of us grumbled about the changes. However, as Jeremiah Moss wrote on Dec. 6, 2010: "There's still a homey feeling here that has little to do with the hyper-gentrification that is washing over the neighborhood ... This place is not going to attract any douchebag crowds anytime soon, so don't fret."

One rumor is that the landlord was raising the rent.