There are 8 million stories in the naked city... and this is one of them on 2nd Avenue

Text and photos courtesy of Felton Davis (top photo via Goggla)

I was standing on Second Avenue and Second Street watching workers demolish the corner building, part of LaSalle Academy since the 1960s. A couple stopped near me who used to live in the neighborhood.

Boldly interrupting their reminiscence, I explained that before the building was part of LaSalle, it was a famous Jewish restaurant called Moskowitz & Lupowitz for many decades. It was also featured in one of my favorite episodes of the classic TV series, "Naked City."

In the episode, titled "Memory of a Red Trolley Car," a chemistry professor, played by Barry Morse, accidentally breathes in a fatal amount of poison gas. With only a few days to live, he goes to talk with his mother (Gladys Cooper),  his ex-wife (Beatrice Straight), and his girlfriend on the side (Peg Murray).  

The latter he meets in Moskowitz & Lupowitz, and he does not do well in communicating his plight to her. When he starts coughing, she covers her face and tells him to go away.

Leaving the restaurant, he turns north on Second Avenue and passes by the Church of the Nativity rectory, and the church itself, still with its Greek architecture. [Ed note: the original church was demolished and rebuilt after a fire in 1970.]

Before I could get any further into this endless recitation, the woman stopped me and asked, "What did you say that TV show was?"

When I answered, "Naked City," she was very surprised and said, "My Uncle Paul played the detective!"

So, a great history is all around us, as neighborhood tour guides know. Below is some information about Moskowitz & Lupowitz, including a video of the Pincus Sisters singing their song about the restaurant...

 

For further reading:

• Moskowitz & Lupowitz (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

• Plans call for 11-story condoplex at the former site of Church of the Nativity and LaSalle on 2nd Avenue (EVG)

Tree Riders returning for 11th season outside St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery

Photo from 2020 by Stacie Joy 

On Friday, the Tree Riders will return for their 11th season selling Christmas trees outside St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery here on Second Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street. 

EVG reader Doug noted that the stands are in place as if yesterday ...

Once again, they are offering delivery, setup and removal — via bicycle.

Here's more info via the EVG inbox...

All of the Tree Riders NYC employees are artists and performers, which inspires their goal to aid in the restoration of NYC's post-pandemic theatrical community. This season, Tree Riders NYC will partner with several nonprofit performing arts organizations, encouraging the arts as a way to heal, build community and create meaningful change in the world. Customers can donate directly to the nonprofits or in person at the tree stand.

Fraser, Balsam and Canaan firs range from 2 to 22 feet in height and are harvested from small farms in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York and Vermont. Hand-crafted wreaths, garland, mistletoe, Christmas tree stands and lights are also available ...

This year, their nonprofit partners are Hear Your Song ... What Will the Neighbors Say? ... and New York Theatre Barn.  

For more information, visit www.treeridersnyc.com or call 646-470-6326. You can also follow them on Instagram. 

Other neighborhood tree stands can usually be found along Houston at Essex/Norfolk (aka Greg's) and First Avenue at 14th Street ... as well as various corner markets and Key Food. Given the reported shortage of trees last year (expected again for 2021), most tree vendors were sold out by Dec. 20. One more reason to keep the tree until May or so. 

Cinnamon Girl debuts on 2nd Avenue

Photos by Lola Sáenz

Cinnamon Girl has opened at 73 Second Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street (first reported here) ... as you can see, their menu includes empanadas, quiche and a variety of baked goods (with a gluten-free option or two) and other provisions...   

This is the first Manhattan outpost for the Brooklyn-based business with three shops in that borough.

Cinnamon Girl is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Tuesday's parting shot

Today, the Christmas tree vendors began setting up on the NW corner of 14th Street and First Avenue (outside the now-closed Papaya Dog). And where there be an inflatable here this year?

We'll have more about tree vending this season in a post tomorrow. 

Thanks to KT for this pic!

The peaceful setting of Sharon Jane Smith’s 1st Avenue garden

Text and photos by Daniel Efram

For Sharon Jane Smith, her 39 years helping to run the vintage treasure-laden A Repeat Performance until July 2019 (on First Avenue between Ninth and 10th streets) brought her much joy and inspiration. She adored her business partner Beverly Bronson (who died in 2018) and loved the quirky characters who happened across her view at the shop.

Smith lives next door to the former shop and has a beautiful garden teeming with zen fare that friends of the shop would appreciate. 

It was wonderful to run into Smith recently and get invited in to tour her apartment, complete with a garden with many tributes to Bronson. 

Upon walking through the studio, she points at the window door, which leads to the peaceful setting of stones and bric-a-brac.

“Just as I was preparing to empty the shop ... I was invited to empty an apartment in Village View,” she said. “An astounding collection of stones from the Sahara Desert were in that apartment. How could I turn down that opportunity of a lifetime? I did sell many of those stones because, of course, I have a small apartment, but some worked their way into my garden, where they seemed quite at home. They are the remnants of a culture approximately 6,000 years old with no written language, but the people spoke clearly in their reverence for stone.” 

The enthralling setting gave way to her trademark wry wit.

“The spirit of the garden developed over a period of nine years while attending to an elderly gentleman who had scouted me at A Repeat Performance. He watched me work and I watched him get old.” 

Smith hopes to complete the bulk of “The Confessions of The Shopkeepers,” her nonfiction manuscript, by Valentine’s Day 2022.

Memories of the former location of Via Della Pace

Someone put up this note along the plywood on Seventh Street at Second Avenue... where a fire destroyed the residential building at 48 E. Seventh St. in December 2020. Via Della Pace was in one of the retail spaces... (thanks to Derek Berg for this photo) 

This used to be Via Della Pace.

In college one of my best friends waited tables here so I drank free a lot. I threw up after a shot of grappa on my 21st birthday.

I brought my grandparents here after graduation. I dreamed of having my wedding in the basement. I miss that gnocchi.

Perhaps this fan can make some new memories when Via Della Pace opens in its new home on Fourth Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Dan & John's returns on Dec. 1

After a three-plus-month closure for gas issues, Dan & John's will reopen on Dec. 1, per the door signage (thanks to Steven for the photos) ...

As previously noted, we were told that there was a gas-line issue with the building at 83 St. Mark's Place/135 First Ave. The gas issue impacts the building's residents as well, sources said.

The subsequent repairs kept the wing shop closed since the second week of August. Stromboli next door was also shuttered during this time, though the pizzeria was able to reopen on Oct. 21.

Tatsu Ramen has not been open lately

The Tatsu Ramen location at 167 First Ave. has been closed for the past month-plus ... signs on the storefront between 10th Street and 11th Street note a closure for renovations.

An EVG reader who lives nearby hasn't seen any activity inside for weeks... with the mail piling up ... 

There isn't any mention of a closure — temporary or otherwise — on the restaurant's social media properties. The East Village outpost is also no longer listed on the Tatsu website. (The three L.A.-area locations remain open.) 

We reached out to find out if/when this space will return.

The Southern California transplant opened here in a competitive ramen market back in July 2018.

H/T Steven

Dig back in service on 4th Avenue

The Dig outpost reopened last week on the SE corner of Fourth Avenue and 13th Street.

While other locations of the health-conscious fast-casual chain reopened around the city, this one looked all but abandoned ... remaining closed since the NY State on PAUSE of March 2020. A "reopening soon" sign arrived outside in September, however. 

This location is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Expect some outdoor seating here too — they received CB3's administrative approval for it this month.

Dig — still going as Dig Inn at the time — debuted in this storefront in November 2019.

This has been a challenging corner for businesses since the longtime deli was rent-hiked out of here in November 2012. In recent years, the space has been home to Fresh & Co. ... Pie Face and, right before Dig, Sandwicherie. 

Noted

As seen on Seventh Street near Cooper Square. 

And first spotted last evening by @StandingsNYC...

Temporary Restraining Order remains in effect at East River Park; first look at new green space

A few updates on what has (and has not) been happening at East River Park with the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR)...

• A Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), dating to Nov. 4, remains in effect at Project Area 1 in East River Park ... the TRO brought the construction/demolition to a halt. Work started on Nov. 1 below Houston Street at the Brian Watkins Tennis Center. (Read more about East River Action's TRO here.) 

• A nonprofit sued the city for allegedly not including enough minority- and women-owned businesses in the construction contract for the ESCR. Media coverage includes NY1 ... the Post ... and The Village Sun. 

 • A third lawsuit (dating to the spring) was brought against the city by The Tully Group, a large contractor that issued one of the two bids for the ESCR. 

IPC Resiliency Partners, a newly formed joint venture, was the winning bidder.

Per NY1:

In a hearing [Nov. 12] before a panel of appellate judges, Jeffrey Cohen, a lawyer for Tully, argued that IPC effectively fudged its bid in order to meet a city requirement that the contractor have grossed at least $1 billion in revenue in the last fiscal year. 

"What we are concerned about almost as importantly as the flooding, almost as important as the ravages of climate change, is the integrity of the bids," Cohen told the judges.

More background here. 

• The DA on Friday declined to prosecute East Village residents Alice O'Malley and Allie Ryan, who were arrested on Nov. 1 for blocking the construction entrance to the tennis courts when preliminary construction got underway.

Per East River Park Action in an email: "They were in and out of court in 10 minutes when their desk appearance tickets were dropped."

• And here's a look at the former Compost Yard ... the city started removing this in mid-October when we took this photo (first reported here) ... 

Despite the TRO, work was allowed to continue here ... as the staging ground of the Lower East Side Ecology Center's composting operation was converted into green space to make up for some of the lost park access during construction/demolition over the next four years... here's a look at the area on Saturday...

And for some background... East River Park Action and other advocates say there are alternatives 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.

Opponents of this version of the reconstruction project stress that there's a better path forward to protect the Lower East Side and surrounding neighborhoods from a 100-year-flood event and sea-level rise — one that doesn't cause 1,000 mature trees to be chopped down.

So much for Spiegel's return: CR7 Gourmet Deli slated for 1st Avenue and 2nd Street

Signage is up now for CR7 Gourmet Deli on the SE corner of First Avenue and Second Street. 

Don't know anything about the incoming business... other than that there's plenty of competition for CR7 (named for Cristiano Ronaldo?) within steps of the corner, including Food You Desire 3 and the Deli & Smoke Shop (not to mention the new Manhattan Smoke Shop). 

This arrival also means that Spiegel will not be returning to this space. There were rumors of the cafe's return this past summer, and ownership was even on the CB3-SLA docket for a liquor license (application withdrawn in July). The corner cafe opened in 2014 and closed during the pandemic. 

Leekan Designs winding down its operations on the Lower East Side

Leekan Designs is wrapping up nearly 41 years of business here at 4 Rivington St., just east of the Bowery. (Thanks to @asafeplate for the tip via Instagram!) 

The shop, specializing in antique and contemporary beads and jewelry and other accessories from China, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Morocco, Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea, and other parts of Asia, will be open through the end of 2021.

The business started in a SoHo loft before relocating to the LES in 1999. And this isn't the first time the shop was set to close. It was slated to shutter in March 2019, though owner Annie Lee apparently had a change in heart.

Leekan is just open three days a week now, though you can schedule an appointment for other times...

 

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PLNT Burger announces itself on 4th Avenue

Updated: Open as of 1/24/22

Coming soon signage for PLNT Burger is up now at 139 Fourth Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street. (Thanks to EVG reader Jeanne Krier for the tip and photo!)

This is the first NYC outpost for the Virginia-based chain that has locations in that state and in Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. 

The company is the work of celebrity chef-Food Network star Spike Mendelsohn. He told this to Jennifer Gould at the Post earlier in the fall:

"I'm very excited to be back in New York with a plant-based restaurant, full of advocacy, and doing what is good for the planet," said Mendelsohn, who opened 10 PLNT locations in Pennsylvania and in the D.C. area over the past 18 months.

The Union Square spot will be 850 square feet, focusing on take-out — with four or five seats at the counter. The plan is to open more locations in the city, he added.

This Fourth Avenue space was previously home to another quick-serve concept, Glaze Teriyaki Grill.

La Colombe Coffee Roasters debuts today at the Whole Foods Bowery

The La Colombe Coffee Roasters opens today in the Whole Foods Market® Bowery.

As Eater first reported last month, this is the brand's first New York City roastery.

According to a representative for the company, the new roastery will also offer pastries by Clinton Hill's the Good Batch. Likewise, there will be a new blend made exclusively for this location dubbed the "Bowery Blend" with notes of chocolate, almond butter, and kiwi. 

This also marks the ninth NYC location for La Colombe. The listed hours of operation here are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

La Colombe takes over this space on the SW corner of Houston at Chrystie from Allegro Coffee Roasters. 

ICYMI: Blank Street debuts on Avenue A

As noted back on Friday, Blank Street debuted its third East Village outpost since late October...  at 149 Avenue A between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

And it joins the one at 36 Third Ave. and in the Bowery Market. 

The Avenue A location is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and carries products from local brands, including King Street Baking Co. and King David Tacos. 

Meanwhile, in other coffee news along Avenue A... Peter Brownscombe reports that a regular cup of coffee at Ray's Candy Store is now $1.25, a price increase of 25 cents.

As it has been widely reported, the price of coffee continues to escalate ("skyrocketing," per Fast Company).

Still, as Peter notes, the cup for $1.25 is an excellent value for your money. And FYI: a regular drip at Blank Street sells for $2.50.

Celebrating the life of David Joffe

Friends will be coming together tomorrow evening (Nov. 22) to celebrate the life of longtime East Village resident David Joffe, who died on Nov. 1. He was 81. (Thank you Eden for the flyer.) 

The memorial takes place outside at Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish on the SE corner of Ninth Street and Avenue B starting at 5 p.m. The evening includes some complimentary food, including hot dogs and fries from Nathan's. (In case of rain, the memorial will move inside Trinity.) 

Even if you didn't know Joffe, a flea market vendor, you likely saw him on Avenue A or in the Tompkins Square Park dog run (RIP Cookie) wearing one of his many goofy and/or provocative T-shirts ("Oh No! I'm Becoming My Mother!")

 

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Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo from Union Square by Derek Berg) ...

• The in-person tree lighting ceremony returns to Tompkins Square Park; save the date for Dec. 12 (Wednesday) 

• Shoring up the fire-damaged Middle Collegiate Church on 2nd Avenue (Monday)

• Random Accessories celebrates 25 years (Thursday)

• Dress Shoppe II will close in early January (Tuesday) 

• Q&A with local band cumgirl8 (Thursday)

• Gallery Watch: 'If Death Ever Learn' at Someday Gallery (Wednesday) 

• Your chance to check out Jimmy Webb's collection of iconic music photography (Tuesday) 

• Someone painted 2 swastikas on the barrier surrounding the 6th Street sinkhole (Monday) 

• Sidewalk bridge arrives ahead of planned demo of former Red Square storefronts (Wednesday) 

• A visit to Howl! Arts/Howl! Archive on the Bowery (Friday) 

• Surf's up for Patagonia on the Bowery (Monday) 

• Jiang's Kitchen is in soft-open mode on St. Mark's Place (Monday) 

• The Irish breakfast makes a triumphant return to St. Dymphna's (Thursday) 

• Openings: Bar Lula on 1st Avenue (Thursday)

• The longest partial moon eclipse in 580 years as seen from 2nd Avenue (Friday)

• Boarding up Papaya Dog (Monday) 

• A tradition like no other returns this holiday season on 9th Street (Sunday) 

• Drunken Dumpling returns (Tuesday) 

• Beyond Sushi will not be reopening on 14th Street (Tuesday) 

• Sweet Village Marketplace opens on 1st Avenue (Sunday) 

• At Key Food: Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more (Monday) 

• Blank Street debuts on Avenue A today (Friday) 

• A new florist for Sunny & Annie's (Monday)

... and a new mural arrived the other day on the NE corner of Sixth Street and First Avenue (outside the Dunkin') ... "Rise by lifting others" by Aída Miró ... thanks to Goggla for the photo...

---

Follow EVG on Instagram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.

Update: the alarm on the BMW outside Sophie’s at 507 E. 5th St. near Avenue A in the East Village is still going off — now 24 hours in. People egged the car, stole the NJ plates and left a passive-aggressive note. pic.twitter.com/wQcRY8oCAr

— evgrieve (@evgrieve) November 15, 2021

Sunday's opening shot

On the Bowery at Rivington this morning...

True 'Blue' — lost Dennis Hopper classic finds its way to the Metrograph

The new 4K restoration of Dennis Hopper's 1980 forgotten classic "Out of the Blue" is now playing at Metrograph, 7 Ludlow St. 

You may know the backstory. "Blue" premiered at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival but reportedly didn't get a proper release because it was considered too bleak for U.S. audiences. Thanks in part to a campaign by Chloë Sevigny and Natasha Lyonne, "Blue," a grim, unsettling film featuring an extraordinary performance by a teenage Linda Manz, is receiving a theatrical release.

The thumbnail plot via IMDB: "A young girl whose father [ed note: played by the very Dennis Hopper-y Dennis Hopper] is an ex-convict and whose mother is a junkie finds it difficult to conform and tries to find comfort in a quirky combination of Elvis and the punk scene." 

And it may be the most punk rock movie ever made. Per a 2019 essay by Sheila O’Malley at Film Comment:

"Out of the Blue" howls from the center of the whirlwind. Up through its violent and inevitable ending, the film takes punk rock at its word

And...

Our culture rarely welcomes a vision as nihilistic as "Out of the Blue." But the film has a tremendous and frightening power. The most punk rock thing about it is that it stares "into the black" — and it doesn’t blink.

 

I haven't stopped thinking about the film since seeing it yesterday. You can find the Metrograph showtimes here. The film is also part of Metrograph's "Punks Don't Go Home for Thanksgiving" series.