There won't be any skating on Extell Lake this winter : (

[Photo Monday by Michael Paul]

Early last week, a resident who lives near the dual Extell buildings under construction on East 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B noted the arrival of generators that are running 24/7.

The resident tried the community email address that's posted on the East 14th Street field office, but it bounced back.

Anyway, a resident spoke with a supervisor type at the site about the generators. Turns out they power pumps that keep the water levels down at the site.

Water Levels = Extell Lake!


[December 2014]

... and a photo of The Blarney Cove Cove from July 2014...



Anyway, the pumping will likely mean there won't be any skating this winter on Extell Lake, an alternative to The Ice at Stuy Town and the East River (remember?) ...


[EVG reader submitted from January]

Also, the Extell community email address still doesn't work, as we learned yesterday...



Previously on EV Grieve:
The disappearing storefronts of East 14th Street

[Updated with correction] 8-lot parcel of East 14th Street primed for new development

New 7-floor buildings for East 14th Street include 150 residential units

1st activity at 500 E. 14th St. since the demolition phase, and when the standing water froze

Community meeting tonight to address construction noise at Extell's East 14th Street development sites

Here lies the Blarney Cove

No one is taking advantage of the line-free skating at Extell Lake

A question about Extell construction noise on East 14th Street

Flipping out over the Bowery

Shoes on a wire are a commonplace sight around here... meaning different things to different people...

Anyway!

Can't recall seeing this before... flippers!



EVG regular peter radley spotted these earlier today on the Bowery at Bleecker... perhaps someone from the Patagonia store at 317 Bowery got a little wacky...

The Lazy Llama Coffee Bar is in soft open mode on East 1st Street

The new cafe, serving Stumptown Coffee, is now open at 72 E. First St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

EVG regular @seancarlson, who shared this news, notes that the owner of coffee shop The Jolly Goat on West 47th Street is also running The Lazy Llama. (Which might explain the animal theme.)

The space here was home to Bluebird Coffee Shop until early last week.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Lazy Llama Coffee Bar is the name of the Bluebird replacement on East 1st Street

Wayland owners now eyeing Royale space for The Drift on Avenue C

The owners of The Wayland still intend on opening a neighborhood bar called The Drift on Avenue C, though now in a different location.

As we first reported in October, Robert Ceraso and Jason Mendenhall, who own The Wayland on Avenue C and East Ninth Street, had designs on part of Babel's hookah footprint across the street at 129-131 Avenue C. That's no longer in the works, and a backup plan has emerged with Royale, the sports bar with well-reviewed burgers at 157 Avenue C between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street.

Ceraso and Mendenhall, who also own Good Night Sonny on First Avenue and St. Mark's Place, will now go back in front of CB3's SLA committee next month for a new liquor license for the Royale space. (The two had previously received the OK from CB3 for a license for 129 Avenue C. A handful of Avenue C residents spoke out against this application, which you can read about at Gothamist.)

We asked Ceraso for an update on The Drift.

For starters, he said the concept, a neighborhood bar with a small Latin-influenced menu featuring fish tacos and a few other items, is remaining mostly the same.

So what happened?

"The 129 space started to get complicated. The Babel operators decided that they didn’t want to give up the space anymore after we got our approval and the bar and building had some issues," Ceraso said. "We felt like it was all going in a way we weren’t happy with and something was telling us to give up the space."

After that initial disappointment, Ceraso learned that Royale, whose owners also run Cafecito at 185 Avenue C, was for sale.

"And that space just seemed perfect for The Drift," he said. "We can do the same thing we wanted to do inside but also have that amazing yard to utilize. The only change in the concept will be to further the planned daytime offerings — breakfast all afternoon, with aquas frescas, juices and cafe con leche, and take advantage of the backyard seating."

Ceraso and The Drift will appear before CB3 on Jan. 11. (You can read the PDF of their questionnaire at the CB3 website here.)

Ahead of that meeting, Ceraso said he'll be planning a neighborhood Q&A session in case there are any concerns about the outdoor space. (And no word just yet when Royale might close.)

The SLA meeting is Jan. 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the CB3 office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Wayland owners catching a Drift on Avenue C

Report: Developer Douglas Steiner lands $130 million loan for EV condo construction

As the condofication of the former Mary Help of Christians property along Avenue A between East 11th Street and East 12th Street continues, the Commercial Observer reports that developer Douglas Steiner has landed a $130 million construction loan from Bank of America Merrill Lynch for the project.

As you probably know, a mixed-use building with ground-floor retail and 82 market-rate condos is in the works. The residences were originally going to include 158 rental units, with 22 of them designated as affordable under the Department of Housing Preservation and Development's Inclusionary Housing Program. However, that changed back in February.

Steiner, who lives in the East Village, told the Commercial Observer that luxury condos hereabouts are "not the oxymoron people might have thought it was 15 to 20 years ago."

"We've seen a huge pent up demand for luxury services in the East Village, and only a few have been done," he said, referencing The Jefferson, an 82-unit luxury condo property at 211 East 13th Street.

Steiner bought the property in 2012 for $41 million. During the summer of 2013, workers demolished the church, school and rectory.

Previously on EV Grieve:
New residential complex at former Mary Help of Christians lot may include rooftop swimming pool

Meet your new neighbor on Avenue A

Permits filed to demolish Mary Help of Christians church, school and rectory

Preservationists call for archeological review of former cemetery at Mary Help of Christians site

The 'senseless shocking self-destruction' of Mary Help of Christians

Residences rising from the former Mary Help of Christians lot will now be market-rate condos

Ongoing construction at condoplex on Avenue A enters the swimming pool phase

Columbia Care brands its marijuana dispensary on East 14th Street

The branding for Columbia Care has arrived at 212 E. 14th St. just east of Third Avenue.

Columbia Care is one of the five companies selected to run medical marijuana dispensaries in New York

Looks like a low-key entrance ... (not sure if anyone was expecting some kind of marijuana symbol or something...)



As DNAinfo previously reported, the medical conditions approved for marijuana prescriptions are limited to cancer, HIV/AIDS, ALS, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, among several others. In addition, the NYC dispensaries will only sell 30-day supplies of marijuana in the form of oils, pills or tinctures.

212 E. 14th St. received a full gut renovation with an additional floor. The last business at the address was the Super Saving Store, which closed in June 2011.

Previously on EV Grieve:
New East 14th Street retail space already gone to pot

Expanded Clinton Street Baking Company opens on New Year's Day

Pancake-line-waiting hotspot Clinton Street Baking Company is ready to unveil its expanded restaurant on East Houston and Clinton Street.

BoweryBoogie reports that CSBC will unveil the new space on Friday (aka New Year's Day).

The current dining room will be reconfigured to accommodate takeout and coffee, with some limited seating options, BoweryBoogie noted.

The corner space was previously home to Min's Market.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Clinton Street Baking Company expansion underway

I have a bad feeling about this

Passing this along for fans of stunt burgers, "Star Wars" and indigestion ... you just have through Thursday night (New Year's Eve!) to order The Force at The Grayson (RIP Bar Akuda) at 16 First Ave.

The Force Burger ($19.95) is an off-the-menu special with: two beef patties, mac & cheese, pulled pork, bacon, cheddar and American cheeses, onion rings, mushrooms, jalapenos, a sunny-side egg and waffle fries with bacon Thousand Island and barbecue ranch sauces.

The burger arrives with two souvenir lightsabers.

Then you wait for the force to awake. (Or erupt.)

NYC braces for a 'snow event'

DSNY issues Snow Alert for 8p tonight to prepare equipment/personnel for poss. storm. More: https://t.co/1GLraIHDia pic.twitter.com/bCU4ebzUu6

— NYC Sanitation (@NYCSanitation) December 28, 2015

Oh!

Let's check out the advisory...

The New York City Department of Sanitation has issued an agency preparedness ‘snow alert’ for Monday, December 28 at 8 p.m. A snow alert is not a weather forecast, but indicates the potential of a snow event. Calling a snow alert allows DSNY to begin to prepare for a possible response by loading salt spreaders, attaching plows (if necessary), preparing tire chains and notifying other city agencies and supplementary personnel as needed.

DSNY is coordinating with the Office of Emergency Management and the Department of Transportation on snow clearing protocol in accordance with each agency’s written snow plan. All relevant city agencies have been notified of the snow alert. DSNY will continue to monitor forecasts and will provide updates as the snow event approaches.

Please remain vigilant.

The city's 1st free wi-fi kiosk is now outside a Starbucks near you

Sure, it may not look like much now, but soon this shrouded installation, which arrived this morning, will be a gigabit Wi-Fi access point/hub/thing outside the Starbucks on Third Avenue and East 15th Street.

We'll cut-n-paste some from The Verge for the background:

First announced in November 2014, the hubs are designed as an update to the standard phone booth, using upgraded infrastructure to provide gigabit Wi-Fi access points.

And!

The full network will install more than 7,500 public hubs throughout the city, each replacing a pre-existing phone booth. Once completed, the hubs will also include USB device charging ports, touchscreen web browsing, and two 55-inch advertising displays. The city estimates that ads served by the new hubs will generate more than $500 million in revenue over the next 12 years.

And this LinkNYC kiosk is the first one that workers have installed. As Gothamist notes, "the city has pledged to build 7,500 of the hubs in place of old pay phone booths over the next 8 years, with 3,500 of them coming in the next four years, and 499 more of them over the next 6 months."



LinkNYC will be testing this one for the next few weeks before you will be able to use the free Wi-Fi, charge your smartphone or have the government track your every move even easier.

Landlord Greed stickers on St. Mark's Place

Someone has placed Landlord Greed stickers on the long-empty storefronts at 37 St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue...





Some of the spaces have been without retail tenants since late 2011. Back in the fall, workers removed the for rent signs and papered the windows, given the impression that someone had leased the space. Guess not yet.

Thanks to EVG contributor Steven for the photos!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Timi's Gelateria Classica™ facing eviction on St. Mark's Place

[Updated] Baoguette Cafe still looks rather closed

A few more details about renting the former 7-Eleven space on St. Mark's Place

After nearly 4 years empty, 37 St. Mark's Place may be getting new retail tenants

[Updated] New life for the Nevada Smiths space on 3rd Avenue

Although the Coors Light neon remains illuminated in the windows, Nevada Smiths has not been open since The Marshal paid a visit back in September.

I expected to either see some for rent signs up this fall ... or the football/soccer mainstay at 100 Third Ave. to reopen its doors.

Neither of those scenarios ever played out, though.

However, there is a new proprietor in line to take over the three-level space between East 12th Street and East 13th Street. An entity going by Food For Third LLC is on CB3's SLA committee meeting docket in January for a new liquor license. The notice with the application includes Bruce Caulfield's name as the applicant. CB3 hasn't posted the questionnaire online just yet, so there aren't many other details about the new operation, and whether soccer will remain the main draw.

As for Caulfield, since 2003 he (with two business partners) has run the train-themed Tracks Raw Bar & Grill in the LIRR level at Penn Station. He's also a partner in Harp Raw Bar & Grill on Third Avenue near Grand Central.

According to a feature on Caulfield in Crain's from November 2014, he dropped out of Hunter College 40-plus years ago to start running an outdoor newsstand where he worked the graveyard shift on East 53rd Street. He later operated a newsstand inside the Daily News Building on 42nd Street.

The revamped Nevada Smiths opened here in April 2013. The new space, which reportedly cost $3 million to outfit, included 20 Plasma TVs and two life-size projection screens.

Nevada Smiths was previously down the block at 74 Third Ave., a location that closed in November 2011. The buildings at No. 74-76, as well as an adjacent parking lot, were eventually demolished to make way for the luxury residential building (The Nathaniel) that now houses the Westside Market.

The SLA meeting is Jan. 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the CB3 office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

Updated 5 p.m.

This applicant is no longer on the January docket.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Nevada Smiths is closed, and here's what's next

Those persistent rumors about 74-76 Third Avenue and the future of Nevada Smiths

The East Village will lose a parking lot and gain an apartment building

Here then, where Nevada Smiths once stood

The Marshal seizes Nevada Smiths on 3rd Avenue

[3rd Avenue and East 12th Street circa 2011]

Sweethaus Cupcake Cafe opening an outpost on St. Mark's Place

[EVG photo from June]

The former Luca Bar space at 119 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue hit the market in the early summer.

And now there's a taker for the former bar-restaraunt. The owners of Sweethaus Cupcake Cafe, with locations in Charlottesville, Va., and Williamsburg (Brooklyn, not Virginia), are on the January CB3/SLA committee meeting docket for a new beer-wine license.

While the Virginia location serves house-made cupcakes and what they describe as "nostalgia" candy such as wax bottles, candy necklaces and gummy cola bottles, the Brooklyn outpost of Sweethaus offers a more extensive food menu... as seen here...



Sounds as if the St. Mark's Place location will feature a similar concept. There aren't many details available at the moment, aside from the hours: 8 a.m. to midnight. (You can read more about Sweethaus here.)

In any event, this item will not be heard before the committee meeting, which is Jan. 11.

Luca Bar closed back in late April.

A dry cleaner-laundromat combo for the former Little Pakistan Deli space on 2nd Avenue

Little Pakistan Deli at 200 Second Ave. closed in January 2015... and now there's a new tenant for the storefront between East 12th Street and East 13th Street... the coming soon (with three !!!) sign announces a dry cleaning and laundromat...

Soothsayer is hiring on Avenue A

And at 171 Avenue A, work continues on the conversion of the former B.A.D. Burger space between East 10th Street and East 11th Street ... which will soon be a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant called Soothsayer.

The restaurant, run by siblings Stephan and Kimxuan Brezinsky who grew up in Stuy Town, is currently hiring...



Back in July, Soothsayer upset a few neighbors after asking for support for a full liquor license and use of the back patio. Soothsayer reportedly withdrew its application at the July CB3/SLA meeting.

In September, CB3 OK'd a beer-wine license without use of the outdoor space. The proprietors also agreed to hours of 5:30 p.m. to midnight during the week, with opening hours of noon on Saturday and Sunday.

Soothsayer has a website (no menu posted just yet) here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Incoming restaurant on Avenue A asking residents to rally for their liquor license and back patio (42 comments)

Restaurant news: Mulan East and Banana Leaf now open; By Chloe coming soon on Lafayette

A few items to note from the past week or so...



Mulan East opened earlier this month at 58 Third Ave. between East 10th Street and East 11th Street. One EVG reader gave them high marks after a meal on Xmas Day. (You can find their menu here.) Until this past July, the address housed the Thai restaurant Bodhi Tree.

-----



Banana Leaf, a Sri Lankan restaurant, is now open at 326 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... taking over the space from Spice Cove (same owners) ... Banana Leaf moved their business here from West 28th Street... find their menu here.

-----



And slightly outside the usual coverage area... the popular Bleecker Street vegan restaurant By Chloe is expanding... and the signage arrived last Wednesday on Lafayette Street between Spring and Prince... BoweryBoogie noted this storefront previously housed 16 Handles.

Week in Grieview

[Early morning at the Odessa the other day]

Watch this guy take all the packages from an East Third Street building lobby (Tuesday)

Floors collapse at under-renovation 356 E. Eighth St. (Thursday)

The new Tompkins Square Bagels will arrive before the 2nd Avenue subway, probably (Monday)

Bluebird Coffee Shop has closed on East First Street (Tuesday) and here's its replacement (Saturday)

The CBGB restaurant is open at the Newark airport, though you won't be able to order the Marquee Moons Over My Hammy (Thursday)

Prepping to repair fire-damaged wall next to the Second Avenue explosion site (Wednesday)

Details on the legal battle over the ownership of 80 St. Mark's Place (Monday)

Danny's Cycles has closed on East 14th Street (Thursday)

Number of national retailers increases in the East Village, report says (Wednesday)

Minca Ramen Factory remains closed on East Fifth Street (Tuesday)

Incoming 99¢ pizza place on Avenue A will be called 99¢ Pizza (Tuesday)

Some more details on the condos at the former East Sixth Street synagogue (Monday)

About the East Village-based podcast mürmur (Wednesday)

A question about Extell construction noise on East 14th Street (Monday)

Raphael Toledano's Brookhill Properties gives tenants $20 gift cards for the holidays (Wednesday)

Live painting with Mike (MiMo) Mozart at 212 Arts (Tuesday)

Another juice shop in the works, this one on First Avenue (Monday)

AMC Village 7 premieres renovated theater, reclining seats (Thursday)

Manhattan Cryobank wants Stuy Town sperm (Sunday)

Anecdote about a photo of framed sheep (Monday)

Candles for Joe Strummer (Tuesday)

EVG turns 8 (Monday)

... and a last look at some holiday cheer on Avenue B...

Catch 'Astor Barber All-Stars' tonight on PBS

[Production still by Phil Penman]

Tonight (Dec. 27!) at 11, WNET (PBS Thirteen) is airing "Astor Barber All-Stars," the documentary by Karen Gehres.

A summation of the film:

With so many NYC institutions dropping like flies, due to skyrocketing rent, one barber shop remains. Since 1939, Astor Barber has been cutting hair with pizzazz and is still one of NYC's most loved institutions. Get your hair cut from cradle to grave... literally! The Vezza family, their loyal customers and over 50 stylists working at Astor will show why this three-generation family-owned business attracts 'em all. It’s a story of endurance and a family, its employees and customers that stuck together against the odds in NYC.

Check out the trailer ...



The shop has been here since 1939. Jeremiah Moss wrote about it back in April 2012: "It's one of the last places in the East Village that still feels like the East Village. More than that, it still feels like New York City."

Continuing to enjoy scenes from the Christmas season along Avenue C

Avenue C at East Seventh Street...





... and at the former Mobil station on Avenue C at East Houston... the stockings remain up!

The Lazy Llama Coffee Bar is the name of the Bluebird replacement on East 1st Street

We first noted back on Tuesday that the Bluebird Coffee Shop has closed on East First Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

A sign on the door thanked customers and noted that new owners were taking over the space.

There's now a second sign on the door...

Dear customers,

We are working very hard to open shop after Christmas. We will be serving Stumptown Coffee... see you soon

And the name of the new venture is The Lazy Llama Coffee Bar...

Thailand Cafe now closed for renovations on 2nd Avenue

Meant to note this earlier in the week... looks like Thailand Cafe at 95 Second Ave. between East Fifth Street and East Sixth Street is sitting out the holiday season... the sign on the gate points to a renovation that will keep them closed through an unspecified date next month...



I also realized that I've never eaten here... if anyone wants to put in a good word for the place...

Start-up Christmas/holiday tree stands available to budding entrepreneurs

Several of the tree vendors left behind their unsold wares as Dec. 25 came and went (oh, how was your day?) ... seemed to be the most remaining product on East Houston between Essex and Norfolk...

And this tree got as far as across Essex Street...

Christmas dog day afternoon

Maddie from Avenue A shows off her skills on the First Park handball courts this afternoon...





Thanks to Katie from Avenue A for the photos...

Jimmy's holiday party is today at La Plaza Cultural

And if you're around today without any plans ... Jimmy's annual holiday party is today from noon to ??? at La Plaza Cultural, on the southwest corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street...



Per the Facebook invite: "There will be food and music and it is potluck. Bring firewood for the bonfire and grill if you can. Bring your musical instruments. It is rain or shine."

And not to be a jerk, but these elves working the mail room at La Plaza totally lost my packages ...

[Updated] Sunset, xmas eve edition

Photo by Bobby Williams

Updated 12/25

And now equal time to the xmas morning sunrise, also via Bobby...