Today's sign of the apocalypse

The above photo is from Eater, who noted that today marked the grand opening of the TGI Friday's on Union Square.

EV Grieve Etc: Mourning Edition

A serving of fauxstalgia (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

Setting boundaries for the LES/Chinatown (The Lo-Down)

NYC is due for a hurricane (Runnin' Scared)

A ghost memorial for Harry Wieder (GammaBlog)

206 Bowery out of danger yet? (BoweryBoogie)

Flaming Pablum turns 5! (Flaming Pablum)

Cheetah and Syl hit the road (Punk Turns 30)

Street art vendors take it to court (The Villager)

Plan ahead for the Collect LES Art Crawl on July 22 (ArtLog)

From the NYPD Daily Blotter in the Post today:

An FDNY paramedic helped cops nab a group of thugs who robbed and roughed up a cabby in the East Village yesterday, authorities said. Lt. Jim Scordus was one of several on-duty EMTs near the corner of Second Avenue and East Seventh Street just before 3:30 a.m. when they saw the four goons get in a scuffle with the 50-year-old driver.
All four fled, and Scordus took off after them in his truck. He radioed to police and kept an eye on the suspects until cops arrived. David Forest, 23, Carl Muraco, 22, Chad LaForest, 21 and Nicholas Menardy, 22, were nabbed and charged with robbery.

And a belated thanks to New York magazine for mentioning the German pride parade in the Neighborhood News section...



And, one more time...

Ray's now has a three-year lease

A friendly neighborhood tipster passed along some good news from Ray's Candy Store: Ray has signed a new three-year-lease. (Previously, he had been on a month-to-month arrangement.) According to the tipster, the rent will go up each year ... "and of course a deed in hand does not a monthly payment make, but it ought to give the 'hood some hope... right?"

Yes!

[Photo of Ray via Slum Goddess]

We'll always have Le Souk

The last time I looked inside former Avenue B menace Le Souk, the place looked as if it had become a supply closet...



Meanwhile, a tipster notes that work appears to be happening inside and outside the space... though there are no permits on file with the DOB



And! The tipster asks, Why are people always coming out of Le Souk at 4, 5, 6 a.m.?

Just the like good ol' days...

Superdive not going 5 for 5 this CB3/SLA meeting

So, you know tonight is the July meeting for the CB3/SLA folks.

Meanwhile, for the first time in four months, Superdive is not on the CB3/SLA agenda for a transfer, alteration, etc. They were on the docket then scratched each time.

However! A trusted source says Superdive will be on the August CB3/SLA docket for an alteration. Unless they bow out. Again.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Another month, another Superdive scratch; Plus, Avenue A bars give it another go tonight

2 Cooper Square is growing up right before our eyes!

Oh, it just seems like yesterday over on Fourth Street and the Bowery...



But construction has been going on, for what, 14 months now?

Anyway! Another day, another milestone! We have more 2 Cooper branding and what may be the main doors!



...and the claw thingee that will one day provide shelter to those hitting their 20K apartments...



...though it's not an entrance for construction workers...



...oh, and temporary sidewalks!



Race you to the pool!

Own a Sixth Street apartment building; be a mean landlord

Oh, it has been some time since we looked into any real estate around here... This listing for a building on Sixth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C hit the market last market...



(Check out the Puma painting on the wall!)



Per the listing:

Investment opportunity! Raise below market rents to fair market value. A 20' wide x 50' long 4 story, 4,000sqft (approximately) 4 unit walk-up apartment building. The ground floor unit is live/work/store with a store front entrance and an entrance from the building. This unit has a beautiful 750 sqft south facing garden. The 2nd floor unit is a 2 bedroom, 1 bath with a 250 sqft south facing terrace. It has Southern, western and northern exposures. The 3rd floor unit is a 3 bedroom 1.5 bath home with southern, western, and northern exposures. The 4th floor unit is a 2 bedroom, 1 bath home with skylights, 3 exposures and a beautiful stair case. The building is fully renovated with new kitchens, baths, windows, floors, washer/dryers, etc. The gross yearly rent is approximately $164,000 a year. Tenants leases can be terminated with three months notice.

Price: $3.3 million

Craft beer shop coming to East Ninth Street

There's a CB3/SLA meeting tonight and I still haven't written about all the approvals from last month... During last month's get-together, the committee OK'd a beer license for Good Beer to operate at 422 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue...



Good Beer received a blessing from the 9th Street Block Association... and there are some stipulations: GB will operate as a retail beer store, serving food during all hours of operation; the hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturdays, and noon to 8 p.m. on Sundays. And there won't be any standing bar or stools or DJs or club crap.

But there will be some tables inside for a few beers and food.

Chris O'Leary at Brew York, New York has some details:

"Food will be comprised of local, organic and heritage products that pair well with beer so cheese, cured meats, pretzels, hot dogs, nuts and some chocolates," says David Cichowicz, the brain behind the operation. Patrons will have the chance to grab a seat at one of the tables in the store and pair the food with some of the 12 beers they’ll have on tap. The beer selection will be mainly local, sustainable products, but David says they'll occasionally throw in some West Coast, Belgian, English, and German beers as well."

The store is expecting to open in late August/early September.

[Thanks to Neighborhoodr for the link]

FDNY IDs cause of 240 E. Houston blaze

According to multiple published reports (the Times, DNAinfo, NY1) Thursday's fire was caused by the "unapproved use of electrical wiring," according to a fire official, who explained that residents had extended various cords to the roof, and stretched wires beneath roofing materials.

And this is the shot the FDNY released:



Twenty-eight firefighters and civilians were injured in the fire, the Times reported.

Previously.

[Bottom photo via the FDNY]

An East Second Street now and then

Earlier today, I posted several photos from Brian Rose's new book on the Lower East Side from 1980 and today...

Thanks to EV Grieve reader AdamA for pointing out a pretty good Google Street View approximation of one of the photos...


East Second Street where it merges with Houston between Avenue C and Avenue D

And via Google... a Street View that is at least two years old... the corner of Houston and Avenue D has been razed. Still.



Previously on EV Grieve:
"A continuum of decay and rebirth" on the Lower East Side