Plus, it's difficult to compete with cornhole on the new Bowery

[Photo by Jeremiah Moss]

From The Wall Street Journal today:

When the Bowery Poetry Club closed its doors last week, it sent a familiar ripple of dismay through the rapidly gentrifying East Village.

Check out the rest of Lana Bortolot's article here, which includes comments from Jeremiah Moss...

"Whether it's a bar or a cafe or bookstore, [the East Village] was a place where people could meet, talk to each other and share ideas. Not only have we lost those people, but those who remain don't have a place to crash into each other and create that kind of friction."

Looking at the East Village Brownstone

So 13 months have passed since we checked in on this under-renovation brownstone at 224 E. 12th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...

Last year!

Now!

The building is called The Brownstone.

Per the organization's website:

The Brownstone uses New York City as an experiential classroom to promote personal, communal and social responsibilities for young Jewish participants to develop a code of ethics for living with integrity and purpose as contributing and leading members of society.We collaborate and build partnerships with a wide range of organizations to further Jewish education and identity and to strengthen young Jews’ commitment to Israel.

Our mission is to strengthen Jewish identity and peoplehood, foster community development, and cultivate the next generation of leaders.

The building will include a rooftop terrace, sleeping quarters, library, and classroom and workshop space. No word on a completion date.

Here's a rendering...

Previously on EV Grieve:
12th Street brownstone becoming mini university for Jewish education

Revisiting: East 13th Street and 'Taxi Driver'

[226 E. 13th St. last week]

We've had several thousand posts of late about the Mystery Lot ... as well as on 222 E. 13th St., the long-abandoned building between Third Avenue and Second Avenue that will become the Bea Arthur Residence ... providing housing for up to 18 homeless LGBT youth.

During all that, a few people brought up the pivotal role this stretch of 13th Street played in "Taxi Driver." Well, all that has been well-covered before... but it does seem like a good time to quickly revisit the 1976 film.

Plenty has been written about the locations for the movie, most notably Scouting New York, who meticulously created now and thens for a post in October 2009.

A sampling just from East 13th Street...

Here's Iris and Travis traveling east on the street (The Jefferson Theater is on the left, where the Mystery Lot is now)...

...and Iris and Travis entering 226, where she took her clients ...

Scouting New York has a lot more on the locations here, including now-and-then photos from this neighborhood. Off the Grid has more on the East 13th Street locations here.

And here's Sport and Travis...

Clearing out the Bowery Poetry Club; plus, free knowledge!

We spotted workers clearing out the Bowery Poetry Club yesterday...

...we picked through the contents...looking for some kind of sign... Oh, nuts!

Free knowledge was also available, though there weren't many takers here...

[Via the EVG Twitter account]

The space is undergoing renovations, with an anticipated fall return as something else that will include part of the Bowery Poetry Club... (The Wall Street Journal has more on the Club's future today.)

Per the BPC website: "Poems Are Sill Being Written!"

Previously on EV Grieve:
Is Duane Park in the Bowery Poetry Club's future?

What is happening with the Bowery Poetry Club?

Bob Holman on the future of the Bowery Poetry Club

Has La Isla closed on East 14th Street? (And we hope not...)

Several readers noted that workers looked to be clearing out the restaurant near Avenue B yesterday... we stopped by later, but no one was around... and the gates were closed...

We also called, though there wasn't any answer or outgoing message... Perhaps they're doing some summertime renovations...

Anyway, it is (or was) always an inexpensive option for large servings of, among other items, rice and beans ... mashed plantains... papas rellenas. I don't recall any meals on the menu being more than $7 or $8 (excluding the combo meals!)...

CB3 OK'd a beer-wine license for them back in September 2010.

A photo of La Isla from 2008... via Eating In Translation...

[Flickr]

h/t @AMDuross

Outside 170 E. Second St.

Just a quick follow-up to our post yesterday about 170-174 E. Second St. hitting the market for $16.5 million... Allen Ginsberg lived in 170 for a few years... I realized that I didn't have a photo of the plaque that notes this... figure I'd better get it for the archives... before a new landlord buys the building, strips it of every shred of character while converting one-bedroom homes into three-bedroom rec rooms and quadrupling the rent...

Heidi and Extra Place open today on, uh, Extra Place

A few weeks back, we pointed out two new restaurants (from the same owner) coming soon on Extra Place... Well, they open today.

So, via the press materials: There's Extra Place at No. 8, a namesake restaurant with 50 seats serving Mediterranean fare, and Heidi at No. 6, a smaller Swiss eatery with 20 seats ... both "offering traditional cuisine of their respective regions made with local, high-quality ingredients."

Hours and stuff: Extra Place will be open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday, 12 p.m. to 2 a.m.; brunch Saturday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and dinner 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Heidi will serve dinner Monday through Sunday, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Diner's Journal has more on the two restaurants here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
With new restaurant opening, will Extra Place finally become a dining destination?

Extra Place now officially a Dead End

Meanwhile, Extra Place continues to maintain its proud heritage

DOT removing bike racks from Astor Place

EVG reader 8E sends along this photo from today at Astor Place, noting: "Looks like there'll be fewer bike racks at Astor Place by Friday."

Indeed.

Anyone know what's going on here? A ramp up to the Citi Bike system? Back in April, StreetsBlog noted that Astor Place will be home to a 55-dock station next to the uptown 6 train entrance.

Or. Something related to the Death Star?

Just guessing...

Paving and peace on East 11th Street

The DOT is currently prepping parts of East 10th Street tonight for repaving... signs said they'd be doing all this tonight and tomorrow... from Avenue D westward...

... workers seem to be randomly tossing down barrels to block off various streets and Avenues and bike lanes ...

...a little later...

[Bobby Williams]

And last Thursday and Friday, crews worked on East 11th Street... and it kinda seemed festive... (maybe not for the workers on a hot and humid night)...

A few shots from the weekend...

[Shawn Chittle]

[EVG reader Allison]

... and on another section of East 11th Street...

Kenny from 11th St. reported that some neighbors decided to help out — because you never know when those extra chopsticks will come in handy to decorate the street ...

...and perhaps some repaving-related damage to this tree?

[Shawn Chittle]

Or is this our very own Virgin Mary Tree?

A disagreement on Cooper Square

Just a brief moment from the afternoon on Cooper Square, where a disagreement of sorts broke out between the driver of a delivery truck and a cyclist...

Bobby Williams, who took the photos, figures there would have been a fistfight had the NYPD traffic officers not intervened...

And all those involved then went on their way.