Watch Jimmy McMillan 'Debate' in the East Village

Yesterday, Animal NY debuted the latest video extravaganza from Rent Is Too Damn High Party candidate Jimmy McMillan. (He's still in the race!)

The 7-plus-minute opus (Curbed said that the video is "too damn long") was shot in the neighborhood... and you might see some familiar faces... Animal notes that Christalle Fellix, McMillan's daughter, who serves as the Rent Is Too Damn High party president, plays a featured role ...

Animal NY has more here with McMillan on the mayoral race.

Meanwhile, watch the video here...

Extra Place and Heidi currently 'closed for renovation' in Extra Place

Things have been a little quiet over in Extra Place, the pedestrian walkway off East First Street... in part, two of the restaurants here, Extra Place and Heidi, have been closed... a sign on the door points to a renovation...



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, opened from the same owners in July 2012.



We reached out to restaurant reps to see when they might reopen. (Yelp already lists that Extra Place is restaurants closed. No mention of the renovations on the restaurants' website or social media.)

In July, CB3 dropped the hammer on the restaurants, denying renewal of its beer and wine license. Here's CB3's official CB3ease:

BE IT RESOLVED that Community Board #3 moves to deny the renewal of the beer wine license for Extra Place America LLC, 8 Extra Place, between Second Avenue and Bowery, because
1) the applicant has violated its stipulation that it will not serve alcohol outside of its establishment,
2) the applicant has usurped a public pedestrian plaza for its private use in violation of New York City Department of Transportation restrictions by setting up an illegal sidewalk café in said public plaza, and
3) the applicant has used its license illegally by serving beer and wine to its patrons outside of its establishment and allowing its patrons to consume beer and wine outside which they had purchased within its business.

The SLA currently lists two liquor licenses for the address... one is active; the other is not.



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

Fall shadows

East 11th Street.

After 5 years, time to repair fire hydrant outside the Miracle Garden on East 3rd Street

[Via Facebook]

There has been a long-standng problem at The Miracle Garden on East Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B...

Basically, every year, volunteers obtain a permit to use the hydrant on the street to water the garden... unfortunately, the hydrant has a crack in it... and just as much water ends up on the sidewalk and street as it does in the garden...



Despite five years of calls to the city, FDNY, local elected officials, etc., etc. ... the hydrant remains cracked... and wasting so much water in the process...

This new video, released Friday, sums up the situation in 80 seconds...

Please help us fix the hydrant (1 min. & 20 sec.) from Artola Digital on Vimeo.

[Updated] Asbestos concern at the Neighborhood School

We've heard from some parents over at The Neighborhood School/PS 63 on East Third Street between Avenue A and First Avenue...

As we understand it, officials from the New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) announced last week that they will begin removing asbestos from the building this fall ahead of a 2- to 3-year school renovation... the removal will occur after school hours starting at 4, which will disrupt a fair number of programs

From an email from a parent that is in circulation:

[Last] week my fellow parents and I were alarmed to find out that the scaffolding surrounding our school is there to take out asbestos and remove lead paint. I was even more upset to discover that no work was done over the summer and that the contractor wants to start now when school is session. We cannot allow this to happen!!! Asbestos and lead that are airborne due to construction pose serious health threats.

There's a meeting this morning with school officials to begin to address these issues (available parents are encouraged to show support outside the school, per the above flyer) ... there will be also be a Neighborhood School community meeting on Thursday morning at 8:40 with SCA reps.

The parents hope to postpone the work until next summer ...

Updated 9 a.m.
Serena Solomon has more details on this story over at DNAinfo.

Cornell Edwards Way

[Saturday morning]

On Saturday morning, the office of City Councilmember Rosie Mendez led a co-naming ceremony on East 13th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

It is now also known as Cornell Edwards Way.



This is in honor of Edwards, who opened The Flower Stall at 143 E. 13th St. in 1967. He passed in April 2011.

It Was Her New York wrote about Edwards and his role on the block for so many years.

"Cornell wasn't just a neighbor to the people on his block. Cornell was a neighbor to his neighborhood."

It Was Her New York shared three stories about Edwards in October 2011. You may find those here ... here ... and here.

Reader rumor report: 504-508 E. 11th St. has been sold

A tipster shares this report... which we're posting verbatim...

As if 11th Street wasn't under enough stress with that plastic scourge from the 'burbs, 7-11, on the verge of puking up its burnt weenies and Slurpees all over the corner of 11th and A. Now it seems that the nearby building of 504-508 E 11th Street has been recently sold to a real estate investment cabal with big plans to cash in on the current East Village real estate feeding frenzy.

And there's certainly copious amounts blood in the neighborhood waters these days. Word has it that the new dollar sign eyed owners intend to clear the 28 unit building of its tenants asap, "renovate", and then jack up the rents to the grotesque amounts commanded by landlords utilizing the rapidly fading vapors of EV hipness to entice the legions of eager neighborhood newbies waving fistfuls of dollars. Boy howdy, what could cooler than having a brand spanking new 7-11 right on your corner!

To date, nothing in the NYC property records indicates that the building has recently changed hands. But, given the frenzy described above, it's certainly not surprising to learn that a deal is in the works ...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Your guide to construction hell on East 11th Street

The Halal Guys are now open on East 14th Street and 2nd Avenue

A recap from Saturday... This past Friday, the fellows with the popular food cart on 53rd and 6th opened an outpost on the northeast corner of East 14th Street and Second Avenue... they are open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

We are excited to share that we will be opening a new cart in the East Village on Friday. Look for us the NE corner of 14th St. and 2nd Ave

— THE HALAL GUYS (@HalalGuys) September 19, 2013

At the 1st annual Nuyorican Poets Cafe Block Party

Yesterday, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe commemorated 40 years of presenting poetry, music, theater and other events to the neighborhood... EVG contributor Stacie Joy was there on East Third Street to capture some of the event...

First sunset of fall

Photo via Bobby Williams