I know it's only filming for 'Rock and Roll' (but I like it)

Crews will be out today in parts of the neighborhood filming the new HBO series "Rock and Roll," which Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger are producing.

Filming will be taking place between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on parts of Avenue A (between East Third and East Fifth streets) and along Avenue B and East Fourth Street and wherever else the kinda blurry photo says.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the show is "set in 1970s New York, as punk and disco are emerging onto the drug-hazed, sex-crazed music scene, and record executive Richie Finestra (Bobby Cannavale) is trying to revitalize his label." The cast includes Olivia Wilde, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen and Mick's son James Jagger.

Sorry for that headline, BTW!

The former Benny's is serving as a gallery space right now on Avenue A

Peter Missing is currently selling artwork and T-shirts and other items in front of the former Benny's Burritos on Avenue A and East Sixth Street this evening… tonight until????

H/T Bill Cashman

Continued dewatering at Ben Shaoul's 98-100 Avenue A prompts visit by the FDNY

The ongoing dewatering process at Ben Shaoul's incoming retail-residential complex between East Sixth Street and East Seventh Street continues to make people believe there is a fire in the construction pit.

A neighbor of the property at 98-100 Avenue A noted that the FDNY arrived en masse around 7 after a report of smoke at the site.

There was a hand-drawn sign on the plywood (like seen here earlier in the month) …



...but it has been painted over.

There's also a smaller sign that reads:

"We are currently performing dewatering on this construction site. This is condensation (water vapor) coming up through the pipes. There is no fire, no smoke, and no reason for alarm."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Rest assured, there isn't a fire in the hole at 98-100 Avenue A

Report: Bystander shot in foot during argument on Avenue D

A woman standing outside the Riis Houses last night around 11 was accidentally shot in the foot when a fight broke out nearby, according to published reports.

A witness told DNAinfo that she heard five shots at 178 Avenue D near East 12th Street.

Per DNAinfo:

"Gunshots are nothing new around here, but it's getting old, getting tiring. You feel like a hostage in your own neighborhood," the witness said.

The victim, 53, was taken to Bellevue Hospital ... where she was listed in stable condition. According to the Daily News, the woman was hit in her left foot and the bullet grazed across her right foot. It was not clear if she knew the men arguing. The shooter remained at large.

Report: There are a lot of rats on this East Village corner

Over at the Daily News, veteran staff photographer Sam Costanza reported that the corner of Avenue D and East 10th Street "was crawling with vermin" early this morning.

Per the article:

"As females walk by these bastards jump out and scare 'em," Costanza said. "It's quite a sight."

And!

The Daily Newser counted at least 10 rats swarming in close proximity, including one "cat-sized" rodent.

He also took a photo of the rats perched inside the hubcap of a Honda.

Head to the Daily News here if you'd like to see photos AND video of this.

Ben Shaoul sells 31-33 2nd Ave. for $29 million

[EVG file photo of the FRONT of the building]

Ben Shaoul has sold his recently created East Luxe rental building at 31-33 Second Ave. between East First Street and East Second Street for $29 million, The Real Deal reports.

The new owner is real-estate investor Sunny Yung, who owns a handful of properties via his Central Management Corp.

As The Real Deal notes, Shaoul bought the property for $5.6 million in 2011. He then added three floors to the existing building to make it an unrecognizable, 1970s-student-housing-inspired rental with 20 units.

[Photo from 2009 by LuciaM via Panoramio]

According to Streeteasy, the average price of a rental here is $5,142. As previously noted, a Petco Unleashed is taking the building's retail space.

Shaoul's former rooftop-raging 62 Bloom on Avenue B is on the market for $80 million.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Ben Shaoul planning a 3-story addition at 31-33 Second Ave.

Bracing for 3 new floors at 31-33 Second Ave.

Checking in on the work in progress at 31-33 2nd Ave., where Ben Shaoul is adding 3 new floors

Ben Shaoul's bland new 2nd Avenue building is called The East Luxe

More about The East Luxe, Ben Shaoul's new 20-unit rental on 2nd Avenue

Petition asks Mayor de Blasio to remove the Skywatch tower from Tompkins Square Park

[Photo Tuesday by ‏@urbanmyths]

The patrol tower that the NYPD installed in the middle of Tompkins Square Park on Tuesday has prompted plenty of discussion. (Our post has 135 comments and counting.)

Yesterday, East Village resident Penny Rand, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1968, launched an online petition asking Mayor de Blasio to remove the tower.

Per the petition:

There is no crime happening in the park that cannot be handled by foot police or officers in patrol cars. The precinct is just around the corner, patrol cars find their way into the park on a moment's notice.

Take down the tower. We don't want it. It makes us feel violated, insulted and angry that you chose this path under the guise of protecting us.

Take down the tower. We don't need it. It is overkill and just a display of muscle that infringes on our enjoyment of the park.

Take down the tower, Mr. Mayor. Take it down. Today.

The goal is 1,000 signatures by end of the month. Find the petition here.

Meanwhile, Gothamist talked to people in the Park yesterday about the tower.

"It's stupid, it's a waste of money," Annick de Lorme told us as she walked her dog past the tower last night. "It doesn't make sense to have two police officers sit around."

De Lorme said that she has lived next to the park on East 7th Street for 13 years, and felt that Tompkins is "one hundred percent" safer than it was when she first moved to the neighborhood.

Gothamist also gets an explanation from the city.

Mayor de Blasio's press secretary, Karen Hinton, told us that the Tompkins Skywatch "is a temporary 'high visibility' police command post to address safety issues on a temporary basis," and that "how long it stays is up to the Boro Commander."

Hinton said that the "NYPD tried to park the Skywatch in the street area, away from the park, but that was problematic. The park was the next best solution."

Previously on EV Grieve:
NYPD installs patrol tower in the middle of Tompkins Square Park (135 comments)

The Post reports Tompkins Square Park 'has become a homeless haven' (113 comments)

Observer editors write, 'it's time to take back Tompkins Square Park' (49 comments)

Parts of Avenue C and D now with a SkyWatch tower, additional NYPD lights

[Updated] NYPD patrol tower arrives on Avenue D

Why yes — the Tompkins Square Park patrol tower now has a (fake) Twitter account

In our post about the newly installed NYPD Patrol Tower in the middle of Tompkins Square Park, someone began leaving comments as NYPD TEXT TOWER.

An example of the all-cap comments:

WE DONT SEE HOMELESS IN PARK BUT WE SEE LOTS OF U ON TINDER.

And!

APPOLOGIES TO JAMES FRANCO. PLZ CONTINUE ENJOYING YOUR BAGGED LUNCH.

Now that commenter has taken his or her commenting to Twitter, with the official (unofficial) NYPD TWEET TOWER account.

BE SURE TO WRITE THE @NYPOST AND LET THEM KNOW #TOMPKINSSQUAREPARK IS VAGRANT FREE SO WE CAN GO HOME. BORED UP HERE. #EASTVILLAGE

— NYPD TWEET TOWER (@NYPDTWEETTOWER) July 22, 2015

The former Contrada space is for rent

[Photo by Vinny & O]

Contrada, the Mediterranean-influenced restaurant on Second Avenue at East Fourth Street, quietly closed earlier this month.

Apparently the closure isn't temporary: A for rent sign arrived at the space yesterday,

Per the listing at Alpha Properties, the asking rent is $16,000 with $200,000 key money.

In the spring of 2014, the space evolved from Calliope, a French bistro. Prior to this, Belcourt held forth in the space.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Contrada has not been open lately

Because we haven't posted anything about the incoming Black Seed bagels in more than 2 months

Yes, it was back on May 13 when we last got a look inside 174-176 First Ave., where workers are renovating the retail space for Black Seed bagels.

EVG reader Lola Sáenz took this photo of the space yesterday here between East 10th Street and 11th Street … showing the progress…



We still haven't heard about any official opening date for Black Seed, which is leasing the space of the former DeRobertis Pasticceria and Caffe. Black Seed opened on Elizabeth Street in April 2014. This will be their second location.

You can head to Black Seed's Instagram account to see their Montreal-NYC hybrid bagels in action…

It's never too hot to eat lunch in the park. 📷: @mrs.munchies

A photo posted by Black Seed Bagels (@blackseedbagels) on Jul 20, 2015 at 10:28am PDT

Previously on EV Grieve:
Black Seed bringing bagels to the former DeRobertis space on 1st Avenue (43 comments)