Musket love at McSorley's

Members of the McSorley's militia were out in full force outside the bar today on Seventh Street as it celebrated its 163 anniversary...



Photos by Derek Berg

Local businesses close their doors today in support of 'A Day Without Immigrants'

Businesses in cities across the country are closing today as part of the "A Day Without Immigrants" strike

As CNN reported, this is "a national grassroots movement seeking to protest President Trump's immigration reforms and highlight the contributions of the immigrant community in the United States."

La Sirena, the Mexican folk-art shop on Third Street, will be taking part today by remaining closed...

In solidarity with the "day without immigrants" Movement, La Sirena will be closed Thursday 2/16 and Will reopen Friday 2/17 12pm in celebration of Mexican art and culture. #paz #lasirena #lasirena_nyc #lasirenanyc #lasirenamexicanfolkart #nyc #bowery #eastvillage #eastvillagenyc #newyorkcity #daywithoutimmigrants #unity #insolitude #spreadthelove #spreadtheword #mexico #mexicanfolkart #les #iloveny #adaywithoutimmigrants

A post shared by Posts by La Sirena staff * (@lasirena_nyc) on Feb 15, 2017 at 6:43pm PST

A number of NYC restaurants will close today in support of the movement, including most in the Blue Ribbon family. However, their East Village fried-chicken outlet will remain open.

Please let me know of any other local businesses taking part...

Updated 1:30 p.m.

Thanks to the commenter for this tip... the Westville restaurants, including on Avenue A and 11th Street, are closed...

We will be closed today due to the nationwide strike. We will reopen tomorrow for regular business hours.

— Westville Restaurant (@WestvilleNYC) February 16, 2017

Updated 3:30 p.m.

Hecho en Dumbo is closed on the Bowery today...

Hecho will be CLOSED 2/16/2017 #adaywithoutimmigrants https://t.co/xDVe9u8vjn pic.twitter.com/mfImwSlLfM

— Hecho en Dumbo (@HechoEnDumbo) February 16, 2017

Raphael Toledano-owned 97 2nd Ave. is on the auction block

The 6-story, 10-unit building at 97 Second Ave. between Sixth Street and Fifth Street was one of the first East Village properties purchased by Raphael Toledano.

Now the building, which has a complicated recent history (there was a lawsuit in 2014 involving Toledano and another broker), is on the auction block.

Here are the details:

On the 28th day of February, 2017 commencing at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, at Polsinelli PC, 600 Third Avenue, 42nd Fl., New York, NY 10016, Lefko Funding LLC (Secured Party) will sell the following property by public auction to the highest qualified bidder: 100% of the membership interests in 97 2nd LLC, a New York limited liability company, which owns real property consisting of apartments and a first floor commercial space, in New York, NY with an address of 97 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10003.

Secured Party reserves the right to reject all bids and terminate or adjourn the sale to another time or place, or to effectuate a private sale instead of a public sale, without further publication, and further reserves the right to bid for the collateral at the sale and to credit bid by applying some or all of its secured debt to the purchase price. Interested parties who would like additional information concerning the items to be sold at the sale and the terms and conditions of the sale, including the eligibility requirements to be a qualified bidder.

Public records show that Toledano paid $4.95 million for it in April 2014.

In 2014, Douglas Pratt, whose family had operated the longtime laundromat here since the early 1970s as well as owned the building, said that they needed to sell "for a host of personal and business reasons."

The retail space is now home to Hou Yi Hot Pot. They have a lease through February 2030.

Earlier this month news broke that, facing foreclosure, Toledano was selling off most of his East Village properties.

Happy No. 163 McSorley's!

[Arthur King via McSorley's]

McSorley's is officially celebrating its 163rd birthday today over at its home of, uh, 163 years — 15 E. Seventh St. near Cooper Square. Expect a visit by Lincoln and some shots (so to speak) by the musket-toting McSorley's militia.

Related!

Quiet Lunch Magazine has created the "163rd McSorley’s Old Ale House 2017 Calendar" featuring never-before-published photos of the bar (like the one above) by designer Arthur King in the 1950s when he was studying at Pratt. The calendar is $12. More details here.



Meanwhile!

Whenever mentioning McSorley's and anniversaries... Someone brings this up. Per New York: "Though McSorley’s claims it opened its doors in 1854, NYC historian Richard McDermott used public records to prove it really opened in 1862."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Happy No. 162 McSorley's!

Report: 'An Evening With Martin Shkreli' no longer happening at Webster Hall Monday night

Martin Shkreli, the controversial pharmaceutical CEO who once raised the price of Daraprim from $13.50 per pill to $750, is no longer scheduled to appear at Webster Hall on Monday.

The evening was billed this way:

Martin will discuss investing, healthcare and politics in a presentation/lecture format for one hour and will take questions. There will be a bar session after the Q&A where Shkreli will be available to chat and take photographs. He WILL play tracks from his unreleased music collection (Wu-Tang and more).

Shkreli, who was indicted for securities fraud, famously bought the sole copy of the Wu Tang Clan‘s "Once Upon A Time in Shaolin" in 2015 for $2 million. (He played several tracks in a livestream after Donald Trump won the presidency.)

A Webster Hall rep told Patch that the event has been cancelled without commenting further.

Shkreli confirmed the Webster Hall cancellation on Facebook...




However, tickets are still on sale for the event, with no venue listed...



Shkreli, 33, is awaiting trial for securities fraud. Prosecutors have accused him of looting the pharma company that he was heading of $11 million to pay off investors he was suspected of defrauding.

Last month, he was reportedly suspended from Twitter for harassing a writer from Teen Vogue.

Prepping for 2019: L train shutdown workshop rescheduled for March 9

Starting tonight in Williamsburg, the MTA and DOT are hosting interactive public workshops about the L-train service shutting down between Bedford Avenue and Eighth Avenue for 18 months starting in January 2019.

Unfortunately, the snowstorm (#Niko) last Thursday prompted the cancellation of the workshop set for the East Village.

However, officials have announced a new date:

Thursday, March 9
7-9 p.m.
Town and Village Synagogue
334 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue

You can visit the Canarsie Tunnel Reconstruction microsite for more project details.

And a reminder of what to expect:

During the workshops, MTA and NYCDOT will provide information on the Canarsie Tunnel repairs and to solicit community feedback on possible alternate travel options during the planned 18-month closure.

Representatives from MTA and NYCDOT are also using the sessions to gain input for traffic modeling and analysis currently being conducted as service plans to minimize impacts are developed. Representatives will also be available to discuss construction impacts, ADA issues, and bus and subway service as it relates to the closure.

The public is strongly encouraged to participate in these workshops, which are expected to solicit meaningful input on alternate travel options for customers who will be affected by the repairs.

Here's a video the MTA released in May 2016 about the Canarsie Tunnel Reconstruction...



The video production was only $20 million over budget.

Previously on EV Grieve:
About '14th Street Peopleway'

Will a car-free 14th Street make life more bearable during (and after) the L train renovations? (35 comments)

Wednesday's parting shot

Crossing Second Avenue at 11th Street earlier today... photo via our Instagram friends @fuckkale

You'll know when you reach the 10th floor

The Christodora House has been wrapped in plastic in recent months during the exterior renovations on Avenue B at Ninth Street...



Never noticed this before ... looking up the building...



...at the 10th floor...



According to DOB records, there is an open violation here for "failure to safe guard all persons and property affected by construction operations" dated from October.

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

State attorney general sues David Barton Gyms following sudden closure in December

[Image from Dec. 21 via]

Back in December, the four David Barton Gym locations in Manhattan, including on Astor Place, shut down without any warning to its members or staff.

Now, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has filed a lawsuit against Club Ventures Investments LLC d/b/a David Barton Gyms (DBG).

Here's more from a media advisory that Schneiderman's office shared today:

According to the lawsuit, over 5,000 members enrolled in these four New York City health club facilities, many of whom had paid hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, in advance for membership and training packages. At least one consumer complained that he had paid in excess of $15,000. Although Defendants were well aware that the health clubs were in a financially precarious position, they continued to enroll new members and accept payments for future services up through early December 2016. The health clubs failed to provide any advance notice to members that they were going to close. The clubs subsequently filed for bankruptcy.

“As alleged in our complaint, David Barton Gyms acted irresponsibly and left their members without any recourse to recover lost payments, causing some to lose thousands of dollars,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “Health clubs must own up to their responsibilities to their members. They cannot be open one day and closed the next without proper notice to their membership, and must provide refunds for services not provided.” During the early hours of December 21, a security company retained by DBG changed the locks on the doors at each facility and affixed a notice to the outside doors ... DBG was promoting itself on social media up to two days before it closed.

The Attorney General’s office is seeking full restitution and an accounting to determine to whom the health clubs owe money. The office will closely monitor the bankruptcy proceedings and take whatever actions are warranted to protect the interests of the consumers.

Club Ventures and the other corporate defendants purchased the facilities from David Barton, the original owner, in 2013.

Consumers who were DBG members and believe they are owed a refund are urged to file a complaint online or call 1-800-771-7755. Consumers who paid by credit card are also advised to contact their credit card company and dispute the charges due to the failure of the gyms to provide the contracted services.

The Astor Place location opened in 2009. The space was previously a Barnes & Noble.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] David Barton Gyms abruptly close

Holiday season is officially over on 9th Street

The Christmas holiday season anyway... workers were out this morning removing the lights from the light poles on Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

And in case you need help spotting the lights in the back of the truck...



Thanks to Steven and EV Arrow