Today in free fennel on Avenue A

EVG reader Kate spotted this note and stash of what is believed to be fennel on Avenue A near 10th Street...

Whoops!

Thought this was dill ... it's fennel!

Please take! (Organic)

RIP Brendan Cregan

[Image via Facebook]

Brendan Cregan, a longtime daytime bartender at Bull McCabe's Irish Pub on St. Mark's Place, died last Wednesday night at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens. He was 64. According to a friend, Cregan died as the result of a fall on his way home in Woodside that evening.

Regulars at Bull McCabe's recall Cregan, a native of Northern Ireland, as the consummate professional with a sharp sense of humor.

"He had a wry, mischievous wit and a distinct twinkle in his eye as well as a serious nature," said Russell Atwood, a former daytime regular who also worked at the bar as a porter. "We got each other’s jokes."

Bull McCabe's has been a gathering spot for a group of artists and writers in recent years — especially during Cregan's shifts.

"He was a daily part of my life for the last 15 years," said the East Village-based Billy the Artist. "I got to know his beautiful loving family, and he was always interested in what was going on in my life ... like a caring father. He had a zest for life and adventure like no other and I will miss him dearly."

Visitation hours are tonight from 5 to 9 and tomorrow from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Edward D. Lynch Funeral Home, Inc, 43-07 Queens Boulevard in Sunnyside. A funeral mass will be held at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday at St. Sebastians RCC, 58th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Woodside. (More details at this link.)

Cregan is survived by his wife Debbie and sons Rory and Conor.

Bull McCabe's is planning a celebration of Cregan's life at a date and time to be announced.

Thank you to Steven for background help on this post.

Report: 14th Street busway halted once again by last-minute appeal

And just when you thought the 14th Street busway was debuting today.

On Friday afternoon, a judge halted the city's plan to ban almost all cars on a portion of 14th Street between Third Avenue and Ninth Avenue, according to published reports. (NY1 had it first. Here's Gothamist's coverage.)

This marked the end of a chaotic busway week. A quickie recap: Last Tuesday, State Supreme Court Judge Eileen Rakower lifted a temporary injunction on the 14th Street busway, allowing the city to move forward with its plans.

In late June, right before the new busway was to launch on July 1, a coalition of block associations — repped by attorney Arthur Schwartz — filed a last-minute lawsuit to block the project, arguing that the city failed to complete the proper environmental review for the work.

On Friday afternoon, the city was out educating drivers on the changes that were to take effect today...

DOT staff were out this morning reminding drivers about new 14th St regulations going into effect on 8/12:

6AM-10PM Every Day: Buses & trucks only btn 9th-3rd Aves. All other vehicles may make local trips, but must turn at the next available right.

More: https://t.co/gsIvfVszf2 pic.twitter.com/cyXnGk7Ip1

— NYC DOT (@NYC_DOT) August 9, 2019

To Streetsblog:

The coalition of wealthy West Village and Chelsea landowners, who lost their court bid to stop the Busway on Tuesday afternoon filed a hurried appeal that was granted by the Appellate Division on Friday ...

According to the court papers, Schwartz’s plaintiffs, who are among the wealthiest people in the city, argued that Justice Eileen Rakower was wrong in allowing the Busway to proceed because the city did not actually take the required “hard look” at possible impacts of the car-free Busway that is necessary under state environmental law.

Transit champions were suitably outraged:

"For every day that the 14th Street busway is on hold, M14 rush hour commuters lose two weeks worth of time that they will never recover. Time wasted stuck behind cars in stalled traffic is time away from family, friends, work, and New York's civic life" — Riders Alliance spokesperson Danny Pearlstein

"This tiresome, tedious effort to circumvent the democratic process delays tangible improvements to the commutes of tens of thousands of working New Yorkers. It's despicable, and we're not going to accept it." — Thomas DeVito, senior director of advocacy at Transportation Alternatives

And per Streetsblog: "Schwartz was pleased. He said Friday’s ruling will delay the Busway for 'months' as the appeal is heard."

The busway aimed to help move people during the L-train slowdown. Private through-traffic would be banned between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. on 14th Street between Third Avenue and Ninth Avenue. Buses, trucks and emergency vehicles would be given priority in the center lanes between Third Avenue and Ninth Avenue. Cars would be allowed to make pickups and drop-offs as well as access local garages.

The neighborhood groups repped by Schwartz have argued that the city has not undertaken a sufficient environmental review of the vehicle restrictions, which they say would cause "horrific traffic jams" on residential side streets while contributing to more pollution.

Updated:

Here's local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera's reaction to the news...

Every day these lawsuits continue means another NYCHA resident is dealing with the slowest bus service in the city. It means car exhaust increases in 1 of the most polluted parts of Manhattan. And it means we’re 1 day further away from breaking the car culture.

This has to end! https://t.co/5oeuzJrH60

— Carlina Rivera 利華娜 (@CarlinaRivera) August 9, 2019

Fast-casual chain Sweetgreen bringing the salads and bowls to the Bowery

The ever-expanding Sweetgreen chain is opening a location at 347 Bowery. Signage for the line-inducing fast-casual restaurant is now up in the windows here at Third Street...



This marks the first retail tenant in the ground floor of No. 347, the Annabelle Selldorf-designed 13-story luxury building that features five stacked town homes. In early 2018, signage arrived for Pilotworks, which was planning a "culinary incubator" for its food businesses to sell products. Those plans never materialized as Pilotworks tanked in the fall of 2018.

Sweetgreen has opened nearby outposts on Astor Place and University Place in recent years.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Salvation Army's former East Village Residence will be demolished on the Bowery

Whatever happened to that really ugly hotel planned for the Bowery?

Looks like 347 Bowery will be home to a 13-floor mixed-use residential development

The future of 347 Bowery (sorta!) revealed

Let's take a look at 347 Bowery, now and in the future

347 Bowery getting its zinc supplements

More about the new venture from Pilotworks on the Bowery

Strings Ramen vying for 188 2nd Ave.

There looks to be another ramen choice on the horizon.

The applicants behind Strings Ramen will appear before CB3's SLA committee meeting tonight for a liquor license for 188 Second Ave.

According to the questionnaire on file at the CB3 website, the proprietors were previously involved with the now-closed Lotus Blue Dongtian Kitchen and Bar on Union Square West. This location was part of an international chain with spots in Beijing, Shanghai and Sydney, per Eater. (There's no mention if this is part of Strings Ramen, a popular destination with two locations in Chicago and one in Madison, Wis. Only mention this since popular ramen shops in other cities have expanded here in the past year.)

Per the questionnaire, the 45-seat restaurant here at 12th Street will have daily hours of noon to 10 p.m.

No one has had much luck with restaurants at 188 Second Ave. in recent years. Lumos Kitchen lasted a whole three months in 2018. Others to make quick departures in the past four years were Hot Pot Central, DumplingGuo and Dumpling Go.

Shima had a good go of it here until January 2014...


[EVG file photo]

Tonight's CB3 meeting starts at 6:30 in the Perseverance House Community Room, 535 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Bike shop making the Trek to the Bowery

Trek Bicycle, an American bikemaker with multiple retail shops in the city, is opening an outpost on the Bowery.

The signage arrived late last week here at 303 Bowery in the retail base of Avalon Bowery Place between First Street and Houston.

This space has been vacant since Tatyana Boutique closed in January 2016.

Trek's arrival also reverses the (micro) trend of bike shops leaving the neighborhood, including Danny's on 14th Street and Landmark on Avenue A.

Report: By Chloe joining Chase in the former Coffee Shop on Union Square

[Photo from Saturday]

ICYMI: Expanding vegan chain By Chloe will open an outpost at the former Coffee Shop space on Union Square West later this year.

Here's more on what to expect via Eater, who first reported this news:

At the Coffee Shop space, the interior will pay homage to the nostalgic diner by including “intimate round banquette seating” and “a nod” to the restaurant’s original neon sign, according to By Chloe marketing material.

But its a move that still may not sit well with longtime fans of Coffee Shop. The restaurant was a nostalgic, distinctively New York place, while By Chloe is part of a huge company that’s in part flourished due to colorful food and spaces made specifically with social media marketing in mind.

By Chloe will have company in this space at West 16th Street. The Coffee Shop will be divided into four spaces. One space is reserved for a Chase branch, as Jeremiah Moss reported last fall.

The Coffee Shop closed last October after 28 years in business. The rising cost of rent and wages were reportedly behind the closure.

In case you forgot that CVS is coming to Houston and Orchard

The CVS signage is in place here now in the base of the condoplex on the southeast corner of Orchard and Houston.

And as you can see, this will be another 24/7 outpost for the drug-store chain...



... which joins Marshalls at this 11-story, 94-unit building constructed in part with hand-laid, gilded-bronze brick imported from Cadaqués. An Equinox Fitness center has the upstairs space.



Last month, the developers behind 196 Orchard St., including Ben Shaoul’s Magnum Management, sold the retail portion of the building to the AR Global affiliate New York City REIT for — !!!! — $88.75 million, according to The Real Deal.

This property on Houston between Ludlow and Orchard previously housed a single row of storefronts, including Ray's Pizza, Bereket and Lobster Joint.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Making way for Ben Shaoul's new retail-residential complex on East Houston

Katz's is now the last business on East Houston between Ludlow and Orchard

A CVS is coming to the corner of Houston and Orchard in Ben Shaoul's luxury condoplex

Report: retail portion of Ben Shaoul's luxury condoplex on Houston and Orchard sells for a whopping $88 million

Weekend parting shot

Thanks to The Dusty Rebel for sharing this photo from yesterday on Avenue A and Second Street...

Week in Grieview

[Key Food still life on Avenue A]

RIP Lucien Bahaj (Monday) RIP Unkle Waltie (Tuesday)

Time capsules: The Gap of St. Mark's Place (Thursday)

An annual reunion in East River Park (Sunday)

Report: New owner of the Boys' Club building on 10th Street and Avenue A — revealed! (Wednesday)

Gov. Cuomo condemns suspect who left anti-gay graffiti on Avenue A; another message found on Norfolk Street (Saturday)

The tree nest in El Jardín del Paraíso has been removed (Tuesday)

The Sunshine is gone, and an empty lot awaits a 9-story office building (Wednesday)

Tech hub officially breaks ground on 14th Street (Tuesday)

Niconeco Zakkaya, seller of Japanese stationery and gifts, opening a shop on 10th Street (Friday)

Café Social 68 debuts on A (Wednesday)

Dramatic storm shots (Thursday)

The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black in Tompkins Square Park (Monday)

Grant Shaffer's NY See (Thursday)

Maison Kayser closes Union Square location (Monday)

Another Flamingos Vintage Pound opens in the East Village, this one on 11th Street (Monday)

Former Nobletree Coffee space for rent (Wednesday)

Bowlmor Lanes-replacing condoplex cleared of construction equipment on University Place (Wednesday)

Something finally happening at the former Gotham Pizza (Wednesday)

Little Buddha pops up with vegan fare on 1st Street (Friday)

Medina's Turkish Kitchen debuts on 2nd Avenue (Monday)

Polytima Designs is closing on 9th Street (Friday)

The Boilery up next for 58 3rd Ave. (Thursday)

A new door for The Jones (Monday)

Thoughts on Ray's (the new bar on the LES) (Wednesday)

... and ICYMI...



Here’s a look at the city-sanctioned mural on the water tower atop 190 Bowery that Shepard Fairey created of actress Rosario Dawson titled "Power & Equality." The work is in part a celebration of the Lower Eastside Girls Club, where Dawson is a board member...



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