Sunday, March 7, 2021

Reopenings: Ladybird, Lucy's, Phebe's — and more

Several more bars-restaurants have reopened after a winter break ... several of the places closed in December when Gov. Cuomo ended indoor dining (at 25 percent) on Dec. 13. Indoor capacity is now at 35 percent. 

The recent reopenings include: 

The Ainsworth, 64 Third Ave. 

Avant Garden, 130 E. Seventh St. 

Cherry Tavern,  441 E. Sixth St.

Empellón Al Pastor, 132 St. Mark's Place at Avenue A 

Huertas, 107 First Ave.

KGB Bar,  85 E. Fourth St.

Ladybird, 111 E. Seventh St.

Lucy's, 135 Avenue A (photo of Lucy below by Lola SaƩnz)
The Penny Farthing, 103 Third Ave.

Phebe's, 361 Bowery at Fourth Street

Tile Bar, 115 First Ave.

... and upcoming: 

Proletariat, 102 St. Mark's Place — March 17 

Saramsam, 111 E. Seventh St. — March 17 

Superiority Burger, 430 E. Ninth St. — March 12

TV series shoot looking for break dancers, 1980s 'punk types'

Updated: Ah! This is apparently for season 2 of "Russian Doll."

A new scripted TV series called "Black Gumball" will be filming around the East Village over the next three days... we've seen film notices on Third Avenue for Monday (thanks Steven!) ... parts of Avenue A and side streets on Tuesday...
... and along East Houston on Wednesday...
Some of the extras casting notices have been making the rounds for scenes set in the 1980s (not sure at the moment the premise of the series) ... there's a call for break dancers:
Waldron Casting is seeking Men who can breakdance and portraying 1982 East Village types breakdancing outside of the subway. Think Michael Jackson style break dancers.
There's also a call for "80s punk types" ... and "gutter punk and grunge" ...

Saturday, March 6, 2021

Saturday's parting shot

A moment during this afternoon's "interactive data-art performance" on Avenue B between Seventh Street and Eighth Street ... featuring Jen Ray and data designer Jason Forrest ... read more about Open Date Week activities in the East Village here

Thanks to Stacie Joy for the photo!

Ruh-roh! Scooby-Doo looks extremely angry here on St. Mark's Place

Looks like we've got another mystery on our hands. Here's the new-ish Scooby-Doo mural on the rolldown gate at Min Sushi at 32 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

And why is Scooby looking supremely — and uncharacteristically — pissed?  

The challenges of dining out on a windy day in Tompkins Square Park!

CARDBOARD INSTALLATION DOWN!

Uh-oh! The detailed new work made from upcycled cardboard — titled "Eat Out" — that East Village-based artist Tom Manco of Manco Studios debuted yesterday in Tompkins Square Park was upended by a gust of wind.

EVG contributor Derek Berg, who snapped these photos roughly two minutes apart this morning, helped reset the table with the help of a passerby...

Saturday's opening shot

No indoor dining yet at the lunch counter for B&H Dairy, 127 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place ... though there are three small tables outside and plenty of options to go or for delivery. 

Hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day except Monday, when they are closed. (212) 505-8065

Friday, March 5, 2021

Friday's parting shots

East Village-based artist Tom Manco of Manco Studios debuted a detailed new work made from upcycled cardboard and tape in Tompkins Square Park today... EVG reader Karen shared these photos...

'Lux' living

 
Local band Pom Pom Squad released "Lux" this week... which features a "Virgin Suicides" tribute video of singer-songwriter Mia Berrin's dreams.

Also, today is Bandcamp Friday, in which the platform foregoes its revenue and gives the bands all the $$$ from the day's sales. You can download "Lux" here

About Open Data Week in the East Village

Via the EVG inbox... from the East Village Community Coalition (EVCC)...
Join EVCC for this week-long festival of FREE community events in celebration of New York City's Open Data Law. From family-friendly live events on the Ave B Open Street, to fun and informative virtual events, there's something for everyone here!

Highlights coming up tomorrow (Saturday!) on Avenue B between Seventh Street and Eighth Street ...

1 p.m. and 4 p.m. 
Join artist Jen Ray and data designer Jason Forrest for an engaging and not-entirely-serious interactive data-art performance on the Ave B Open Street. You've never seen data presented like this!

1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Join artist Cindy Stockton Moore in Shadow Tag for Open Streets, a creative family-friendly experiment in chalk. Come play with data!
And on Sunday on Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street...
Engaging with the WhatsOpenEV.com Map
Built by BetaNYC & maintained by volunteers, the WhatsOpenEV.com map has everything you need to safely Shop Local. We created the map to assist our community and support local merchants during the COVID-19 shutdown. What started as a band-aid grew into a labor of love. 

Discover East Village businesses, help support your favorites, and add your contributions to the map. Find the latest hours, specials, fundraisers and more!
Visit the EVCC website for more details.

ICYMI: Arts and entertainment venues can reopen starting on April 2

ICYMI: On Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that arts and entertainment venues can reopen at 33 percent capacity, with a maximum of up to 100 people indoors and 200 outdoors starting on April 2. 

And those numbers can go higher — up to 150 people indoors — if the venue offers a rapid COVID-19 test on entry. 

Either way, all attendees must wear masks and be socially distanced.

Despite the positive step forward after a year-long closure, some venues said they would not be reopening just yet.  

From Gothamist:
"Obviously any news about a path forward, even a limited capacity one, is great considering where we were just over a month ago," said Dennis Dennehy, spokesperson for AEG Presents and Bowery Presents, which manages bookings at Forest Hills Stadium, Terminal 5, Webster Hall, Brooklyn Steel, Music Hall of Williamsburg and more. "That said, we remain focused as of right now on fully reopening when we can do shows at 100% capacity. It just doesn’t make sense for us to do anything with limited capacity."

While he left open the possibility that some individual artists might decide to eat their losses to do a couple of one-off shows at big venues, he said it ultimately wasn't efficient for them to be back until they can play to full houses.

From the Times:

Michael Swier, the owner of the Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge, two of New York's best-known rock clubs, said that the state's order that venues require social distancing and mask-wearing means that the true capacity at many spaces may be much lower. 
"Given that social distancing is still part of the metric, it brings us back down to an approximate 20 percent capacity, which is untenable," Mr. Swier said.