ICYMI: Flaco is backo on the Upper East Side

Flaco continued to enjoy his sunny life on Fifth Avenue earlier today, just across the street from Central Park, where perhaps he will go hunting later. Thanks to Sarah Bramwell for sharing this photo. 🦉 ♥️ pic.twitter.com/r4DT2DqbGC

— Manhattan Bird Alert (@BirdCentralPark) November 15, 2023

After nearly eight-plus days of a downtown sojourn, Flaco — the only Eurasian eagle owl in the wild in North America — has returned to his usual confines around Central Park. 

There were rumors of a Central Park return yesterday... and the @BirdCentralPark X account was able to confirm the sightings later.

Flaco was first spotted in the East Village on Nov. 6 at the Kenkeleba House Garden off Avenue B and Third Street. He was seen multiple times over the next few days here and on the Lower East Side... even inspiring some we've-been-there-too poetry.

H/T Steven

At long last the new location of El Rinconcito is ready to open this Friday

Photo from last fall by Stacie Joy 

The owners of El Rinconcito have announced a grand opening for Friday (Nov. 17) in their new home at 73-75 Avenue C.

The family-owned Latin American restaurant has been ready to open for the past year but apparently had Con Ed issues with the building here between Fifth Street and Sixth Street. 

From an Instagram post this week:

We will be FINALLY opening our doors for business after so many setbacks, but nothing will take us away from serving our community we love in the Lower East Side. It’s official: your favorites will be here on Friday, November 17 ... Huge thank you for all your patience and ongoing support; it gave us the push we needed when times were tough.

El Rinconcito will be open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The restaurant closed in the summer of 2021 at its home of 27 years at 408 E. 10th St. between Avenue C and Avenue D. (The building on 10th Street was undergoing a gut renovation.) 

El Rinconcito has been serving delicious and inexpensive food in the neighborhood since 1994.

Openings: Red Onion on 10th Street

Red Onion debuted at 277 E 10th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue last Thursday. 

A longtime EVG reader shared a quickie review about the Indian restaurant: "Very tasty — best I've had in some time." They have an extensive menu, which you can find here. 

Red Onion is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., with a 10:30 p.m. close on Friday and Saturday... for dining in or to go.

The previous two establishments here, Chichen Itzá and Tompkins Village Cafe, enjoyed a few weeks in service before quickly closing in late 2021. This address was previously home for 11 years to the Brindle Room, which moved to 11th Street.

Everything's gone Green

We are behind in noting all (and there are a lot) the recent comings and goings with smoke shops, like which ones closed, which ones closed and reopened, and which ones closed and reopened under a new name.

The smoke shop opened up next to Ray's Candy Store on Avenue A near Seventh Street nearly a month ago, though the signage for Green World only just arrived.

The sidewalk board (pic from Oct. 31, before the new signage but with festive balloonage) shows items for sale including flowers, edibles and pre-rolls...

The business was, until May, known as East Village New Deli ... then they returned in June without the deli counter... only to close again and reopen as another exotic snack shop/weed shop. 

This East Village lot is now home to this 60-foot-long photograph of a car cemetery in Ukraine

Photos by Steven

Photographer Phil Buehler created this 60-foot-long installation on display (as of Saturday) on the NW corner of Second Avenue and Second Street.

Here's more about the work that he created after a trip to Ukraine:

"Irpin Ukraine: Please Don't Forget Us" is a 60-foot-long photograph of the cemetery of civilian cars destroyed by Russian forces at the beginning of the war. Some were those of civilians shelled as they tried to flee the city in an attack the Human Rights Watch labeled a likely war crime.

Per Buehler's Modern Ruins website:

This installation is up-close and visceral. It serves as a witness to just some of the horror and destruction Ukraine has experienced, a memorial in life-sized detail. It was stitched together from over 30 high-resolution images

... and an up-close look at some of the sections...

The work will be here along this empty lot through Nov. 30. 

CB3 committee to hear presentation on the proposed 'City of Yes for Economic Opportunity' text amendment

Image via NYC Planning

Updated 11/18: You can watch a replay of the presentation on YouTube.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) evening, the Department of City Planning reps will present an informational presentation on the "City of Yes for Economic Opportunity" text amendment during Community Board 3's Land Use, Zoning, Public & Private Housing Committee. 

The amendment — revealed in June — is the second of three proposed zoning text amendments from Mayor Adams designed to address what his administration calls outdated zoning issues. (You can find an overview here... a video of the info session is here.) 

As CityLand noted... 

"The City of Yes for Economic Opportunity" amendment aims to support small business growth through four pillars: revitalizing commercial corridors, filling vacant storefronts, modernizing use regulations, and investments in key growth industries. The changes to the zoning text aim to remove obstacles that slow down or prevent the growth and development of small businesses. 

And from the Commercial Observer... 

"City of Yes" will also scrap the last piece of the city's cabaret law, which prohibits dancing in some bars and restaurants, depending on the underlying commercial zoning. It would also eliminate a two-year clock on vacancy for nonconforming retail in residential areas, which currently prohibits a storefront from being reoccupied as retail if it's been empty for more than two years. Businesses would also be allowed on the same floor as apartments and even allowed above them in some commercial areas, as long as there are separate entrances for apartment residents and retail tenants. 

Here's what the Cooper Square Committee had to say about it in a recent Instagram post:

Cooper Square Committee hasn't yet taken a position yet about the proposed changes, but we will be talking to [East Village Independent Merchants Association] members and other commercial tenants, as well as analyzing local retail data and trends to determine what position to take over the next month or two.

We encourage residents and small business owners to read up on the proposed changes to learn more about them ... 

The nine-month Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP!) started on Oct. 30 and will be heard at all 52 local community boards in the city. Then! It will then move to the borough presidents, City Planning and City Council, who are expected to vote on the final text amendment this spring.  

The Land Use Committee meeting (Nov. 15) starts at 6:30 p.m. You can watch via Zoom here. In Person: Community Board 3 office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Ave. and the Bowery. Limited seating is available to the first 15 people.

Cookie Walk is now side-of-church-signage official

Photo by Steven

ICYMI: The Cookie Walk, slated for Dec. 9 and 10, returns to the St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church on Avenue A and 10th Street ... the first one since 2019.

This will be the 12th edition of the walk, which serves as a fundraiser for the church. 

And on Sunday afternoon, church leaders-volunteers hung the CW signage. Find more info here.

You have 24 days to enjoy the holiday season before SantaCon

The clock is ticking on SantaCon, set for Saturday, Dec. 9, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., when everyone quietly returns home. 

The SantaCon website lists Midtown as the starting point... and the "donation" for a ticket is $15. 

No word yet on the route, participating bars, etc. — all that will arrive in the days leading up to Dec. 9.

Five Guys coming to 12th and 2nd

Photo by EVG reader Joe

Signage arrived yesterday on the SE corner of Second Avenue and 12th Street (188 Second Ave.) for Five Guys. 

The burger chain, which started in Washington, D.C., in the 1980s, now has 1,700 outposts worldwide, including 30-plus locations around NYC.

Five Guys takes over the space from Strings Ramen, which closed in April 2022 after two years in business, opening just before the start of the pandemic. (Signage remained up for Strings, giving the impression they were still in business.)

As previously noted, the restaurants at 188 Second Ave. haven't fared well since old-timer Shima got rent-hiked out of here in January 2014. Lumos Kitchen lasted three months in 2018. Others to make quick departures in the past five years were Hot Pot Central, DumplingGuo and Dumpling Go.

Thank you to everyone who sent photos from yesterday, including Choresh Wald.

Report of an assault on 14th Street and Avenue B

Photos by Vinny & O 

There are reports of a mid-afternoon assault on 14th Street and Avenue B. 

Avenue B is currently blocked off between 13th Street and 14th Street, and police put up crime-scene tape...

There isn't much information available at the moment. The last update on the Citizen app, from 3:43 p.m., notes the following: "Officers advise both parties involved in this incident are at different area hospitals, thus why they do not yet know much more than that an assault occurred." 

We'll update when/if more information becomes available.