"Live the uber-bohemian lifestyle"

I've just become aware of a Web site called Cribs of the Crop. Per their bio: "We are a group of real estate investors with apartments for sale throughout NYC. Everything you see on this site is an apartment that we own and are selling directly — we are not brokers."

Here's a description for a studio for sale on East 14th Street:

Live the uber-bohemian lifestyle in this swanky lil' East Village pad. Unit features exposed brick, tasteful interior design (thanks, tenant!), and an ENORMOUS, beautiful, bucolic tree (outside the window, of course). There's also an entirely separate eat-in kitchen (how many studios have that?!), a walk-in closet (or that!?) and this really old, really cool looking woodsy-like floor material that was probably carried over from the old country on some poor shlub's back. Oh, and the apartment is on the third floor in a walk-up building, which is an ASSET: keep your body up to the standard of all the slinky lil' hipsters in the nabe by running up and down the stairs. Old-world wood flooring, new-world body-molding...an ideal combination of the contemporary and yesteryear.

Sort of makes UrbanDaddy sound like The Economist.

No need to thank me

From the EV Grieve inbox:

Hello E.V.,

As a travel blogger, we would like to introduce you and your readers to one of the newest and most artistically robust hotels to debut in NYC in recent years, The Surrey. The hotel debuted on November 12 in Manhattan's most exclusive neighborhood, the Upper East Side, and it premiered with an extensive art collection — including works by Jenny Holzer, Jimmie Martin, Richard Serra, Donald Sultan and William Kentridge — and 3-star, in-room dining by Cafe Boulud.

Built in Beaux-Arts architectural design, The Surrey has just concluded a $60+ million dollar re-creation by renowned architectural and interior designer Lauren Rottet, FAIA, IIDA. Beaux-Arts/Art Deco custom-designed furnishings and fixtures fill the walls of this 1900s structure with pieces such as hand-painted armoires and ornate walnut cabinetry. Sprinkled throughout the 17 floors, guests also encounter captivating black & white photos of New York and unexpected graffitied pieces.

The Surrey features 190 salons, including 30 suites, a Penthouse and a Presidential suite, that range from 350 to 4,500 square feet. At the heart of all salons and suites is the handcrafted DUX bed by Duxiana, engineered for perfect support, and dressed in Sferra bedding.

As an introductory package for your readers at EV Greive, we would like to offer a special Intro Package that includes a complimentary room upgrade, a welcome gift, breakfast for two, and much more. For more information please visit http://www.thesurrey.com/Introductory.

Noted

John Carson, the real-estate developer behind Blue on Norfolk and Delancey, has a 250-ton bluestone boulder in his upstate New York living room. (The New York Times)

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning edition

Suspected arson destroys East Farmington-based Hope for the Future Ministries, which delivers meals to Tompkins Square Park (Newsday)

A Kafkaesque moment on the train (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

La Mama Experimental Theater Club on Fourth Street now a historical landmark (City Room)

Take a visit to the bars of 1964 New York (This Ain't the Summer of Love)

More then-and-now photos (Flaming Pablum)

92Y Tribeca has a great lineup of 1970s NYC on film tonight (BoweryBoogie)

Velvet Underground sort of reuniting for a NYPL event on Dec. 8 (Stupefaction)

What the old Yankee Stadium looked like the day before the team's World Series parade (Demolition of Yankee Stadium)

SPURA to sit empty for another 50 years? (The Lo-Down)

Thanksgiving at the Plaza -- in 1899 (Ephemeral NY)

Some cool Pulaski Bridge art (New York Shitty)

And the Voice unearths a bevy of L train tweets...

Craigslist ad of the day

Asian Gogo Dancers for Fashion Event: fun, outgoing (East Village)

When: This Friday, 11/20
Where: East Village
What: Private event with club-like atmosphere
Seeking: Experienced club dancers, must be thin and pretty, very outgoing, comfortable with very skimpy outfits
Costumes and Makeup: Will be provided

Must respond with: Measurements, phone number, link to photos (Myspace, Facebook)
Include either a resume or a quick list of dancing experience

Million dollar condos hit the market on East Second Street

Not too long ago, 229 E. Second St. looked like this:



And so we've been watching the space's slow transformation into fancy housing. With a roof deck. (According to the DOB, the ground floor will be used for a community facility.)





And now!



The work at 229 E. Second St. between Avenue B and Avenue C appears to be wrapping up... five units, ranging from $1.2 to $1.9 million, are on the market. Let's take a look!

Here's a listing for the priciest of the lot:

229 East 2nd Street is a brand new boutique condominium that combines modern design and sleek sophistication into the highest standard of living, while providing a tranquil intimate atmosphere. This beautiful 2 bedroom/ 2 ½ bath Garden Townhome features double height ceilings in the living and dining area with floor to ceiling windows creating a sun drenched grand space that opens up to your 693 SF private garden! Even more impressive is the additional room that overlooks the double-heighted living room - ideal for an office, a media room, a guest bedroom or an entertainment den. Access your home from the ground floor or by using the key-locked elevator that opens up to your second floor. This residence is impeccably appointed and features beautiful hard wood flooring, high beamed ceilings and warm inviting color tones. Large open kitchens are equipped with the finest European appliances: Liebherr refrigerator, Wolf cooking range, Miele Dishwasher and wine cooler. Adding further to the ambience are Caesar stone countertops and state of the art cabinetry. All apartments have floor to ceiling windows and glass enclosed terraces off the Living Areas lending itself to either entertaining or quiet relaxation. Situated at the edge of East Village and Lower East Side, 229 East 2nd Street boasts exceptional access to the New Museum, Bowery Hotel, Whole Foods, restaurants and endless entertainment. 421a Tax Abatement. Laundry room in the basement. BEAUTY and VALUE!!

Indeed!






No mention of the empty lot next door...or the fire station across the street (positives, in my estimation!)



There's much more to discuss about this block...with fancy conversions getting ready down the street...



...including the mysterious 209 E. Second St., which Curbed has noted.



As Andrew Roth pointed out in "Infamous Manhattan," the intersection of East Second Street and Avenue B "probably saw more heroin retailing than any other spot on Earth." Until Operation Pressure Point. Another day for that one, maybe.

Previously on EV Grieve:
229 E. Second St. sprouts a roof deck

Outside the Bowery Bazaar

At the Bowery Bazaar in the E2E4 building on Bowery between Third Street and Fourth Street.




And has anyone been inside?

Also out front...a light show of sorts above the storefront...



Previously.

Despite hard-hitting expose, plant at Kurve worse off than ever

Flashback to Nov. 9!

How dry I am: That forgotten little plant at Kurve



Now! The poor thing has been kicked over!




Next time you're there ordering, say, the coconut galangal soup and kurobuto pork belly with rice porridge, please ask your waitstaff to kindly pick up the plant....

Also at Kurve, a hanging

Last evening, Kurve employees were putting something up in the window...



...hmmm...The Michelin Star Award? For what?

The Cooper Square Hotel officially unveils its new graffiti mural

Well, last night was the big party at the Cooper Square Hotel to unveil its new graffiti project....which is now all illuminated for us to enjoy...



Meanwhile! Inside the hotel, yours truly was hobnobbing with a bevy of beauties...







OK, OK. None of this is true. Except the first part about the mural party. I was NOT invited, for some reason. Oversight, most likely. Yeah, I just typed in "Party at Cooper Square Hotel" in Google and...

MEANWHILE:
Bob Arihood has a great shot of the mural here.

Vandals continue to violate the sanctity of the "East Village is dead" mural

Oh, wait....

Aside from Superdive, at least four other bars are on the market in the East Village

Superdive's sale is listed on the Tower Brokerage site... where there are several other bars on the block...one on Avenue A, two on Avenue B and Plan B on 10th Street...

The listings provide a few clues....




I don't have much to compare this to... With Superdive, this makes five bars for sale in the same area of the East Village. Seems like a lot to me. Business as usual? Or is there something more happening here? People want to cash out while they can? I'm open to theories, if there are any....