Field of nightmares

The lead today from an article in the Times titled Commercial Real Estate Slumps in New York:

There are 920 football fields of available office space in Manhattan. More than 180 major buildings totaling $12.5 billion in value — from Columbus Tower at 1775 Broadway to the office tower 400 Madison Avenue — are in trouble, meaning in many cases they face foreclosure or bankruptcy, or have had problems making mortgage payments. Rents for commercial office space fell faster over the past two years than in any such period in the last half century.

Trees remain under watchful eye on eve of MulchFest

Hey, it's the city's annual MulchFest this weekend. If you have an old, now-dead tree in your living quarters, then you can bring it to Tompkins Square Park, now or this weekend.



And do not worry about leaving your tree behind for tree thieves: The piles are being closely guarded!





Although last night it looked as if someone came through and the trees all around the place...

Snacklicious Cinderella story officially over

Being dismantled right now... At Second Avenue near St. Mark's Place...another low-budget food option gone...remember when falafels were marked down to a $1?

Benefit for a Fug

St. Ann's Warehouse is hosting NOTHING, A BENEFIT FOR TULI KUPFERBERG on Friday, Jan. 22. Proceeds from the concert, produced by Hal Willner and featuring The Fugs, John Kruth, Lou Reed, Sonic Youth, Elliott Sharp, Pete Stampfel, John Zorn and others, will go to covering medical expenses for the Fugs co-founder, who suffered two strokes last year that have left him blind and in need of 24-hour care. Details here.

[Photo of the Fugs with Allen Ginsberg during a 1966 anti-war parade in NYC via Bettmann/CORBIS]

Deadline Friday: Ray's Candy Store in imminent danger of closing

Bob Arihood has the troubling story:

"[W]e regrettably have to report that according to Ray at 10PM tonight the managing agent of his building--accompanied by her bodyguard-- informed him that he has until Friday to pay the 2 months rent that he owes . The agent noted that the next time she comes to the store she will have a chain and padlocks to close the store."

This can't happen. Per The Villager, his rent is $4,000 a month... Ray is 77 and has been here on Avenue A near Seventh Street since 1974.

What's doing at 229 E. 13th St.?

We're a little baffled by that new unit on 13th Street near Third Avenue... it has been sitting empty for months. An EV Grieve commenter said that these apartments were being shown last spring for a June 1 occupancy..... As far as we can tell, the entire building remains free of residents.

Meanwhile, nearly three weeks went by recently before anyone decided to fix the "for rent" sign out front....



If you're peddling $3,000 apartments, do you want your sign to look like that?

Still, there seems to be some movement now. According to StreetEasy, there are four rentals available: two bedrooms for $3,300; one bedrooms for $2,595. Last summer, the two-bedroom apartments were ambitiously listed at $4,200. The price was decreased 20 percent on Dec. 23, according to StreetEasy. (The listings are at Weichert Realtors.)

The units look nice enough with quality amenities like "European style Washer/Dryer combo." A little on the dorm-roomy side, though, perhaps?






Also, the paper on the front door has been removed....



...looks more inviting now....




Then there's the mystery lot and its frozen-in-EV-time landscape that's directly next door to this space. We're curious what potential residents — particularly those from elsewhere — might think walking up for an open house....





Though it can be a winter wonderland ....



Previously on EV Grieve:

Meanwhile, darkness falls on 13th Street

Dog gone (groan)

The dog days of summer

Noise, then darkness

On the CB3/SLA docket for 13th Street: Hung Ry America

Speaking of 13th Street, there's a new restaurant in the works here just east of First Avenue...at the site of this former boutique...



Hung Ry America will be going before the CB3/SLA on Monday evening...they're aiming for a beer/wine license and sidewalk seating...



Looking forward to hearing more about what's in store here...

Canadian wrestling magazine raves about Avenue A's La Lucha

I haven't been to La Lucha, the new taco eatery/wrestling boutique on Avenue A bewtween Ninth Street and 10th Street. Perhaps I will go, though, after reading this review from a source that wasn't on my food reviewing radar.... Here's an excerpt from the The SLAM! Wrestling food reviewer:

For fans of Lucha Libre wrestling and authentic Mexican food, La Lucha is a must-go destination. Happily far away from the tourist trap of Times Square, the journey to La Lucha takes you through the hip East Village, and a suggested street to take you there would be St. Mark's Place, where punk and goth fashions will prep anyone for the even more extravagant costumes of Luchadors. The restaurant itself is located at the border of the East Village and Alphabet City, which adds to its alternative mystique.

The food is some of the best Mexican food one will ever taste outside of Mexico. Please note that this isn't horrible Tex-Mex food, but real Mexican food. La Lucha's menu states in bold faced letters for all to read: "We proudly do not serve Burritos!" This was a fact that actually surprised some obese patrons seated near this writer, in WWE T-shirts, who were then perplexed as to what to order, and then complained "Who are these wrestlers? Where is Rey Mysterio Jr.'s poster?"

By the way, the SLAM! Wrestling food reviewer is Ranjan Chhibber, a former WWE TV writer with a Ph.D. in Film History...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Coming soon to Avenue A: "Best taco shop and boutique in NY!"

Trump SoHo now accepting reservations, probably

We were reading the following at BizBash: 2010 Preview: 10 of New York's Most Anticipated New Venues

And on that list:

8. Trump SoHo New York
The multimillion-dollar hotel project from the Trump Organization has been slowly rising in SoHo and, according to the most recent announcement, will open its doors on February 1. Beyond 391 rooms, the Trump SoHo will house the 190-seat Quattro Gastronomia Italiana, an 11,000-square-foot spa, and three bar and lounge areas. To top it off, SoHi penthouse is available for events of as many as 150, and the third-floor function spaces total more than 10,000 square feet.

So I went to the Trump site to see what was what. (Had already been primed via Curbed's, uh, primer). And, per the Web site, I saw that the hotel is now accepting reservations... And I went ahead and tried to make a reservation for some time next month to see what rooms would cost....and saw that NO ROOMS were available in February. (Those red x's...)



Sold out? Or just not going to be ready? (And I never could make any reservation for any time...And I tried on two different browsers...could have just been me...maybe just a temporary glitch.)

Anyway, here's a look at some screenshots from the site...







And is this Ivanka walking out of the spa?

And so we don't forget:
High school is rocked by Trump’s pile driving (The Villager)

Village Activists Decry Plans for Taller Trump SoHo (The Observer)

Deadly construction collapse at Trump building (ABC-7)

Trump Soho Is Not an Oxymoron (New York)

Trump and His Critics Square Off in SoHo (City Room)

Trump SoHo Project Is on Hold After Discovery of Human Remains (The NY Sun)

The Trump SoHo feature: All is well here! (EV Grieve)

Or you can let the Trump Tribeca Lighting Collection get you in the mood

Sorry about all the Trump stuff. But I was unaware that there was a Trump light collection...




It was explained this week in a blog post over at the Nova Lighting Store...

ELK's Trump Tribeca Lighting Collection takes its names from a billionaire business mogul and a chic downtown Manhattan community most commonly known for its celebrity denizens. It's no wonder then that these lights possess both elegant appeal and fashionable sensibility.

The fixture in the bottom photo runs $520.20.

In case you forgot what the northwest corner of St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue looks like...

Wow. The sidewalk shed is finally coming down after how many years...

Someone already REALLY misses the Second Avenue Dunkin' Donuts

Our friend Melanie, who always finds great shots in the neighborhood, took this photo in front of the now-shuttered Dunkin' Donuts on Second Avenue....

For more:
East Village Corner: Musings by Melanie

Previously.