Tuesday, January 11, 2011
EV Grieve Etc: Mourning Edition
East Village-based firefighter, a 9/11 first responder, loses battle with cancer (Daily News)
Snow job: Bloomy was in Bermuda during the great blizzard of Dec. 26-27, 2010 (Gothamist)
Next for 250 Bowery (BoweryBoogie)
Next for 52E4 on the Bowery (Curbed)
BaoHaus a better deal than Katz's? (Fork in the Road)
The story of Oscar's Salt of the Sea (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)
How Walmart Would Hurt NYC's Economy (The Observer)
RIP Zig Zap Records (Sheepshead Bites)
Bedbug complaints up 7 percent (The Real Deal)
And several readers have passed along the link to this "Saturday Night Live" skit ... featuring the band A Taste of New York... [Oops — sorry, the embed got wonky...]
... "from an area called between Avenue B and Avenue C." You'll likely have to watch a 30-second car commercial first...
Oh, nothing to do with anything, but kinda funny...What really happened to Endor when they ganked the Death Star (BoingBoing)
Possible delay in emergency responses today from local fire companies
We'll periodically have information on local fire company activities, including when they are closed for periods of time... particularly the FDNY’s Engine 28 and Ladder 11 — the two fire companies quartered at 222 E. Second St.
The following companies located in the East Village OR that respond to emergencies in the East Village will be on Building Inspection at the following times on Tuesday (and every Tuesday):
E-5, E-15, E-28 — 10 AM-1 PM.
L-9, E-55, E-9 — 1 PM-4 PM.
On eve of another snowstorm, world-famous bike in full view
As you read here first, it may snow tonight. And tomorrow. A lot.
And over on Eighth Street at Avenue C...
Dec. 27!
Now!
Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: Q-and-A with the bike that became an iconic symbol of the 2010 Holiday Blizzard
And over on Eighth Street at Avenue C...
Dec. 27!
Now!
Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: Q-and-A with the bike that became an iconic symbol of the 2010 Holiday Blizzard
CB3 denies La Vie; owner responds by calling Susan Stetzer a 'racist'
The CB3/SLA committee meeting last night got off to an ugly start thanks to an often contentious 45-plus minute discussion about a renewal for La Vie, the hookah-flavored club at 64 E. First St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.
First, a little about the address... which has seemingly been home to a succession of clubs in recent years...
A quick refresher from their Facebook page:
Several First Street residents were in attendance to address the ongoing issues with La Vie (and its predecessors), and the fact that they have been operating as a club under the guise of a restaurant.
According to residents, the dance music emanating from the two-level club is loud and disruptive to their quality of life ... and there's often chaos in the streets as clubgoers come and go, etc. ... Meanwhile, residents say management has been unresponsive to the issues. A manager told a resident that the club couldn't turn down the music, saying "they need to keep a good vibe for dancing."
Another resident stood up and gave one of the most heartfelt and straightforward pleas before the Community Board that I have ever heard. He estimated that he has put hundreds of hours into trying to get La Vie to be a better neighbor, even spending $3,500 on an independent sound study. He talked about the anxiety that he and his girlfriend were experiencing... being perpetually exhausted on just a few hours of sleep most nights... the dread of anticipating the nonstop thump-thump-thump of the music. "We refuse to retreat to another borough or community," he said.
The two owners were on hand... they took over La Vie this past fall... the two seemed sympathetic to the situation. One owner says they have spent $100,000 the last 45 days installing sound-proofing and getting sound testing done. The owners even offered to soundproof the apartments of any residents experiencing noise problems. "We understand there is more work to do," one owner said.
Later it came out that the previous club here also soundproofed the space, prompting people to wonder how much soundproofing was needed for one place ... Committee member Ariel Palitz, who owns Sutra around the bend on First Avenue, lectured the owners — and offered an inexpensive solution. Why not just turn down the music?
During the discussion, one of the owners said that his partner with him — Mohamed Elsayed — was the proprietor of Horus Cafe on Avenue B and Sixth Street and the Horus Cafe on Avenue A and 10th Street.
CB3 District Manager Susan Stetzer mentioned that Horus on B had run afoul of the State Liquor Authority (SLA) for an illegal sidewalk cafe. There was more discussion, and the committee voted against renewing La Vie's license... sending the matter on to the SLA, where the owners already have a hearing scheduled on Feb. 2 related to several prior violations, including an illegal trade name and unauthorized alterations (La Vie put in a retractable roof).
After the dismissal, a glowering Elsayed approached the committee table and made several angry comments. Turning to walk away, he inexplicably called Stetzer a racist. This prompted an exchange.
"Your mind was made up before we got here," Elsayed semi-shouted while leaving the room.
A little later, one committee member said in jest in front of the room, "If douchebags are a race, then I'm a racist."
Previous posts on last night's meeting:
LES nightlife game-changer: Team behind 13th Step, Down the Hatch OK'd to take over Café Charbon space
[Updated] Superdive a CB3/SLA no-show tonight
First, a little about the address... which has seemingly been home to a succession of clubs in recent years...
A quick refresher from their Facebook page:
Open Daily 5 pm-4 am
Happy Hour: 5 pm-10 pm
Kitchen: 5 pm-3 am (Daily)
DJ: 6 nights a week
Wednesday: Live Middle Eastern Band
There is no mistake that this venue, designed to take a regular evening and turn it into a spectacular one, is called La Vie. Upon entering, life as you know it stops and your definition of New York nightlife changes, as French-Moroccan cuisine, cocktails, and décor fuse to attract a multitude. Come for happy hour, dance all night long, or come when our doors open and stay until the doors close, La Vie is on every night.
Several First Street residents were in attendance to address the ongoing issues with La Vie (and its predecessors), and the fact that they have been operating as a club under the guise of a restaurant.
According to residents, the dance music emanating from the two-level club is loud and disruptive to their quality of life ... and there's often chaos in the streets as clubgoers come and go, etc. ... Meanwhile, residents say management has been unresponsive to the issues. A manager told a resident that the club couldn't turn down the music, saying "they need to keep a good vibe for dancing."
Another resident stood up and gave one of the most heartfelt and straightforward pleas before the Community Board that I have ever heard. He estimated that he has put hundreds of hours into trying to get La Vie to be a better neighbor, even spending $3,500 on an independent sound study. He talked about the anxiety that he and his girlfriend were experiencing... being perpetually exhausted on just a few hours of sleep most nights... the dread of anticipating the nonstop thump-thump-thump of the music. "We refuse to retreat to another borough or community," he said.
The two owners were on hand... they took over La Vie this past fall... the two seemed sympathetic to the situation. One owner says they have spent $100,000 the last 45 days installing sound-proofing and getting sound testing done. The owners even offered to soundproof the apartments of any residents experiencing noise problems. "We understand there is more work to do," one owner said.
Later it came out that the previous club here also soundproofed the space, prompting people to wonder how much soundproofing was needed for one place ... Committee member Ariel Palitz, who owns Sutra around the bend on First Avenue, lectured the owners — and offered an inexpensive solution. Why not just turn down the music?
During the discussion, one of the owners said that his partner with him — Mohamed Elsayed — was the proprietor of Horus Cafe on Avenue B and Sixth Street and the Horus Cafe on Avenue A and 10th Street.
CB3 District Manager Susan Stetzer mentioned that Horus on B had run afoul of the State Liquor Authority (SLA) for an illegal sidewalk cafe. There was more discussion, and the committee voted against renewing La Vie's license... sending the matter on to the SLA, where the owners already have a hearing scheduled on Feb. 2 related to several prior violations, including an illegal trade name and unauthorized alterations (La Vie put in a retractable roof).
After the dismissal, a glowering Elsayed approached the committee table and made several angry comments. Turning to walk away, he inexplicably called Stetzer a racist. This prompted an exchange.
"Your mind was made up before we got here," Elsayed semi-shouted while leaving the room.
A little later, one committee member said in jest in front of the room, "If douchebags are a race, then I'm a racist."
Previous posts on last night's meeting:
LES nightlife game-changer: Team behind 13th Step, Down the Hatch OK'd to take over Café Charbon space
[Updated] Superdive a CB3/SLA no-show tonight
On Avenue C, market known for Cobra Malt Liquor giving way to Wholesome Foods
The market on the corner of Seventh Street and Avenue C has been going under some transformations in recent months... a new name and awning appeared in the fall...
[Photo by Bob Arihood]
And now, the market — dubbed the "Cobra" store for having the best prices on King Cobra Malt Liquor — has closed...
It will soon be home to a Wholesome Foods, a gourmet deli ...
There's another Wholesome Foods on Stanton and Essex. Back in the early summer of 2008, The Villager profiled the Wholesome owners:
[Photo by Bob Arihood]
And now, the market — dubbed the "Cobra" store for having the best prices on King Cobra Malt Liquor — has closed...
It will soon be home to a Wholesome Foods, a gourmet deli ...
There's another Wholesome Foods on Stanton and Essex. Back in the early summer of 2008, The Villager profiled the Wholesome owners:
When Orlando Rodriguez, 34, was growing up on Suffolk St. on the Lower East Side, the neighborhood was a stark contrast to today’s scene of luxury high-rise apartment buildings and upscale hotels that are fast filling the landscape. Drugs and crime proliferated on the streets.
“All my school friends ended up in jail or dead,” said Rodriguez, whose older brother was murdered in 1987.
While Rodriguez is saddened about the effect of increasing prices and rents driving out many of the people and businesses he grew up with, he feels that the changes on the Lower East Side are a positive thing.
The Penistrator shows off his stroke outside Mars Bar
The Intern of EV Grieve (IOEVG) returns to my good graces with this masterful photo taken outside the Mars Bar the other night... This is NOT the Faux Penistrator that we've seen of late... No, this is classic
7-Eleven set to feast on the corpse of Manhattan
In the above photo, 7-Eleven is in place on Third Avenue near 20th Street... directly next to a mom-and-pop market... Meanwhile, here are some excerpts from Adrianne Pasquarelli's piece in Crain's ... in which the Slurpee Slingers are planning to, basically, take over Manhattan...
7-Eleven is taking Manhattan by storm. The Dallas-based convenience store operator recently opened two outposts in Murray Hill and has signed leases for another two locations elsewhere in the borough.
“We are actively looking,” said Margaret Chabris, public relations director for 83-year-old 7-Eleven Inc., noting that New York is a key growth market. The company, which has several additional leases out for negotiation in Manhattan, is also moving onto college campuses and airports.
By the end of 2012, 7-Eleven plans to have between 15 and 20 Manhattan locations, according to real estate sources. In the next five years, the company aims to operate 100 outposts here.
“There are more attractive locations available now than there were in the past, and this is due to the recession," Ms. Chabris said. "A lot of small businesses are having a tough time growing, or some of them aren't able to renew leases."
Part of the company's new strategy involves a small-business conversion program where existing mom-and-pop stores, convenience shops or bodegas transition their businesses into 7-Eleven franchise locations. Each outpost costs approximately $250,000 to remodel.
So far, the company has replaced old delis and DVD stores, and even a former Starbucks on Third Avenue.
Any bets on a 7-Eleven in the East Village ... as rumored last year...?
When dessert worlds COLLIDE!
In which the cupcake truckers set up, uh, truck right in front of Pinkberry last evening on St. Mark's Place.
Why there was a hot dog vendor in Tompkins Square Park yesterday
"Blue Bloods," the CBS police drama starring Thomas Magnum, filmed in Tompkins Square Park yesterday ... in a scene requiring a hot dog vendor...
... and here are a few other shots courtesy of Bobby Williams...
No word on any Tom Selleck sightings.
... and here are a few other shots courtesy of Bobby Williams...
No word on any Tom Selleck sightings.
Monday, January 10, 2011
LES nightlife game-changer: Team behind 13th Step, Down the Hatch OK'd to take over Café Charbon space
This one seemingly took a lot of people by surprise at tonight's CB3/SLA meeting:
Alterations/Transfers/Upgrades:
To Be Determined, 168-170 Orchard St (trans/op) (L'Epicerie Cafe Charbon)
This is one helluva transfer. Epicerie Café Charbon, with its pâté maison and moules marinières, on the corner of Orchard and Stanton Streets, will be closing... and the team behind The Stumble Inn, Off the Wagon, Gin Mill, Jake's Dilemma, Down the Hatch and The 13th Step are taking over the space.
The CB3/SLA committee unanimously approved the transfer. A few details: The space will be a full-service tavern open from 11:30 a.m. to 4 a.m. The French doors will close at 10 p.m. There will be $1 drafts at happy hour, a private party room and DJs on occasion (no dancing, though).
No word yet on the name of the new bar.
Previously on EV Grieve:
13th Step owner discusses frat rap, telephone booths and bar names
[Updated] Superdive a CB3/SLA no-show tonight
Superdive was on tonight's CB3/SLA docket for the following:
Alterations/Transfers/Upgrades
• Superdive (Rapture Cafe & Books LLC), 200 Ave A (alt/op/legalize work done, move bar)
And Team Superdive was not there. So! A few residents spoke out anyway, figuring they'll need to come back next month when Superdive is likely back on the agenda for the
[Updated] Via e-mail, I asked Team Superdive why they didn't appear at the meeting:
"Kangaroo kafka kourts don't lend themselves dynamic discourse."
Also a no-show!
• Cien Fuegos (Cien Fuegos LLC), 95 Ave A ... the Cuban eatery/bar/what not was looking for a sidewalk cafe...
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