EV Grieve

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

The complimentary hotel bike wars, because it sounds controversial

Speaking of places to stay on the Bowery ... We keep noticing subtle changes at the newly christened Standard East Village... (Look winterizing!) The former Cooper Square Hotel now offers complimentary bikes to its guests...

[Bobby Williams]

(And you can watch a video about it here.)

Down the way, the Bowery Hotel introduced free bikes for guests in April 2009.

[Via]

Meanwhile, the Whitehouse is apparently no longer offering complimentary grocery carts...

An appreciation of sorts: That kind of weird sushi place on the Bowery

Might as well stay on the Bowery... This past summer, I exchanged emails with EV Grieve readers John and Madeline ... the point of the conversation: 355 Bowery, home of Osaka Vibe Sushi. It was more of an appreciation in this day of so many fashionable eateries along this stretch ... There's a lot going on in this photo that John took....

The C grade! Jello shots! The handwritten sign on neon paper! The promise of karaoke! The eternal help-wanted ad! Not to mention the vaguely sketchy fire hose handle attached to the door (see bottom photo for that) ...

Plus, you could usually count on finding someone asleep on the front stoop...

The place eventually got its grade up to an A. Never been inside. No plans on it either. This is an appreciation from afar.

Anyway, we've been meaning to post all this... Meantime (horrors!), we've noticed that the place has been closed of late... a sign appeared over the weekend...

Come back soon, kind of weird sushi place on the Bowery... the 7-Eleven is opening soon next door. We need you.

Demolition crew: 11 Second Ave. will be gone within the week

EV Grieve reader Spike sent us an email yesterday, noting that workers had removed/demolished the roof over the former Mars Bar along Second Avenue... and how...

Goggla spoke to the demolition crew who's taking down 9-17 Second Avenue brick by brick (no heavy machinery is allowed) ... they told her that No. 11 will be gone within the week. No. 9 will follow and they expect it to all be gone within two months.

Photos yesterday by Bobby Williams.

This Tompkins Square Park regular can do a lot more push-ups than you (and he's 60)

Thanks to the fine folks at the Wheeeeeeee! blog for sharing this excellent video with us. Access this particular post here.

Oliva is for sale on Houston and Allen

A reader who has been searching for a bar/restaurant to buy in the area sent us the following listing from NYCRS: Oliva, the Spanish tapas bar with a prime corner at Houston and Allen, is on the market.

The asking rent: $13,500 with $150,000 key money.

Also, take a look at the marketing materials. Look at what's next to JoeDoe on East First Street...

So maybe an American Eagle will be taking over the BMW/Guggenheim lot then....?

Monday, December 5, 2011

Chloë Sevigny shows off her closet, again

We last saw East Village resident Chloe Sevigny's closet in a Times article back on July 1...

Now, in this video from Opening Ceremony that is making the rounds, we get to take a more comprehensive look. Hey, are those the bunny ears from "Gummo"?

At Home with Chloë Sevigny: Part 1 from Opening Ceremony on Vimeo.

More on the new home for Billy's Antiques

We heard the news this morning via The New York Times that Billy's Antiques will be losing its tent as the site will become home to a new two-story building. So we asked Billy Leroy about his future place of business there on Houston and the Bowery.

"I've seen the plans. It's going to be old brick imported from an old factory in Massachusetts. The will be four arched, giant doorways of metal and glass," Billy said via email. "Tony Goldman my landlord has really good taste and he is doing it right or I would not be taking a spot in the new building."

As for the space for the mural at Houston and the Bowery: It will remain, Billy said.

Plan to sterilize the Bowery nearly complete: RIP Billy's tent

We wrote this back in May:

We can't help but be nervous when we see things like surveyors at work outside Billy's Antiques on Houston... What are they surveying? What godawful thing is coming/happening next to this region near the Bowery?

Now we know: After 25 years, the tent is coming down at Billy's Antiques to make way for a two-story brick building, The New York Times reported.

Proprietor Billy Leroy confirmed that his store will reopen in the new building. But, you know. Per the Times:

[W]ith the disappearance of the tent, Mr. Leroy and his employees said, another vestige of the neighborhood’s history will vanish. It is a prospect that some of them anticipate with gloom.

“It’ll be part of that final transition to a landscape of Pottery Barns and Starbucks,” said Jesse Sommer, a member of Mr. Leroy’s staff.

Should have known when the skull blew down in August.

[Photo circa 1991 by Clayton Patterson, courtesy of Billy Leroy]

Coming soon to Seventh Street: Tink's Cafe; plus, remembering Body Worship

We don't know anything about this just yet... Dave on 7th spotted the coming soon sign here at 102 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue on Saturday ...

Dave and I reminisced for a moment about a previous tenant — Body Worship, which featured a stainless-steel penis as a door handle.

In the summer of 1994, some parishioners at St. Stanislaus across the street took offense at the store's window display, featuring, as the Times described it — "two mannequins striking sexually revealing master/slave poses prepared to engage in explicit sadomasochistic activities." The owner said it was a safe-sex message.

Bonus
The lead to the Times article, dated July 10, 1994:

In the heart of the raucous and rowdy East Village, St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Church has hung onto its aging Polish congregation even as teen-agers with nipple rings, lime green hair, tattoos and combat boots have swarmed over the neighborhood.

How would you describe this "swarm" today?