This afternoon... Anyone?
Via Matt LES_Miserable
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
East Fifth Street gets part of its sidewalk back
The demolition of the townhouse at 532 E. Fifth St. and the construction of its replacement started in November 2008... @zmack passed along the above photo this morning, noting that the "scaffolding on 5th st *finally* came down today! It's been at least 2.5 years since I've seen that sidewalk."
Indeed. Welcome back, sidewalk.
Anyway, as Curbed pointed out a few weeks back, some of the units in the building located just west of Avenue B are on the market. "The entire building consists of 2BR, 2BA rentals with a sustainable bent. Amenities: common roof deck and garden, in-apartment washer-dryer, building-wide secure WiFi, and general eco-friendliness."
There is an active listing for a unit at $5,695.
Previously.
Lucky Cheng's looking to move by mid-July
After nearly four years of speculation, the famed drag bar on First Avenue is moving to Midtown. (Grub Street first heard the latest rumor on the move back in December.)
We asked owner Hayne Suthon for an update on all this.
"There are several interested parties, but no lease out yet," she said via email. "[We] should be making the move by mid-July. Getting the keys and finalizing the lease today for the Times Square location."
In December, Suthon told Jeremiah Moss that the building is not for sale. She is "looking for a great operator to create something truly fantastic, in keeping in the tradition of the building. God forbid someone upsets the resident ghosts."
For more on the history of the space, visit Jeremiah's Vanishing New York.
[EVG file photo]
How much longer will the East Village have gas stations?
On Sunday, the Post had two articles about landmarking under the Bloomberg administration. One article points out that the BP station on Houston and Lafayette is in a landmarked area. And that's a problem for station owner Marcello Porcetti, "who hoped to turn his 11,000-square-foot lot into a seven-story condo development."
[Google]
As the Post notes, Porcetti is angry because he can't sell it for big bucks to a developer. Now he'll have to jump through a lot of hoops to get anything done here.
This made me wonder how much longer the East Village will have any gas stations, now numbering two... at Houston and Avenue C...
...and Second Avenue and East First Street...
According to an article last fall at Crain's:
Now I'm not lamenting the loss of gas stations... I don't have a car... and, even with an occasional rental, have never used either East Village gas station... I'll echo the sentiments of Jeremiah Moss on the matter: "And while I'm not a fan of oil, I like gas stations for their smudgy, blue-collar existence, and their vanishing from the face of Manhattan is worth noting."
Anyway, there's always the what replacing the gas stations that prompts some unease — usually something glassy and expensive ... like here on Avenue B and Houston, where Gaseteria closed in 2005 (look at the price of gas!) ...
Then!
[Via]
Now!
With the unused air rights, gas stations are just too valuable to be gas stations on such prime real estate.
As Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of retail leasing at Prudential Douglas Elliman, told Crain's: "Gas stations ... just make so much sense. You don't have to empty tenants out of a building. You don't have to buy people out. You just have to acquire the land."
As the Post notes, Porcetti is angry because he can't sell it for big bucks to a developer. Now he'll have to jump through a lot of hoops to get anything done here.
This made me wonder how much longer the East Village will have any gas stations, now numbering two... at Houston and Avenue C...
...and Second Avenue and East First Street...
According to an article last fall at Crain's:
Gas stations are nearly facing extinction in Manhattan after years of sell-offs and closures. Just last month, the Lukoil station on West 13th Street and Eighth Avenue shut its mini-market doors and plugged its pumps. That leaves a mere 41 stations on the island, versus 58 two years ago, according to the Department of Consumer Affairs. The city's five boroughs host 835 locations in all — meaning Manhattan's share is less than 5%.
Now I'm not lamenting the loss of gas stations... I don't have a car... and, even with an occasional rental, have never used either East Village gas station... I'll echo the sentiments of Jeremiah Moss on the matter: "And while I'm not a fan of oil, I like gas stations for their smudgy, blue-collar existence, and their vanishing from the face of Manhattan is worth noting."
Anyway, there's always the what replacing the gas stations that prompts some unease — usually something glassy and expensive ... like here on Avenue B and Houston, where Gaseteria closed in 2005 (look at the price of gas!) ...
Then!
Now!
With the unused air rights, gas stations are just too valuable to be gas stations on such prime real estate.
As Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of retail leasing at Prudential Douglas Elliman, told Crain's: "Gas stations ... just make so much sense. You don't have to empty tenants out of a building. You don't have to buy people out. You just have to acquire the land."
Bona Fides is closed for renovations
Bona Fides, the Italian restaurant on Second Avenue between Third and Fourth Streets, has been closed of late... The small sign out front says "closed for renovations." There isn't information about the closure on the eatery's website or Facebook page... we called, though there isn't an outgoing message.
Bona Fides has always been a reliable, unpretentious place... able to survive despite the ever-changing tastes and demographics of the neighborhood since opening in 1990...
Anyone hear about what's going on here?
Oh and, we spotted these photos on the Bona Fides Facebook page... "30 Rock" filmed a scene here for the show's 100th episode, which aired last April...
Rubble on the menu at the former Life Cafe
On Sunday, a tipster sent us the following email: "I'm told they are tearing down the old Life Cafe today."
Seemed odd, being Easter Sunday and all... but we took a look... We did see two workers leave the space... as well as a few piles of rubble...
We waited to see if there was any further work done on the space yesterday... (answer: a little, though still mostly intact.)
Anyway, the former Life Cafe space here on East 10th Street and Avenue B is being split up... with part of the space accommodating the new, larger home of 9th Street Espresso next door, as The Villager noted.
Previously.
Seemed odd, being Easter Sunday and all... but we took a look... We did see two workers leave the space... as well as a few piles of rubble...
We waited to see if there was any further work done on the space yesterday... (answer: a little, though still mostly intact.)
Anyway, the former Life Cafe space here on East 10th Street and Avenue B is being split up... with part of the space accommodating the new, larger home of 9th Street Espresso next door, as The Villager noted.
Previously.
Scenes from Miron Properties new office on East 10th Street
Last month, we noted that Miron Properties took took over the space that previously belonged to the 123 Third Avenue sales office on East 10th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue...
Something compelled up to take a look inside... where we noted the bladder buster from Subway left behind on the table ...
... and a foosball table...
Marshal seizes Cafe Amore on East 14th Street
Per the paperwork on the front door, the Marshal has seized Cafe Amore, which seems to be advertising for a new cashier every other week ... the paperwork is dated from Friday... and we have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of this Union Square pizzeria ....
Monday, April 9, 2012
EV Grieve Etc: Mourning Edition
Steve Cannon continues fight for A Gathering of the Tribes (The Villager)
Legacy Russell's "Rite of Rearrangement" (Runnin' Scared)
Q-and-A with City Council member Margaret Chin (The Lo-Down)
Fake Ryan Gosling Easter egg hunt yesterday in the East Village, LES (The Daily Mail)
Popular noodle joint Cocoron opening outpost on Kenmare (BoweryBoogie)
The latest on the Domino Sugar development (The Brooklyn Paper ... via Curbed)
Cha Cha's of Coney Island has relocated (Amusing the Zillion)
10 reasons why you can't — and shouldn't — text in the theater (The Wall Street Journal)
And several people told us about the new trees that workers planted last week next to the Tompkins Square Park Dog Run...
Help finish 'Astor Barber All Stars'
Filmmaker Karen Gehres let us know about her latest project — "Astor Barber All Stars," a documentary about the people who own, work at and go to Astor Place Hairstylists at 2 Astor Place near Broadway.
She launched a Kickstarter campaign today. She has a $5,000 goal to help tighten up the edit, sound mix, etc.
Here's more about the film and Kickstarter campaign:
With so many NYC Institutions dropping like flies due to skyrocketing rent, one barber shop remains. Since 1939, Astor Barber has been cutting hair with pizzaz and is still one of NYC's most loved institutions. The Vezza family, their loyal customers and over 50 stylists working at Astor will show why this 3 generation family owned business attracts 'em all.
As a family run business since 1947, the owners have many stories to tell. A success story in itself, I want to explore their perspective on the daily workings of the place and the people that have walked through their doors. From the countless celebrity customers to the karaoke in the back with other 50 barbers,this barber shop is never dull.
Gehres previously filmed the acclaimed documentary "Begging Naked," which chronicled Elise Hill, an artist who became a prostitute and heroin addict.
Learn more about the Kickstarter campaign here.
Jeremiah wrote about it today too. Find his take here.
[Production stills by Phil Penman]
34 Avenue A is now off this month's CB3/SLA docket
34 Avenue A was one of the more intriguing items on this month's CB3/SLA committee docket... As you know, CB3 has rejected all the recent plans for a bar-restaurant-performance space here.
This space has been one long dramedy since Aces & Eights opened in March 2009.
In any event, we'll have to wait longer to find out what the new applicants have in mind here — they are now off this month's agenda...
This space has been one long dramedy since Aces & Eights opened in March 2009.
In any event, we'll have to wait longer to find out what the new applicants have in mind here — they are now off this month's agenda...
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