Behold the rear of the Schwimmer mansion

Seems like just yesterday that David Schwimmer's dream home at 331 E. Sixth St. was just a hole in the ground... like in February...

EV Grieve reader weigone, who took the above shot, has some updates from the backside for us...







Also, per weigone: "I could've SWORN I heard Schwimmer's voice. That was the week when it was rumored that he'd visit."

Previously.

New owners, hours in store for Flea Market Cafe on Avenue A

[Image via]

We continue to look at some of the items on this month's CB3/SLA agenda on June 18. According to documents on the CB3 website (PDF!), the principals behind L'Orange Bleue on Broome Street will be taking over the Flea Market Cafe on Avenue A between St. Mark's and East Ninth Street. (L'Orange Bleue, a Moroccan-French restaurant, closed last year after a 14-year run.)

The documents show that the new proposed hours are 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday-Thursday and until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. So apparently the new variation of this cafe will be open for breakfast and lunch. And, at least based on the application, it doesn't appear that the menu might change too much: The principals describe the food here as "French Bistro Cuisine." (Not sure about a name change. The application reads, "Trade name (DBA): Flea Market Cafe.")

As for their old place on Broome Street, New York magazine described it this way: "L'Orange Bleue offers a cheery balance of tempered exoticism, local Eurocharm, and American thrift."

We like this cookie mural, but Tony Goldman does not

Lower East Side resident Luke Mathews recently asked me about the Houston-Bowery mural wall ... he had an idea and wanted to run it by the powers-that-be... I told him Tony Goldman and Goldman Properties were in charge of the wall ... curated and organized in collaboration with The Hole.

Luke shared his idea with me. (Actually, he has two variations.) I liked it. I've always liked those fudge-striped cookies too.





Apparently Luke received Tony Goldman's contact information.

On Tuesday, given that I was somewhat invested in this, Luke shared Goldman's one-word reaction to the mural idea...



Luke, who has never done a mural and enjoys photography, found a positive in all this — "happy that I got a response at least."

Toy excavator spotted at 35 Cooper Square

I get to push it over first! A mini mystery lot.

Yesterday afternoon at the former 35 Cooper Square.

Photo by Bobby Williams.

And now, a photo of Anthony Bourdain at The Burger Shop on St. Mark's Place

A tipster passed along this photo... apparently Bourdain was rather randomly? hanging out the other night at the Burger Shop, which opened last fall on St. Mark's Place near Avenue A... eating with a group of friends...



Never been to The Burger Shop. Our tipster really likes it. Perhaps Anthony Bourdain does too...

This is what a 'house of hospitality' on East First Street looked like on June 3, 2012

This year, we'll post photos like this of various buildings, streetscenes, etc., to capture them as they looked at this time and place... The photos may not be the most telling now, but they likely will be one day...

At the New York Funny Songs Fest

The New York Funny Songs Fest kicked off last night on/in the Lower East Side... (Here's an article about the festival in the Times.) Jessica Delfino (seen in first photo) organized the event, billed as "the city's first comedy music festival." It runs through Sunday.

EV Grieve contributor Stacie Joy was there for the opening night at the Lolita Bar on Broome Street ... performers last night included Jen Kwok, Rob Paravonian, Reformed Whores and Molly Pope ... Myka Fox served as host.















Here's the Funny Songs Fest website with all the times and stuff.

And bonus photo of Jessica Delfino with her mother...

Updated: Tompkins Square Park loses another tree

Ugh. Workers started removing part of this beautiful Elm in the middle of the Park yesterday... (See below — a limb fell)









Several readers said that the workers are taking out the rest today (Dutch Elm Disease?) ... Per Jean-Paul: "It's almost all gone — huge gap in the canopy right in the middle of the Park now." EVG reader Patrick said that the "branches are visibly rotted and hollow."

We'll get to the Park as soon as we can...

By my probably inaccurate count, this is the eighth tree the Park has lost since Hurricane Irene last summer. (Including this one on Avenue B.)

Photos by Bobby Williams.

Updated:

This photo is from yesterday via @guywasko who noted: "Huge limb from majestic American Elm just fell in Tompkins Square Park. No one hit or hurt. Crazy loud."



Updated: 3:54 ... Ugh... Bobby Williams just sent photos of the tree now...

Summer movies returning to Tompkins Square Park; 'Taxi Driver' first up

Over at The Villager, Scoopy reports that there will be free music-movie nights in Tompkins Square Park on Thursday evenings again this summer. As Scoopy reports: "Movies start at sundown, and the music starts an hour before. There’ll also be poetry and live art."

And the list of movies:

June 28 — Taxi Driver
July 5 — Exit Through the Gift Shop
July 12 — Fantastic Mr. Fox
July 19 — Summer of Sam
July 26 — Donnie Darko
Aug. 2 — The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Aug. 9 — The Big Lebowksi
Aug. 16 — Poltergeist

Any thoughts on the movie lineup?

You can read Scoopy's column for all the details and sponsors...

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning edition

[East Ninth Street, by Bobby Williams]

Reps of hotel project by Merchant's House have criminal past (The Villager)

Trash life in a Magnum property (Occupy East 4th Street)

The 300,000-square-foot expansion of Chelsea Market gets more approval (Curbed)

Latest venture for 21 Essex (BoweryBoogie)

First Annual Funny Songs Fest starts tonight (The Lo-Down)

Last cut at the New Barber Shop? (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

[EVG file photo]

According to the Post today, 290 Mulberry (above) at East Houston ... was a bust as condos... the developer will make them into full-floor, three-bedroom apartments. Monthly rents will start "at over $10,000."

Supper and Lil' Frankie's turn 10; plus free tix for EVG readers

And from the EV Grieve inbox ...

Supper and Lil' Frankie's are turning 10, and to celebrate, chef/owner Frank Prisinzano is throwing a party called decaXdance.

decaXdance will take place on Sunday, June 10th at Webster Hall. The musical lineup will be presented by East Village Radio (co-founded by Frank), which guests can enjoy along with food, an open bar ...

The event is $10 for those who RSVP in advance and $20 at the door. Food and open bar included with admission. RSVP at the event website here.

And the Supper/East Village Radio folks have passed along two free sets of VIP passes for the event for EVG readers... so if you're interested (it starts at 10 pm) ... say, the first two people who email me with the date of the very first EVG post can have the passes (hint: look in the blog archives below) ... Oh, here's the EV Grieve email We have our winners, who correctly guessed March 4, 1789. For those of you who don't recall ... the first post was about all the trash that the 1st United States Congress left behind after their meeting at Federal Hall.

The last days of the Mystery Lot

Oh, lordy, that headline is a little dramatic.

Still, the Mystery Lot here between 14th Street and 13th Street east of Third Avenue won't be with us for too much longer... As you know, the space will become an 82-unit, eight-story development some day. The work permits, which are still pending city approval, say that the space will include 86,409 square feet for residential and 5,275 square feet for retail. (According to the DOB, inspectors disapproved the plans again on Tuesday.)

Anyway, all this will soon be as lifeless as any other generic apartment housing complex in, say, Murray Hill... the rocks, weeds and graffiti will give way to glassy luxury.

Before it's all a cinderblock prison with $3,800 studios, we're taking photos whenever we can... like these three shots from the past week...







And we'd like you to be part of this too... If you see something interesting along here, then please take a photo and send it our way... when the trucks, dumpsters and bendy things arrive in good time, we'll have a post sharing everyone's Mystery Lot shots... You can send them via the EV Grieve email

P.S.

A few examples of Mystery Lot shots from the EVG Archives ...

[Via James and Karla Murray]