Alphabet Scoop still closed, waiting for steps to be repaired

Over on East 11th Street near Avenue B, Alphabet Scoop remains closed. The seasonal ice cream shop was to open back in the spring...

Back on March 19, the store's Facebook page noted the following:

Alphabet Scoop's spring reopening will be delayed due to the need to repair the steps to the store. We had an engineer examine them and they cannot be used until they are either repaired or replaced. They are the original steps, created in 1867 when the building was erected. Please pray that the project will move along quickly.

Ugh! Still no word from the engineers regarding replacing or repairing Alphabet Scoop steps! It sure feels like ice cream weather!

— Alphabet Scoop (@ABCscoop) April 9, 2013

There were some hopeful signs via Twitter...

Engineers' report in, drawings prepared, permits being drawn up, contact with NYC Landmarks and Preservation and... http://t.co/29W4M2dzdq

— Alphabet Scoop (@ABCscoop) May 6, 2013

The job (of replacing the store's steps) is out for bid! Yay!

— Alphabet Scoop (@ABCscoop) June 19, 2013

Alphabet Scoop was still closed last night... and the sign remains on the stairs...



However, according to the DOB, the city just approved the plan to replace the stoop on Tuesday. The plans were filed on May 21.

The Father’s Heart Ministries runs the shop that employs at-risk youth in the neighborhood. (You can read an article about it at The Villager here.)

Free tonight in Tompkins Square Park: 'Easy Rider,' freedom

Tonight's free film in Tompkins Square Park is "Easy Rider" with Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson. (It's no "C.C. and Company," but what is?)



There's pre-film music courtesy of Main Squeeze Quintet.

Of course, all this is weather permitting... If it's a Thursday, then it will rain. Check the Films in Tompkins Facebook page for updates on tonight's screening. Three of the four films have been rained out this summer. Tonight's weather is looking outdoor-movie iffy.

And upcoming...

July 18 — Drive
July 25 — The Big Lebowski
Aug. 1 — Rocky Horror Picture Show
Aug. 8 — Chico + Rita
Aug. 15 — Romeo + Juliet
Aug. 22 — O Brother, Where Art Thou

Taxi of Tomorrow gets a taste of today with a parking ticket

Heh. Spotted this evening on East 12th Street between Broadway and Fourth Avenue by @mitski Welcome to NYC, Taxi of Tomorrow!

Checking in on the Second Avenue sinkhole

[Earlier]

We've been keeping tabs on the sinking sinkhole in the middle of Second Avenue and East Seventh Street...


[Later]

Our friend @adrjeffries sent along this update today... looking slightly more sinkholier, though it's hard to say without the mangled ConEd barricades in the way...



In any event, enjoy it while you can before the celebrities arrive...

[August 2009]

[NSFW] About the topless diner at Verso Sunday night

As first mentioned here, two diners entered Verso, the Italian bistro on Avenue C and East Eighth Street, on Sunday night ... the female diner sat down and removed her top. She sat bare chested while the man with her took photos. Owner Labinot Baraliu promptly asked the two to leave.

Here's more about what happened.

East Village-based professional photographer Allen Henson contacted us. He was in Verso with Cheyenne Lutek, a model.

"It was an impromptu photoshoot. We did two that night," he said. "The first establishment loved it and interacted, the other, well — we weren't there long."

Here are the results of the first restaurant, which declined to have its name used with the photos. "They had fun with it. So did the patrons."



And here are images from Verso...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Female diner decides to go topless last night at Verso

Report: Estranged husband in custody after slashing wife on Avenue D

A resident of the Jacob Riis Houses along Avenue D needed more than 100 stitches after her estranged husband repeatedly slashed her with a razor on Monday night, according to published reports.

According to the Daily News:

John Woody, 40, laid in wait for his estranged wife, Patricia Woody, 33, to return to her apartment in the Riis Houses ... He apparently used slivers of wood to clog the key hole on the front door, a police source said.

As she struggled to get the door open, Woody pounced, a second source said.

“She was trying to get the door open with the key when her husband came up behind her with a razor,” the source said. “He cut her across the head, face, neck and back.”

The Lo-Down reported that at least one of her three children was present when the horrific incident took place.

John Woody, who lives on Cherry Street, was arrested yesterday. The attack violated an order of protection — the second time the suspect has violated such an order, according to the Daily News.

Out and About in the East Village — A midsummer recap

We're taking a week off to provide a quick recap...

So then! Here's a look back at our 24 subjects from 2013 ... many thanks to East Village-based photographer James Maher and everyone who has taken part in this series... we'll return next week with Out and About in the East Village ... and in December with Out and About in the East Village/Road Rules Challenge...

• Jan. 9 — Lee Schramm

• Jan. 16 — Chris Riffle

• Jan. 23 — Jane Kelton and Little Egg

• Jan. 30 — Paul Kostabi

• Feb. 6 — Cheryl Pyle

• Feb. 13 — Mike Bakaty

• Feb. 20 — Jacquelyn Gallo

• Feb. 27 — Reverend Jacqui Lewis

• March 6 — Manny Garcia

• March 13 — Annette “Mistress Evil” Moccaldi

• March 20 — Katie Kenney

• March 27 — Lucille Krasne

• April 3 — 2013 recap

• April 10 — Jasmin Olmo (and Rocko)

• April 17 — Nicolina Johnson

• April 24 — Bryan Alejandro Scott

• May 1 — Terry

• May 8 — Jeff Underwood

• May 15 — Markian Surmach

• May 22 — Edward “Eak the Geek” Arrocha

• May 29 — Matt Torres

• June 5 — Danny Lama

• June 12 — Elisabeth Diekmann

• June 19 — Yadi Maria

• June 26 — Phillip Giambri

• July 3 — Phillip Giambri, Part 2

And here is a link to our profiles from 2012.

The Smell

Jill, who lives in a walk-up building that Jared Kushner and Westminster recently purchased, has launched a new blog called Documenting the Smell.

The story begins on July 1.

Last week my bedroom started to smell. Smells are hard to communicate and harder to describe. This one is chemical — turpentine, mineral spirits, toxic, strong. My bedroom became uninhabitable.

Mt bedroom is on the top floor. Of the 6 walls we have: ceiling shared with building roof; floor shared with downstairs neighbors we've never seen; north wall has a window; east wall has the door to the living room; south wall shared with my other bedroom; west wall is brick and has nothing on the other side of it (we are a story higher than the building to the west).

At first we thought The Smell was coming from the tenant downstairs who we've never seen.

It's a compelling read... spanning now seven posts...

I've been sniffing around the bedroom so much I have a headache. And a burning in my eyes and throat. The Smell is awful. It peaks during the evening, is strong through the night, starts diminishing in the morning, is almost gone by the afternoon, and starts again. It has a pattern, but seems also inconsistent at the same time.

She considers, seriously, hiring a smell expert. (Only $750!) There are also patch tests. A visit from the super. A Westminster rep. Ultimately, it's just a frustrating experience.

There's more drama and intrigue... until the source of The Smell is identified.

But now what?

[Read all the posts to date here]

Resident curious/irked about Verizon truck idling on Second Avenue

A resident is rather irked about the Verizon truck and accompanying tent that has taken up residence at the northeast corner of Second Avenue and East First Street...

A little background from the resident:

The motor runs continuously. The truck is rarely manned and I have never seen any actual construction work occurring. The truck occupies both a bicycle lane and the initial portion of the crosswalk for pedestrians crossing westward ... it also blocks traffic, biker and pedestrian visibility. The truck has been there, motor running, for approximately five weeks now (since June 1).

The general consensus seems to be that Verizon is installing fiber optics for FiOS service... unless you have some other explanation...

EV Grieve Eatery Etc.: Diana arrives; Blue Owl departs

Last week, the incoming Taqueria Diana on Second Avenue received a new mural on its gate (Diana we assume?) ... Fork in the Road recently had more details on the place, which will be run by a California native who was most recently a manager at The Meatball Shop... No opening date just yet...

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dba on First Avenue has a new awning... the previous one was smushed a bit during that cab mishap...

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Workers put up plywood Monday at the former Zee's Pet Shop on Avenue B just south of East 10th Street ... a tapas/wine bar with a small market space called Donostia is in in the works...

CB3 OK's a beer-wine license for them in May. Per the CB3 minutes from the full Board meeting:

Community Board #3 is approving this beer wine license although this is a location in an area with numerous licensed premises and at a previously unlicensed location because 1) this applicant is agreeing to early closing hours and food service during all hours of operation, 2) there will be a substantial retail component to this business with the sale of Spanish specialty goods, and 3) there is substantial support for this application in that the applicant furnished three hundred six (306) signatures and letters from area residents in its support.

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An awning arrived at Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken, coming soon to Second Avenue and East First Street...

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And Blue Owl, the 7-year-old cocktail lounge on Second Avenue near East 12th Street, has closed ... we're not sure of the exact date last month ... there isn't any mention of a closure on the lounge's website or social media platforms... the bar space hit the market last fall... no word on any takers...

A summer scene

East 12th Street near Avenue C today. Photo by Bobby Williams.

[Updated] Report: NYPD hunts for suspects in late-afternoon robbery inside victim's apartment building

CBS New York has the following report from the NYPD:

Police are on the lookout for two men wanted for attacking a woman Monday afternoon in the East Village.

The woman had just left her apartment when one of the suspects placed her in a choke hold, causing her to fall to the ground, police said.

The suspects took off with the woman’s pocketbook which had her cell phone, credit cards, personal property and cash, police said.

Police believe the suspects may have fled the scene in a gold or grey Honda.

The report doesn't specify the street/Avenue where the incident occurred. DNAinfo says the 50-year-old victim had just left her first-floor apartment around 5:30 p.m. The robbery took place inside the building, per DNAinfo.

Anyone with information on this can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

Updated:

Multiple residents have told us this occurred on East Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue...

Updated:

Wow. Turns out the woman, who owns several businesses, had a week's worth of receipts in a deposit bag — including $100,000 cash. DNAinfo reports that her businesses include a check-cashing and money-wiring service.