At the Tompkins Square pool.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Saturday, August 17, 2013
A heartbreaking last look at the Mary Help of Christians bell tower
A starling takes a look last at the eastern bell tower on the Mary Help of Christians Catholic church.
Because it's coming down right now...
Workers removed the western bell tower on Wednesday. The lot is being cleared to make way for a new housing development.
Photos via an East Village resident.
Previously.
Report: City taking different approach to leasing space on public housing property
In February, New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) revealed plans to lease playground and community center space for luxury high-rises ... an announcement that brought about immediate criticism from residents and politicos alike.
Yesterday, NYCHA officials announced that "instead of requesting formal proposals to build on the grounds of eight housing projects in Manhattan, as previously envisioned, they would first solicit ideas from private developers — so-called expressions of interest — before choosing any construction projects."
Also!
"Officials are now encouraging proposals that would incorporate retail stores, community facilities and other uses on the ground floors, which many public housing residents favor."
The NYCHA originally said that the new development would generate $31 million to $46 million in annual lease payments, "all of which will go toward fixing up deteriorating buildings. The agency currently has a backlog of 420,000 repair orders and faces a $60 million budget gap annually," the Daily News reported in February.
Perhaps those trees adjacent to the Max Meltzer Tower will be safe after all.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Outrage over proposal to turn the green space at the Meltzer Tower into private development (35 comments)
No more corny Summer Streets headlines until next summer, probably
Today is, sadly or not, the last Summer
Previously on EV Grieve:
Takin' it to the streets like the Doobie Brothers
Summer loving had me a blast, Summer loving happened so fast
Friday, August 16, 2013
Modern Love
And now, the Modern Lovers with "She Cracked" ... from the band's first record in 1976, though Jonathan Richman wrote the song in 1972... not sure exactly when the video was filmed...
Occupy the Empty Space's Benefit for MoRUS tonight
Meant to post this a lot sooner... in case you're around tonight...
BENEFIT PERFORMANCE FOR MoRUS (Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space)
Occupy the Empty Space: Public Space is a Human Right
WHEN:
Friday, August 16 8-10 PM
WHERE:
Gallery Space CICNN151 (151 Avenue C) adjacent to MoRUS
WHAT:
Occupy the Empty Space is proud to produce its first benefit performance for MoRUS, the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. We look forward to seeing you at Occupy the Empty Space: Public Space is a Human Right, on Friday, August 16, 2013, for an exciting lineup of plays, performance art, live music, and teach-ins from MoRUS Staff and Friends, celebrating the vital and creative community of MoRUS and public space advocacy!
Heres the Facebook event page with more details and a list of the performers.
No pearly gates
The demolition continues behind the fence on the Mary Help of Christians lot on Avenue A...
Photos today by EVG reader pbc3.
Previously.
Remembering Merlin on Avenue A
[Today]
We posted the following item in August 2010 ... Every year since Merlin (Paul Robert Hogan) died on Aug. 16, 1996, someone creates a memorial for him on Avenue A at Sixth Street where he lived for eight years on the sidewalk.
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I wanted to follow-up on the Merlin's Memorial post from yesterday...
Bob Arihood, who took the shot above, documented the scene on Avenue A and Sixth Street on Neither More Nor Less after Merlin passed away on Aug. 16, 1996...
As Bob wrote:
A wake and vigil of considerable moment, lasting for the better part of 2 weeks , was held in the neighborhood at Merlin's corner . Some nights the sidewalk and street around the memorial were so densely packed with people that it seemed that everyone in the neighborhood and the surrounding communities was attending , crowded together ,all kinds of folks , from all professions and callings , from high and low paying their respects to Merlin .
Here's Merlin on his corner as many people here remember him...
Per the Times from July 1996:
There are few certainties in this changeable city. But on Avenue A and Sixth Street, a place that has been convulsed by change in recent years, one thing has remained constant through the riots and real-estate booms: Merlin, a 41-year-old homeless man who uses only one name, has made the intersection's southeast corner his residence for eight years. Neither blizzards nor blistering heat have routed him from atop a set of wooden pallets in front of a Con Edison substation.
"People move in and out of the neighborhood, but I never budge," he said last week, lounging beneath a pair of tattered umbrellas, his only guard against the sting of the sun. A stroke has left him partly paralyzed, and frostbite cost him several toes three winters ago.
To strangers, he is but another intrusion on the East Village's gritty streetscape, a reason to avert their eyes. But to many local residents, he is a cherished asset: a timekeeper, a message center, a town crier and a source of good, solid conversation. "Merlin is a social hub," said Tatiana Bliss, 25, a local artist. "If you're looking for someone, Merlin probably knows where they are. If you want to leave something for a friend, he'll make sure they get it. He makes this crazy city feel like a small town."
Jeremiah also writes about Merlin today, asking the following: "Could such a memorial happen for a homeless man in the East Village today?"
Docking blues: Doing the 'checking-all-of-the-Citi Bike-stations dance'
During the past week, we've heard some grumbling from Citi Bike users who say that they continue to have problems finding an open space to dock their bikes at night in the East Village. The people we talked to say that they are fans of the program, but are growing frustrated by the distribution problems.
The Times reported yesterday on the program's "tricky juggling act" to "remove bikes from fully occupied stations, and to refill stations before the supply runs dry."
Meanwhile, there are stories of riders on the phone with Citi Bike reps, trekking from Astor Place to Avenue C and back to Astor Place in search of empty docking stations.
We walked around Wednesday night and found six full docking stations... and watched people ride by looking for a place to park. (Maybe this leads to some abandonment issues?)
We asked a few East Village residents to share their experiences... the following quotes are from residents who are fully supportive of the bike-share program. (For now, anyway...)
From a resident who lives on Avenue A and East Sixth Street:
"The availability just follows the rhythms of the day — in the mornings during the rush to go to work there are no bikes, and after work there are no [parking spots] because everyone has brought them back.
When I first decided to use the bikes to ride to the train, I was late to work a few days because I searched a few stations around me, and couldn't find any bikes. Evenings have the exact opposite problem; on Monday evening, I checked 6th and B, 7th and A, then finally caught someone pulling out at St. Mark's and 1st and rushed to get into the spot.
I wasn't the only one slowly riding around in circles waiting for a free spot; I noticed at least 2 other riders that I kept intersecting. Somehow, weekends aren't that much better. On Saturday, I was late to meet a friend because I spent time again doing the checking-all-of-the-Citi Bike-stations dance. On a Saturday afternoon!
So, unfortunately, I think I might need to shift my thinking around the bikes as something that I can use when the opportunity arises, versus a reliable, regular transportation method.
I think our neighborhood really needs additional stations. I originally imagined a huge boost to the quality of life in the area, but it's not quite there yet."
And this is from Matt:
"There have been a few signs of improvement recently, but not being able to find/dock a bike is still a frustrating issue. It used to be that if I left for work after 8:35 a.m., I knew not to expect to get a bike at my usual rack at 13th and A. Now it's less predictable — some days there might be a half-full rack, others all the bikes might have the red light on, and other's it'll be completely empty even if I'm early.
Same thing happens at night – if I leave work after a certain hour, I prepare myself for a trip around the East Village looking for a spot. Monday was a new record, when it took me 7 docks to find an open slot (13th and A, 10th and A, 14th and B, 12th and D, 9th and C, 5th and C, and 6th and B, until finally catching someone leaving at 7th and A). I think the most frustrating thing about those joyrides is that the app consistently says that openings are available at those docks.
I love the idea of Citi Bikes and still think they're the most exciting thing to happen to the city in a long time, but I hope they can pull this together."
Report: Injured East Village Farm and Grocery florist has lost his memory, use of his voice
Akkas Ali, the florist at East Village Farm and Grocery who was critically injured in June after an out-of-control driver jumped the curb, is currently a patient at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange, N.J.
Last week, CB3 member Chad Marlow presented Ali's son, Rukanul Islam, 22, with a check for $18,047.32 — all money raised through the crowdsourcing campaign.
The Villager has an update on Mr. Ali's condition this week via his son:
[He] said his father is conscious, and will open his eyes if someone is in the room and talking to him. He can turn his head and point to people with his right arm, and can raise his right leg. But his left leg and ankle are injured, and he’s not moving that leg or his left arm, either.
He is also intubated — periodically put on a ventilator to help him breathe — and because the tube crosses over his vocal chords, he cannot currently talk.
In addition, as a result of brain injury suffered from the force of the impact, he has completely lost his memory, and currently doesn’t even recognize his own family members.
However dire, Ali's son said that "his condition is getting better."
Shaun Martin, who prosecutors say was drunk "and high on PCP" when he drove his car onto a Second Avenue sidewalk on June 19, pleaded not guilty during his arrangement in Manhattan Supreme Court last month.
Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Car smashes into East Village Farm & Grocery on Second Avenue; 6 reported injured (62 comments)
Campaign launched to raise money for gravely injured East Village Farm and Grocery worker
1st week of crowdsourcing campaign for injured East Village Farm and Grocery worker raises $11k
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