Thursday, September 26, 2013

There's something about filming in the East Village; Little Orphan Annie likes Citi Bikes



Film crews are out in force this morning along Avenue A and East 11th Street, among other locales... signs point to a Columbia Pictures release called "Moonquake Lake" ... which is apparently code for the remake of "Annie."

Per various Internet reports, the movie started filming in NYC yesterday .... Quvenzhané Wallis ("Beasts of the Southern Wild") plays the title role while Jamie Foxx plays Benjamin Stacks (aka "Daddy Warbucks").

Citi Bikes apparently also have a starring role, based on this photo of Wallis yesterday...


[Via]

Which may explain the new, presumably temporary, Citi Bikes docking station on East 11th between A and First Avenue...



Columbia reportedly plans to release this film on Dec. 19, 2014.

Updated 10:18

A few photos from the set on East 11th Street via Shawn Chittle...





Penthouse life above 7A will cost you $16,995 monthly


[Aug. 21]

Since fall 2011, the building that houses 7A on the corner of East Seventh Street and Avenue A has been undergoing renovations... including converting some existing commercial/studio space to residential use and reconstructing the existing penthouses.

Workers started removing the construction gear from the building on Aug. 21.

And now, two of the penthouse units up there hit the rental market yesterday.

Brace.







Per the Corcoran listing:

Enter from your own private landing into this sunfilled corner loft with direct Empire State and Thompkins [sic] Square Park views from every room. This boutique Pre-War elevator building has been masterfully transformed into 1,850 square foot full-floor 3 bedroom 2.5 baths homes offering condo level finishes, 11 Floor-to-Ceiling windows, and exposed brick throughout. Open kitchen with Viking range, Bosch dishwasher, and poured concrete coutertops. Individual climate control in every room. Gracious 12' x 25' master suite with walk-in closet, marble baths with radiant floor heating, separate laundry room.

And here's a floor plan for you:



The two listed units are going for $16,995 and, for poorer people, $14,995.

The view you'll get for the $$$$....



Public records show that the University of the Streets sold the building to Park Corner Development, LLC in September 2011 for $5 million.

CB3/SLA October highlights: Artichoke taking over the Hat; taker for Max Fish & Motor City spaces



The big news from the October CB3/SLA committee meeting agenda is that Artichoke Pizza has designs on taking over neighborhood staple El Sombrero (aka The Hat) on Stanton and Ludlow. CB3 released the agenda last evening.

BoweryBoogie quickly reported the following:

We spoke with the Mexican restaurant and confirmed that the Hat, on the block since 1984, is indeed set to close. However, the Artichoke deal is reportedly not yet finalized. Apparently the owner has, in so many words, had enough and simply decided to cash out the business.

Sad but not surprising news... going back to Jeremiah Moss' post in February, in which he spoke with Regina Bartkoff, a waitress at The Hat since 1988.

"The rent has been steadily going up and they have a lease for a few more years, but in 2012 we took a nose dive. We have been losing our regular customers steadily, due to them not being able to pay the rents on the LES and being forced out. It just keeps going down."

We asked Bartkoff via Facebook last night for an update. She said she originally heard that they'd close in November. But the end will likely come sooner. "I think it's just the last days and I'm going down with the ship."

On the topic of Ludlow Street mainstays closing ... there is an application on the agenda for the Max Fish space. Not much is known right this moment about the mystery applicant:

• To be Determined, 178 Ludlow St (op)

Know anything about the applicant? Let us know via the EVG email.

Updated 10:18

Oh! And there's also a taker for the former Motor City space. Missed that on the first pass. (H/T The Lo-Down!)

Here's the info for now on that:

• JMDR 127 Ludlow LLC, 127 Ludlow St (op)

As for the meeting:
SLA & DCA Licensing Committee
Monday, October 7 at 6:30 pm and 8:30pm (two sessions)
Community Board 3 Office - 59 East 4th Street

We'll take a look at the rest of the agenda later...

[Image via]

Today in videos lampooning Citi Bikes



Posted last Thursday by the folks at Above Average. And filmed in the East Village.

May have been funnier (or more relevant!) back in, say, early June.

Still...

H/T THE NOTORIOUS L.I.B.E.R.A.T.I.O.N.

How green is your street or building?



From the EVG inbox...

I thought your readers might enjoy Rentenna's new NYC Green Heat Map which shows the density of trees in Manhattan, as well as the borough's biggest parks and all of the current active farmer's markets.

Rentenna ranks every rental apartment building on a scale of 1-100, based on a multitude of factors, including transit, amenities, and now our new Green Score which takes into account the apartment's proximity to parks and farmers markets. The Green Map takes it a step further by incorporating the tree density per block so renters can find that beautiful tree-lined street they always wanted.

Here is the site if you're interested.

And from the look of the mappy thing, the East Village is pretty green. Now if we could only get MORE parking spots for cars! (Bwahahaha)

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition


[East Houston Street via Michael Sean Edwards]

At the memorial for LES Jewels (More than Usual ... The Villager)

Bubbles and a model in Tompkins Square Park (Gog in NYC)

[Video] Crime in Union Square circa 1982 (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Plywood arrives outside future home of fucked-up looking condo on Norfolk (The Lo-Down)

A barren SPURA in 1979 (BoweryBoogie)

Keynoter speakers announced for the CBGB Music & Film Festival (News release via MarketWired)

The former Elk Hotel space seeking millions in potential rent (The Real Deal ... previously)

Progress on the 2nd Avenue Subway (Gothamist)

Creating some new bike lanes on Sixth Avenue (The New York Times)

... and a video via the group Right of Way...

The Russ & Daughters Cafe is going to happen

The appearance of a "Russ & Daughters Cafe" on the CB3/SLA's September docket stirred up plenty of interest ... though it was seemingly short-lived after the item was scratched from the agenda.

But!

At the Times today, Florence Fabricant reports that R&D plan to open a 65-seat restaurant in February at 127 Orchard St. "It will serve all their specialties, including items like blintzes and gefilte fish," per the Times.

Out and About in the East Village — An early fall recap



Every so often we'll take a break and recap the East Village residents who we've profiled each Wednesday here ... Many thanks to East Village-based photographer James Maher and everyone who has taken part in this series... Here's who you may have missed during the latter half of the summer... Back next week with someone.

July 17 — Michael Duggan

July 24 — Elizabeth Cunningham

July 31 — Elissa Jiji

Aug. 7 — Hannah Rad

Aug. 14 — Richard “Handsome Dick” Manitoba and son Jake, 10

Aug. 21 — Kathy Von Hartz

Aug. 28 — Angel “Petroleum” Luis Roman

Sept. 4 – The Baroness

Sept. 11 — Sven Furberg

Sept. 18 — Christopher Tanner

Night falls on Karl Fischer's incoming unit on East 3rd St.



We've been keeping tabs on 316-318 E. Third St., the future home of a Karl Fischer-designed, 33-unit apartment building between Avenue C and Avenue D ... However, we haven't been by recently ... and were surprised to see it cut such a full figure at night ... especially looking at it from East Houston... (Wasn't this just a pit the other day? Seems like it.)



It will look like this one day...


[Brody/Amirian]

Meanwhile, in unrelated matters, neighbors on this same block have reported an uptick in drug sales and use... there's an emergency meeting tonight at PS 14 to address the issues.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Another parcel of East Village land ready for development

Landmarks Preservation Commission rejects hearing for 316 E. Third St., paving way for 7-floor condo

Emergency meeting called to discuss 'the blatant drug activity' on E. 3rd St.

Army & Navy Bags reportedly spared from crippling rent hike

Some possible good news for fans of Army & Navy Bags, the 40-year-old shop at 177 E. Houston St. between Orchard and Allen.

DNAinfo's Serena Solomon reported yesterday that the shop will likely be able to remain open after its landlord Serge Hoyda agreed to a lower rent increase than he had initially offered.

Last month, Hoyda said he would nearly triple the $3,800-per-month rent for the 300-square-foot space, as BoweryBoogie first reported.

The new leases isn't a done deal. The landlord is still drawing up the papers. There was also a demand to "improve the front of the store to look more like other tenants along the block, including the pricey new restaurant Preserve 24, Russ & Daughters and American Apparel," Solomon wrote at DNA.

[Image via Yelp]

East Houston storefronts start to get CVS'd



Oh, just noting that work has picked up over at that blando building on East Houston between Mott and Mulberry...



Soho Billiards closed here back in the fall... and the Subway and dry cleaners cleared out in August. All this to make room for a CVS, as BoweryBoogie first reported.

Could have been worse. Could have been a [_________].

Previously on EV Grieve:
Retail space that included Soho Billiards is up for grabs on East Houston Street

Tuesday, September 24, 2013