I know what you did last Summer Streets

[The same photo EVG posted last week]

Just a reminder that Lafayette and a good part of Park Avenue will be closed for you to bike, walk, run, skate, crawl, [________] in a hoof to your heart's content today. At least until 1 p.m., when the wheeled motor vehicles used for transporting passengers and other things return.

And here is the official map from the City about all this:



Previously on EV Grieve:
Takin' it to the streets like the Doobie Brothers

Summer loving had me a blast, Summer loving happened so fast

No more corny Summer Streets headlines until next summer, probably

No banana puns will be used for this headline

Going back to 2012 for this song from Black Bananas, the band led by ex-Royal Trux frontwoman Jennifer Herrema.

See and hear their scuzzy stoner rock tonight at 8 at the South Street Seaport. The Shockwave Riderz open at 7. And it's a free show.

Closing weekend for the Women of the Lower East Side Film Fest

[Photo of EL Jardin del Paraiso by Steven Matthews via MoRUS]

It's the last two nights for the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space's Lower East Side Film Fest ... here's a quick look at what's playing via the EVG inbox:

Friday, 8 p.m.
El Jardin De Paraiso
E. 4th street (North Side) between Aves C & D
**** Lawn Seating: Bring a blanket!*****

Catalina Santamaria
UMBRELLA HOUSE
10 min
From the 1970’s to the 1990’s hundreds of buildings have been taken away from their owners in The Lower East Side/East Village because of tax arrears. But these buildings in the hands of the city have been left to collapse or be demolished. Pioneering residents took it upon themselves to move in and restore some these buildings with their own labor, giving new life and vitality to the area.

Sebastian Gutierrez
VIA GEANME
16 min
Geanme reached New York not to long after having crossed the border through Mexico. She dealt with the hardship of living as a squatter, delivering a baby and falling out of love. But her tenacity helped through the winter's cold, building her apartment all the way to the improvised delivery room. With the help of a midwife but no running water, Paula, her daughter, was born. Geanme never really got over having left her family behind in Colombia. But that void was filled by Paula and also by the camaraderie and support from the New York City squatter community.

Christina Holmes
HOME AT LA PLAZA CULTURAL ARMANDO PEREZ COMMUNITY GARDEN
La Plaza Cultural Armando Perez Community Garden on East Ninth Street and Avenue C was one of many public spaces damaged by Hurricane Irene and dealt a further blow by flooding during Hurricane Sandy. Garden members discuss the recovery process, the importance of these spaces, and the history of the garden that inspires them to plan and plant for the future.

Saturday, 8 p.m.
El Jardin De Paraiso

Lizzie Borden
BORN IN FLAMES
80 min

Fitting with the theme of the fest we will be screening the 1983 classic feminist indie film BORN IN FLAMES. Director Lizzie Borden is flying out from Los Angeles to be in attendance for the film, a gem of New York cinema, depicting a militant feminist movement in the city after a fictional socialist revolution in America. It also features vintage footage of the Lower East Side and from around New York.

Find more details about the films and the Festival here. Admission each night is a suggested donation of $5.

Reader report: Box truck nearly takes out pedestrians, tree on East 10th Street

From EVG reader Jose Garcia today just after noon...

We were just walking down 10th Street between A and B when this box truck, making a furniture deliver to the illegal hotel on the block, made a sudden, illegal U-turn, coming right up onto the sidewalk scaring the daylights out of us and ramming into the side of a youngish tree, scraping a bunch of bark off of it.

I started to give them the what for ... and [the delivery people] were dismissive, laughing, rude etc. I called 311, who said because it was an issue of reckless driving, transferred me to 911.

By the time the cops got there, of course, the jerks had left. The cops said because they didn’t see it they couldn’t do anything about it. With the spike of pedestrian deaths owing to out-of-control drivers in NYC, I will file a complaint with the Department of Transportation.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Photo of Caravan of Dreams on East 6th Street by Fallopia Tuba]

2 people injured in a fire at the Lillian Wald Houses this morning (DNAinfo)

A section of Delancey Street now co-named Dashane Santana Way (The Lo-Down)

The Fringe Festival returns (The New York Times)

When a car nearly wiped out Yonah Schimmel's in 1970 (BoweryBoogie)

Christo and Dora watching at Tompkins Square Park with Goggla (The Villager)

Community garden tour in the East Village (Off the Grid)

About the new executive director of the Third Street Music School Settlement (Crain's New York)

And there is a campaign underway to save the Subway Inn from the wrecking ball (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

A story of neighborhood heroism, 1960 edition

Anyone remember Pauline's bar and grill on First Avenue near East Seventh Street?

Thanks to EVG Twitter friend @RTSNYC for this find from The New York Times on June 7, 1960.

Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street is on the mend!

In recent days/weeks we've had several Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street sightings … while she is wearing some kind of protective paw thing. (Not the technical term!)

So we reached out to Kita's owners for a report.

"She is still recovering from a torn tendon that happened during the brutal icy winter. She's been treated by a variety of local and non-local vets to varying degrees of success. Now she travels to Long Island every Thursday morning with a fabulous vet who apparently has a national reputation for diagnosing the undiagnosible."

The poor dear! What is the prognosis?

"By all accounts, including hers, Kita is on the mend. She avoided having to need surgery. She's looking forward to being able to chase tennis balls in Tompkins Square Park and East River Park very soon."

On the next episode, Kita responds to the commenter who writes, 'If you don't like torn tendons, then move to … '"

Previously on EV Grieve:
Meet Kita

The further adventures of Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street

The further (often truly) amazing adventures of Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street

Happy holidays from Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street

Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street has her first ever annual checkup

Holiday greetings from Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street

Summer greetings from Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street

The documentary that captured the Bowery's high-end restaurant transformation

In case you haven't seen it, the 2005 documentary "Bowery Dish," which chronicles the Bowery's transformation from skid row to high-end restaurant row, airs tonight at 10 on Channel 13/WNET.



The director, Kevin R. Frech, is a 20-plus year resident of the East Village. He filmed between 1999-2004, after noticing that more restaurants were popping up on the Bowery. He wanted to document the changes.

The film debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival and later aired on the Sundance Channel.

With the arrival of even bigger bold-face-named restaurateurs such as Keith McNally (Pulino's then Cherche Midi) and Daniel Boulud (DBGB), we asked Frech about what has transpired on the Bowery since the film's release.

Did you ever anticipate that the Bowery would continue to transform to such a degree as it has in 2014? Seems like a sequel is in order!

Yes, I really want to make a sequel — follow some of the camera angles from the original to show what dramatic changes have happened lately. When I set out to make the film, I could see the street was about to undergo radical change, but I was amazed at how fast it happened.

While I knew it would continue after the film was completed, I had no idea how much further it would go. Keith McNally, the New Museum, all of the high-rises and galleries. Meanwhile the flophouses are mostly gone, the Salvation Army is gone, and only the Bowery Mission remains from the rougher days of the old Bowery.

Honey House, now serving coffee on East 11th Street

A new coffee shop opened this week at 334 E. 11th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

The place is so new, there isn't a sign yet outside.

EVG reader Jake Seliger stopped by Honey House yesterday, and shared these photos with us. His take?

"The space is small — somewhere between Abraço and Third Rail — but has a few seats," he reported. "They're supposed to get pastries in the next couple days."

EVG reader Russ also stumbled by the place, and liked the vibe. The owner, who previously ran the clothing boutique at this location, was hanging LP covers on the wall. He will eventually bring in a record player to listen to the vinyl.




[Photo by EVG reader Russ]

Buy this skinny East 13th Street building alone — or with 3 other NYC properties

The building at 216 E. 13th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue is now on the market. The 9-studio walk-up is asking $4 million.

Or! The four-floor building can be paired with three other properties from other neighborhoods. In total, the portfolio has 53 apartments (plus two retail spaces) with an asking price of $23.5 million. (All cash.)

A PDF with the property descriptions is here.

Catch some solar flares on the Lower East Side

EVG Twitter friend ‏@travishuggett shared this with us from earlier today...

"I watched a woman ride her bike up to the corner of Broome and Orchard, strap this can to a light post, and ride off. I looked inside and there is a tiny video screen playing footage of what I think are solar flares on the surface of the sun. It's weird. I love it."

Anyone happen to spot any of these solar-flare cans around?

Updated 8/8

Ah, thanks. The video installations are the work of Nora Breen.

The Dusty Rebel has documented more of them here.

Archie & Sons now 'closed for remodeling'

[Photo by EVG reader Russ]

Ugh. As the sign shows, the 50s-style luncheonette on Third Avenue at St. Mark's Place is closed for the month of August.

They opened just about a year ago to the date.

We're big fans of their food. However, the closure, temporary or not, doesn't come as a total shocker. In recent months, the hours became more sporadic, the offerings became more varied (juice bar! smoothies!), the quality of food seemingly deteriorated, the staff changed. Plus, we were the only people inside the last six or so times inside. (And we were not there at off hours.)

We were hoping that they would catch on — particularly with all the office bodies (and students) coming to the IBM Watson Building across the street.

Still, it wasn't also tough to opt for Archie's over old favorites the Stage and B&H …

Previously on EV Grieve:
Archie & Sons, a new luncheonette, opening very soon at 23 Third Ave.