Saturday, March 5, 2016

Oh hi, there's a hole here


[Last Sunday]

Last Sunday, we noted the sinkhole in the works on Avenue A at East Third Street. It had already eaten a pylon, and was on its way to becoming a rare 5 Pyloner and potential film franchise for Dwayne Johnson.

Anyway, EVG reader John Iz shared these photos showing the developments here this past week... and the DOT's various attempts to warn vehicular traffic of the hole in the Avenue...

Tuesday!



Wednesday!



Thursday!



Friday! (Yesterday!)



What else might the DOT place here to warn motorists of the sinkhole?

Updated:

John shared photos from the hole from Saturday...



...with bonus shot of the can of spray paint used to mark the perimeter...

Logos Urbana at the 2nd Avenue F stop



Just checking out the final mural by BluDog10003 outside the Second Avenue F stop at East Houston ... The mural is called Logos Urbana...

And here's another angle via BluDog10003...

Friday, March 4, 2016

A band called Eerie Wanda



Amsterdam quartet Eerie Wanda released their first record, "Hum," last week on Brooklyn's Beyond Beyond Is Beyond Records.

And you can catch their U.S. debut Monday night at the Cake Shop on Ludlow Street.

EV Grieve Etc.: Metrograph debuts; gas shutoffs surge


[Photo of Lucy's last night by @JustAnotherRich]

A look at the Metrograph, the new cinema-bookstore-bar-restaurant on Ludlow Street that opens today (Time Out ... Indie Wire ...The New York Times)

A surge of gas shutoffs in NYC, particularly for rent-stabilized tenants (NYPress)

An ode to St. Mark's Bookshop (Literary Hub)

The mating continues in Tompkins Square Park (for the hawks!) (Laura Goggin Photography)

Arlene Gottfried’s vintage pictures of the Lower East Side (The New York Times)

Renderings of the Ace Hotel coming to the Bowery (BoweryBoogie)

A review of the opening program at the Avant Music Festival, on through tomorrow at the Wild Project on East Third Street (The New York Times)

Updates on the battle to replace Sheldon Silver in the 65th Assembly District (The Lo-Down)

Dee Dee Ramone book reissues arrive (Alternative Press)

Restoring St. Peter’s on West 20th Street (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Revisiting Lou Reed's "Take No Prisoners" and West Fourth Street (Flaming Pablum)

Tomorrow (Saturday!) afternoon, author-artist Sally Eckhoff's reads from "F*ck Art, Let's Dance! An East Village Memoir" an the Mulberry Street branch of the NYPL:

This memoir, by a former Village Voice writer and critic, is a cockeyed personal history of the East Village — a place nobody moved to on purpose. This is a short stretch of history, to be sure, framed as it is on one side by the Summer of Sam and on the other by the Tompkins Square Park riots, two notorious incidents that defined an age. The naive protagonist's lies, dreams, and daily blunders, overcome in places only by spectacular acts of will, might remind you of what it feels like to be a beginner in a land of crooks and geniuses. And because there’s nothing everyday about everyday people in New York, the citizens that appear on these pages, whether shy or brazen, upright or felonious, are always new.

Find details here.

That time this year it snowed on March 4



East 10th Street at Avenue C this morning via Bobby Williams...

At the Parkside Lounge's new back room


[Photo by James and Karla Murray]

Words and photos (except where noted) by EVG contributor Stacie Joy

I recently stopped by The Parkside Lounge, 317 E. Houston at Attorney Street, to talk with co-owner Christopher Lee about the newly renovated back-room lounge and accompanying brand-new bar.



Lee started bartending at this Lower East Side mainstay in 2003, and became co-owner (joining Karen Waltermire) in 2009. Originally from Natchitoches, La., Lee says he knew the minute he walked into the long-standing bar it was the place for him.

Here, he discusses the new space and what it took to make it happen.

What is different about the new back room compared to the old space? 

We renovated everything back there with the goal of it being a more inviting space to perform in as well as be more comfortable for our patrons.

The room no longer smells like old stale beer thanks to the new hardwood floors. Just getting rid of the carpet was a big addition. There's a brand new air-conditioning unit and ducts to better regulate our seasonal climate. I love the aesthetic that it brings as well. What used to be something we tried to hide is front and center, shiny and functional.

We took down a non-load-bearing wall to open up the space and make room for our new bar. The room really does feel much bigger now.

Between the new floor and the wall coming down, we were concerned about the acoustics of the space. We’ve had many musicians over the years tell us that the sound in the room was amazing and we didn’t want to mess that up. The carpet that was there didn’t smell very good but it really kept the sound warm. To that end we brought in some super high-tech soundproofing that was installed underneath the new sheetrock (our neighbors appreciated this step as well). We also invested in an updated PA system for the performances back there.

We’ve got new lights to update that aspect of the space. I’m an actor and love seeing people come in and rethink the room for theater. We’ve had a few shows in here recently and I really love it when the playing space isn’t on the stage. Now refocusing lights will be a button click away rather than something we have to manually do before each performance. Flexibility in what you can do as a business is important. With the neighborhood around us in a constant state of flux staying relevant is what keeps our doors open.









What about the bar back there?

We installed a full bar dedicated to the space. This was a big step for us. Between the requirements for the city and the State Liquor Authority (SLA), getting the license alone was a marathon endeavor.

Having bartended for years in high-volume environments, being able to serve a packed room was an important part of the design but we didn’t want it to take over the space either. The wood is beautiful, tough, and fits in perfectly back there. I love perching on the corner back there watching bands over everyone’s heads. It just feels great.

What was involved in making the changes and how long did it take?

Oh dear Lord, I can’t fully answer this. Let me just say that coordinating with City Hall, the SLA, contractors, plumbers, snow storms, and all the other wackiness of New York City, there were always balls up in the air. It took a full two years to get the room renovated and the bar licensed.

You can find a schedule of upcoming events at Parkside's Facebook page here. You can follow them on Twitter here.

Reader mailbag: What is this on East 10th Street?


[Photo by Lola Sáenz]

Since it arrived late last year after some Con Ed work on East 10th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue (roughly outside The New Theatre Building) ... several readers have asked what that air raid-looking thing is ...

There's also one on Great Jones near Lafayette...



So! Anyone know what these are? (Excluding popular comments beer store! and Amy Schumer)...

Updated:

Thanks to the readers for the answers! it's a Con Ed pipeline pressure regulator/vent.

NYC Velo cycling to new storefront next door on 2nd Avenue



Paper arrived on the windows at 66 Second Ave. between East Fourth Street and East Third Street a few weeks back.

Per EVG correspondent Steven, NYC Velo will be moving here one storefront to the north to take the space that last housed the short-lived Red Mango.

The current bike shop storefront is now for rent... and we understand that an increase in rent here at No. 64 prompted the move next door...



And as we posted about several years ago, 66 Second Ave. was once the home to the Anderson Theatre...


... where you could see the Grateful Dead for $2... Later, Hilly Kristal ran the CBGB Theater here from late 1977 to early 1978. The Talking Heads christened the CBGB Theater, followed by shows featuring the Dictators, the Dead Boys and Patti Smith.

You can find a lot more history and photos of the Anderson Theatre at the blog It's All the Streets you Crossed Not So Long Ago right here.

An epilogue sale at St. Mark's Bookshop



St. Mark's Bookshop closed for good on Sunday... however, there will be an epilogue sale tomorrow (Saturday!) at the shop, 136 E. Third St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

From noon to 8 p.m., they'll be selling off more of what's left — books and magazines for $2. (And out-of-season cards are 46 cents, per the sign on the front door.)

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: St. Mark's Bookshop prepping fundraiser ahead of possible move to Avenue A.

Is this the new home for the St. Mark's Bookshop?

Report: St. Mark's Bookshop signs lease for East 3rd Street space

Renovations at the future St. Mark's Bookshop on East 3rd Street

St. Mark's Bookshop seeking buyers with an ownership interest

Report: Last stand for St. Mark's Bookshop

Report: Latest woe for St. Mark's Bookshop — possible eviction

Looking to carry on the legacy of St. Mark's Bookshop

Farewells: St. Mark's Bookshop will close for good on Sunday

No deposits: Baiting the former Chase branch on 2nd Avenue for rats ahead of demolition



The orders are in to demolish the former Chase branch on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place.

Ahead of that, workers are baiting the building for rats, as you can see from the subtle placements of the baiting stations that arrived on the sidewalk on Wednesday ...



The Commercial Observer reported in August that J.P. Morgan Chase sold the 2-level space to Stellar Management for $12 million. (Stellar and Icon teamed up to buy No. 128 next door.) The former Chase site allows for redevelopment of the 2,380-square-foot site into a mixed-use retail and residential project of 9,520 square feet, according to the Observer.

Icon Realty had been trying to lease the space with an asking monthly rent of $72,000.

The branch consolidated with the Chase two blocks up Second Avenue back in November.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Chase space on 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place is for rent

2 East Village Chase Bank branches are closing for good on Nov. 12

Chase branch on 2nd Avenue at St. Mark's Place has the potential to get 4x larger with new owner

The East Village is down 2 Chase branches

Icon wraps former Chase branch at St. Mark's Place with retail ribbon

'Good riddance' Chase, and — a development to watch in 2016

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Meal deals at Dahlia's



Since the SLA temporarily suspended the Mexican restaurant's liquor license for serving a reported 50 minors one night in late January.

Photo on Second Avenue and East Fifth Street via Vinny & O.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Dahlia's busted after cops find 43 minors drinking inside locked restaurant

Fake snow makes a return to East 4th Street



Crews for "Collateral Beauty" were out again earlier... spreading the fake snow* on East Fourth Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery ...





The dramatic comedy stars Will Smith, Kate Winslet, Keira Knightley, Helen Mirren, Naomie Harris and Edward Norton.

Photos by EVG Fake Snow Powder correspondent Derek Berg.

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* we hope that this is fake snow and not a non-licensed asbestos removal team