Meanwhile at 7-Eleven on Avenue A...

The location at East 11th Street is participating in the Slurpee's 50th birthday.

For a limited time, there's a new birthday cake-flavored Slurpee ... as well as a Birthday Cake Slurpee donut and Slurpee-flavored Chapstick.

Slurpee Week begins tomorrow, FYI.

Not sure if the location on 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue has the special Slurpee products. A reader shared this flyer on the door...

Noted

Spotted on Avenue B near Second Street. We appreciate the honest assessment of this discarded Shark Pet Perfect Hand Vacuum.

Also, we looked up this product and learned something about people who buy the Shark Pet Perfect Hand Vacuum via Amazon... they have excellent taste in films...

Today was the 3rd annual NYC Bodypainting Day, as you may have noticed

Maybe NSFW!

About 100 people reportedly took part in today's third annual NYC Bodypainting Day ... two double-decker buses drove the participants around the city... and they made a stop on Avenue B and East Third Street ... where EVG reader David took these photos this afternoon...







And the reaction from the brunch bunch? Per David:

"The sidewalk eaters at Root and Bone just laughed and raised glasses. The B&T crowd at Mama’s Bar, however, screamed, ran out with phones ready, and screamed OMG — a lot. I thought the nude folks handled it well!"

... and a few more photos from Tompkins Square Park and Avenue A via Bobby Williams...







... and a few more photos via Derek Berg...

Noted

A reminder for East Village bar/restaurant owners to continue using industrial-strength trash bags. pic.twitter.com/VZn7i079dA

— evgrieve (@evgrieve) July 9, 2016

An updated facade at Ray's

Chico started work at Ray's Candy Store, 113 Avenue A, yesterday... not sure of the status given the late afternoon/early evening rain...

Back in October 2011, Chico created a tribute awning here in memory of the late Bob Arihood.

The previous hand-painted sign was quite weathered ...


[Photo via Forgotten NY]

Car Seat Headrest and the 4Knots Music Festival set times

Car Seat Headrest, shown here with a video for "Vincent," is one of the bands on the bill tomorrow for the sixth annual (free) 4Knots Music Festival at the South Street Seaport hosted by The Village Voice.

The set times are below... head to the 4Knots site for more band info and festival details...

PIER 16 STAGE
1:00pm - Promised Land Sound
1:50pm - Kirk Knight
2:40pm - Mothers
3:40pm - Car Seat Headrest
4:40pm - Protomartyr
5:40pm - The Strumbellas
7:00pm - Guided By Voices

FULTON STAGE
1:30pm - Boulevards
2:30pm - Bayonne
3:30pm - Diane Coffee
4:30pm - Mile High Club
5:30pm - Girlpool

Report: Raphael Toledano selling 6 of his East Village buildings

The Real Deal is reporting that controversial landlord Raphael Toledano is aiming to sell six East Village buildings less than a year after buying them.

Toledano, who has been accused of allegedly harassing his tenants and other predatory practices, bought a 16-building portfolio last September from the Tabak family for $97 million.

Per The Real Deal:

To acquire the portfolio, Toledano took out two mortgages from Madison Realty Capital totaling $124 million for the acquisition as well as planned renovations. The mortgages were an example of multiple financings that led experienced real estate players to describe Toledano as overleveraged.

The six walk-ups – which include 27 St. Mark’s Place and 66 E. Seventh St. – are expected to fetch north of $50 million, sources say. (The article doesn't list the other four buildings.)

No. 27 was home to The Sock Man before a rent hike forced him to close at this location. No. 66 was home to Barbara Feinman Millinery, which also had to relocate.

However, as The Real Deal notes, the landlord isn't giving up on the neighborhood:

Toledano is in the process of buying 11 East Village buildings for a combined $43 million — also from the Tabaks.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Claim: Landlord of 444 E. 13th St. threatened 'to drop dynamite on the building'

Report: Residents at 444 E. 13th St. will receive a $1 million settlement over claims of harassment by Raphael Toledano

Report: State investigating East Village landlord Raphael Toledano

Health Department to inspect Raphael Toledano's East Village properties for toxic levels of lead dust

Another look at Village Farm Grocery's watermelon tossing assembly line

On Wednesday, we posted photos from Derek Berg showing the assembly line taking delivery of watermelons outside Village Farm Grocery on Second Avenue and Ninth Street.

Upon seeing that, EVG reader Daniel shared this clip of the crew at work in May...

EV Grieve Etc.: Conviction for Bowery hit-and-run; History of East Village name

[Photo on 1st Avenue by Derek Berg]

Man charged with stealing knife from 5 Napkin Burger and threatening pedestrians on East 14th Street (DNAinfo)

Man convicted of fatal hit-and-run on the Bowery (The Lo-Down)

History of the East Village name (Gothamist ... previously)

A Rivington House roundup (BoweryBoogie)

Short film about life at 70 Hester St. (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Activist sues city after cops arrest him for filming them on Astor Place (Gothamist)

Is gentrification really a problem? (The New Yorker)

Sunday brunch was trendy in 1930s NYC (Ephemeral New York)


[Summer scene from Tompkins Square Park via Bobby Williams]

A red-tailed hawk July 4 (Laura Goggin Photography)

A few weeks left for the Ramones exhibit at the Queens Museum (Thirteen/PBS)

Art world feuding over Basquiat’s death (Page Six)

Recalling Goulash Row on East Houston (Off the Grid)

A small preservation victory at the Hotel Chelsea (Curbed)

Musing about the Peculiar Pub and the Dugout... and GG Allin... (Flaming Pablum)

Civil War drama "Men Go to Battle" makes its NYC theatrical debut this weekend (Anthology Film Archives)

A John Cassavetes/Gena Rowlands retrospective starts next Friday, July 15, at the Metrograph. Rowlands will be doing a Q-and-A (Official website)

... and a few tickets remain for this event next Wednesday at Flinders Lane on Avenue A...

The new Shops on East Fifth Street are ready for retail (and a coffee shop)

[Photo from Monday]

The storefront renovations are (mostly) complete now on Fifth Street just east of Second Avenue.

There are three spaces in what are being presented as the Shops on East Fifth Street. A tipster tells us that the middle space will house an Argentinian coffee shop. The other two storefronts are for rent... the bare-bones listing at Coldwell Banker Commercial notes the asking rent is $125 per square foot...



As previously reported, in July 2014, the owners of the previous three businesses had to vacate their storefronts due to a structural issue in the building at 300 E. Fifth St.

S & P Liquor & Wine eventually moved to Second Avenue … while Jamie the check-cashing guy, whose family owned the business for 68 years, had to shut down at the end of 2014 as repairs dragged on. He had been operating for five months from a secure van outside his shop. The Today's Cut hair salon moved to East Seventh Street just west of Avenue A.

Previously on EV Grieve:
3 small businesses temporarily closed due to structural issues at 300 E. 5th St.

RUMOR: The Dahlia's space will be converted into a salad bar

Multiple tipsters have told us that the closed-for-now Dahlia's on Second Avenue and Fifth Street will return as a quick-serve restaurant specializing in salads.

Here's how one tipster put it: "It's going to be a salad bar! Saw them bringing in the sneeze guards. Per a super on the block it's definitely a salad bar and no liquor license."

The Mexican restaurant temporarily closed in early May while the State Liquor Authority decides their future booze fate. Back in February, the SLA temporarily suspended Dahlia's liquor license after serving a reported 50 minors one night. Dahlia's stayed open without alcohol after this, though business appeared quite slow.

The State Liquor Authority website shows that the license, set to expire Nov. 30, 2017, is currently inactive.

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

More about the underage drinking bust at Dahlia's; plus, reaction from NYU students

7th Street residents angered after developer cuts down the wrong tree

[EVG photo of 79-89 Avenue D from June]

Over at 79-89 Avenue D, L&M Development Partners have been prepping for a 12-story retail-residential building with 110 dwelling units here between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.

On Wednesday, residents at 274 E. Seventh St. said they were angered to discover that workers "mistakenly cut down a six-story tree" in the backyard of their co-op building.

A resident with knowledge of the situation said that L&M had a work order to remove one tree — from 278 E. Seventh St. However, the crew cut down that tree as well as the one behind No. 274.


[Behind 274 E. 7th St.]

The residents contacted the Department of Buildings via 311, and were told that it wasn't a DOB matter. The 311 rep suggested calling the police.

As for the loss of the tree, the resident said that an L&M rep confirmed they made a mistake and are prepared to do something for the co-op "within reason."

"What could possibly make whole the loss of the sole grace note of our backyard, shading our apartments in the summer, announcing the arrival of spring when it's buds peeped out, the golden light that filtered through its changing leaves in the fall and the shelter it provided squirrels, blue jays, sparrows and rare hawk visits?"

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Space that houses Rite Aid on Avenue D hits market for $22.5 million

Report: New 12-story, mixed-use building in the works for Avenue D

Permit pre-filed for new 12-floor building at 79-89 Avenue D

Former Avenue D Rite Aid has been demolished to make way for a 12-story building