Head games

The New York International Fringe Festival is underway ... the photos here are of "Peregrinus," a play without text performed today on East Fourth Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery... the top three photos are by Derek Berg





...and a few photos from the performance by Liza Béar...







The Fringe Fest continues through Aug. 28. Find the performance schedule here.

Meanwhile at the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

Workers repaired the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall this past week with new weatherproof boards ... in preparation for Logan Hicks to return perhaps as early as Monday. (The extreme heat with a torrential downpour in late July ruined his previous stencil-in progress.)

Meanwhile, someone decided to create his or her own mural on the blank canvas... not sure what it was. Crews were out this morning quickly painting it over...

Up with the crows

Bird watching on East 10th Street this morning... photo by Bobby Williams

Making the 'Scene'

Dinosaur Jr. has just released a very good new record titled "Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not." And tickets for their dates on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 at Irving Plaza went on sale today.

Now we'll travel back to 1991, where Dinosaur Jr. plays "Freak Scene" on a European tour that featured Sonic Youth and Nirvana.

EV Grieve Etc.: Good vibes at Thursday Kitchen; dog days of summer for the red-tailed hawks

[Downpour photo from yesterday by Derek Berg]

High marks for Thursday Kitchen on East Ninth Street (Gothamist ... previously)

Rivington House co-owner, Slate Property Group, facing new scrutiny (The Lo-Down)

Operators of Vintage Thrift, a nonprofit that funnels its funds into organizations for low-income Lower East Siders, needs new warehouse space — soon (DNAinfo)

NYC Best Pizza listicle includes Joe's on East 14th Street (Gothamist)

"The Lost Arcade" — a documentary on the legendary Chinatown Fair arcade on Mott Street — opens today at the Metrograph on Ludlow Street (Official website)



Another report on the potential East Houston upzoning (B+B)

Red-tailed hawk action winding down in Tompkins Square Park (Laura Goggin Photography)

If you ever wanted to see John Derian's East Village bedroom (The New York Times)

A look at some of the gates of the 100 Gates Project on the LES (NY Yimby)

"Blow-Up" and "Blow Out" screen next Friday at the Anthology Film Archives (Official website)

Some history of Veniero's — since 1894 — on East 11th Street (Untapped Cities)

Top Hops unveils a beer-to-go option in the Essex Street Market (BoweryBoogie)

Addressing the cargo shorts backlash (Flaming Pablum)

...and Chris Stein of Blondie posts a lot of his early 1970s shots on his Instagram account... if you care to follow...

View from the window early evening '71. Late one night I guess '73-4 when Eric Emerson was living there he was by the window and I heard him yelling "HOLY SHIT, COME HERE!" run to the window... Some street maniac had just thrown a garbage can through the window of @katzsdeli and climbed into the big hole. As we watched he comes out staggering under the weight of a cardboard box that looks to be filled with salamis. He stumbles around the corner and turns onto Ludlow Street and at that exact moment a cop car pulls up and the cops jump out with flashlights... If they'd just have looked around the corner they would have caught the guy but no... Tru story

A photo posted by 🅒🅗🅡🅘🅢 🅢🅣🅔🅘🅝 (@christein) on Aug 8, 2016 at 7:20am PDT

Target offers details about its flexible-format store opening summer 2018 on 14th and A

As you know, Target has signed a lease to anchor the retail space in Extell's new development rising on Avenue A and 14th Street.

And yesterday, Target shared details about the flexible-format store, projected to open in summer 2018 at 500 E. 14th St.

Via the EVG inbox...

Growth in urban markets is a priority for Target, and Target’s flexible store design allows for store locations in smaller locations and assortments are tailored to meet the needs of local guests. The East Village Target store will be approximately 27,000 square feet on two-levels, with 9,500 square feet on the street level and 17,700 on the lower level. The locally-relevant, catered assortment for urban guests will include:

· An assortment of men’s and women’s apparel and accessories

· Home items dedicated to refreshing small living spaces, as well as urban apartment and condo essentials

· Food selections, including grab-and-go items spanning sandwiches, salads, beverages, snacks, and more

· Health, personal care and beauty products including a multicultural assortment

· Portable technology products and accessories

· Services include Target Mobile and Order Pickup

Flexible-format stores are a priority for Target and guests have responded well to having these customized stores available in areas where they previously couldn’t have been opened before.

In a prepared statement, Mark Schindele, senior vice president, Properties, Target, said: "We’re thrilled to be partnering with Extell Development for this terrific location just below Stuyvesant Town, and we can’t wait to be part of the East Village neighborhood."

Target is only taking half of the available retail space at 500 E. 14th St. So there is room for another largish retailer.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated with correction] 8-lot parcel of East 14th Street primed for new development

New 7-floor buildings for East 14th Street include 150 residential units

Breaking (pretty much!): Target is coming to 14th Street and Avenue A (55 comments)

More on Target, and a look at its incoming home on 14th Street and Avenue A

Signs of life at Lanza's

On Wednesday, someone removed the state's orange SEIZED stickers (and picked up the mail) from the front of Lanza's on First Avenue... exactly one month to the date that the longtime Italian restaurant had closed for what the posted legalese said was for "nonpayment of taxes."

While it appears someone has been inside the restaurant here between 10th Street and 11th Street ... there's nothing about a reopening — just a sign noting they are "closed until further notice."

The PokéSpot opens today on 4th Avenue

The PokéSpot, serving the increasingly popular (in NYC) Hawaiian raw-fish salad, opens to the public today on Fourth Avenue and 12th Street, the corner space that previously housed the Subway (sandwich shop) until late January.

You can find their menu here.

Or here...



Previously on EV Grieve:
The PokéSpot set for former Subway (sandwich shop) space on 4th Avenue

Former Mercadito space on Avenue B will be home to Guac (and probably some chips)

[Photo by Ralph Sutton]

The signage is up now at 179 Avenue B for Guac, showing tacos and tequila here between 11th Street and 12th Street.



This incoming Mexican restaurant/bar is via Vincent Sgarlato, who owns and operates Eleven B and 11B Express across Avenue B.

CB3 OK'd a liquor license for the space back in March. According to the official meeting notes (PDF):

Community Board 3 is approving this application for a full on-premise liquor license although this is a location in an area with numerous full on-premise liquor licenses because 1) this applicant has operated a business with a wine beer license on this block for ten (10) years without complaints, 2) although one (1) resident appeared and two (2) letters were submitted in opposition to this application, this applicant has demonstrated support for this application, in that it has furnished seventy-one (71) petition signatures from area residents in support of its application, and 3) the applicant is proposing to operate a business with a similar method of operation to the previous business and with reduced nighttime hours [ed note: to 1 a.m. instead of 3 a.m.].

No. 179 was home to Mercadito until March 2015.

This evening's hot double-rainbow action

From St. Mark's Place near Second Avenue... thanks to Chris Protopapas for the photo

And this link was in the comments...

Double rainbow!!!!!

A photo posted by @fluffhead83 on Aug 11, 2016 at 3:41pm PDT

Discarded couch of the day

Spotted on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place... photo by special EVG correspondent Christine Champagne...

(Also, the couch is NOT affiliated with LinkNYC.)

Paint out the barrel...

Chico is at working on a new mural for the gate at Zum Schneider on Avenue C and Seventh Street, as these photos by EVG reader Daniel Root show ...



By the way, Zum Schneider celebrates its 16th anniversary on Aug. 19 starting at 4 p.m. Details here.

Headline H/T