A small request to clear the weeds from the 2nd Avenue explosion site

Last week, workers removed weeds from the empty lot at 123 Second Ave., one of three buildings destroyed during the deadly gas explosion on March 26, 2015.

There's now a new memorial sign on the fence of the adjacent properties, 119 and 121 Second Ave., which are owned by Maria Hrynenko, who faces various charges, including involuntary manslaughter.

A message at the bottom of the sign reads: "Somebody cut the weeds please!"

Nearby resident Lola Sáenz placed the sign this morning. "I made a new flyer. Since the weeds got cut on the right side lot, I'm hoping someone sees the note, and cuts them [at 119-121 Second Avenue]. It's starting to look like a forest."

In April 2015, Sáenz created an In Memoriam and left flowers for Moises Ismael Locón Yac, one of the two victims in the explosion. Sáenz said that she did it because his family is in Guatemala, and likely wouldn't have the opportunity to create a memorial at the site themselves.

RIP Richard Kopperdahl

Longtime EVG reader Scuba Diva shares the following...

After a long, 10-year-battle with cancer, Richard Kopperdahl died on Sunday afternoon a little after 4.

He was 83 and had managed to keep the cancer in remission for several years with the help of his oncologist, Dr. Hai Sun Park. ("Hi, Sunshine," Richard liked to call her.)

He was generally in good humor about it, and always managed to make it up the hundred stairs to his home. He had lived in the same sixth-floor apartment since 1976.

He went once, even twice a day to the Odessa on Avenue A — all the waitresses loved him. Yesterday morning I went to tell the waitress there he'd passed, and she said she had visited him when he was in Beth Israel last week. When she came into his room, he saw her, recognized her, and said, "Oh, I don't need anything else."

There's a viewing Friday evening at the Peter Jarema Funeral Home, 129 E. Seventh St., from 5-9 p.m.

One more month for The Edge

Earlier this month, we reported that The Edge, the 29-year-old bar at 95 E. Third St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, was closing for good at the end of August.

"We'll just say [the landlord, Thermald Realty Associates] found an opportunity to sue us for a bunch of money that we can't pay," a bar rep told us at the time.

However, after a little legal wrangling yesterday, the bar was given one more month: The official closing date is now Saturday, Sept. 24.

Cava Grill opens today on 4th Avenue

Back in May we noted that a Cava Grill was coming to Fourth Avenue between 13th Street and 14th Street. And now, the D.C.-based Greek-Mediterranean restaurant chain, which serves grain bowls, pita wraps and salads, opens its first NYC location today.

Our 1st #NYC location at Union Square opens THURSDAY, August 25, FREE lunch! https://t.co/wufVvJ06uw @UnionSquareNY pic.twitter.com/kmI4SXoWOL

— Cava Grill (@CavaGrill) August 20, 2016

The Wall Street Journal had a brief preview yesterday:

“We want customers to have the ability to choose ingredients that fit their nutritional needs or dietary attributes,” said Cava Grill’s chief executive and co-founder Brett Schulman, adding that the average cost for lunch is about $10.

For its New York location, Cava Grill is hoping to keep things as local as possible, getting produce from Hudson Valley, Long Island and New Jersey farms.

The official opening is tomorrow (Friday). Cava is offering a free lunch today ... while encouraging diners to donate to Grow to Learn, an organization that helps NYC public schools set up gardens.

Cava sells various dips and spreads at retail outlets, such as the Whole Foods Market Union Square®.

The space here at 143 Fourth Ave. was previously Lan's Spa.

Cava Grill is the latest quick-serve restaurant to open along Fourth Avenue. PokéSpot debuted on Fourth Avenue and 12th Street on Aug. 12. And a Melt Shop is coming soon to 135 Fourth Ave.

Restaurant space that has been a lot of things lately ready to be something else

The for rent sign recently arrived at 189 E. Third St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Since May 2014, the address has been home to Lumiere, Casablanca and Tut, which closed in February after just a few months in business.

Doomed location for a restaurant? It's interesting that the sign says "store for rent" and not "bar-restaurant for rent."

New Museum announces exhibition on the work of Raymond Pettibon

Via the EVG inbox today...

In February 2017, the New Museum will open a major exhibition focusing on the work of Raymond Pettibon. For over thirty years, Pettibon has been chronicling the history, mythology, and culture of America with a prodigious and distinctive voice. Through his drawings’ signature interplay between image and text, he moves between historical reflection, emotional longing, poetic wit, and strident critique.

Although Pettibon is unquestionably a pivotal figure of American art since the 1990s, he has never before had a major museum survey exhibition in New York. “Raymond Pettibon: A Pen of All Work” at the New Museum will be the largest presentation of Pettibon’s work to date, featuring more than 700 drawings from the 1960s to the present. It will also include a number of his early self-produced zines and artist’s books, as well as several videos made in collaboration with fellow artists and his musician friends. This unique collection of objects and distinctly immersive installation will provide insight into the mind of one of the most influential and visionary living American artists.

Occupying the three main floors of the New Museum, “Raymond Pettibon: A Pen of All Work” will be on view from February 8 to April 16, 2017.

The New Museum is at 235 Bowery between Stanton and Rivington.

You can check out a gallery of flyers Pettibon created for Black Flag here.

And here's a video on the art of Black Flag from 2013...

Report of a fire at 104 Avenue B

[Photo by Mike H. on 9th Street]

The FDNY is responding to a report of a fire at 104 Avenue B between Sixth Street and Seventh Street ... (the building one south of where Vazac's/7B/the Horseshoe Bar is...)


[Reader submitted]

Fire on Ave B, right near 7B (but doesn't look like 7B building) cc @evgrieve @chelsa 🔥🚒 pic.twitter.com/X4WRvFPhYJ

— Dennis Crowley (@dens) August 24, 2016

No word on the cause or the extent at this moment. The fire, which appears contained to the roof, did not make it to the @FDNYalert... One witness said that the smell of smoke is strong for several blocks.

Updated... via the comments: "according to neighbors who eye witnessed the event, an air conditioner caught on fire. firemen had to ascend through the adjacent building and douse the flames from the roof."

Out and About in the East Village

In this weekly feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village.



By James Maher

Name: Craig
Occupation: Musician/Graphic Designer
Location: 9th Street
Time: 4:15 on Monday, Aug 22

I was born in Queens, but I’ve been here in this neighborhood since 1976. A lot of my friends lived here, and it was the East Village. It was a lot different than this. People didn’t east go beyond First or Second Avenue.

It was like not living in the city, because it was so desolate. It was very empty, because a lot of stuff beyond Avenue B was all abandoned. It was like a quiet neighborhood with hardly any people. I thought it was nice. The occasional gunshot; that was it.

I’ve lived in at least eight or nine different places in this neighborhood, uptown, on the west side. I’ve been all over the place, but mainly here. I mostly lived in storefronts because I liked having a backyard, but it wasn’t cheap so much. It was cheaper than other places, but it wasn’t exactly cheap. I think right about then, you could get a walkthrough for $75 a month before 1975, but then all of a sudden the prices just went up.

There were so many little clubs around here, especially the Puerto Rican social clubs, but they’re all gone now. There were so many of them, little bars... There was all sorts of little stuff around here. Sometimes they were open for a week; sometimes they were open for a couple months, but that was it.

I was a graphic designer, artist, musician — stuff like that. I started out in publishing. I was a graphic designer and then after about 10 years I went into advertising and then stayed in that for 10 to 15 years, but I didn’t really like that. So now I’m just hanging around. I had always been a musician since high school. I went to school for music. I play guitar and I used to play violin but I haven’t played that in years. I played in miscellaneous bands.

I don’t think anyone actually thought anything important was happening around here. We were just trying to survive and have fun. There was all sorts of stuff going on at the time, and I think people didn’t really have to stick to one thing to make a living. Now it’s just suburban. Once I saw all these people having kids here, I knew the neighborhood was gone. I guess that was around 1988 or 1991.

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.

Former Dempsey's space transformed into the Gray Mare on 2nd Avenue

[Photo from Aug. 14]

In recents weeks workers have been transforming the former Dempsey's space into... something.

And yesterday, EVG correspondent Steven got a look at the new exterior here at 61 Second Ave. between Third Street and Fourth Street... complete with new signage...


[Photo by Steven]

No word yet exactly what The Gray Mare will bring... at first glance it looks to have a similar pub vibe like Dempsey's owner Tom O’Byrne's other nearby establishments — Slainte at 304 Bowery and Cooper’s Craft and Kitchen on Second Avenue at East Fifth Street.

After 24 years, O'Byrne, who also owns the building at 61 Second Ave., decided to close Dempsey's in April. We reached out to O'Byrne last week for a comment on the new space, though didn't hear back.

Former wine and liquor store to become a wine store on Avenue A

The plywood tumor arrived late last week at 196 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street.

The DOB signage shows a storefront rendering...



... the sign on the door here shows a business named Convive...



We found a job listing for the incoming shop that offered a few more details about the business:

Convive is a new retail store in the East Village of New York City that believes the process of buying wine should be easy and enjoyable. We build strong relationships with clients because we enjoy engaging with them: we create and seek out shared experiences. Additionally, we provide our clients with excellent customers services, rare/allocated wines and vast expertise.

The previous tenant here, Avenue A Wine & Liquor, closed about this time last year.

Late last year, Dalan Management and real-estate investing firm Avenue Realty Capital bought 194-196 Avenue A and 503-505 East 12th Street for $16.8 million.

Another no for Cholo Noir

Renovation work carries on at 503 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B... where there are plans for Cholo Noir, a restaurant serving Southern California-style Mexican with a bar and art gallery.


[Image via Facebook]

In June, the proprietors, Lennard Camarillo and Arlene Lozano, appeared before CB3 in June for a new liquor license for the space.

CB3 recommended to deny the application for a variety of reasons, according to the official minutes from the June meeting. For starters, there are 25 full on-premises liquor licenses within 500 feet of the address... plus CB3 didn't see how a Southern California-style Mexican
restaurant was a public benefit given the number of places in the neighborhood to get the same kind of food. In addition, the applicants only collected seven signatures of support from neighbors, according to the CB3 minutes.

However, the Cholo Noir folks returned to face CB3 on Monday during the August meeting. As Bowery Boogie reported, the applicants made their pitch: "There would be an authentic vibe imported from the West Coast; street artist Chico would be the first artist in a monthly rotation of work. CB3 wasn’t so much feeling it, and denied the application."

The owners have put a lot of work into the space to date. Camarillo told DNAinfo that "his team will take its case directly to the State Liquor Authority in hopes the agency rules against the board’s recommendation." If granted a license, then they plan to be open in October.

As noted previously, in 2014, Camarillo and Lozano won the New York Public Library's annual business plan competition, scoring the top prize of $15,000.

No. 503 was previously home for five weeks to Long Bay, a Vietnamese restaurant, last spring. (I don't recall them serving any alcohol.) Several years earlier the space housed Gladiators Gym.

Learn some emergency preparedness tips tomorrow (Wednesday!) on Astor Place

[Call me Snake]

Via the EVG inbox this afternoon...

The New York City Emergency Management Department, Manhattan Community Board 3 and the Village Alliance will host a preparedness fair in the East Village on Wednesday, August 24. [Ed note: Tomorrow!]

NYC Emergency Management staff members, along with representatives from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), FDNY, Con Ed, Small Business Services (SBS), and local community organizations, will be on hand to share emergency preparedness tips ranging from how to beat the heat to gas safety. Residents can also learn basic CPR skills and participate in rock climbing.

NYC Emergency Management staff members will also distribute a range of emergency preparedness materials and show New Yorkers how to prepare for their unique needs. Representatives from the Health Department will distribute information about the Zika virus, DEP will discuss water safety, and FDNY staffers will share information on how New Yorkers can become one of New York’s bravest. FDNY EMS will teach residents basic CPR skills.

New Yorkers are encouraged to stop by to learn how to be prepared for any emergency, including steps to make a plan, gather supplies, and stay informed. Residents will also learn how to join their local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), a program consisting of more than 2,000 volunteers dedicated to helping their communities during emergencies.

Where: Astor Place plaza

When: Wednesday, August 24, 11 AM – 2 PM