#NoKidsInCages spotted on 2nd Avenue

[Photo by Derek Berg]

Caged installations are appearing around the city this morning, including on Second Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street.

The cages are reportedly part of a movement by NoKidsInCages.com, which advocates for the immediate end of the separation of children from their families at the border and aims to reunite the children separated.


[Photo via EVG reader Chris]

NBC 4 reports that the NYPD removed the cage left on Sixth Avenue and 48th Street outside the Fox News studios.

And the police were apparently ready to take away the one on Second Avenue too...


[Photo by Mike House]

The 14th Street busway debuts on July 1

[EVG file photo]

The 14th Street busway launches July 1, the DOT said this week.

In April, the city announced that an "experimental new transit improvement" would take place early this summer to help move commuters in Manhattan during the L-train restoration.



Here's more on what to expect. Starting July 1, private through-traffic will be banned between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. on 14th Street between Third Avenue and Ninth Avenue. Buses, trucks and emergency vehicles will be given priority in the center lanes between Third Avenue and Ninth Avenue. Cars will be allowed to make pickups and drop-offs as well as access local garages.

And how will the city patrol all this?

Here's Curbed:

To enforce the busway, new cameras on the buses will issue tickets to those violating the street’s new restrictions. But drivers will be given warnings and tickets will not be issued until at least September...

The busway also harkens the arrival of the new M14 Select Bus Service, which features off-board fare payments and all-door boarding. To also help speed up travel times, the MTA is eliminating 16 stops (down from a proposed 22) along the M14A and M14D routes (but not without a fight from local elected officials and some residents who were upset about the loss of the stops).

Per amNY:

The current M14 A and M14 D routes have an average speed of about 3.8 miles per hours — just a bit faster than the average human walking speed of 3.1 miles per hour and much lower than the citywide bus average of 7.4 miles per hour.

...and...

[T]he MTA and city tout that SBS treatments work, improving travel time between 10% and 30%. Citywide SBS routes are about 27% faster than other local or limited-stop bus routes.

The city continues to install SBS ticking machines along the M14 routes, such as here on Avenue A between Houston and Second Street...


[Photo from June 7]

Tai Thai is back in action

Tai Thai is up and running again at 78 E. First St. near First Avenue after a nearly one-week closure for renovations.

A reader shared that the interior has been painted and the tables reconfigured to accommodate a few more diners.

Ravi DeRossi bringing Indian cuisine to his former Fire & Water space on 7th Street

We noted last month that Fire & Water, East Village restaurateur Ravi DeRossi's attempt to veganize sushi and dim sum, had closed at 111 E. Seventh St.

Looks as if he figured out what he wants to do with the space here between Avenue A and First Avenue.

DeRossi is on CB3's SLA docket tonight for a beer-wine license for a vegan Indian restaurant called Night Music (to pair with his restaurant Ladybird right next door), per the questionnaire posted on the CB3 website. (This item will not be heard this evening, as DeRossi agreed to CB3's stipulations in advance.)

The restaurant, seating 44 guests, will be open daily from 5 p.m. to midnight. No word on an opening date just yet.

Updated 6 p.m.

DeRossi shared a logo for the restaurant. (We also had the name wrong — it's Night Music...)

Squish Marshmallows only taking appointments for the summer

[Photo by Steven]

In case you had plans to pop into Squish Marshmallows in the weeks ahead, the sweets shop at 120 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue is only open by appointment this summer ... as well as via online ordering or delivery.

Here's the word from Squish via Instagram ...

View this post on Instagram

⚡️ANNOUNCEMENT⚡️this Summer, we'll be working on some exciting things, behind the scenes! so, our shop will be appointment only*, but still shipping nationwide, offering local delivery with our delivery partners, catering, and hosting events, pop-ups, and parties at our shop! want to host a marshmallow decorating class? give us a shout! in the meantime, let us know what you guys want to see more of! videos? BTS with marshmallow making? comment below👇 (*appointments for order pickups and event consultations)

A post shared by squish marshmallows® (@squishmarsh) on Jun 10, 2019 at 12:12pm PDT

Squish opened here in late November 2016.

A moment at Mikey Likes It Ice Cream

Late this afternoon EVG regular Lola Saénz caught up with Michael "Mikey" Cole, the proprietor of Mikey Likes It Ice Cream at 198 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street... where the shop today debuted a custom flavor created by hip-hop artist Benny the Butcher, the aptly named The Butcher (a Sour green apple ice cream with green apple gummy bears and a red apple swirl topped with a fondant butcher cleaver).

Farewell to the leaning tree of 3rd Street

A dispatch from Third Street via Felton Davis, who reports that crews were on the scene here to remove the leaning tree on this block between First Avenue and Second Avenue...



Davis reports that the tree was dead — "most likely from last summer's extensive road work."

[Updated] What is happening at Gem Spa?

Several readers were shocked this morning to see that Gem Spa, a 24/7 hub of activity on the southwest corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place for years, was closed.

Steven took these photos just before 9.



Last week, we heard that Gem Spa was going to reduce its hours, closing from midnight to 7 a.m. Business has been off at the shop since April, when Gem Spa lost its license to sell lottery and tobacco products (with the exception of e-cigs) due to an employee twice selling cigarettes to an undercover underage buyer. The state suspended the store’s license for six months, which apparently also leaves them unable to apply for a license to sell beer.

The Patel family has owned the store since 1986. Mr. Patel has been in declining health, and his daughter Parul is handling the store’s management. EVG contributor Stacie Joy spoke with her outside the shop on Sunday. While she acknowledged some issues with the landlord (he wants a clean look out front, for instance), she didn't give any indication that the shop was in danger of closing. She had ideas on how to help business in the interim, such as offer an "egg cream happy hour."

Meanwhile, the Zoltar machine along with the newspapers were removed from outside the shop in late May. Parul said they don't make a lot of money on newspapers and so the margins are too slim (people also steal them all too often).

Another sign making regulars nervous: The everything-must-go notices outside. According to Parul, they're simply thinning out the back stock of hats, scarves and sunglasses ...




[Photo in April by Stacie Joy]

We'll update this post as soon as we learn more.

Updated 10:40 a.m.



Gem Spa is open, per Steven. Their new hours are 8 a.m. to midnight. And their iced coffee is only $2.

Updated:

Jeremiah Moss has a post on Gem Spa here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A visit to Gem Spa

Amelia and Christo's 2nd 2019 chick dies

[Photo from May 31 by @couplewithoutborders]

Amelia and Christo's second chick, who had fallen ill in recent days, died on Sunday.

Early Saturday morning, the chick fell from the nest, landing in the under-renovation playground in the southeast portion of Tompkins Square Park.

A reader shared this photo as help was on its way.



As Goggla reported, Ranger Rob (aka Rob Mastrianni, a Manhattan Ranger supervisor who lives in the East Village), retrieved the stricken nestling and transported it to the Animal Medical Center.

On Saturday night, the chick was transferred to Wildlife In Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation (WINORR) on Long Island. Unfortunately, "its illness/injuries were just too advanced," Goggla reported.

In late May, this chick's sibling also died. In the past two years, Amelia and Christo have lost three of their four offspring.

It's not known at this time what killed the chicks this year. Per Goggla: "The remains will be sent to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) for testing to determine the cause of illness and death."

Last year, the chick died from a combination of rodenticide and West Nile virus.

In more positive hawklet news, the three chicks in Washington Square Park have fledged. Roger Paw has you covered with their activities at this link.

Reminders: This week's meeting lineup on stormproofing plans for East River Park

As a reminder, here are your opportunities this week to learn more about the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project as the public review process continues:

• ULURP Public Hearing – Parks, Recreation, Waterfront & Resiliency Committee
Tuesday, June 11, 6:30 p.m.
PS/MS 188 – The Island School, 442 E. Houston St. (entrance at Houston/Baruch Drive)

• CB6 Full Board Meeting
Wednesday, June 12, 7 p.m., 433 First Ave. between 25th Street and 26th Street (NYU School of Dentistry), Room 210

• CB3 Parks, Recreation, Waterfront & Resiliency Committee Meeting
Thursday, June 13, 6:30 p.m., Henry Street Settlement Youth Services Gymnasium, 301 Henry St. (CB3 posted several relevant documents on the project here ahead of the meeting.)

Last fall, the city unveiled an updated plan, which took residents, community leaders and local-elected officials by surprise after years of outreach and groundwork. The revamped plan — released without any community input — is radically different than what had been discussed. City officials have said in various presentations that this approach will provide a reduced construction time, resulting in an operable flood protection system for the 2023 hurricane season and future sea rise.

Creating the intricate flood protection system would see the city close East River Park for up to three and a half years starting in March 2020.

Also, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement is available for public comment until Aug. 15. Find those details on how to comment here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Here are the next meetings for you to learn more about stormproofing plans for East River Park

A look at 131 1st Ave., currently being divided into 3 retail spaces

The gutting of 131 First Ave. at St. Mark's Place continues.

There's not much left of the single-level structure, which was home for years to Foot Gear Plus.




[Photo by Steven]


[Photo by Steven]

The property had been on the sales market, with a pitch mentioning 4,150 square feet of air rights.

According to a filing that hit public records in November, the property changed hands for $3.85 million. The new owner is an LLC that shares an address with HUBB NYC Properties LLC, a real-estate operating company.

However, workers are now dividing the storefront into three spaces — without any vertical extension. Per the listing at Meridian Retail Leasing:

• Single story commercial building delivered vacant in the East Village.
• Corner property with excellent visibility in highly trafficked location.
• Prime value-add opportunity to establish a retail or food and beverage presence.

The storefront rendering via Meridian Retail Leasing shows the graffiti intact on No. 131's surrounding walls ...



The largest of the three spaces (510 square feet) has a monthly rental ask of $11,000. The smallest (410 square feet) space seeks $9,000.


[Click on image to go big]

As for Foot Gear Plus, Tony Scifo, who opened the shop here in 1980, told this to EVG contributor Stacie Joy last July: "After several years of peaks and valleys in business there were just too many valleys. Companies now sell direct to consumers and once they started offering free shipping it was all over. This is happening everywhere, not just locally. The landlord wanted us to stay. She offered us a fair price and she's been great. We just couldn't make it."

Supper's 1970s-style subway-car look on 2nd Street

A legendary NYC graffiti artist has created murals for the awnings at Supper on Second Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.



East Village restaurateur Frank Prisinzano (Frank, Lil' Frankie's) commissioned GHOST, described as "one of the last kings of the New York City train writing era," to do the work on the restaurant as well as the building next door, home to Flux Studios.

GHOST and GIZ completed the 1970s-style work last week.

"Back in the 70s and 80s graffiti was what made me feel at home in NYC," Prisinzano told me via email. "It gave off a constant urban pulse that I think was very calming for everyone. The idea that street art can’t be suppressed and that it’s really the neighborhood bulletin board is what I want you to feel when you look at the work we just did at Supper."

Here's a better look via this photo by EVG regular Salim...


[Click to go big]