What's new below 14th and B?

Here's a street-level look at 14th and B...



Preliminary work started in the summer of 2017 on building new entrances at Avenue A and a new power station at Avenue B.

The weekly L Project newsletter provided an update on what's happening below the streets here ...


[Photo by Trent Reeves/MTA Capital Construction]

Our new substation on 14th Street and Avenue B has floors, walls and a ceiling. That means it's time to start installing the equipment. Here the industrial grade fans arrive, which will help maintain the right temperature in the substation.

The L-train slowdown began on April 26, and is now expected to be finished within a year.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Nightmare scenario for residents who learn that 14th Street and Avenue A will be the main staging area for the L-train reconstruction

Strings Ramen signage arrives at 188 2nd Ave.

As noted last month, Strings Ramen was prepping to be the next tenant for 188 Second Ave.

And yesterday, the Strings signage arrived on the scene here at 12th Street.

According to materials at the CB3 website, the proprietors were previously involved with the now-closed Lotus Blue Dongtian Kitchen and Bar on Union Square West. The liquor license application didn't mention any connection to Strings Ramen, a regular on the best-of ramen lists in its home turf of Chicago and the United States.

The logo that arrived at No. 188 is the same as the logo of the expanding Chicago-based shop

The restaurants at 188 Second Ave. haven't fared well in recent years. Lumos Kitchen lasted three months in 2018. Others to make quick departures in the past four years were Hot Pot Central, DumplingGuo and Dumpling Go.

H/T to the Bagel Guy!

[Updated] Another bubble tea chain setting up shop in the East Village

One Zo, a bubble tea brand from Taiwan, is opening an outpost here on Third Avenue between 13th Street and 14th Street...



And what might set One Zo apart from the other recent bubble-tea establishments to arrive in the East Village of late (here and here and here and here and here, for starters)?

Per the One Zo website:

Since the invention of bubble tea in the 1980s, it spread all over the world and became the most popular Taiwanese drink. Before One Zo was established, every bubble tea shop would only serve one type of tapioca pearl, the honey black boba, a prepackaged tapioca that can store for 8 months or longer. We wanted to break this tradition and show our creativity and passion in boba, and that was when One Zo was found.

We came up with the idea of making boba in our own store so everyone could experience how fresh boba tastes. Although it took countless trials and failure to create different boba flavors, we became the world's first bubble tea brand to make fresh boba in-store. While our boba does not have the typical long shelf life, we hope you will feel our passion and enjoy our boba.

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Updated!

The shop is now open...



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So much bubble tea! The Wall Street Journal recently explored the ongoing bubble-tea bonanza:

Bubble tea is hardly a new phenomenon. The drink traces its roots back to Taiwan in the ‘80s, according to those in the industry, and made its way to New York City at least a decade ago.

The current growth in bubble-tea shops reflects the increasing interest in Asian food and beverages, observers of the culinary scene said. As for why so many chains are coming up with new twists on the drink, it speaks to the need to differentiate in a more crowded market, said observers.

“It’s looking for that competitive edge,” said Stephen Zagor, an instructor and former dean at the Institute of Culinary Education and an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School.

But some wonder if the bubble will burst, so to speak, and the interest in the drink will diminish. Then again, Danielle Chang, founder of LuckyRice, a lifestyle brand that promotes Asian food events, said the same could have been said of Starbucks Corp. and the gourmet-coffee trend of decades ago.

Ms. Chang is convinced that bubble tea, in all its variety, is here to stay. “It’s a sign of Asian cuisine going mainstream,” she said.

Sunday's parting shot

A tale of two St. Mark's Places today... photo by Derek Berg...

Week in Grieview

[Current view of the NE corner of 3rd Ave and St. Mark's]

Posts this past week included...

The Associated on 14th Street in Stuy Town is said to close by year's end (Monday)

At the Gem Spa Cash Mob (Monday)

A visit to ANNA on 5th Street (Thursday)

RIP Gigi Watson (Tuesday)

2nd Avenue gas explosion trial enters 2nd week (Monday)

Reports: 89-year-old woman attacked in her home, robbed of money for husband's tombstone (Friday)

The East Village Vintage Collective celebrates 4 years on 12th Street (Friday)

What's left of the northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place (Tuesday)

Report: Cops blame cyclist for being assaulted on his bike (Friday)

Grant Shaffer's NY See (Thursday)

Community gardeners to rally at City Hall (Wednesday)

Remembering Ric Ocasek (Monday)

Workers officially reach the top at 11 Avenue C, where a 10-floor building sits on the neighborhood's last gas station (Monday)

First pumpkins of the season at Westside Market on Third Avenue...



"Mom-and-Pop Storefronts," now on display at the Theater For The New City Gallery through Oct. 27 (Thursday)

The Dip is coming to St. Mark's Place (Friday)

Orientation underway at the Boys' Club for the 2019-2020 school year (Monday)

The all-new 149 Avenue B emerges (Monday)

Trash PSA on Avenue A (Saturday)

4 opportunities to talk with the 9th Precinct about crime-safety concerns (Sunday)

Construction watch: 75 1st Ave. (Tuesday)

Construction watch: Houston House (Thursday)

Some sprkl for Gem Spa (Wednesday)

Police searching for suspect who robbed the Dunkin' Donuts on 14th Street near Avenue B (Tuesday)

Kolkata Chai Cafe aims to bring authentic South Asian vibes to 3rd Street (Wednesday)

Unpacking what there is at the Moxy East Village, now open on 11th Street (Tuesday)

157 2nd Ave.is for rent (Monday)

... summer officially ends ... photo in Tompkins Square Park Friday by Vinny & O...



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Friday night at the Bambi One-Hour Cleaners on 2nd Street

EVG reader David shared these photos from Friday night... he encountered a well-dressed crowd in line for the Bambi One-Hour Cleaners here on Second Street between Avenue A and Avenue B...



The signage is part of a new installation at the Karma gallery by Alex Da Corte titled "Marigolds."



Friday was the opening reception... and the show ends on Nov. 3. Karma opened here in November 2016. There are also several unconfirmed reader reports that Karma is also taking over the former Sugar Sketch space on the block...

Last day for the Feast

The 93rd Annual Feast of San Gennaro ends today (after 11 days) on Mulberry Street. A good time to visit is about now — four hours before it officially opens for the day at 11:30 a.m.

You can visit the official Feast site for a list of today's activities.

Saturday's parting shot

A scene from the march and rally this afternoon to save East River Park... EVG contributor Stacie Joy was on hand... we'll have more photos and details later...

Last weekend for the LUNGS Harvest Arts Festival

The 8th annual LUNGS Harvest Arts Festival concludes tomorrow in the neighbor's 50-plus gardens, which are hosting a variety of performances, concerts, workshops and other related events. Today's highlights include a Secret Garden Treasure Hunt that spans 10 gardens.

Check the LUNGS website here for the garden-by-garden schedule after the rally for East River Park.

Trash PSA on Avenue A

EVG reader Annabelle shares this from the southwest corner of Avenue A and Ninth Street... apparently the mayor's solar-powered Big Belly trash can is out of service (Day 21 per the sign).

Despite the obvious problem with the Big Belly, people continue to stack trash on top on the pile of trash...



Staff from Doc Holliday's is behind at least some of the signage...



Updated 9/22

Someone cleaned up the trash... but the Big Belly is still broken...

Today is the march and rally to Save East River Park

Reminder: Today (Saturday!) is the march and rally tomorrow to protest the city's plan to bury East River Park with eight feet of landfill starting this March as part of protecting the east side against future storms and rising seas.

The march begins at noon in Tompkins Square Park. Demonstrators will march through the neighborhood across the Sixth Street footbridge to East River Park. At 1:30 they’ll rally at the Labyrinth (north of the Williamsburg Bridge) followed by a parade down the promenade to a burial site beneath a tree with a 10.5 foot circumference.

Community group East River Park Action is behind the march and rally.



According to Patch, local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera, who has been called out in posters for the march, has advocated "for staged construction to avoid a full park closure but has not outright opposed the plan." She holds a key vote when the plan comes before City Council this fall.

Friday's parting video clip

Several East Village school children make their way along St. Mark's Place to join thousands of other protesters as part of the Global Climate Strike today.

New York City Public Schools granted its 1.1 million students permission to skip school to join the march, which began at Foley Square and then proceeded to Battery Park.

Video by Vinny & O.