That moment when it started snowing

Because nothing says the second weekend in May in NYC more than a few minutes of snow flurries in the late afternoon... video clip here by Michael Quinn from St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue... outside the dearly departed Gem Spa...

Report: East River Park rebuild construction start now set for September

Caught this item in a Politico e-newsletter on Thursday... the first update that I've heard in awhile on the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project, which includes demolishing and rebuilding East River Park ... the full story is behind a paywall:

An ambitious project to protect the Lower East Side of Manhattan from future storms is again facing delays. The city had been scheduled to break ground on the $1.5 billion project this spring, but is now scheduled to begin construction in September, city officials said during a Council budget hearing Wednesday.

The development marks the third delay for the major resiliency effort that was first envisioned in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and is meant to safeguard one of the city's most vulnerable areas to sea-level rise. Still, the de Blasio administration said the city’s five-year timeline for the project should remain intact, despite a delayed start and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has delayed some construction work throughout the city.

“I’m actually moving forward under the assumption that we’re still going to maintain our timeline,” said Lorraine Grillo, commissioner of the city’s department of design and construction.

On Feb. 6, opponents of the city's plan announced an Alienation of Parkland lawsuit on behalf of East River Park Action, a grassroots neighborhood group, and 90 other plaintiffs.

Spring break (temperatures in the 30s edition)

Along Avenue A this morning... when early-morning temps were in the 30s.

Sunny's Florist is open this weekend for Mother's Day

Was nice to see Sunny's Florist back open on Second Avenue at Sixth Street last evening...



The best florist in the East Village will be open today and tomorrow from noon to (business depending) 8 p.m. ... in case you might need flowers for a mother, loved one, frontline worker, etc. ...



They may also stay open for part of next week too.

City Cinemas Village East is selling very large bags of popcorn

In case you are looking for some movie-theater-quality popcorn to enhance your home streaming/DVD viewing... City Cinemas Village East on Second Avenue at 12th Street started (as of yesterday) selling very large to-go bags of popcorn from 4 to 7 p.m. ...

The bags are $20, and it will likely last until, say, 2033...


...it's also a way to help support the theater during the COVID-19 PAUSE...



Thanks to Lola Sáenz for the photos!

East Village crowdfunding update

We've added about 15-plus East Village businesses to our list of crowdfunding campaigns. (First posted on April 13: Find the link here.)

One addition arrived this week for Mary O's, the Irish pub on Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street.

Here's part of the campaign, via the Friends of Mary O's Committee to Keep Local Hospitality Alive:

Along with every other bar and restaurant in NYC, Mary O's has been economically devastated by COVID-19. While owner Mary O'Halloran's customers are missing her authentic, heartfelt "local hospitality" and she cannot for the time being host the birthday and anniversary parties and myriad school functions for which she's famous, Mary continues to do so much for the community — sewing masks, making meals for first responders, the list goes on.

It goes without saying that the financial hit has been brutal, and (astronomical) rent still needs to be paid. Mary would never serve us again if she knew we were doing this, but we'd like to ask you to consider contributing to the Mary O's fund, so that when this is all over — who knows when? — there will be a Mary O's to return to. To have Mary build us a Guinness, celebrate our kid's graduation, gratefully tuck into a shepherd's pie or make a milestone birthday a night of festive fun. And maybe — finally! — win a round of Drag Queen Bingo.

'80s night

Local trio Hennessey has a self-titled EP due out this summer... ahead of that, here's the video for the first single — "Let's Pretend (it's the 80s)."

Learn more about the band via this interview at V Magazine with lead singer Leah Hennessey.

A rooftop musical salute to frontline workers

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

I'm running late and it’s unclear if, due to rain, this event (on April 29) will be postponed. Billed as a citywide symphonic fanfare to honor courageous frontline workers, musicians Frank London (event co-organizer), Tine Kindermann, Tony Geballe and Thomas Linder are already setup on a rooftop on 12th Street near Avenue C.



I arrive a bit breathless, in part due to running in the rain with my heavy equipment, in part to the six flights of stairs, but also my stress that I will miss the strict 7 p.m. start time.

The 7 p.m. Clap Because We Care starts with the traditional banging of pots and pans and then the swell of clapping and cheering takes over, despite the rain, and the musicians — jokingly referring to themselves as the 6 Feet Apart band — start to play.


[Thomas Linder]


[Tony Geballe]


[Tine Kindermann]

Neighbors clap from their fire escapes, windows, patios and rooftops, and for about 10 minutes or so music fills the air. Here's Frank London on trumpet..



Everything seems quiet and still, and quite relaxed when they put down their instruments. Everyone poses for a socially distant group shot before I pack up my equipment and head back downstairs.

With thanks to Robert Galinsky for helping secure the roof and spreading the word of the event!

The East Village Social Distancing All-Stars

Another local musical tribute to note ... going back to Sunday evening for this ...

Here's EVG regular Daniel Efram with a recap:

Two musicians — a trumpeter and banjo player — started playing music from a fire escape on First Avenue near Ninth Street around 6:45, entertaining a couple of dozen onlookers as traffic slowed to accommodate for the welcome spectacle.

Calling themselves the East Village Social Distancing All-Stars, they played jazz with an old-time vibe: "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing," "When The Saints Come Marching In" and The Star-Spangled Banner" were all dedicated to the Essential Workers ...

Dan has a video clip of this here.

Caravan protest on Avenue C addresses racial bias and police violence in social-distancing arrests

[Photos by Louise & Danny]

Dozens of protestors, accompanied by community leaders, gathered outside Police Service Area 4 (PS4) on Avenue C and Eighth Street last evening to speak out against racial bias and aggressive enforcement of social-distancing arrests.



PS4 serves 25 New York City Housing Authority developments for four NYPD Precincts. It's also the station house for officer Francisco Garcia, who was stripped of his gun and put on modified duty following an ugly confrontation last Saturday on Avenue D and Ninth Street.

The incident, caught on video, shows Garcia punching and tackling Donni Wright, a local resident and NYCHA groundskeeper, while shouting the n-word, brandishing a taser and subsequently kneeling on Wright's head.

The Rev. Kevin McCall of the Crisis Action Center was said to organize last night's caravan protest, which included three stops at precincts in Brooklyn. This came on the heels of a New York Times report that revealed that 35 of 40 people arrested by the NYPD for not socially distancing in Brooklyn were black.

"[T]hey were beating us up before social distancing," local activist Shaheeda Smith told PIX11 last night. "Right here on the Lower East Side, they're doing this to Donni Wright. But on the East River, there are people running with no mask on. Not bothering with social distancing. Right at Tompkins Square Park, people are sitting down with wine in their hands, and we're getting thrown down to the floor."

Jill Woodward shared this footage from Eighth and C...

Gem Spa will not reopen

[Photo by Steven]

After a turbulent 12 months (and weeks of rumors), Gem Spa has officially announced that it will not reopen on the corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place.

Parul Patel, who has been running the store that her father Ray has owned since 1986, made a gallant effort in recent months to save the iconic corner shop that dates to the 1930s. However, whatever financial progress she was able to make was not enough to overcome a global pandemic.

Gem Spa released this statement this afternoon:

"It is with a heavy heart that we announce Gem Spa has poured it’s last legendary egg cream and closed its doors forever.

This has been an extremely difficult decision, and one we are heartbroken to make. Forced to close the store due to New York City & State Covid restrictions implemented six weeks ago in the interest of safety to our customers and staff, we had hoped to reopen once things stabilized. Prior to the crisis, it had become increasingly apparent that the evolving character of the area was no longer able to sustain a corner creation like ours.

Coronavirus concerns closed our city, cratered businesses, and ultimately sealed the fate of our (close to) 100-year-old shop.

After careful review and assessment of our options, we have made the heartbreaking but necessary decision to close permanently.

We have enjoyed the most incredible love, support, loyalty and friendship from our neighbors, city, and visitors from around the world. We are, and always will be, eternally grateful to the historical artists, musicians, designers and dedicated denizen’s who saw us as much more than a beloved bodega but an iconic East Village institution.

Although our physical doors are closing, we will live on through our website where we will be highlighting more of our rich history and the iconic figures that have made us who we are. We will also continue to sell Gem Spa branded merchandise as well as art, books and photographs inspired by our store.

The Patel family would like to thank everyone for all the beautiful memories and for the opportunity to serve you. We hope that all of you are staying safe and in good health. Lots of love from all of us to all of you."

The combination of troubles started late last spring, when Gem Spa lost their license to sell cigarettes and tobacco products — a large source of revenue. (A now-former employee reportedly sold cigarettes to an undercover minor.) In addition, their lottery license was suspended last spring for an outstanding debt.

Gem Spa also stopped selling newspapers and magazines, a dwindling revenue source and a marked shift in consumer behavior.

Patel, who launched an Instagram account that emphasized the corner shop's long East Village history and well-liked egg creams, also saw success with the introduction of branded Gem Spa streetwear.

Supporters came together last September for a successful cash mob, which also helped raise awareness of the shop and the ongoing plight of the mom-and-pop business surviving in today's corporatized NYC.

In early March, Patel began to put in a small lunch counter with retro stools as a way to expand Gem Spa's coffee and tea service. However, before the counter could be utilized, Gem Spa closed amid the COVID-19 crisis — this after introducing a delivery service for egg creams.


[Photo from April 2019 by Stacie Joy]

At the time of the closure, Gem Spa was trying to raise $35,000:

"...to make up for the $12,000 we were short for rent that was due March 15 and another $20,500 (combination of rent, taxes, monthly payment plan from a recent lawsuit settlement) due in 3 weeks (April 15th). And the other $2500 is needed for taxes. The lawsuit that we recently settled basically stipulates that the landlord can evict us if we are late twice on rent. We are already late for last week’s rent and if we are late one more time, we will be legally evicted when the moratorium is lifted."

Previously on EV Grieve:
• At the Gem Spa Cash Mob (Sept. 16)

• Get your Gem Spa t-shirts or photos of Madonna — at Gem Spa! (Aug. 16)

• Will you buy a Gem Spa T-shirt? (June 28)

• "Gem Spa is open!" (June 18)

• What is happening at Gem Spa? (June 11)

• A visit to Gem Spa (May 10)

Grant Shaffer's NY See

Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood.