The return of 99-cent pizza?!

Signage is up for a 99-cent pizza spot at 418 E. 14th St. just east of First Avenue along a stretch known for street vendors selling items of dubious quality and origins. 

If this price holds, then it would mark the return of a 99-cent pizza joint. Thanks to inflationary food costs, in late 2021 and early 2022,  the neighborhood's discount slicerias uniformly raised prices by 51 cents and became $1.50 pizzerias.

The storefront was previously a spa specializing in eyebrows and waxing.

Essex Squeeze has closed its 5th Street outpost

Photo by Steven

Essex Squeeze has been dark in recent weeks... and now comes word that the juice-coffee shop has permanently closed here at 300 E. Fifth St. just east of Second Avenue.

Sources tell EVG contributor Stacie Joy that the closure was "due to a rent increase and lack of business."

The cafe, run by LES natives and childhood friends Cedric Hernandez and Charles DeLaCruz, opened its first outpost in Essex Market in 2020. There's also a location in Dekalb Market Hall in Brooklyn.

The EV location opened in March 2022.

This space was previously Idlewild Coffee Co., which closed after just two months in business during the summer of 2020. The owner blamed the presence of the 9th Precinct's police barricades at the time for greatly reducing his foot traffic.

Idlewild took over from another coffee shop — Southern Cross Coffee, which shut down in September 2019 after two and half years in service.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a good-boy photo by Derek Berg) ...

 • Indictment announced against suspect who allegedly murdered James Cunningham on Avenue A last month (Friday) 

• RIP Tom Verlaine (Saturday) 

• La Mama to celebrate the reopening of its renovated home at 74A E. 4th St. (Tuesday) 

• Rent hike forcing Café Cortadito to close on 3rd Street (Monday) 

• The former Charas/P.S. 64 is nearly all sealed up as it awaits its fate (Thursday)

• Bluestockings reopens after a 2-week closure for sidewalk repairs (Tuesday) 

• Crossroads Trading opens on 2nd Avenue (Friday)

• About the 'Kim's Video' doc, which made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival (Wednesday) 

• At the opening of New York's second legal weed dispensary (Tuesday)

• Will it ever snow again? (Wednesday) 

• Check out these 'Creatures of the Night' at Theater for the New City (Tuesday) 

• Papered windows at 101 Avenue A, the incoming home of cafe-bar-music venue Baker Falls (Thursday) 

• Reader report: Toasted Deli has not been open lately (Thursday) 

• Openings: the Office of Mr. Moto on St. Mark's Place (Thursday) 

• A look at the currently closed Mermaid Inn on 2nd Avenue (Wednesday) 

• The Marshal has seized KC Gourmet Empanadas on Avenue B (Friday)

• The 21-story building that replaced B Bar & Grill begins its ascent on the Bowery (Monday) ...and since our Monday post about that new building for the Bowery and Fourth Street, the site had bulked up...

...with an added message on the plywood — "Land Back!!!" ...

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Follow EVG on Instagram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.

City removes the curbside dining space at Eros on 2nd Avenue and 5th Street

This a follow-up to a post from Jan. 15... on Friday morning, the city removed the curbside dining structure from the Fifth Street side of Eros on the NE corner of Second Avenue. (Thank you, Eden, for the tip!) 

On Jan. 10, the Department of Transportation issued a "Termination" notice for the curbside space that ran the length of the Greek restaurant, which hasn't been open in more than five months.

Meanwhile, the indoor space remains dark. 

Eros took over for the diner the Kitchen Sink in September 2021 (same owners) ... management previously changed names from Moonstruck to the Kitchen Sink in the fall of 2015. 

The Eros website still notes that this location is "closed for renovations. Reopening TBA." We had not seen anyone inside the space since the restaurant closed in August. The "temporarily closed" sign is still on the front entrance.

Sunday's opening shot

Bleecker looking east toward the Bowery this morning...

RIP Tom Verlaine

 

Tom Verlaine, guitarist, frontman and co-founder of Television, one of the most influential acts of the CBGB scene in the late 1970s, died today after a short illness. He was 73. 

Per The Wall Street Journal: "Despite its modest sales, Television laid a sonic foundation for decades of punk, alternative and post-punk bands." 

You can read more about his life and work at Variety ... Pitchfork ... The New York Times... BBC ... NPR ... Billboard.

Here's a sampling of the tributes to Verlaine, a longtime East Village resident, on Twitter...

Tom Verlaine 1949-2023

"I've lost a hero.... You introduced me to a world that flipped my life upside down. I am forever grateful." - Michael Stipe pic.twitter.com/csmxXhKPht

— R.E.M. HQ (@remhq) January 29, 2023

Heartbroken and stunned to hear of the passing of Tom Verlaine. What an inspiration to so many guitarists, of which I was one. Brilliantly melodic, intense, orchestral, and groundbreaking. Thank you, Tom. R.I.P. 💔https://t.co/K8GVYEew6E

— Richard Barone (@RichardBarone) January 28, 2023

listened to Marquee Moon 1000 times. And I mean LISTENED, sitting still, lights down low taking it all in. awe and wonder every time. Will listen 1000 more. Tom Verlaine is one of the greatest rock musicians ever. He effected the way John and I play immeasurably. Fly on Tom.

— Flea (@flea333) January 29, 2023

No. Not Tom Verlaine. 💔

— Garbage (@garbage) January 28, 2023

such a fucking drag RIP Tom Verlaine. a wonderful goddamn curmudgeon and a unique talent. he will be sorely missed. pic.twitter.com/TzeTmayRCA

— Byron Coley (@ByronColey1) January 29, 2023

Beautifully lyrical guitarist, underrated vocalist. Television made a new kind of music and inspired new kinds of music. Marquee Moon is a perfect record. Requiescat.
🎈https://t.co/uxt7IMz2rO

— steve albini (@electricalWSOP) January 28, 2023

Playing this one loud for Tom Verlaine

pic.twitter.com/q8VfDOgUcO

— Tim Burgess (@Tim_Burgess) January 28, 2023

More 2023 fretted heartbreak 💔. One of the GREAT Punk lead stylists. Tom Verlaine was a True Downtown HERO. Saddened & bummed to hear it.

— Vernon Reid (@vurnt22) January 28, 2023

Tom Verlaine’s playing meant the world to me. If I ever played anything that sounded like him I was happy. He set me on my path as a guitarist, thank you Tom. pic.twitter.com/wMTvkxuy04

— Will Sergeant (@Will_Fuzz) January 28, 2023

i didn't know him personally, but i felt that tom verlaine's music somehow knew me, if that makes any sense. the way he played guitar, the words he sang, the way he sang them, all resonated with me in a very natural and deep way. thank you for all the happy hours of listening TV pic.twitter.com/lm0892tGj7

— matthew caws (@nadasurf) January 29, 2023

A true original. No one played guitar like Tom Verlaine before or since. Sat crossed legged on the floor on his side of the stage in Roskilde as he played in Patti Smith’s band and that was as close to perfection as you can get. A sad sad day. Rest in Peace Tom 🥲 pic.twitter.com/445yrvH6m8

— Simon Raymonde (@mrsimonraymonde) January 28, 2023

Devastated by this news. Tom Verlaine was a true great. His role in our culture and straight up awesomeness on the electric guitar was completely legendary. Name 10 minutes of music as good as Marquee Moon. You can’t. It’s perfect. Rest in peace Tom x https://t.co/6HAwg5k9PS

— stuart braithwaite (@plasmatron) January 28, 2023

♥️ pic.twitter.com/nC0JkycLDg

— Debbie Harry/BLONDIE (@BlondieOfficial) January 28, 2023

Peace and love, Tom Verlaine. 💔 pic.twitter.com/zewZz0sJQn

— Susanna Hoffs (@SusannaHoffs) January 28, 2023

Went by the book stalls outside Strand yesterday thinking I’d see you as usual, have a smoke, talk about rare poetry finds for a couple of hours, downtown NYC racing by our slow meditations on music, writing - gonna miss you Tom. TV Rest In Peace.

— Thurston Moore (@nowjazznow) January 28, 2023

Definitely feeling weird about the idea of a New York where you might not bump into Tom Verlaine browsing books outside the Strand. Something ended right here.

— Bryan Waterman (@_waterman) January 29, 2023

EVG Etc.: Protests over the killing of Tyre Nichols; reaction to the Mayor's state of the city address

• Local leaders react to Tyre Nichols video (NBC New York) ... Protestors rally in NYC (Gothamist) ... Justice Ride for Tyre Nichols today — meet up at Union Square 2:30 p.m. (@StreetRidersNYC)

• Highlighting the Mayor's state of the city address (The Times ... The City ... Streetsblog ... the Post)

• Chairman Gregory Russ is stepping down from his high-salaried job running the beleaguered NYCHA (The City) 

• Veselka named a James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Restuarant (PIX11)

• An early look at Foul Witch, now open on Avenue A (Eater ... first on EVG) 

• A feature on Lucie Franc de Ferriere, who just opened From Lucie on 10th Street (Vogue ... previously on EVG) 

• NYC bars are stocking up on opioid overdose rescue kits (CBS New York) 

• Councilmember Marte and several community groups file motion to intervene in NYU SoHo/NoHo rezoning expansion case (amNY ... Village Preservation) 

• A few local picks in this listicle on best NYC thrift stores for vintage and designer finds (Harper's Bazaar) 

• Tony Hawk is helping resurrect the legendary skate spot under the Brooklyn Bridge (The Times)

• Catch a screening of "Downtown 81" (Thursday, Feb. 2) at Metrograph on Ludlow Street (Official site)

• An interview with Amy Hill about her show on exhibit now at Fortnite Institute on Third Street (Whitehot Magazine) 

• The long history of a forgotten film that Paul Newman directed on the Lower East Side (The Forward) 

• Anna "Delvey" Sorokin, the fake heiress who now lives in the East Village, is to host a celebrity dinner club series (Deadline) 

• Elsewhere: City whitewashes famed Washington Heights graffiti tunnel (Hyperallergic)

Saturday's opening shot

Early this morning from 10th Street at Third Avenue...

Friday's parting shot

Queen Dolly Parton arrived this week on First Avenue between Ninth Street and 10th Street... courtesy of Captain Eyeliner...

'Steel' breeze

 

Food for Worms, the new record from Shame, comes out on Feb. 24... the video here is for the first single, "Fingers of Steel." 

And you can see Shame live at Warsaw on Driggs Avenue on May 14.

Indictment announced against suspect who allegedly murdered James Cunningham on Avenue A last month

A memorial for James Cunningham on Avenue A 

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg yesterday announced the indictment of Roland Codrington, who's accused of stabbing and killing two men last month in two separate incidents, including 51-year-old James Cunningham on Avenue A on Dec. 19. 

Here's more via the DA's office: 

Codrington is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with two counts of Murder in the Second Degree, two counts of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, one count of Assault in the First Degree, one count of Attempted Assault in the First Degree, one count of Assault in the Second Degree, one count of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree and Possession of a Stolen Vehicle. 

"Roland Codrington allegedly wreaked havoc across the city in a crime spree that left two dead," Bragg said in a statement "Manhattanites deserve to live their daily lives without the fear of being attacked." 

According to court documents and statements made on the record, on December 19, 2022, Mr. Cunningham left a bar in the East Village and Codrington approached Mr. Cunningham outside the bar. Codrington pulled out a knife and slashed Mr. Cunningham in the neck, leaving him bleeding. Mr. Cunningham was pronounced dead at the hospital. in two separate incidents. 

Per media reports, Codrington has 12 prior arrests, including in connection with auto-related crimes in 2022. "In 2021, he was charged with assault with a weapon. Codrington was charged in connection with two assaults with a weapon in 2017," PIX11 reported.

Early on Dec. 19, Cunningham had just left the bar Spike's at 218 Avenue A between 13th Street and 14th Street around 1 a.m. when he bumped into Codrington on the street. 

Video footage at the scene, police officials said, shows the two men arguing for about 20 seconds before Codrington is seen slashing Cunningham with a knife. NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said the two men had no prior connection before Dec. 19. 

Police officials said that the same knife was used in a violent rampage in which Codrington also allegedly killed a doctor in Marcus Garvey Park and assaulted several other people before his arrest on Christmas Eve. 

The Daily News reported that Cunningham was a regular at Spike's ... "who often came into the bar to order a seltzer or soda, never drank alcohol but instead used the bar as a community center." 

One EVG commenter had this to say about Cunningham: "He was my friend for 35 years and was the best type of person. James would have given the last of anything he had so another wouldn't have to go without."

Reminders: Crossroads Trading opens TODAY on 2nd Avenue

Photos Wednesday evening by Steven

ICYMI, a seemingly rare retail debut — Crossroads Trading opens today at 122 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. 

As we reported back in September, the buy-sell-trade-consign retailer for men's and women's clothing and accessories has more than 30 locations across the country, with several outposts in NYC — including on West 13th Street and West 26th Street. 

The company, founded in 1991, works like this: "Customers sell their current, on-trend clothing and accessories for cash or trade credit."  

Crossroads will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with a 7 p.m. close on Sundays.