'The Legend of Zelda,' bus edition

Nintendo Switch gamers may be excited to see this promo bus for "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom," the highly anticipated sequel to 2017's "Breath of the Wild" parked on First Avenue by 12th Street... (thanks to EVG reader Tony BonJovi for the pics!).

Nintendo is releasing the title on midnight Friday (on the East Coast). ... and no word on what kind of dungeons may be inside...

A new era for Bush Tetras

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Bush Tetras, the influential post-punk/no-wave band that got its start on the Lower East Side in the late 1970s, have announced a new full-length release, They Live in My Head, due out on July 28.

The band also released the first single, "Things I Put Together," last Thursday ... which Jon Pareles at the Times wrote, "reclaims Bush Tetras' muscle, dissonance and die-hard contrarianism."

Meanwhile, the band recently added bassist (and EV resident) Cait "Rocky" O'Riordan (top right). She joins founding members Cynthia Sley (top left) and Pat Place ... and Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley, who stepped in on drums in early 2022 after the death of Dee Pop in October 2021.

Earlier last week, EVG contributor Stacie Joy met the foursome at Rivington Music Rehearsal Studios as they were preparing for a sold-out show at Union Pool on May 3. 

Afterward, the group walked over to Mughlai Grill Indian Restaurant at 6 Clinton St., running into downtown writer-performance artist Penny Arcade on the way...

The latest iteration of the band has been playing together for several months now.

They plan to work on new material together over the summer ahead of a European tour later in the fall.

"It sounds like when we first started," Sley said, "We're having a lot of fun."

And for the newest member? "It's been exhilarating — the basslines are so much fun," O'Riordan said. "And Steve 'Fucking' Shelley is on drums! We're all levitating all the time, and it's a beautiful thing." 

Check out the new single here...

 

The fruit vendor returns to Astor Place

We may have temporarily lost the cube (Alamo) on Astor Place, but we have gained a fruit vendor. 

EVG regular Lola Sáenz notes that Abdul the fruit vendor has returned to the sidewalk outside 51 Astor Place (and across from Cooper Union) for the first time since the start of the pandemic in March 2020...

Welcome back, Abdul...

&Beer is a new pop-up concept on 7th Street

Ravi DeRossi's vegetable-centric Overthrow Hospitality has introduced a new concept on Seventh Street... last week saw the debut of &Beer at 21 E. Seventh St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square.

The 14-seat counter space will host a rotation of pop-ups throughout the year — beginning with Mushrooms & Beer, led by Avant Garden chef Juan Pajarito. 

Per Overthrow:

&Beer will, naturally, offer a diverse selection of beers on-tap alongside bottles and cans curated by Proletariat's cicerone Ramon Manrique Hung, plus a selection of natural wines, paired alongside a mushroom-focused menu consisting of 12 offerings, all featuring mushrooms in various forms. The team has worked with local purveyors like Smallhold and Mushroom Queens to devise the focused menu.

The new spot is adjacent to Proletariat, which moved here last summer from St. Mark's Place. 

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday from 5-10 p.m.

Tuesday's parting shot

While the cube (Alamo!) is away on Astor Place... previously.

Porta potties arrive in Tompkins Square Park for use during field house renovations

Workers this morning dropped off some porta potties in Tompkins Square Park (thanks to Lauren G. for the photo!). 

The restrooms in the Tompkins Square Park field house are now closed as part of an 18-month renovation getting underway.

In February, a Parks official explained that temporary toilets were not part of the contract "and cannot be supplied during construction." The alternative for public use during this period: The restrooms at the McKinley Playground on Fourth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue adjacent to P.S. 63/the Neighborhood School.

By March, though, Community Board 3 noted that porta potties would be on-site after all. 

Updated: 

A close-up view... (photo by Steven)...

On Astor Place, the cube will BRB to spin again

After midnight, a crew whisked away the cube (aka Alamo) from Astor Place for repairs... with a return expected mid-summer.

As the Times noted, "A crane, a flatbed truck and a couple of city agencies assisted with the getaway."

they stole the Astor Place cube! #NewYorkCity pic.twitter.com/hbypJzFgss

— g 🦅 (@aworldaIone) May 9, 2023

As previously reported (first by THE CITY), the 1,800-pound cube is off to Bethany, Conn., for restoration by Versteeg Art Fabricators — a firm that also restored the cube in 2005.

The cube had been out of commission with structural damage since late 2021. The barricades first arrived around the cube in December 2021, before the city removed them in late April 2022. At the time, we were told that the spinning mechanism for the cube, which manually rotates around a pole hidden in its center, was not working. 

Tony Rosenthal's sculpture first arrived here in November 1967.

And Rosenthal's estate is picking up the estimated repair bill of $100,000. 

From the Times:

Dave Petrie, the director of Rosenthal’s estate, said he was "concerned about the state of disrepair" the cube had fallen into...

"The thesis was, we want to do this," he said. "The cost wasn't the issue. We want Tony's legacy to live on."

And a reader shared this photo from last night after workers packed up the cube...

Fencing off the Tompkins Square Park field house

Photos by Steven

Workers yesterday fenced off the Tompkins Square Park field house as renovations here are imminent (this after the arrival of the construction office on Friday).

The path along the Ninth Street walkway is about half the size now with the fencing (on the positive side, this will make it more difficult to drive through the Park)...     

The space behind the field house — dubbed the Slocum area as it includes the Slocum Memorial Fountain — is now also closed to the public ...

... along with the restrooms... 

The Parks Department website lists a September 2024 competition date for the $5.6-million project (PDF here), which will:

• Upgrade existing restrooms to code

• Upgrade Parks and maintenance and operations space

• Add first aid and lifeguard locker room spaces in the building

• Reconstruct interiors

• Clean and partially repoint exterior brick

In addition, the Tompkins Square mini pool will be out of commission for two consecutive summers. 

This poorly scrawled circle shows roughly how much of the Park will be closed for the next 18 months ...

...the asphalt ballcourt will also be renovated early this summer (or so) ...

Inside Don Ceviche, opening soon on 1st Avenue

Photos by Stacie Joy

Last week we noted that the signage had arrived for the new outpost of Don Ceviche at 57 First Ave. between Third Street and Fourth Street. 

Since then, the quick-serve Peruvian restaurant has added its sidewalk awning (grandfathered in for the businesses at the address). 

Meanwhile, owner Lenin Costas welcomed EVG contributor Stacie Joy inside for a sneak peek...

He says he hopes to open soon — waiting for paperwork ...  this outpost will offer rotisserie chicken, all the ceviches and beer and wine.  

 

The Laurels takes over for Bait & Hook on 2nd Avenue and 14th Street

Workers put up signage yesterday for the new establishment coming to the NW corner of 14th Street and Second Avenue — The Laurels. (Thanks to the reader for the photo!) 

We haven't heard anything just yet about the business. The classified ad for kitchen help states that Dan Fleming ("as seen on Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, Dishmantled") is the culinary director. "This is a fast-growing company that is looking to expand. We welcome all candidates to be part of something new and revolutionary happening in the East Village."

The Laurels takes over for Bait & Hook, which went dark at the start of the year after nearly 11 years in service, and without any notice to patrons. 

Before Bait & Hook, the space was the Meatball Factory, then Hole Foods ... and before that! The Pizza Hut-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's combo, which vanished in 2010. 

The former Mighty Quinn's space is for rent

Photos by Derek Berg

A for-rent sign arrived this past week at 103 Second Ave., where Mighty Quinn's recently closed here at Sixth Street.

Workers last week also removed the 6,000-pound smoker that the BBQ joint had installed when it opened more than 10 years ago...

This was the very first restaurant for the brand, which now has multiple corporate locations in the NYC metro area ... and ownership has been franchising, with outposts in New Jersey, Maryland and Florida... and in Dubai.

Ownership didn't provide a specific reason for the closure (April 10 was the last day), stating, "While we wish to have been able to just keep our first restaurant in the system forever, many realities have made that path impractical."

People into Mighty Quinn's can still have it delivered here via the Greenwich Avenue outpost. 

Monday's parting shot

Photo by Derek Berg 

A Grace Jones lineup on Seventh Street at Second Avenue... I've seen that face before.