These are all around... saw them last weekend... and, uh, forgot to post...
Friday, June 18, 2010
Hope that AT&T's "more bars" campaign won't be used here
EV Grieve reader Michael Fivis notes the progress of the incoming AT&T store next to Lulu's Nail Salon on First Avenue and St. Mark's Place...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1q3HhBnkOiTy6k9jC9ffsrIDxNTVZ5NTRkOmpeJfsKqyMo2brJ69OFly-UVqOzizfFVqyqDAs4cYMoQfLL_GEsqGWYRmMdr0fXNeloW3EEV0l7VDVHJPVXSMl42biEK_pBUz8xBZtl_8/s400/photo.jpg)
Thursday, June 17, 2010
NYU's future ...rated T for Terrifying
Thanks to EV Grieve reader Lisa for this link from NY1.
See NYU's proposed future here.
(Fixed the links!)
See NYU's proposed future here.
(Fixed the links!)
Your August 2011 -- planned!
East Village Feed and several readers have pointed out the new teaser for the upcoming Smurfs movie.... which comes out in August 2011. Plan accordingly. No sign of the East Village yet....
Group doesn't want street fairs to suck as badly as they do
From the inbox!
Concluding that the vast majority of New York City street fairs are bland and repetitive, and in need of wholesale changes, the Center for an Urban Future today published a report that features ideas for improving these staples of summer from two dozen innovative New Yorkers, including the founders of successful markets like the New York City Greenmarket, Union Square Holiday Market, Brooklyn Flea and Chelsea Market.
The study, titled “New Visions for New York Street Fairs,” starts from the premise that the city’s current system of street fairs desperately need a makeover. It argues that large numbers of New Yorkers are dissatisfied with street fairs for a variety of reasons: there are so many of them that they quickly blend together (there were 321 of them in 2009); a majority of the vendors sell the same bland merchandise, such as tube socks, sunglasses and gyros; a handful of neighborhoods are inundated by the fairs, with a new one popping up almost every week; and with nearly a dozen street fairs on some weekends, the multiple street closures make driving or taking a cab through the city a nightmare. The study seeks to jumpstart a discussion about how to make these public events less generic, more interesting and better reflective of what’s unique about New York.
“New York’s street fairs have been a disappointment for too long,” says Jonathan Bowles, director of the Center for an Urban Future, a Manhattan-based think tank. “It’s time to throw out the cookie-cutter approach and create street fairs that better reflect this incredibly unique and diverse city. There’s no reason to see the same vendors selling tube socks and gyros at almost every fair when New York has so many one-of-a-kind entrepreneurs and artists.”
A PDF of the full report is available here (PDF)
Looking at affordable homes in the East Village
A reader said that while she enjoyed gawking at the pricy condos with over-the-top amenities that I list on EV Grieve, I would be providing a valuble service by listing more affordble homes.
That's a good idea. So let's take a look!
OK. I couldn't find any. Price is subjective, of course. Still. Not many or any bargains around.
That's a good idea. So let's take a look!
OK. I couldn't find any. Price is subjective, of course. Still. Not many or any bargains around.
The New York of "News From Home"
I recently watched "Chantal Akerman in the Seventies," a five-film set from the Belgian director... I'd recommend all five films... but, of special interest, is "News From Home," a 1977 feature that stars the desolate streets of Manhattan...
Dave Kehr wrote a feature on this collection for the Times back in January ... and Kehr summarizes the film nicely:
There's a scene shot in front of Veselka on Second Avenue and Ninth Street... and here are a few screenshots... You can see the St. Marks Cinema marquee in the background...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbjQMtVms9zQ4pIJZ5szOrRQAN9VSytB1Wg7rOOURKdF4Yqo_3y8NMJ-ogVk5HvilXbilewnoor5-85pRph9WBRyQidj2SndZaGekOB1_RMN9G375Pt_pO3UgLGjUvWZFS4fat1EAko8/s400/P1000436.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6e0MsqIj_BbEC8Yhyphenhyphenmemhv_QuEdudnbcHuAytwdD-ZaQue4gP_oYfoqA9vYe5ZaOfqwP_N5g8n8q2M17RM0QxzpMaLdSOauw0iMi6mM2LC2rtn2kSRcqDHLZNJXOoGSkj6plHsqGmuws/s400/P1000439.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW8nZCeAQzBaVcgfyZ94CSbokDDw4wIuFbWtgaImiCzt2oSQyo7pedWbZBrK7MARFbOeJklov3Ip9r4GFLpo1Gq-eHhfz2mBgtg7pOevA2N-erxzs65bD1g9m-aYLthUd4szqW-TmxWTQ/s400/P1000437.JPG)
And here's a clip of this scene...
Dave Kehr wrote a feature on this collection for the Times back in January ... and Kehr summarizes the film nicely:
"News From Home: has a crowded soundtrack consisting of city sounds blended with Ms. Akerman's own voice, reading increasingly imploring letters from her mother back home in Belgium... we gradually become able to infer a story — this time, of a young woman’s growing autonomy and escape from the past.
Like William Friedkin's "French Connection," "News From Home" has, with time, become a documentary on New York in the 1970s. Lingering shots of pre-gentrified downtown neighborhoods, graffiti-slathered subway cars and the little village of shops and stands that once filled the Times Square station now carry a sense of impermanence and inaccessibility, of a world receding into the past, just as notions of "home" have receded for the unseen protagonist.
There's a scene shot in front of Veselka on Second Avenue and Ninth Street... and here are a few screenshots... You can see the St. Marks Cinema marquee in the background...
And here's a clip of this scene...
More on the Gaelic gastro pub coming to Avenue A; Forbidden City's renewal denied
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgK8V9eklJzwwwpPg9_ilHaXu5JOB8NU-joRgibfHPI1TSFctC_tVICwjYSBHLcsFpxWxSupoALnCSyaYpDkXEh4GWxD2Tgrtq6H_kRbiKwhGMC1QdTYx2mluO5G4Qum0NudAvgI0L8P8/s400/ad.jpg)
So, as I was saying, the CB3/SLA committee granted the transfer of Al Diwan's liquor license to Percy's Tavern on Avenue A and 13th Street Monday night...
The Percy's folks were turned down last month...However, they returned with a stronger concept and better community outreach. The owner, Larry Watson, has lived in the East Village for 25 years, arriving here in 1986 to work as a building super on 11th Street and Second Avenue...
Watson handed out packets to those sitting around him... inside was all the background information a
His mission for Percy's, which is named for 19th-century entertainer William Percy French: "To become such a vital part of the community that Percy's will be the standard."
The chef was on hand, and he said that he aspires to be like Northern Spy around the corner on 12th Street. And he mysteriously wouldn't name the Michelin-starred restaurant where he currently works out of fear of losing that job. (Watson said everyone will be suitably impressed when they hear where he worked.)
In a letter to the CB3, the president of the 13th Street Block Association gave Percy's a rousing endorsement, citing his community outreach and promise to be a good neighbor. Among other things, he vows to close the sidewalk doors at 10 p.m. nightly while the sidewalk tables will be removed at 11 p.m.
Looking at the menu now... bar snacks include pork skins...smoked mackerel on rye... pork cheeks on toast for lunch...they'll also be open for brunch on weekends...
-----
Meanwhile on Monday night... Forbidden City, right next door to Al Diwan on Avenue A, was up for a renewal of their liquor license ... Committee chair Alexandra Militano mentioned that CB3 had just received more than 20 additional complaints about Forbidden City, ranging from patrons making noise, obstructing the sidewalk, drinking outside, vomiting, peeing, etc., etc.
Plenty of nearby neighbors were there to speak out against Forbidden City, which is on the ground level of a multi-use building. Said one 22-year resident: "It has totally destroyed the quality of life in the neighborhood." She said that she made it a point to be in by 10 p.m. on a Saturday to avoid the crowds along that stretch of Avenue A... One resident said the patrons were "sketchy characters" and the place was, overall, "really unbearable."
One of Forbidden City's upstair's neighbors recalled the night last summer in which the bar's off-duty bouncer, Eric "Taz" Pagan was murdered... The resident recalled the horrific imagery of seeing paramedics trying to revive Pagan on the sidewalk. "The scene was just horrible. My daughter asked me what happened. I couldn't tell her. I lied and said that it was some roadside repairs."
(Committee members and the Forbidden City reps said the shooting had noting to do with the bar.)
During all this, three representatives from Forbidden City stood there rather awkwardly, waiting for their turn to speak. And when it came time to talk, well, they seemed a little disorganized and defensive. Several of the neighbors talked about the bar's recent DJ competitions, which have drawn huge crowds. The bar reps foolishly tired to describe exactly what this is ... "It's not a competition ... it's a DJ showcase." Ah, well!
The bar manager said that this was his first managerial experience... the owner asked the committee for their advice on how to keep the sidewalks clear... everyone got a lecture from Militano, from the residents who waited until right before the meeting to register complaints... to the Forbidden City management for failing to be proactive.
After nearly of an hour of all this, the committee denied Forbidden City's request for a renewal... it now goes to the full CB3 board on June 22...
-----
I bailed after nearly four hours and four items... there were nearly 30 more on the agenda... Eater correspondent Gabe Ulla gamely stayed until the wee hours...
As he reported for Eater:
* There was plenty debate for SRO... the grotesquely named new eatery proposed for the former SRO at the Bowery and Stanton... "the board wasn't exactly fond of Olsen naming a swank wine bar in an actual SRO building -- SRO ... But like the board concluded in the end, it's a changing neighborhood and there's little they can do to stop that." Approved! (Read BoweryBoogie's coverage of this place here.)
* A new eatery was approved for 40 Avenue B, the short-lived Dominican restaurant Chabela's. The place will be called Little Printz Cafe, a "global Jewish" restaurant that will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.
* In other items from Eater, One and One and Spina were approved for sidewalk cafes while TKettle on St. Mark's Place was denied their beer/wine upgrade.
Previously on EV Grieve:
CB3 deadlocked over new "fast-food Italian" at former Graceland space; 7-Eleven next?
Hey, what's for dinner?
Just looking at the floor-to-ceiling goodness of the Copper Building on Avenue B and 13th Street... these appear to be the model homes for prospective homesteaders...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_8YBfDFuZWOWVnys8gh_lIZ0vvdam_aNKH7aXIk86Q_qLYFp0YRtuhWQds4izDUAuavQr5YgpB0TcCkkaqxdvR-3vO6zP7_jrLzsxW1LZYVyknB80kelodQiLBT3euSYIW7F2c8zm9X-/s400/P1030559.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTNpAIp9hmtkxDU9_PWzvLSMG38MmOwUqSWssojsDRwJevJwiBl7t9WDHI8Ur1poabVWiqaD4kzMGWb0tvYbNrwXUG-8JpZjhgR_4R8_dJN67fd0Hd8ScEPjxGKJiEO2gtJfC4Cf27Nx2/s400/P1030560.JPG)
Well, I hope the new residents get curtains or something before anyone moves in... or will we always be treated to a show?
Well, I hope the new residents get curtains or something before anyone moves in... or will we always be treated to a show?
Meanwhile, across the street from the Copper Building...
A newish ad for 13th Street at Avenue B...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgom7yeFeRAZwWX0Kaz8EYTpeNANkmegchmCYcAjGtFRJ3FSTHkPN1UBxWUZKTnqUrhIyEAntCKh2OroDJWeVYbmbzeyhG-FF9AtV3VJtAC99SPDPhkpeZ6gtd0Rs9UF56xVtgrVBAGrjc/s400/P1050053.JPG)
... was this based on market research for incoming Copper Building residents...?
... was this based on market research for incoming Copper Building residents...?
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Imagining Avenue A and Second Street with a 7-Eleven
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDqYQsVbGifSQTLIq0BF7Y5usWOV28LJVGJ3KqyyoE2eU_enZqVbijErE_C5bB1eZk8TMxIW6db_nzzYIbEW73ZjtINUv5WDE-jnuxk9breToL0Q0QbWIcocionmm8dPe_2XQeB7RD8U/s400/711.jpg)
OK, this is half-assed Photoshopping at its finest... still... just trying to wrap my head around this... picking up on the vigorous debate from yesterday (thank you to everyone for the spirited comments)... As you know, EV Italian eatery guru Frank Prisinzano said on Monday night that the landlord of the former Graceland space on Avenue A and Second Street had four prospective tenants: Frank's fast-food Italian joint, a bank, a 7-Eleven and a bank.
Of course it's very possible this was just a scare tactic... still, given 7-Eleven's recent emergence in Manahattan, it's probable. (As The Real Deal reported, the chain is planning on opening 100-150 new locations in the five boroughs inthe coming few years.)
Regardless, Prisinzano's dream of another outpost isn't dead despite the CB3/SLA committee's deadlock Monday night -- the full CB3 will hear this whole thing again next week.
There are no easy answers here... Jill puts it into some perspective in the comments about life with another Frank here:
The issue with that space is that it is huge, not that anybody thinks it will become a bar. He also put in for a sidewalk cafe ... I believe the total occupancy quoted was 190. That's a hell of a lot of people to bring to that corner all at the same time, with loads of turnover ("5-10 minute wait for fast food.") Do the math -- potentially 1,000 people coming in there every night if it's truly an in and out kind of place that is successful. Crikeys.
Indeed. I imagine the new suitor for this prime space will remain a hot topic this summer... is there any compromise?
A campaign against Dogs Tied Up
I received a note the other day from an EV Grieve reader who has had enough with seeing unattended dogs tied up around the neighborhood (and other parts of the city) ... The resident, who also works in the East Village, has dogs of his or her own... and, well, here's some background:
"My biggest pet peeve is people who tie their dogs up to fire hydrants, parking meters, lamp posts and such. While they do their shopping, dining, drinking -- what have you. They think they are 'multitasking' but in reality they are subjecting their beloved family pets to thievery, abuse and death."
So the resident started a blog dedicated to tied-up pups... appropriately titled Dogs Tied Up NYC. (There's also a Facebook page.)
"From here on out I will be taking photos of dogs that I see tied up. And I will sit and wait until their owners show up. And they will be riddled with questions as to why they left their family pet tied up unattended. They will not have a legit answer, cause there is NO excuse."
[I took the top photo outside Cotto Cafe on Avenue C and Eighth Street earlier this summer.]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)