At the C-Squat sidewalk sale

Photo by Dave on 7th

Crew members filming Tom Hanks movie 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close' were extremely loud and incredibly close

We received all sorts of WTF reports yesterday afternoon about a low-flying helicopter hovering over parts of the East Village ... specifically Avenue A and East Fourth Street...

[Top three photos by jdx]

[Photo by RyanAvenue A]

And jdx also shot his own film of the filming...



Several readers said the helicopter was filming scenes for a TV show or movie ... Meanwhile, a few other readers said it was for the upcoming movie, "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," a 9/11-related film starring Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock and John Goodman, among many others. The movie is based on the 2005 novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. Here's a confirmation tweet from a very credible source.

How a fruit vendor helped save a bike on First Avenue

Dave on 7th shared this anecdote from yesterday... the incident occurred on First Avenue just north of 14th Street... A DOT crew removed a street sign. A bicycle happened to be attached to the sign. The crew was ready to just leave the bike chained to itself on the sidewalk.

However! A fruit vendor down the block intervened and convinced the crew to reattach the bike to a lamp post near his cart.

A photo that deserves a very clever headline

East 14th Street between Avenue B and C, courtesy of EV Grieve reader AC.

On this date in EV Grieve history in 2009: At Superdive

We originally posted this on June 26, 2009. One of the first of, say, 14,871 posts about Superdive.



Superdive opened last night at 200 Avenue A. (So it was Thursday the 25th after all!)

A reader sent me a fairly lengthy e-mail early this morning after a night out at Superdive. The reader started off by saying: "Maybe you can excerpt something useful from this, but I don't know. It just wasn't that interesting." We'll be the judge of that!

To the reader's e-mail:

Upon entering, confronted with a wall of noise. It's *incredibly* loud. You can't make anything out — total wall of noise.

Near the door are some mini kegs stuck in ice. By the window are guys filling mugs from a mini kegerator. Very fratty, all around. Fratty smell, especially.

We try to figure out the bar situation. Confusing. It looks like there is no bar and patrons are just doing whatever, but really there is a bar. It's just surrounded by patrons. We eventually get drinks. My mixed drink is quite strong. This is good, as it took an eternity to get it. It was served by a bartender wearing legwarmers on her arms. As we're trying to secure drinks, we're hit by a blast of flatulence. Did I mention this place is fratty? We get our drinks and head toward the front. The girls here are CUTE.

There is a live band in the back, playing under an enormous lit sign that reads APPLAUSE. The sign is always lit. I do not clap. There is a guy on piano, trying to sing over the noise, and he's accompanied by a drummer. They're playing "When a Man Loves a Woman."

There are plastic cups everywhere.

We go for another round of drinks. We ask how much, and the bartender says "Ummm.... 30?" as if we're bartering. We pay. It seems fair for the amount of drink we're walking away with.

A cringing girlfriend leading her man away from his friends.

A group of girls enter, high-fiving each other. They are cute.

A guy in a yellow shirt starts to lose composure, head in hands. He's had enough beer.

"Thriller" is played (the pianist/drummer are done now). There is cheering, dancing.

And that's about it. We get bored and go for pizza.

Will someone tag the new mural on Houston and the Bowery?

On Thursday, JR installed "Lakota, North Dakota," the latest mural here... Given that the last two murals on this space were tagged ... bombed ... ripped apart ... we were wondering how people would respond to this...

We spotted a bit of a squiggle this morning...

...and someone already tore off a little sliver of the mural...

Week in Grieview

We learned about tough economic times at the St. Mark's Bookshop (Friday)

Photos from the rent rally march (Monday)

The campaign vs. 'the doorshitter' (Thursday)

We looked at a suspicious cooler (Tuesday)

We looked at the new mural at Houston and the Bowery (Thursday)

5 East Village developments to watch this summer (Tuesday)

PS 122 is closing for renovations (Thursday)

The ICTTS has a new name (Tuesday)

We found out what's coming to the former Miracle Grill space (Wednesday)

Open Road Park closed (Thursday)

The comedy of saving a parking space (Thursday)

Reminders today: Puke Island 2011 in Tompkins Square Park

Per the flyer, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

BFF Bikes

As part of the Bicycle Film Festival 2011 this weekend... the BFF Street Festival Today took to East Second Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue earlier today ... where Bobby Williams paid a visit...

Tompkins Square Park, 9:15 p.m., June 25

"Contempt" via Dave on 7th.

Earlier today on Avenue A

Photo by Shawn Chittle.

Tomorrow in Tompkins Square Park: Puke Island 2011

Per The Shadow website:

Sunday, June 26: ICONICIDE PRESENTS: PUKE ISLAND 2011

As many of you know, the first Punk Island was complete and utter chaos, and 100% free expression. A badly organized bolt from the blue. Without going into detail, it's gotten way TOO organized for a lot of people.

COME ON DOWN to Tompkins Square Park on Sunday, June 26, from 2 pm - 6 pm (one week after Punk Island), and bask in what it used to be.

The schedule at this point is subject to change, and a couple bands need to be confirmed, but right now it looks like:

2PM - The Autistics
2:40 - The Straight Edge Huffers (featuring Johnny Waste)
3:20 - Sexual Suicide
4PM - Agitator
4:40 - Up Your Bucket (members of KILSLUG)
5:20 - Olde York

'Add this to the long list of vanishing New York institutions: Jeffrey’s Meat Market'

In case you missed this report from The Wall Street Journal late yesterday afternoon:

Add this to the long list of vanishing New York institutions: Jeffrey’s Meat Market.

When Jeffrey’s, believed by many to be Essex Street Market’s longest-tenured seller, vacated a couple of months ago, the owner and city officials hoped for its return.

But this week Jeffrey Ruhalter – the business’s charismatic fourth-generation owner – confirmed that he’s not coming back to the city-owned market on the Lower East Side.

“I’m leaving the Essex market,” said Ruhalter, 55 years old. “Right now, honestly I’m still numb from it. I started working there when I was six years old. We moved into Essex Street Market the day it opened and we’ve been there ever since. It’s hard to accept.”

The Lo-Down has more here.

This news prompted BoweryBoogie to ask a bold-faced question:

Seriously, what the fuck is happening to our neighborhood?

Let's try this again: 'Contempt' tonight in Tompkins Square Park

As Esquared alerted us ... someone official postponed last night's free screening of "Contempt" due to the threat of storms and what have you.

So!

The screening is on for tonight...

7:15 PM: Music by DJ Super Jaimie
8:30 PM: Film "Contempt"

Le Mépris | Contempt
By Jean-Luc Godard | 1963
With Brigitte Bardot, Michel Piccoli, Fritz Lang, Jack Palance
In French with English Subtitles
Rated PG | 103 min

Parisian screenwriter Paul Javal (Piccoli) and his wife Camilla (Bardot) join director Fritz Lang and American film producer Jeremy Prokosch (Palance) on the set of new film version of The Odyssey in Italy. Camille is not happy about this long journey away from home and among strangers...

[Image via Nonetheless]