Week in Grieview: Hard rain, dead trees — and truck nuts

[Watch out Flaming Cactus!]

Workers chopped down trees at 51 Astor Place (Monday)

It rained and stormed and stuff (Friday)

We wondered about the future of Nevada Smith's (Friday)

Bowery Beef leaving the Bowery Poetry Club? (Thursday)

A model and snow on Great Jones (Tuesday)

Spotting truck nuts (Tuesday)

A suspicious fire at the Flea Market Cafe (Tuesday)

A 33-unit apartment building to rise at the former home of a Community Board 3 member (Monday)

Open Mic Night returned to the Sidewalk (Monday)

Your "Lower Manhattan Theme Song 2011" (WOO!) (Wednesday)

And now, 5 random photos from this weekend

Noting some defensive rat tactics in Tompkins Square Park

A few items to note about the defensive tactics vs. the Tompkins Square Park rat population...

For starters, Park workers yesterday removed the decorative trash can wraps that prompted critter-friendly pile ups...

Before!

Now!

We also noticed the presence of a lone baiting station adjacent to the playground on Avenue A at Ninth Street...

There may be others, but we didn't spot them...

We previously noted the arrival of "feed a pigeon, breed a rat" signs ... Will any of this help head off another Media Ratstravaganza?

In a way, it seems as if they never left

Chase branch on the Bowery near First Street.

Today in East River Park

Photos by Bobby Williams.

Noted

Well, the Agata Olek original at Seventh Street and Avenue A is now being used as a trash can.

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Days of wine and ... dogs?

Oh, it's the Dog Days at Astor Wines this afternoon ... where John Marshall Mantel took these photos....

Behold your East Village IHOP

Workers have removed the plywood here on 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... Pretty low-key looking. So far! A quick look inside confirms the interior will be very similar to the one going in Bushwick.

[Thanks to Jennifer at Xoom for the tip!]

Tonight: East Village Flashback

And here's a snippet from "7th Street" (2003) ...

Tagging the Cooper Square Hotel fence III

The Cooper Square Hotel anti-graffiti team is a little slack this morning. In the past, the team would have already wiped away the tag.

Previously.

What a web site

EV Grieve reader Greg McHale sent along this photo this morning from the 9th Street Community Garden.

Storm center

Using up all my storm headlines in one night... Anyway! Many thanks to James Maher for sharing these photos...

Find more of his work here.

The incoming storm tonight

Wow. Photos by Bobby Williams.

It was a dark and stormy night — really

Photo by Crazy Eddie