Max moving to Williamsburg; closing Avenue B space

[Yun Cee Ng for New York]

On Tuesday, Eater reported that Max, the 12-year-old Italian place on Avenue B near Fourth Street, was opening a new location in Williamsburg this spring. In a follow-up piece today, The Wall Street Journal reported that Max is actually closing its East Village location.

Luigi Iasilli, an owner, wrote in an email that he plans to close the East Village location as the neighborhood is getting "slow."

"I finally found what I believe I was looking for," he said of his Williamsburg site. "For me, [it is] going back to the roots, small space, $3,000 rent, a small yard, a mixed ethnic neighborhood with only a bodega across the street."

Slow?

Anyway, this departure will leave four empty storefronts on the east side of Avenue B between East Fourth and East Third Street. Just think — four new bars.

Let's take a walk along Avenue A in the East Village in 1997

This is the third and, sadly, last in the series of 1997 East Village streetscene shots by EV Grieve reader Dave Buchwald. (Read the back story about these photos here.) Today, we'll walk south down Avenue A, perhaps even zipping off the street for a moment...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Let's take a walk along First Avenue in the East Village in 1997

Let's take a walk along Second Avenue in the East Village in 1997

More photos of the apartment with the garage door for a living-room wall on East 14th Street

On Tuesday, we pointed out the article from The Wall Street Journal on the Brownstone East Village, the architectural wonder at 224 E. 14th St. near Third Avenue. Bill Peterson, the architect behind this, is selling his second-floor home for $2.499 million.

Anyway, the Corcoran tumblr posted more photos of apartment ... given how we're both fascinated and horrified by this place... we thought we'd share these action shots...

There's an Open House (so to speak!) Sunday from noon to 2 p.m.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Finally, your chance to own the 3-level penthouse at the Brownstone East Village

Renovations begin at 26 First Ave.

Renovations began yesterday on First Avenue at Second Street at the former Cafe Rama. Last fall, the Bean had plans to take over this space, though they ultimately decided to focus instead on the new locations on Second Avenue/Third Street and First Avenue/Ninth Street.

Work permits, which the city issued Wednesday, don't provide too much information. The usual all-cap crap:

INTERIOR MODIFICATION AND ALTERATION AT THE EXISTING 1ST FLOOR (CORNER) COMMERCIAL SPACE, RELOCATION OF EXISTING HOOD AND COOKING EQUIPMENT. STORE, FRONT AND CARPENTRY WORK. NO CHANGE IN USE, EGRESS, OR
OCCUPANCY.

One trusted tipster believes that the people who run the Cloister Cafe on East Ninth Street near Second Avenue are behind this new, unnamed venture...

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Bean is not taking over the former Rama Cafe on First Avenue

EVG repost: Foreigner affairs

This weekend, Film Anthology Archives is screening a handful of works by Amos Poe, including "The Foreigner." Which reminded me of this post from October 2009.

I recently had an event in my life — the kind in which people may give you birthday presents. [Pause for applause] A family member with the best of intentions asked me for a few suggestions — a book, DVD, CD. That kind of thing. So I came up with a short list. On that list: Amos Poe's "The Foreigner," complete with some great shots of the EV via 1978. (Alex recently wrote about this film...) And on this glorious day, I opened the package. And....


Well, it's no "Half Past Dead" — but what is?

Armed men robbed the Metro PCS store on East 14th Street twice last month: cops

The NYPD is looking for two men who have robbed the Metro PCS store on East 14th Street at First Avenue twice last month — Jan. 6 and Jan. 20, according to a Crimestoppers report in DNAinfo. Police say the armed men also held up an Upper East Side pharmacy.

[During the Jan. 6 robbery, via NYPD]

Both of the suspects are described as 40 to 50 years old, 5-foot-10 to 6-foot-1 and 150-200 pounds.

Police said they were wearing dark clothes and latex gloves. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). DNAinfo has a video too.

Crazy Eddie sent us these photos of the Metro PCS store last week...

Red-tailed hawk lets rat live to see another slice of bread in Tompkins Square Park

So, this afternoon, the red-tailed hawk locks in on a potential snack in Tompkins Square Park...

But, as Bobby Williams notes, the hawk didn't bother the rat.

Maybe the hawk is letting him fatten up on that bread.

More wannabe models on the Bowery

Outside Patricia Fields this afternoon. Photos by Bobby Williams.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Jazz legend Giuseppi Logan in Tompkins Square Park earlier this week. By Bobby Williams]

A feature on director Amos Poe, whose films will play at Anthology Film Archives this weekend (The Wall Street Journal)

About those bogus Gem-Spa-has-closed rumors (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Bar etiquette signs of the East Village (Capital New York)

Introducing Tripping With Marty (Tripping With Marty)

Man who brought us AvalonBay Communities now working for the Housing Authority (Crain's)

12 East Village/LES restaurants that have expanded to Williamsburg (Eater)

The rather doomed corner of Essex and Houston (BoweryBoogie)

Delancey Underground looks for support via Kickstarter (The Lo-Down)

Vintage Talking Heads (Flaming Pablum)

Thor's new Coney Island building on Surf Avenue is fucking horrible looking (Amusing the Zillion)

Madonna on her forthcoming tour: "People spend $300 on crazy things all the time, things like handbags. So work all year, scrape the money together, and come to my show. I’m worth it." (Newsweek)

And several readers noted a late-night trash-can fire in Tompkins Square Park near Avenue A and St. Mark's Place. Per an EVG Facebook friend: "Fire ... was being stoked by a half naked, gyrating man."