Wednesday, July 11, 2012

City doesn't allow enough time for this woman to safely cross the Bowery


We've been writing about the pedestrian crossing signals on the Bowery at East Third Street and East Fourth Street ... there's a newish 7-second countdown to cross six lanes of traffic...



One reader reported getting clipped by a truck here late night... Goggla noted this: "Too many vehicles blow the red lights and the constant construction makes things worse. Down at 3rd, cars turning north onto Bowery also go way too fast and seem not to care if anyone is trying to cross ... I've definitely had some close calls along this stretch."

And in the past few weeks since our post on June 18, several readers have said that they lodged complaints via 311.

The other morning, we waited at East Fourth Street to get across the Bowery. We followed behind the resident pictured at top of this post. She was just halfway across the intersection before the 7-second countdown began.

She still had a lane to go when the light changed. She started moving the moment the "walk" sign started flashing. And she wasn't dawdling. The woman simply didn't have enough time to cross a treacherous intersection. She's certainly not alone.

We'll repeat what we wrote earlier... This is especially a short signal considering that the Evelyn and Louis Green Residence at Cooper Square is on the corner at East Fifth Street... and the residents here and their visitors might likely need more time crossing a busy street... Why not a 25-second countdown like at the 14th Street intersections?

Will change finally arrive when someone gets run over at this intersection?

Your chance to give the Citi Bikes a whirl tomorrow on Avenue A

[Citi Bike NYC]

Everyone is, of course, super psyched about the Citi Bike program that the city and Citi are launching this summer...

In case you're not on board yet. From the EV Grieve inbox...

Bike Share Demonstration: Tompkins Square Park
Demonstration
THURSDAY
July 12th, 2012
12:00 PM–4:00 PM
Give the Citi Bikes a whirl, ask questions about bike share, and give your feedback on the system. The bikes will be at Tompkins Square Park on East 7th Street and Avenue A.

By the way, if you're out, can you swing by Gringer and Sons on First Avenue and pick up the upright freezer that I ordered? Thanks!

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Here is the city's new Citi Bike

Here are your East Village bike share locations, probably

An Aiko Houston/Bowery Mural Wall progress report


As BoweryBoogie noted, she prefers to do her work here at night...

The Lo-Down has more on Aiko here.

Previously.

Urban Party Etiquette sign circa 2012 East Village, NYC


Somewhere on East Ninth Street... Via Shawn Chittle...

Dog etiquette signs are getting more colorful, trees weirder


Just noting this sign on East Fifth Street across from the 9th Precinct...

...and adding to the collection that includes this one ... this one ... definitely this one ...

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Beyond Sushi is now open on East 14th Street


Oh, meant to note this earlier... Beyond Sushi is now open on East 14th Street ... at the site of the former Royal Wigs.

The executive chef here is Guy Vaknin, once a finalist on shouty food show "Hell's Kitchen."

Diner's Journal gave it a nice write-up last Friday, noting "Except for the occasional egg, most of his bright, well-seasoned sushi is vegan. He uses a six-grain mixture or black rice as the base and fills the rolls with vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices and tofu."

And here's a lousy photo of part of the menu... find more menu stuff on the restaurant website here.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Too early for the woo


Not even Friday night ... or even Thursday... Avenue A at East Second Street....

A 'chug n’ shred burner' for the afternoon

So while we wait for the record from Thurston Moore's new band, Chelsea Light Moving ... you can check out the second track at the Matador Records blog, Matablog ... The track is "Groovy & Linda." (The MP3 is here.)

Thurston describes the song this way:

Not to be confused with the 1968 coffee house folk song by Tom Parrott (recorded for Smithsonian Folkways), this chug n’ shred burner is a psycho reflection of late 60s NYC East Village hippie idealism slayed and splayed in an Avenue B tenement boiler room.

Meanwhile, here's the unofficial official video for the band's first track "Burroughs," released a few weeks ago...

Are you missing an orange bike from Tompkins Square Park?


Photo this afternoon by Bobby Williams.

Abandoned 13th Street building becoming the Bea Arthur Residence for homeless LGBT youth


A reader points us to some good news via Joe. My. God. .... The long-vacant building at 222 E. 13th St. near Third Avenue is becoming the Bea Arthur Residence.

Here's the official word from the Cooper Square Committee, who has been spearheading the campaign:

The Cooper Square Committee and the Ali Forney Center have been awarded $3 million by the City Council and an additional $300,000 by Borough President Scott Stringer to develop housing for up to 18 homeless LGBT youth at 222 East 13th Street, which will be formally named the Bea Arthur Residence.

Bea Arthur was an advocate and supporter of the Ali Forney Center and its mission.

The property is currently owned by the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, which will soon begin the Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP) in order to transfer the property to our organizations so that we can begin renovations.

Last October, CB3's Land Use Commitee unanimously voted in support of the proposal at the former SRO and notorious crack house that has been boarded up for nearly 20 years.

[November 2010]

Previously on EV Grieve:
A haunted house on 13th Street?

Navigating the Mars Bar underpass at 21 E. First St.

[Photo of 21 E. First St. from last Friday by Bobby Williams]

We continue to watch the 12-story apartment building (quickly) rising on Second Avenue at East First Street, the former site of the Mars Bar, among other things...

However, we usually take it all in from afar... so we didn't notice the walkway set up to navigate the construction site on the southwest corner... we enter on the East First Street side...




Oops. A little turned around now...



... finally. Daylight and Second Avenue!


...and along the Second Avenue side...


Fun! Can't wait to walk through it late at night!

Oh, and what's left of the Hank Penza sidewalk art...


As seen last July ...

[Photo by Goggla]

Looking at the former Lakeside Lounge

While we wait to find out more information about all the applicants on this month's CB3/SLA meeting (Monday at 6:30 p.m.), including ...

• Lakeside Lounge (La Ritt Inc), 162-164 Ave B (op)

...we did notice that workers have finally taken down the sign and painted the former Lakeside Lounge on Avenue B near East 10th Street ... the popular music venue closed in April after 15 years...



In reporting on the closure, New York Music Daily wrote that the Lakeside "will be replaced by a gentrifier whiskey joint, no doubt with $19 artisanal cocktails and hedge fund nebbishes trying to pick up on sorostitutes when their boyfriends are puking in the bathroom – or out of it."

That just seemed to be just an angry reaction to the Lakeside's closure... there's nothing official, but we did hear that someone involved with Niagara would be taking over the space... Meanwhile, if you have any tips, please let us know via the EV Grieve email ...

Reader report: Organic market taking over former Kate's Joint space


Last Thursday, a reader noted some activity at Kate's Joint, which closed last April on Avenue B and East Fourth Street.

Now, EVG reader Worth Civils passes along a solid tip: The former vegetarian restaurant will become an organic market. Further details are scarce at the moment, but this news should allay any fears of another Starbucks.

Previously.

St. Brigid's now has front steps


The renovations continue on Avenue B at East Eighth Street.

Photo by Bobby Williams.