Fall in love with this section of East 4th Street

[EVG photo from today actually]

At the Times today, writer Julie Besonen checks in with a piece on two good reasons to visit East Fourth Street between the Bowery and Lafayette. (Spoiler: The Merchant's House and Swift Hibernian Lounge.)

Among tother things, the article provides an update about the new 8-floor hotel going up next door to the Merchant's House.

To the article:

Margaret Halsey Gardiner, the museum’s executive director, struck a conciliatory note. “We’re trying to work with the developer and their engineers on protection plans that will ensure the safety of the house during demolition of the garage, excavation of the foundation and the construction of the hotel,” said Ms. Gardiner, who is known as Pi.

Read the whole article here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Landmarks Preservation Commission OKs plans for hotel next door to the Merchant's House

Week in Grieview

[Photo by James and Karla Murray]

City OKs residential use at the former Amato Opera on the Bowery (Wednesday)

First sign of future development at 79-89 Avenue D (Tuesday)

Angelica Kitchen is latest East Village restaurant in danger of closing (Wednesday)

Out and About with Mike Schweinsburg (Wednesday)

Security guards and Stop Work Orders for Icon Realty-owned East 12th Street building (Thursday)

That low-flying helicopter above Avenue B (Thursday)

BSA tells Ben Shaoul to remove the illegal penthouse on East 5th Street within 60 days (Wednesday)

An Urban Etiquette Fucking Drugs Sign (Monday, 48 comments)

Workers cut down a red oak in Tompkins Square Park (Monday)

A visit to Fly Dove NYC, a new boutique on East Seventh Street (Friday)

Retail space for lease in the new Cooper Square dorm (Monday)

Touching up the Joe Strummer mural (Friday)

Revisiting Cafe Mogador (Friday)

Boarding up the former Mobil station on Avenue C (Tuesday)

Salon V leaving East 7th Street after 10 years (Tuesday)

Ian Schrager unveiled the sales office and model apartment for his incoming hotel-condo tower at 215 Chrystie (Thursday)

You always post photos of abandoned stuffed lions on St. Mark's Place (Thursday)

Citi Bike fixing all those cracked seats (Tuesday)

… and we forgot to note this yarn installation (???) next to Artichoke on East 14th Street…

This will take a little time to get used to

The central part of Tompkins Square Park without the shade of the leaning elm…



Of course the Hare Krishna Tree is still a sight…

NYPD releases Rev. Billy after yesterday's Bendy Tree arrest

The NYPD arrested Rev. Billy yesterday morning after he tried to prevent workers from cutting down the leaning elm in the middle of Tompkins Square Park.

Rev. Billy tried to climb the tree, which workers were already removing. Then he stood on top of the Parks Department's cherry picker.

He argued that the tree was healthy enough to preserve, that the Parks Department should get other opinions from arborists.


[Photo by Gary Golembiewski]

Several people watching yelled back that, as sad as it was, it was time for the tree to go, that the tree presented a danger. Others pointed out that the branches that were being cut still looked healthy.

After a short prayer, Rev. Billy came down from the truck, where the waiting officers handcuffed him and led him away.

According to Rev. Billy this morning, the NYPD charged him with Obstruction of Government Administration (he pleaded guilty), and sentenced him to time served — about 14 hours. The NYPD released him a little before midnight.



Previously on EV Grieve:
UGH: Bendy tree in Tompkins Square Park has been condemned

Bendy-lujah

More about Angelica Kitchen's uncertain future

As we noted this past week, Angelica Kitchen is facing an uncertain future. The 38-year-old vegetarian favorite launched a public awareness campaign to help keep its doors open on East 12th Street.

Gothamist spoke with owner Leslie McEachern about the situation. She signed a new 5-year-lease in March for $21,000-plus a month. (When she opened in 1985 on St. Mark's Place, her rent was $450 a month.)

Per Gothamist:

"The rent was already way too high per square foot compared to what others in the neighborhood are paying," McEachern says. "We need to make $7,000 a night just to make overhead; utilities, rent, taxes, insurance, the whole shebang." Last winter, with its multiple Polar Vortexes, was particularly difficult for Angelica, and McEachern says there were "many" days over the winter where the restaurant "barely brought in $2,000. We were barely able to stay open."

Before that, Angelica was hard-hit by Hurricane Sandy. "We lost a lot of money during that week because our insurance refused to pay business interruption insurance, which it did with other businesses in the East Village. Things just dropped off after Hurricane Sandy. The whole neighborhood economy just slammed shut, for quite a while."

Read the rest of the post here.

Angelica Kitchen is located at 300 E. 12th St. near Second Avenue.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Angelica Kitchen is latest East Village restaurant in danger of closing (35 comments)

That's it for Bendy Tree

… a little later via EVG reader blm…



Previously on EV Grieve:
UGH: Bendy tree in Tompkins Square Park has been condemned

Bendy-lujah

NYPD arrests Rev. Billy for trying to stop Bendy Tree's removal

Rev. Billy arrived this morning at Tompkins Square Park, where workers are cutting down the leaning elm in the middle of the Park.

He stopped work when he climbed atop one of the trucks…



The NYPD was called to the scene… and they eventually arrested him … no word just yet what the charges are…






[Via EVG reader Russ]

… then work resumed on cutting down Bendy Tree…



As previously reported, an arborist hired by the Parks Department found the favorite tree structurally unsound and recommended that it be cut down.

Previously on EV Grieve:
UGH: Bendy tree in Tompkins Square Park has been condemned

Bendy-lujah

Bendy tree is coming down this morning

As of 8:16 a.m. We didn't stick around to watch... 

…and moments before the trucks arrived...



Previously on EV Grieve:
UGH: Bendy tree in Tompkins Square Park has been condemned

Noted

EVG Discarded Mattress Correspondent Derek Berg spotted this on East Fourth Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery early last evening… not quite sure what this electrical get-up is…



As with most things in life, there is likely a logical explanation.

'Head' games

Here is the L.A.-based Bleached with "Dead In Your Head" from last summer. And they just released a new 7-inch single this past week... which Other Music has...

98-100 Avenue A used to be here

Ben Shaoul's demo gang pretty much has the former 98-100 Avenue A wiped out now between East Seventh Street and East Sixth Street...



Coming one day: a 6-floor residential building with 29 apartments.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A little bit of Hollywood on Avenue A

Inside the abandoned theater at East Village Farms on Avenue A

Reader reports: Village Farms closing Jan. 31; building will be demolished

Asbestos abatement continues at 98 Avenue A, Ben Shaoul's latest East Village trophy

Meanwhile, 98-100 Avenue A is lying in ruins

Workers back demolishing what's left of 98-100 Avenue A

[Cinema Treasures]

Nino's is back open

The 27-year-old pizzeria on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place reopened today after two bouts with the health department in the past month.

Per a report by DNAinfo's Lisha Arino:

Owner Nino Camaj, however, denied most of the allegations. He said there were no mice in the restaurant and that the inspector overstated the number of flies observed.

“This place is the cleanest place in New York City. I tell the truth,” said Camaj, who has owned the pizzeria for 27 years.

Camaj said there were only two or three flies in the pizzeria when the inspector visited Monday and that they came from Tompkins Square Park across the street.

“Every time the door opens, you see a fly come in and out,” he said.

Anyway, we stopped by for a slice today … and found it to be as good as always…

Give ’Em Enough Paint

Yesterday afternoon, graffiti artist Dr. Revolt returned to touch up the vandalized Joe Strummer mural outside Niagara on East Seventh Street and Avenue A.

Someone scrawled on Strummer during the overnight hours on Sept. 11.

Revolt and Zephyr created the original mural back in 2003... after the Clash frontman's untimely death in December 2002.

Photo by gibedendo via Instagram

P.S.
OK, that headline is pretty bad, mostly.

[UPDATED] Report: Man struck by car on Cooper Square 'clinging to life'

The collison happened last night at 11:45 on East Fifth Street and Cooper Square, the Post reports.

There's not much information at the time. The victim is in critical condition at Bellevue. The Post notes that the driver remained at the scene, where "it was not immediately clear who had the right of way."

UPDATED

Nevermind. This story was from March. We didn't carefully look at the date after a reader sent the link to us today. Our apologies.

Does anyone happen to know whatever happened to the pedestrian?