Hitchcocktober movie of the night — 'Psycho'

All this month, Village East Cinema on Second Avenue and East 12th Street will be screening an Alfred Hitchcock classic on Thursday evenings.

And tonight — "Psycho" starring Vince Vaughn.



Here's the schedule for the rest of Hitchcocktober:

• Oct. 23 — "The Man Who Knew Too Much"

• Oct. 30 — "Strangers on a Train"

The films start at 8 p.m. Head to the Village East Cinema website for more info and tickets.

Pie Face leaves a note

The Pie Face on Fourth Avenue and East 13th Street quietly closed this past weekend. (Apparently several other locations closed as well.)

EVG Twitter friend @fnytv spotted a sign on the cafe's front door...



Pie Face opened last fall. I thought they sold pizza. Some commenters were equally confused:

Anonymous said...
Don't want to buy something with a name called pie face. It was lost in translation?

Pikachu de Gallo said...
Meat pies and coffee? Their business model was to give people the shits?

Report: TATS CRU member arrested at Ace Bar after smacking patron with beer mug

[TATS CRU mural on the side of 20 Avenue A]

Let's head to the Post:

Famed graffiti artist Davide Perre, known for his murals on city walls worldwide, was arrested this morning after allegedly hitting a man in the face with a beer mug in an East Village bar, police sources said.

Perre, 39, of Brooklyn was charged with felony assault after the victim was sent to Bellevue Hospital with blood gushing from his head.

Perre and his twin brother, Raoul — members of the famed TATS CRU from the Bronx — were at the Ace Bar on East Fifth Street when an argument erupted with two men. One of the men made comments about David’s wife and his brother’s girlfriend, and was then smacked.

Reader report: Korilla BBQ soft opening on 3rd Avenue

An EVG reader said that people have been coming out of the new Korilla BBQ restaurant at 23 Third Ave. near St. Mark's Place with food late this afternoon… the reader said Korilla is going through a test run for the official grand opening…

Previously on EV Grieve:
23 Third Ave. getting its stripes

Korilla BBQ confirmed for Archie & Sons space

Remember the Alamo

While walking around Astor Place this morning... we were thinking that the crawler excavator was awfully close to the Alamo, aka the Astor Place cube... where work continues on the reconstruction of Astor Place...



Maybe someone else noticed...because workers later put up protective plywood around the Alamo for now...

Boarding up the cube at Astor place #nyc https://t.co/9l9UjyiY6E

— Chris Alexander (@alexandermania) October 15, 2014

And some day... the area will look like this...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Five years later, Astor Place apparently ready for its 2-year reconstruction project

What scientists found in NYC rats

[East 12th Street the other day]

Via The Verge:

[S]cientists captured 133 rats from traps set in five locations around New York City, euthanized them, then took genetic samples of the bacteria and viral specimens found in their tissues and excretions (saliva, feces, etc). The scientists found lots of viruses, not surprisingly.

But while many of the bacteria detected were expected — including e. coli and salmonella — the scientists also found at 18 completely new viruses. None of these new viruses have been found in humans, at least not yet, but two of them are structurally similar to Hepatitis C, which does occur in people and raises the risk of liver scarring and cancer.

While there's no immediate cause for alarm, the scientists note that that the spread of these new viruses from rats to humans could theoretically already be occurring and is possible in the future...

On Sunday, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer released an audit showing widespread deficiencies in the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's response to citizen complaints about rats.

For whom the plot tolls

Yesterday morning, city crews arrived on East 11th Street just east of First Avenue... jackhammered up part of the sidewalk in front of Reciprocal Skateboards, filled it with dirt... and moved on...

Greg Matherly at Reciprocal Skateboards, who shared these photos, noted the arrival of a makeshift cross ... to give it a fresh grave look, perhaps in honor of Halloween...



And for some local reaction to the new plot...

Post by Reciprocal Skateboards.

As for what's next, probably a new tree.

By the way, the site of the cemetery of Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral was once across the street. The graveyard was moved to Calvary Cemetery in Queens in 1909.

Here's a map from 1867...



Learn more about this here.

Out and About in the East Village

In this weekly feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village. James had another commitment for this week. East Village photographer Stacie Joy compiled today's post.



Name: Wasim Lone
Occupation: Director of Housing Services, GOLES (Good Old Lower East Side)
Location: 171 Avenue B
Date: Oct. 10, 2 p.m.

Editor's note: We changed up from our usual Out and About format this week to highlight this critical neighborhood resource.

How has the neighborhood changed in the 30-plus years you’ve been at GOLES?

Working-class people, the poor, elderly, artists and writers are all struggling to find or keep affordable rents and are being replaced by corporate tenants paying high-dollar rents. There is a visible and tangible difference in the area. Stores and restaurants that used to serve the community have closed and big box and chain stores are replacing them. Now shops serve upper-income people.

After the 1997 vacancy decontrol legislation things changed rapidly in the area. A cultural shift changed the neighborhood. No longer is it the LES that used to exist. The flavor, the taste of the area has changed. There has been a tenant cleansing and the new order of the day is maximizing rents. We need to protect the tenants who are left, specifically the Section 8 housing members, public housing tenants, those with rent stabilization.

What does GOLES do for the neighborhood?

GOLES informs, educates, protects and counsels tenants on their rights. It offers legal representation in court, helps tenants form tenant associations and coalitions; for example, the Croman Coalition, which is very strong, and the newly forming Icon Realty Coalition, which is still in progress. People should contact GOLES if interested.

We fight for rules, regulations and laws, policy changes in city, state, and federal levels to protect tenants from predatory landlord behavior. The current mechanics to fight harassment are weak, very weak. In tenant harassment cases nine out of every 10 cases are not signed by judges. That’s 90 percent! Other courts are slow, like civil court or state Supreme Court, and most tenants do not have the resources to fight, especially against frivolous litigation and cases with no merit. They burn out the tenants.

How do you feel the new mayor and administration will affect East Village residents?

The new mayor’s changes remain to be seen. With the new administration there has been a climate change from the Bloomberg years. City Council is more progressive, and the new Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Public Advocate Letitia James are in the process of getting legislation, and calling out violators, like the new list of worst landlords...GOLES is pleased with its access to City Hall and the mayor.

But there haven't been any on-the-ground landlord changes.

What do you like best about the neighborhood? What do you like least?

I like the fact that what we provide is much needed. In fact it’s critical, so critical, to be there to help. Vestiges of the ’hood are still here: Section 8, public housing, rent-regulated tenants. And we are pleased to be here to help them.

Worst, I guess, are the challenges. We can put out fires but overall we are losing the war. Especially with state laws to decontrol rent, and the lack of enforcement at the local level. We see families and individuals getting evicted. Consistently.

GOLES facilitates processes to have tenants take leadership, like with the Croman Coalition, and coalitions regarding Marolda Properties and Icon Realty (forthcoming). The level of harassment the 9300 Realty Corp./Croman bring to bear on their tenants is shocking.

Despite having been doing this work for more than three decades, I am still saddened by the blatant disregard for tenants and their rights. It’s mind-blowing. The deprivation of services, frivolous lawsuits, lack of respect, and the greed of landlords to maximize profits at the expense of the people who make up the neighborhood is horrible.

Want to get involved? Visit GOLES for more information.

Westside Market opens tomorrow

[Photo from last month by Stacie Joy]

At noon, according to reps for the grocery on Third Avenue at East 12th Street.

This is the fifth location in the city for the family owned Westside Market.

You can read our preview of the store here.

At The Nathaniel, named after a hated secondary character in an Ayn Rand novel

Speaking of Third Avenue and East 12th Street... the luxury rentals at The Nathaniel hit the market back in the summer.

Curbed took a tour of the building for a post yesterday.

Curbed clears up one minor mystery: Just who or what is The Nathaniel named for: Turns out it's for Nathaniel Taggart, who is the grandfather of the protagonist of Ayn Rand's 1957 novel "Atlas Shrugged."

Per the always reliable Wikipedia:

Nathaniel Taggart was the founder of Taggart Transcontinental. He built his railroad without any government handouts, and ran the business for no other reason than to turn a profit. He began as a penniless adventurer and ended up as one of the wealthiest men in the country. He never earned money by force or fraud (except for bribing government officials and throwing an opponent down a flight of stairs), and never apologized for becoming wealthy and successful. He was one of the most hated men of his time.

Perhaps, then, The Nathaniel will become the most hated apartment building of its time in the East Village?

Off to a good start! The Nathaniel's least-expensive offering is a $3,273 studio, which, Curbed notes, is just slightly less than the median rental price ($3,300) for an apartment in the neighborhood.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Those persistent rumors about 74-76 Third Avenue and the future of Nevada Smiths

The East Village will lose a parking lot and gain an apartment building

Bendy thing sighting as 84 Third Ave. eclipses the AMC Loews Village 7

Upscale rentals and a rooftop reflection pool at The Nathaniel on 3rd Avenue

The Nathaniel on 3rd Avenue and East 12th Street is apparently in Greenwich Village

Tonight, a discussion on the urban photography of Marlis Momber and Lisa Kahane

Via the EVG inbox...

Sense of the Lens
Regarding Urban Survival and Resurgence in the Photography of Lisa Kahane + Marlis Momber

Join photographers Marlis Momber and Lisa Kahane at the new Loisaida Center for "Sense of the Lens: Regarding Urban Survival and Resurgence" tonight from 7-9 at 710 E. 9th St. & Avenue C. Presentation starts at 7:30 pm and is free to the public.

Simultaneously but unknown to each other, Lisa Kahane and Marlis Momber documented the life of people and places caught in cycles of urban disinvestment in the 1970s and 1980s in shattered, depopulated neighborhoods in the South Bronx and in Loisaida. Ms. Momber and Ms. Kahane both document the history and conditions of each place at the same time.

This discussion will also consider the circumstances that originally opened each place to work in. How did and does each photographer engage with people and groups, including local Puerto Rican activist communities, and what alliances did each photographer forge with other artists and peers? How does the personal, including gender, affect approach, alliances, method and regard? And is there a specific connection between what we now call social practice and photography?

Marlis Momber and Lisa Kahane will be introduced by Amy Westpfahl and Laura Napier, artists and photographers who live and work on the Lower East Side and in the South Bronx today.

Find more information about the Loisaida Center here.

Can someone lend me a $1 so that I can become a gypsy?

Noticed a listing on Craigslist for the psychic's space about the Dunkin' Donuts on First Avenue and East Sixth Street…



Sounds like a good deal for $1! Here's more from the ad:

For sale
Great location nyc
Well established 17 yrs
2 yr lease renew it with no problem
1 bed room living room. Reading room
2nd flr corner plc neons move in condition
No back bills

Who's in?

From Five Points to Vic's on Great Jones

Five Points, the 15-year-old restaurant on Great Jones between the Bowery and Lafayette, closed in early August for a revamp.

The place received more like a major overhaul... Grub Street noted in September that the new chef "will cook a rustic Italian-Mediterranean menu." (Pizza is on the menu too.)

EVG roving restaurant façade photographer Derek Berg noted lots of activity at the space yesterday... as staff preps to reopen...



There is a Vic's website, though for now it only sends people to Open Table for reservations. Open Table isn't accepting reservations until next Tuesday.

Former Ton-Up Cafe space on the market

Back in May, the Ton-Up Cafe closed at 127 St. Mark's Place just west of Avenue A closed. A sign on the door promised "we'll be back soon."

Since then, brown paper covered the front door and windows. A large QR code brought people to a "temporarily closed for renovations" page.

Now there's a for rent sign on the space. (The listing at EVO Real Estate Group doesn't appear to be online just yet.)

The cafe opened in April 2013 … and served paninis named in honor of Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry and Elvis.

One of the owners here also operates Falanghina, the pizzeria which remains open at the former Whole Earth Bakery across the street.

The previous tenant here was Motek Creperie, which also lasted about a year.