The Bar Akuda sign arrives on 1st Avenue

Oh, Bar Akuda (sung to the tune of Heart's "Barricuda").

The sports bar-restaurant at 16 First Ave. between East First Street and East Second Street is looking closer to opening.

Bar Akuda is the latest from the owners of Murray Hill's Mercury Bar and Tonic East, among others. No word yet on an opening date for the space, which will serve lunch, brunch and dinner.

The address was previously home to Sutra Lounge.

Week in Grieview

[Photo on 2nd Avenue and East 5th Street via Derek Berg]

RIP Patrick Salt Ryan (Friday)

Cafe Pick Me Up expected to close for good after May 31 on Avenue A (Wednesday)

Omakase-style restaurant in the works for former Lan Cafe on East Sixth Street (Friday)

A visit to St. Mark's Comics (Friday)

Tiengarden closes after 20 years on Allen Street (Monday)

Out and About with Philip Van Aver (Wednesday)

The Sunshine Cinema is on the market (Friday)

"Tompkins Square Park," now a breakup song by Mumford & Sons (Monday)

Check out the new mural of MCA on East Seventh Street (Tuesday)

Virginia's opens on East 11th Street (Monday)

Spotting the sorta elusive night heron in Tompkins Square Park (Wednesday)

Sidewalk bridge arrives at 515 E. 5th St., site of Ben Shaoul's illegal penthouse conversion (Tuesday)

Common Ground has closed on Avenue A (Monday)

Modern American in the works for former Back Forty space on Avenue B (Thursday)

Christo and Dora are parents! (Again!) (Wednesday)

When someone parks a motorcycle in your hallway (Wednesday)

Rumor: Vegetarian sandwich shop in the works for former Dirt Candy space (Tuesday)

The Quad Cinema has closed for renovations (Monday)

Veggie friendly Avant Garden in the works for former Gingersnap's space (Tuesday)

Fourth Street Central has closed (Monday)

A 4-building parcel on East Sixth Street has been sold (Thursday)

Report: Retail announcements likely coming this summer for the IBM Watson building

[EVG file photo]

While the office component of 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/the Death Star is now fully operational leased, the retail spaces have remained empty for nearly two years. (Well, there is the showroom for Ian Shrager's incoming hotel-condo tower at 215 Chrystie, but that's just temporary. The showroom/sales office, not 215 Chrystie.)

The Real Deal explored some of the reasons why in an article this past week.

Such as!

Listing broker Patrick Smith of SRS Real Estate Partners said that the angular building presented a “bit of a puzzle” in terms of space configuration and said that Astor Place represents an “emerging retail corridor” that is forced to fill the gap between more popular retail destinations such as Union Square and Soho.

But! According to the article, expect to see some activity in this emerging 51 Astor retail corridor soon.

Three of the five retail spaces currently have leases out and they are in active pursuit on the other two — seeking a specialty fitness and a food tenant that sells prepared meals, according to Smith. [Developer Edward] Minskoff claims that Smith’s assessment of the leasing situation is modest, and that they are in fact finalizing leases for 100 percent of the retail space, to be announced within 30 to 40 days.

Previously on EV Grieve:
3 retail spaces available at 51 Astor Place (22 comments)

You can finally shop at 51 Astor Place!

The 6th & B Garden plant and bake sale continues today

Day 2 of the garden's annual plant and bake sale continues today from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. ... on the southwest corner of Avenue B and East Sixth Street...

As a garden rep told us, "It's our main fundraiser for the season and allows us to put on hundreds of free events throughout the season for the community."

The Cake Shop is celebrating their 10th anniversary on Ludlow; with plans for more years ahead

[Image via the Cake Shop website]

The Cake Shop turned 10 this month... to celebrate, the cafe/live music venue at 152 Ludlow St. between Stanton and Rivington celebrates with what co-owners Nick and Andy Bodor are calling a "house show"-themed lineup of shows, featuring the return of some favorite Cake Shop bands. (Find the schedule here.)

It hasn't always been easy here, with some financial troubles, which they were able to overcome with a crowdfunding campaign in 2012.

In an anniversary feature yesterday at DNAinfo, Lisha Arino reported that the Cake Shop's most recent call for investors in January yielded one unnamed person, who "stepped in and helped Cake Shop to pay back its debts and negotiate a new lease with their landlord, which they hope to sign next month."

Meanwhile, as for the anniversary ...

“We’re just really appreciative to the people who have walked in the door in the last 10 years. Every time somebody compliments us it’s such a rewarding thing,” Nick Bodor said. “It means a lot to us.”

Minding the 'STOP No Roof Access' sign

Spotted on East 11th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue… propped against a tree … and later discarded on the sidewalk…



H/T Shawn Chittle

At the Tompkins Square Park dog run today

Via the EVG inbox...

Today around noon, this guy came into the Tompkins Square Park dog run without a dog. Rather oddly dressed for the neighborhood. He went around talking loudly to dogs and owners alike with a dubious sounding speech impediment. “HEY, WHAT KINDA DOG IS THAT?!?!?” “HEY BUDDY, WHERE’S YOUR BALL!?!?!? WHERE’S YOUR BA-A-A-ALL!?!?!?” blah blah blah.

Harmless enough for sure, until we noticed 2 men with video cameras hidden behind bushes and trees on opposite sides of the run, both shooting him and the people he was interacting with. A few regulars informed him that he wasn’t allowed in the run without a dog and when the cameras were pointed out, they quietly stopped filming and turned away.

I asked one of them why they were filming and he replied "just for some YouTube stuff."

Creepy and annoying.

Ride on

From 1990-1991, it's Ride with "Vapour Trail."

The shoegazing Brits will be at Irving Plaza Sept. 21-22 during their 2015 reunion tour. Tickets went on sale today.

Report: The Sunshine Cinema being shopped as a development site

[Image via Facebook]

The Real Deal has the scoop this morning that the theater on East Houston between Eldridge and Forsythe has quietly been put on the market. Per The Real Deal:

For more than a decade, art-house movie buffs and devotees of late-night cult flicks have lined up outside the theater’s home at 139-143 East Houston Street. The property is now being quietly marketed to developers with an asking price north of $35 million, according to sources.

And...

The cinema has a triple-net lease that runs through 2018, for which it pays an annual rent of about $200,000.

To help offset expenses, ownership sought a full liquor license in 2012. However, CB3 wasn't having it, and would only approve a license for beer and wine.

Read more about the liquor license application in 2012 at The Lo-Down.

2nd Avenue Street Fair is tomorrow

The first of 1,876 area street festivals is tomorrow … on Second Avenue, from East 14th Street down to East Sixth Street (or, from East Sixth Street up to East 14th Street).

You'll likely find the usual packages of tube socks and paper plates with funnel cakes … host the Middle Collegiate Church will also be holding several activities during the Street Fair, including:

At 12:30 pm, the Middle Church Jerriese Johnson Gospel Choir will perform. At 1:30 pm, our Village Chorus for Children and Youth will perform. There will also be "East Village Strong" and "Love.Period." T-shirts for sale to benefit East Village recovery.

EV Grieve Etc.: Preserving 190 Bowery; demolishing 136-140 Bowery

[Photo on East 4th Street by Derek Berg]

Mayor de Blasio’s plan for more affordable housing (The New York Times)

The Landmarks Preservation Commission likes the graffiti at 190 Bowery (Curbed)

Demo permits filed for 136-140 Bowery (BoweryBoogie)

East Village explosion victims eligible for low-interest loans (NY1)

More hawklet action (Gog in NYC)

No one apparently wants to rent the LES apartment with the shower in the kitchen (The New Yorker)

Fewer rats in NYC possible? (Runnin' Scared)

Q-&-A with Lydia Lunch (HuffPost), the subject of a new exhibit on East First Street (Howl! Happening)

More thoughts on "Tompkins Square Park" — the song (Flaming Pablum, previously)

144-150 Ludlow St. owners double their money in two years (The Lo-Down)

Is this is the best punk band in the United States? (Dangerous Minds)

Lower East Side History Month continues… find all the events here.

...and the 21st Annual Children's Workshop School Arts and Science Fair is tomorrow at the school on East 12th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C ...there will be glop...



... and there's an interesting series at the Anthology Film Archives on Second Avenue and East Second Street this weekend titled Rain the Color of Blue With a Little Red in It, which includes screenings of "The Harder They Come," two Jean Rouch films, "Moi, Un Noir" and "Jaguar," and "Purple Rain" ...



Find screening times here.

… and click on the image below from Michael Sean Edwards for some Tompkins Square Park cycling action…

RIP Patrick Salt Ryan

[Photo via Facebook]

We were very sorry to hear that East Village resident Patrick Salt Ryan died suddenly on April 22. He was 45.

Ryan, a singer-songwriter, also tended bar at Fontana's down on Eldridge Street. He and his wife, Jessica Perez-Ryan, lived on Avenue A and East Ninth Street.

In September 2013, word circulated in Tompkins Square Park that someone had apparently stolen Giuseppi Logan's saxophone. Upon hearing this, Ryan gave Giuseppi a tenor sax that someone had left behind at the bar several years earlier.

There's a Patrick Salt Ryan Memorial Show next Friday at Hank's Saloon in Brooklyn… all proceeds at the door will go to help out Jessica.

A visit to St. Mark's Comics

Text and photos by EVG contributor Stacie Joy

St. Mark’s Comics has been in its current building, 11 St. Mark’s Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, for more than 30 years. For the first few years, it was up a small flight of stairs, later on and in its current spot, on the ground floor, down a few steps.

The shop is a go-to location for old and new comics from small and large (as well as self) publishers. Owner Mitch Cutler says the shop carries a full breadth of products, not just comics. You can find all kinds of things at the shop, and indeed, as I walked deeper into the narrow space I found rooms upon rooms of toys, collectibles, tees, cards, comics, books, graphic novels, and comic-related merchandise.











Floor to ceiling, the shop is crammed with nifty stuff. During the time I visited, Louis, a second-generation St. Mark's Comics shopper (with intentions of creating a third!), was particularly enthused to find the new Harley Quinn. Shaun dropped by for a Jack Burton vinyl action figure.

As I was leaving, Cutler said that he was humbled by the fact that people continue to support the store, a long-standing small business in a place where small-business owners are getting priced out.

Omakase-style restaurant in the works for former Lan Cafe on East 6th Street

The Lan Cafe space apparently won't be sitting vacant for too long.

The Vietnamese vegan restaurant at 342 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue closed for good after service on April 29. The family who ran the place these past nine years said that high rents were to blame for the closure.

According to materials on file (PDF!) at the CB3 website ahead of this month's SLA committee meeting, an omakase-style restaurant is in the works from one of the owners of Kura, the upscale sushi bar at 130 St. Mark's Place.

The configuration for the new space shows 9 tables seating 18 people, plus eight counter stools. The proposed hours are noon to midnight, Sunday-Thursday; until 2 a.m. on Friday-Saturday. The applicants are seeking a full liquor license. (Lan Cafe did not have a liquor license.)

The SLA committee meeting is May 18 at the CB3 office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.