Full moon!
Then about 2:20 a.m. via Bobby Williams...
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
EV Grieve Etc.: The city's worst landlords; a Children’s Magical Garden update
[Photo on Stuyvesant Street by Derek Berg]
Judge rejects developer's plea to dismiss Children’s Magical Garden lawsuit (The Lo-Down)
Elvis Guesthouse on Avenue A is a venue "worth fighting for" (The Village Voice)
Public advocate Letitia James has rolled out the annual list of the city's 100 worst landlords (Curbed)
Vic's Pizza on Essex Street is closing next week after 45 years in business so the building's owner can tear it down (DNAinfo)
Some history of the Germania Fire Insurance Company Bowery Building at 357 Bowery (Off the Grid)
Checking out the new Richard Kern show at the Marlborough Broome Street Gallery (Flaming Pablum)
A night at a Brian Wilson concert (Slum Goddess)
Thoughts on Richard Hell’s "Massive Pissed Love" (Hyperallergic)
A Subway (sandwich shop) closes on Essex Street (BoweryBoogie)
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. say gentrification is bad for their neighborhoods (Brian Lehrer/WNYC)
Complaints about old-timer Rudy's Bar & Grill on Ninth Avenue (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)
... and if you're traveling or seeing relatives or whatever this Thanksgiving, you're gonna make it (after all)...
Report: Letter claiming to be from terrorist group found at East 9th Street boutique
A hate-filled letter claiming to be from the terrorist who masterminded the deadly Paris attacks was mailed to an East Village boutique, authorities said Tuesday. The ranting note, which included anti-Semitic, anti-French and anti-gay language, was found at Meg, a clothing store on East Ninth Street, at 11 a.m. Monday, cops said.
The NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the letter, whose return address included the name Abdelhamid Abaaoud.
The Alamo has been away from Astor Place for 1 year now
[Photo from last Nov. 25 by John M.]
One year ago today, workers packed up and carted off The Alamo for safekeeping for the duration of the reconstruction of Astor Place. (Gothamist captured the moment on video.)
Anyway. One year later. And the cube, which was installed here in 1967, remains in storage somewhere.
Well, except for on Halloween...
[Photo by 8E]
The CB3 website has a page dedicated to local construction projects, including the reconstruction of Astor Place. Plans for the multi-year(s) project have included reconfiguring/revamping the Astor Place/Cooper Square streetscape with three new permanent plazas, additional seating, trees and a new design for Peter Cooper Park.
There's a link to a weekly bulletin (PDF), noting what's happening now. This week, workers are continuing to install new granite slabs in Peter Cooper Park...
Sidewalk excavations/installation continue on Cooper Square West...
... and well as new sidewalks along the Cooper Union building...
While there is noticeable progress, it still seems like a bit of a mess...
However, there isn't any word among the city updates about the status of the cube. A "community advisory notice" dated Oct. 21, 2104, notes:
The Alamo Cube is slated to be removed and hoisted off by crane from the site and transported to a storage and conservation facility for rehabilitation by the end of the year. The exact timing and details of the removal are still pending. Once confirmed, further details will be provided. After rehabilitation is complete, the Alamo Cube will be reinstalled into its rightful place, along the new Alamo Plaza.
[A rendering of the new Astor Place]
We haven't seen anything about a possible completion date. The CB3 site still lists August 2015. A reconstruction project page via the Cooper Union Library on Facebook says January 2016.
So might as well pull up a comfy chair and just enjoy the rest of the construction...
Previously on EV Grieve:
The Alamo returns to Astor Place this Halloween
Five years later, Astor Place apparently ready for its 2-year reconstruction project
This is what it might be like living inside the Alamo on Astor Place
RIP Tony Rosenthal, the sculptor who created the Astor Place cube
234 E. 7th St. is for sale
There's not much information on the property that arrived on Streeteasy yesterday.
Here's the extent of the listing via the Bouklis Group:
This recently upgraded investment property is offered for sale. Located in the exciting and highly sort [sic] after East Village of Manhattan. The property consists of 20 studios.
The price: $7.8 million.
The building is between Avenue C and Avenue D.
Image via Streeteasy
In case Lucy's was in your plans this Thanksgiving holiday
Per usual this time of year, Lucy is on a break here at 135 Avenue A ... back on Dec. 11, per the festive sign on the door between St. Mark's Place and East Ninth Street.
We've never seen a Santa adorn one of her signs before... flowers, smiley faces and suns, but never a Santa.
Photogenic Ford F-Series pickup truck from 1961 is for sale
You've likely seen that vintage 1961 Ford F100 parked around the neighborhood ... or at least seen it in photos parked around the neighborhood. (It was on St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue for some time.)
Apparently it's on the block, so to speak ... EVG regular Greg Masters spotted it on East 12th Street last night with a for sale sign in the window ...
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
A free screening of 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles' to get your holidays off to a fine start
Tomorrow night at 7:30, East Village Vintage Collective (545 E. 12th St. between Avenues A and B) is showing a free screening of "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" to get you ready for the Thanksgiving holiday...
Lime Tree Market launches Christmas tree sales; 1st in the neighborhood this holiday season?
Sales are underway here at First Avenue and East Ninth Street... the trees, a tradition dating back to the Renaissance of early modern Germany, are marked at $50...
As far as we know, Lime Tree is first to market with tree sales this holiday season... though we did spot some smaller models outside the Whole Foods Market® Bowery this past weekend...
Anyway, Season's Greetings!
[Updated] The Gerber Group responds to criticism over Mr. Purple
According to an article in WWD, the bar, featuring an outdoor pool and cocktails in the $14-$15 range, was inspired by Adam Purple, the well-known Lower East Side environmentalist and activist, who died on Sept. 14 at age 84.
News that the upscale bar named itself for Purple, who, in the mid-1980s, created a five-lot, 15,000-square-foot garden amid the ruins of the Lower East Side and spoke out against unchecked development, prompted criticism from some readers/residents here and here and here.
The Gerber Group, who operates the bar space, sent us the following statement this morning in regard to Mr. Purple to show that they are committed to supporting the local community:
The name of the bar and restaurant was established when the project was first conceptualized in 2014. It was indeed inspired by Lower East Side resident David Wilkie, who became known as "Mr. Purple." A gardener and activist, he was an iconic figure who dedicated his life to beautifying and improving the neighborhood. A mural was painted in his honor and can be seen on display in the lobby area of the hotel.
Also, in honoring Wilkie's dedication to the neighborhood, the restaurant is committed to supporting the Lower East Side community through several initiatives including partnerships with the Bowery Mission and local businesses such as Russ & Daughters, il laboratorio del gelato and Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery who are all featured on the restaurant's menu. Additionally, through the Lower East Side Employment Network (LESEN), 30 percent of jobs at the hotel have been allocated to local residents.
The lobby mural in question is the work of prominent graffiti artist Lee Quiñones, who grew up on the Lower East Side in the 1960s and 1970s.
Updated 11/25
A representative from Russ & Daughters reached out to us with a statement:
Russ & Daughters doesn’t have a partnership with Mr. Purple or Hotel Indigo. That restaurant simply purchased smoked salmon at our shop one time. We never authorized them to use our name on their menus or in their promotional materials.
Pinche Taqueria has apparently closed on Lafayette
An EVG reader noted that there aren't any signs of life over at Pinche Taqueria, the West Coast-style Mexican restaurant on Lafayette and Bleecker...
Eater noted the possible closure last evening, hearing from a neighbor that a rent increase may be the reason behind the (sudden) departure. The locations on Mott Street and West 14th Street preceded this one in closing.
In 2008, the Times called Pinche's fish tacos "textbook-perfect."
Former dorm being pitched as Luxury Renting 101
The conversion of the former SVA dorm — including a few new floors — on Third Avenue and East 10th Street continues.
Meanwhile, the rental process is now underway. The broker bunting is up on the plywood announcing this as Luxury Renting 101 (as in 101 E. 10th St.).
The 101 site is live. Here's the pitch:
Luxury Renting 101
STUDIO, ONE & TWO BEDROOM RESIDENCES
New York chic has reached a new level at 101 East 10th Street offering a collection of studios, one and two bedroom residences. Located on a prime corner in the East Village, steps from Union Square and Greenwich Village, it is sure to up the ante for coveted living spaces. 101 East 10th Street offers bespoke finishes, stainless appliances, marble bathrooms, ample closet space, and incredible natural light resulting in a rare genre of urban living.
There are 54 units. Three are on the rental market now, ranging in price from $3,543 (two bedrooms) to $4,420 (three bedrooms).
Interesting note at the bottom of the listings:
**PRICE LISTED IS FOR SHORT TERM ONLY (6 months) - **NO 12 MONTH LEASES**
Hmmmm.
SVA discontinued dorm use here after the spring 2014 term. From the look of things, the building is being replaced by more upscale dorm rooms — with 6-month leases to boot.
Previously on EV Grieve:
East Village now down a dorm
High-end rentals and additional floors coming to the former SVA dorm on 3rd Avenue
1st sign of 2 new floors to come on 3rd Avenue and 10th Street
26 Avenue B getting its high beams on
When we last checked in on 26 Avenue B, workers had finished the foundation. At that time, a worker told an EVG reader who lives nearby that they were going to wrap it up then and return in the spring. Heh. Well, that wasn't the case. In fact, the crew has been working double-time. We've even spotted them on site the past two Sundays. (There are approved permits for this.)
Plans call for an 8-unit, 6-floor residential building here between East Second Street and East Third Street. Still no sign of a rendering for the new building.
EVG photos from yesterday
Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] 6-story apartment building ready to rise from the former Croxley Ales beer garden
[Updated] Report: 28 Avenue B has been evacuated
Full-stop work order served at construction site adjacent to evacuated Avenue B building
Resident wants stuff back that workers took from not abandoned apartment
Is 26 Avenue B ready for its new building now?
1st Bitcoin ATM arrives on the Lower East Side
Via the EVG inbox...
CoinSource, the secure BTM network with instant transactions, has unveiled the first Bitcoin ATM in New York City’s Lower East Side at 61 Delancey Street. Located within the N&N Delancey Smoke Shop, the newest CoinSource Bitcoin ATM joins a national network of secure, easy-to-use Bitcoin ATMs (BTMs) stretching from San Diego to Las Vegas to New York City. As one of 22 companies that submitted an application for New York’s BitLicense, CoinSource is permitted to fully operate in New York State.
The CoinSource BTM in the Lower East Side is located at 61 Delancey Street between Eldridge and Allen Streets ... The ATM can be accessed from 10 AM to 3 AM, 7 days per week.
The Lower East Side CoinSource BTM tenders instant bitcoin purchases with cash. In addition to providing the only the Bitcoin ATM machine south of Tompkins Square Park and East of the Bowery, the Lower East Side CoinSource BTM offers attractive rates to customers with standard fees at 7%, and with large purchasers and high-volume customers accessing even further reduced fee levels.
Oh, and in was you were wondering, there is one Bitcoin ATM that we know about in the East Village... at Le Village, 127 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. This ATM is operated by a different vendor than the one on Delancey, and its hours are likely limited to when the restaurant is open. This machine has a fee of 15%, per the company website.
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