DOT looking for feedback about the Village Plaza

EVG reader Sheila shared this info... reps for the Department of Transportation (DOT) were out on Saturday soliciting input from residents about the Village Plaza south of the Peter Cooper Triangle (roughly that area in front of the former Village Voice Building at 36 Cooper Square)...

They were looking for feedback regarding suggested uses as well as complaints about the recently revamped Plaza, which was part of the $21 million Astor Place-Cooper Square reconstruction project. (While the Village Alliance maintains the Alamo Plaza and the cube, the DOT is responsible for the Astor Place Subway Plaza and this area.)

The reps said that the Village Plaza is available for use by any community group with the proper application.


[File photo]

Unfortunately, as Sheila notes, there isn't a set time that the survey takers will be working here, but they will continue to pitch their DOT tent until they have 100 responses.

Anyway, in case you see them and want to provide some feedback... plus there's a free prize for taking the survey!

A new home for S'MAC on 1st Avenue and 12th Street

It looks as if S'MAC will have a new, more high-profile home... several storefronts away from their current location on 12th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

EVG regular dwg shared these photos showing the transformed space on the northwest corner of First Avenue and 12th Street...



There's also a sign on the door for the UPS/FedEx folks...



Caesar Ekya, who owns and operates S'MAC with his wife Sarita, told me that they hoped to have the new location open the weekend after the Fourth of July holiday.

The macaroni-and-cheese specialists opened on June 24, 2006.

The corner space previously housed East 12th Osteria, the Italian restaurant that closed and moved back in January.

Mancora now open in new 1st Avenue home

[Reader-submitted photo]

Mancora made a pretty quick transition to its new location at 97 First Ave. ... last Monday we noted that the Peruvian restaurant was moving across Sixth Street to the Spicewala Bar Indian Cuisine space.

Anyway, Mancora is up and running again, as several EVG readers pointed out. (Has anyone been to the new spot?)

As previously reported, since Banjara moved in late 2013, the restaurants at No. 97 went through seven name changes/concepts.

Something called Ummburger had been vying for the now-former Mancora space at 99 First Ave. Haven't heard anything else about that project.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Mancora returning to 1st Avenue in new location

More repairs for the Dry Dock basketball courts

Starting today, the Parks Department is closing the Dry Dock basketball courts for repairs.

As you may recall, the entire Dry Dock Playground here on Avenue D and 10th Street was closed for six months from July 2015 to January 2016 for a $1.5-million upgrade.

Apparently things weren't properly done the first time around. A rep for Councilmember Rosie Mendez's office said that she did a walk-through following the reopening and found several things that still needed to be repaired on the basketball courts. And now the Parks Department is just getting around to the work.

Repairs are expected to last a week.

Looking at the Allegro Coffee Roasters coming to Whole Foods Market® Bowery

There's a reveal to, uh, reveal over at the Whole Foods Market® Bowery ... where workers have removed the brown paper from the windows at the corner space on Chrystie and East Houston... the previously promised coffee bar (in the spot of the former WF Beer Store) will be an outpost of Allegro Coffee Roasters...







Those stools don't like too comfortable to sit on... in either direction...



The Colorado-based Allegro also has an outpost at the Whole Foods Market® Third & 3rd in Gowanus.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Whole Foods Market® Bowery replacing beer with coffee in prime corner spot

Sushi Lounge emerges from a crowded combo of brands at 31 St. Mark's Place

[Image from June 15 via Facebook]

Since March 2016, the restaurant at 31 St. Mark's Place was a Hakata Hot Pot/Zen 6/Sushi Lounge combo.

Now, though, it appears the owners have opted to go with the familiar Sushi Lounge name for the space, as the new sign debuted here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue last Friday...



Also, here is the new menu cover...


[Image via Facebook]

So it appears to officially be Noodle Cafe Zen presents Sushi Lounge & Hakata Hot Pot.

To recap!

Higher rents chased Sushi Lounge from St. Mark's Place and Avenue A at the end of October 2013. (The corner space is now home to Empellón al Pastor, a bar with tacos.)

The owners of Sushi Lounge were also the new proprietors of Natori at 58 St. Mark's Place. (The original Natori, a longtime favorite, closed in November 2012.)

Then what was operating as the second Natori became Sushi Lounge in January 2014. Then they added the Hot Pot component. Then they all moved out of No. 58 to No. 31 in March 2016.

Previously on EV Grieve:
As the sushi turns: Sushi Lounge now operating out of the former Natori space on St. Mark's

55 Third Ave. sells for $57 million — AGAIN

A transaction from last week to note... in which Benchmark Real Estate Group sold 200 E. 11th St. (aka 55 Third Ave.) to an affiliate of Shorenstein Properties for $57 million, per The Real Deal.

That was the same price that Benchmark paid for the building in 2013. However, they sold the retail condominium portion in 2015 for $25 million, The Real Deal reported.

In 2014, the previously rather drab and dormy-looking building received a facelift and rebranding to become more luxurious with rents going upwards of $10k a month.

Flashback to 2013!



Meanwhile, this seems like a good time to recap the retail coming-and-goings here.

For starters, M2M closed here back in February. In the photo below, the discrete red arrow points to where work continues on the space for Wagamama, the London-based chain of Japanese restaurants, set to open later this year. And the greenish arrow points to where Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group is opening Martina, a pizzeria, at 198 E. 11th St. ...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Someone actually paid $57 million for this East Village building

Reimagining this 12-story East Village building, now on the market

NY Copy & Printing forced out of longtime E. 11th St. home, opening second location on E. 7th St.

Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group planning Martina for 55 3rd Ave.

Week in Grieview

[Christo feeding the rescued juvenile hawk Flatbush in Tompkins Square Park. Photo by Steven]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

San Loco closes 2nd Avenue location (Tuesday)

Report: Lease extension in the works for 14th Street Associated (Monday)

At the 2017 Drag March (Saturday)

Astor Place (Wednesday)

More about plans to add 2 levels to this possibly haunted 10th Street beauty (Tuesday)

Retail space with tragic past now on the market for the first time in decades (Wednesday)

Report: Polish G. I. Delicatessen is closing at the end of the month (Thursday)

Veteran Japanese restaurateurs bringing Dokodemo to 4th Street (Friday)

Mazmaza is the 4th restaurant to try 320 E. 6th St. since last September (Monday)

Recognizing 27 Cooper Square's role in local history (Tuesday)

1st sign of the Old Monk on Avenue B (Friday)

Out and About with Miss Joan Marie Moossy (Wednesday)

250 E. Houston is officially no longer Red Square (Tuesday)

Gelato shop opens on Avenue A (Monday ... Wednesday)

Former Kabin space on the market (again) (Thursday)

Another random fish head (Tuesday)

Loverboy bringing pizza and cocktails to 8th and C (Thursday)

Stuffed Ice Cream coming to 1st Avenue (Thursday)

Flowers for a former Juice Press on 10th Street (Wednesday)

12-story condoplex set for this corner of Bleecker and Mulberry (Friday)

... and thanks to EVG reader Cheyenne for sharing these photos of the recently-completed murals by XORS at the 12C Outdoor Art Gallery on 12th Street and Avenue C...





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At Tiki on 12th

Yesterday afternoon, the East Village Independent Merchants Association presented Tiki on 12th, in which several businesses along (or near!) 12th Street east of First Avenue offered shoppers/diners a few deals.

EVG correspondent Stacie Joy paid a visit... where much of the action took place at the East Village Vintage Collective...






[Harry & Ida's]


[Community 54]

...and there were desserts via Jesse Gunn...



...there was also music on the block by Erica Mancini and the Bee's Knees ...



... as well as fire eating and sword swallowing courtesy of The Lady Aye...

Trash can-swallowing sinkhole keeping 8th Street entrance to Tompkins Square Park shut down

The entrance to Tompkins Square Park on Avenue B at Eighth Street is still blocked off... last week, a sign, since removed, noted that the entrance is closed "due to repair."

No repair yet... and either the sinkhole is getting larger or the trash can is getting smaller... Or both! And hopefully the Parkgoer will finish his newspaper before the hole expands...



Flashback to last Sunday!

Peonies at the Park

EVG regular Daniel notes that the Briscoe Flower Farm will be at the Tompkins Square Greenmarket today and next Sunday ...



...selling fresh peonies...if this is of interest...







Briscoe was stationed on A near St. Mark's Place last Sunday, when Daniel took these photos.

Saturday's parting shot

Tompkins Square Park this afternoon ... photo by Derek Berg

Juvenile hawks in Tompkins Square Park learning to fend for themselves

As you probably know, there are two juvenile red-tailed hawks in Tompkins Square Park now. One is the lone offspring (this year!) for resident hawks Christo and Dora... the other is Flatbush, the juvenile rescued after a spill in Brooklyn.

Anyway, the juveniles are getting quite large already. Here's Flatbush, who learned how to use Seamless...


[Photo yesterday by Derek Berg]

Meanwhile, there's Christo and Dora's kid. (Some hawk watchers are calling her Manhattan or 10, for being Christo and Dora's 10th hawklet.)

Earlier this week, she was learning how to remove bottle caps, as these photos by Steven show...


[Click on image for more detail]



... and getting some pointers on flying...



If this helps...



Visit Goggla's site here for a much more comprehensive hawklet update.

P.S.

A bonus photo of Manhattan/10 learning to ignore the squirrels back on Sunday...


[Photo by EVG reader Cheyenne]

Metropolis Vintage unveils new signage designed by Punk magazine co-founder John Holmstrom

[Image via Instagram]

The sign went up today at the shop, 43 Third Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

And to commemorate the new design...

Come in and get a FREE button and sticker with our new redesign logo by #johnholstrom of @thepunkmagazine

A post shared by Metropolis Vintage (@metropolisnycvintage) on Jun 24, 2017 at 9:25am PDT

Metropolis Vintage has been in this spot since 1995 ... Richard Colligan first opened the store in 1990 at 96 Avenue B between Sixth Street and Seventh Street...

[Courtesy of Richard Colligan]

Read an interview with Colligan here. Read more about John Holmstrom, an East Village resident, here.