Tonight's sunset from Astor Place by EVG reader Doug...
Sunday, June 16, 2019
Time passages
[Photo from Friday]
This weekend, Al Diaz and Curt Hoppe collaborated on a mural outside The Quality Mending Co. on the corner of Prince and Elizabeth.
The final product include's Diaz's text- and message-oriented work with Hoppe's portrait photography...
"Time pulls us along as present becomes past. People, pets, places and possessions all turn into memories..."
"This piece is not for selfies ... just stop, read and think," Hoppe told me.
Previously on EV Grieve:
The EVG podcast: Al Diaz on BOMB1, SAMO© and Basquiat
Curt Hoppe's 'Downtown Portraits'
Week in Grieview
[Photo on Astor Place by Derek Berg]
Posts from this past week included...
What is happening at Gem Spa? (Tuesday)
The 14th Street busway debuts on July 1 (Wednesday)
Amelia and Christo's 2nd 2019 chick dies (Tuesday)
A visit to Zadie's Oyster Room on 12th Street (Wednesday)
Q&A with the director of the short film "Deborah Harry Does Not Like Interviews" (Friday)
Supper's 1970s-style subway-car look on 2nd Street (Tuesday)
Report: Former Hells Angels HQ will become 22-unit residential building with retail (Monday)
A look at 131 1st Ave., currently being divided into 3 retail spaces (Tuesday)
Tree Bistro returns, though without the garden space for now (Friday)
Last weekend for Miscelanea NY (Friday)
Tai Thai is back in action (Wednesday)
183 Avenue B will be demolished for a new 8-story residential building (Thursday)
Going 'Ape' over this gate at the East Village Vintage Collective (Monday)
Reader report: "marauding drunks" kill young tree on 7th Street (Thursday)
#NoKidsInCages spotted on 2nd Avenue (Wednesday)
Bike lane paint returning to 1st Avenue (Monday)
Taking a seat for social change in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday)
Ray's Candy Store the setting for one of these "East Side Stories" at the Metropolitan Playhouse (Friday)
"Sayonara, Bitches" — about the last show at Art on A Gallery (Thursday)
Joe’s Steam Rice Roll debuts on St. Mark's Place (Monday)
Ravi DeRossi bringing Indian cuisine to his former Fire & Water space on 7th Street (Wednesday)
Roll up for the Magical Mystery Tour at Tompkins Square Park (Sunday)
Signage is up for Auriga Cafe on Avenue A (Monday)
Gabriel Stulman seeking sidewalk cafe license for Great Jones Cafe replacement The Jones (Monday)
Squish Marshmallows only taking appointments for the summer (Wednesday)
Jin Kitchen and Bar closes on 3rd Avenue (Thursday)
Farewell to the leaning tree of 3rd Street (Tuesday)
Blue Bottle Coffee now open on Astor Place (Monday)
Whiteout at the former Sidewalk (Monday)
... and that is NOT a new logo for Trader Joe's at the retailer's space coming to 432 E. 14th St. ...
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Eddie Boros returns to 5th Street
Noah Scalin created this painting of Eddie Boros (RIP 2007) and the Tower of Toys (RIP 2008) outside Lavagna on Fifth Street and Avenue B as part of the 100 Gates Project.
Boros — “a charismatic, sometimes cantankerous artist,” per the The New York Times — lived his entire life in an apartment across the street. Some of his art is still on the walls at Sophie's down the street.
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Ghost signage plywood on 7th Street
A recent item to note. EVG reader Paul Gale spotted this on the Seventh Street side of 113 First Ave., where workers are apparently ripping out the wall for more windows at the E Smoke & Convenience shop.
Next to the MCA mural (which we hear is staying put) are pieces of an old wooden sign...
As Paul points out, it's upside down, but it reads:
H. WOLLIN
Surgeon Dentist
Crown
This was, of course, from the era in which "surgeons" pedaling jacket crowns were as prevalent as today's bubble-tea shops. As I reported at the time, these crowns were effective, but didn’t last long because of microcracking that occurred during the cooling phase of fabrication and caused issues to the crown and underlying tooth or gum. The later introduction of dicor crowns, which were cemented with zinc phosphate, were more effective.
Anyway, another reader suggested that this plywood may be remnants of some period piece that filmed in the neighborhood. ("Mrs Maisel"?)
Go inside the gates today at the New York City Marble Cemetery
It's another Neighborhood Open Day today (Saturday, June 15!) at the New York City Marble Cemetery on Second Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.
From noon to 6 p.m. you'll have the opportunity to take in the usually gated space and learn more about its history.
Here are the remaining open days for the summer:
• Sunday, July 14
• Saturday August 17
Meanwhile, the New York Marble Cemetery at 41 1/2 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street will have open days on:
• Sunday, June 30
• Sunday, July 28
• Sunday, Aug. 25
The cemetery is open those days from noon to 4 p.m.
Friday, June 14, 2019
Spirit of '77'
EVG Etc.: Rent reform reactions; 'Russian Doll' returns
[Photo on Astor Place by Vinny & O]
What NYC tenants need to know about the new rent reform deal (Gothamist) Reaction from the "shocked" titans of NYC real estate (The New York Times) Real-estate groups to file lawsuit (Commercial Observer)
Residents call for independent review of storm-proofing plans for East River Park (Patch ... more reaction via The Villager)
The bill that would make NYC streets safer and break up the car culture (Curbed)
City Council members Carlina Rivera and Donovan Richards byline this piece on the importance of Community Land Trusts (City Limits)
The Strand is officially a designated landmark — despite objections from its owner (NBC 4) Reaction: "The vote is a huge disappointment, as the City has refused to consider landmark designation or any other substantial protections for the nearly 200 buildings on a dozen blocks of this part of Greenwich Village and the East Village." (Village Preservation)
Seems like 2008: A bank branch for part of the former Coffee Shop on Union Square (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)
Shakespeare in the Parking Lot turns 25, will stage Romeo & Juliet July 11-27 (Official site)
"Russian Doll," filmed in the East Village, is returning for more on Netflix (Vanity Fair)
A WorldPride calendar of events (The Advocate)
East Village well-represented in the listicle of the city's best ice cream shops (Eater)
Take a listen to Jesse Malin’s new song, featuring Billie Joe Armstrong, called "Strangers & Thieves" (Rolling Stone)
The Jarmusch fest continues through the weekend (Metrograph)
When Johnny Thunders opened for the Replacements (Dangerous Minds)
Photos: The final days of the Streit’s Matzo Factory (6sqft)
Metro Acres Market will replace the Fine Fare at 175 Clinton St. on the LES (The Lo-Down)
A NIMBY speech (McSweeney's)
... and the 6BC Botanical Garden is having one final orientation this year on Sixth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.
Per the garden's website:
Saturday, June 15 at 11:30 a.m.
Become a member of 6BC and help keep the garden beautiful.
Member benefits:
• Personal access to the garden. Once you have completed your membership workday and orientation, you will receive garden keys. You may then visit and work in the garden on your own schedule.
• Learn about gardening
• Have the opportunity to maintain garden plots
• Meet your neighbors
• Give back to your community
Q&A with the director of the short film 'Deborah Harry Does Not Like Interviews'
Meghan Fredrich, a former East Village resident who is currently living in Massachusetts, shared her first short film with me. "Deborah Harry Does Not Like Interviews," created from archival footage, shows how Blondie's Debbie Harry "endures years of superficial, tedious and demeaning questions from journalists until she devises a brilliant way to turn interviews on their head." The short recently made its premiere at the Maryland Film Festival and is now currently online.
Fredrich answered a few questions about the film, which you can watch below...
What was your introduction to Blondie? Do you recall the first time that you heard a Blondie song?
I’m a millennial (so sorry) and was a kid in the 1980s and 1990s. I have vague memories of seeing "Heart of Glass" and "Rapture" music videos on MTV or VH1.
Were you instantly a fan?
I think like so many others I was immediately entranced. My childhood home was a sort of New Wave temple – my parents playing records of the Talking Heads and B-52s. As I got older and developed a more complete understanding of punk, I became deeply involved with Blondie and never looked back.
What are some of the qualities that intrigued you initially about Debbie Harry? Did these perceptions change at all during the making of the film?
Debbie is unequivocally charismatic, so I think that drew my initial interest. But Debbie always appeared to me to be a very substantial person. Despite the ongoing media obsession with her blondeness and appearance, she is not all on the surface or superficial in any way. And she always appealed to me as a truly modern woman — an independent spirit.
I knew these things about her before I began the film, but I think my appreciation of her integrity, cleverness and sense of humor deepened as I worked on it.
Did you start this project with Debbie Harry in mind? Or were you thinking more about exploring the way interviews are structured and how the media complex works?
It was the latter – I was thinking about the power relationship inherent in interviews and how the public accepts certain interview “norms.” From there I thought about who had been in the public eye for a long time, and Debbie came to mind.
Though the montage of clips you found, we see Harry endure an endless number of idiotic and sexist interviews. How did you see her reaction to these interviews evolve as she continued on in her career, both in Blondie and as a solo artist and actress?
As time goes by, we Debbie’s emotional reactions to these questions and interviews change, as well as the strategies or tactics she deploys to manage them. She’s initially surprised, perhaps. Then expectant, evasive, using humor to deflect. She tries presenting a somewhat neutral front. Toward the end, you see flickers of anger, frustration and resignation. Until Minkie appears.
I’m surprised that the introduction of a stuffed animal — in this case Minkie — during interviews hasn’t become standard media-training fare for any public figure.
I know what you mean!
Do you think if she was an emerging artist today that she’d face the same type of questioning in the media?
You can see this clearly happening now with Billie Ellish. In an ad campaign recently for Calvin Klein, Billie says, “That’s why I wear baggy clothes. Nobody can have an opinion because they haven’t seen what’s underneath.” It’s a protective stance for an invasive world that would otherwise eat you alive.
Any idea if Deborah Harry has seen this?
We passed the film along to her people, but I don’t really know one way or another.
What do you want viewers to take away from the film?
How incredible Debbie is, to start! I hope they laugh while the watch it. But perhaps the overriding message of the piece comes from the lyrics of the song "I Want That Man." When Debbie sings “Here comes the 21st century/It’s gonna be much better for a girl like me,” we as the audience now watching in the 21st century have to ask ourselves: Is it?
And here's the full 17-minute film...
Tree Bistro returns, though without the garden space for now
Tree Bistro is back in service this week ... nearly eight months after the six-alarm fire tore through neighboring 188 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street.
That fire also wiped out Tree Bistro's garden dining area ... and caused other damage inside the restaurant.
For now, the restaurant's outdoor space remains closed, which causes some space issues. Here's more via the Tree Bistro website:
We miss the garden more than anyone — but the delicious cuisine, charming and eclectic decor, and above all attention to our customers that is the hallmark of Tree Bistro will be in abundance in our inside dining room.
Since our capacity has been reduced by more than a third, we recommend reservations at all times, and we do please ask that you confirm or cancel your reservations should plans change so that we can accommodate all who wish to experience Tree Bistro. We appreciate your understanding as we all adjust to this temporarily smaller format and are excited to see you soon ...
Uogashi, the Japanese restaurant in the retail space at 188 First Ave., is not expected to return. The Uogashi website, now offline, had listed "permanently closed" under their hours of operation.
Officials said they believe the fire, which injured 17 people, including 14 firefighters, began inside Uogashi. An exact cause has not been made public.
Last weekend for Miscelanea NY
[Priscilla Leon and Guillaume Guevara in January]
As we first reported on June 5, Guillaume Guevara announced that he was closing Miscelanea NY, his 4-year-old quick-serve Mexican cafe and shop at 63 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.
Sunday is the shop's last day in business. As he shared on Instagram...
On Wednesday, I asked Guevara for more on why he's decided to close up shop.
"I am moving to Mexico for my son to learn Spanish — that is the main reason. But of course, there are other secondary reasons such as the high operating costs, as usual, in NYC."
Miscelanea NY drew praise for not only its tasty Mexican food, but also Guevara's commitment to helping educating customers about the country.
"To me, Miscelanea is not just a Mexican store, it's an all-inclusive trip to Mexico. You can learn about the culture through our books, about the fashion through our clothes, and about the cuisine through our food," he told EVG contributor Stacie Joy in January. "People in NYC know that there’s more to Mexico than mariachi and tequila, but unfortunately the Mexican stigma is still there for some Americans who have not visited Mexico in recent years. I always encourage our customers to visit Mexico; in fact, many of them come to me to ask for recommendations of places to visit, stay and eat while in Mexico. I love it!"
Photos by Stacie Joy
Previously on EV Grieve:
A visit to Miscelanea NY on 4th Street
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