Week in Grieview

Posts from this past week include (with a photo on 2nd Avenue by Derek Berg) ... 

• RIP Dee Pop (Monday) 

• Remembering William John Lopez (Tuesday)

• The Compost Yard in East River Park is on the move (Thursday) 

• A visit to Lovewild Design (Tuesday) 

• Duo NYC now open in its new 9th Street storefront (Thursday) 

• Souen reopens after late-September kitchen fire (Monday) 

• Demolition continues along 2nd Avenue to make way for an 11-story mixed-use building (Wednesday) 

• Cinema Salons — 'a mini-festival of radical films' — coming to the Anthology (Tuesday) 

• Ankara Turkish Restaurant announces itself on East Houston (Monday) 

• LiveSounds return to the Third Street Music School Settlement (Wednesday) 

• Tom's Juice debuts on 4th Street (Thursday) 

• Belse Restaurant makes it sign official on the Bowery (Wednesday) 

• And now the full reveal at 141 E. Houston St. (Monday)

• Con Ed puts more energy into power washing its substation on Avenue A (Monday) 

• A for-rent sign at the renovated former home of Black & White on 10th Street (Tuesday) 

• Night Market is a place for artists to meet (Friday) 

• David Flores next up for the Bowery Mural Wall (Wednesday) Motorcycle diary: In-progress look at the Bowery Mural Wall (Saturday) 

• Farewell to the locksmith-CBD shop on Avenue B (Monday)

... and a hello from Ray and Stella at Ray's Candy Store at 113 Avenue A (thanks Lola Sáenz for the pic!)

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A Tim Ho Wan line check

EVG reader Doug notes that the lines are back to pre-March 2020 levels at Tim Ho Wan at 85 Fourth Ave. at 10th Street ... as seen today for their 11 a.m. open. 

The Hong Kong-based, Michelin-starred dim sum parlor officially opened here in January 2017. And they've been able to keep the crowds coming back (except when they were closed for indoor dining during the pandemic).

Mozart in the garden

Among the activities today in neighborhood community gardens... dell'Arte Opera Ensemble's Opera in the Park concert series continues with excerpts from Mozart's "Abduction from the Seraglio."

This free event is happening this afternoon from 3-4:15 in the Campos Community Garden, 644 E. 12th St. between Avenue B and Avenue C.

Find more info here. 

Image via

A Sunday edition today of the Nexus Flea

The previously rainy forecast for yesterday prompted organizers of the Nexus Flea to move the sale to today (Sunday!)... so you can find the local merchants with vintage clothes, jewelry, records, etc., on First Avenue and First Street from 1-6 p.m.

The next Nexus Flea is scheduled for Oct. 30.

Motorcycle diary: In-progress look at the Bowery Mural Wall

Here is an in-progress look at the Bowery Mural Wall.. where David Flores, known for his mosaic style of artwork, started work several days ago on Houston at the Bowery.

According to a description of the work on the scene... 

...the mural depicts "a motorcyclist driving into the street spreading florals out the back of the bike. The goal of the piece is to bring an element of fun to the daily lives of the community."

Flores, who started as a graphic designer for several skateboard companies, is expected to finish the piece on Monday.

Milling time for Avenue B moved to Monday-Tuesday

A quickie update on yesterday's post... the DOT has pushed the weekend milling planned for Avenue B to Monday and Tuesday evenings now. 

Also! Clinton Street between Houston and Delancey is also in for a milling, per the DOT website.

A plant sale today at the Recovery Center on 3rd Street

The Recovery Center is hosting a plant sale today from noon to 3 p.m. at the facility, 8 E. Third St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery. 

Per the flyer, "all proceeds go directly to clients of our outpatient substance use treatment center." 

The Center, part of Project Renewal, hosts plant sales in its outdoor space several times a year.

'Star' power

 

Surfbort released a video this week for their latest single, "Big Star" ... from the new release Keep on Truckin'.

How to watch 'Make Me Famous,' a documentary on 1980s downtown artist Edward Brezinski

A documentary of possible interest: "Make Me Famous" is making its world premiere on Sunday evening at the NewFest. 

Here's a description:

Edward Brezinski worked alongside Keith Haring, David Wojnarowicz, and Jean-Michel Basquiat in the Lower East Side art scene, but never reached the same level of success as his contemporaries. "Make Me Faous" uncovers why such a well-connected yet peculiar painter never made it, despite being so maniacally focused in his quest for fame. 

What begins as an investigation into Brezinski’s legacy and mysterious disappearance becomes a sharp, witty portrait of NYC's 1980s downtown art scene. Gallery owners and fellow artists dish on insider gossip, name drop, and contradict each other in telling the story, resulting in an irresistible snapshot of an unknown artist that captures the spirit of an iconic era.

The film screens at the SVA Theater on 23rd Street Sunday evening at 7. "Make Me Famous" is also available to stream today through Oct. 26. 

Details on the in-person screening and home-viewing options are at this link.

Night Market is a place for artists to meet in Tompkins Square Park on Friday evenings

Artist-proprietor Lori Der Hagopian, who operated the matchbox-sized gallery The Stand on Avenue C and Seventh Street, is launching a new project. 

Starting tonight at 6, she's presenting Night Market in Tompkins Square Park. She's inviting artists to bring their materials (as well as a blanket and flashlight) and meet at Tompkins Square Park — the entrance on Avenue A at St. Mark's Place. 

Weather permitting, she plans to host these gatherings tonight through Dec. 17... and start them back up again in the spring. 

The Stand (2012-2019) was a unique venture, a pop-up gallery and performance space featuring work by mostly unknown artists. You never knew exactly what you'd find there on a given weekend night.

[Updated] It's milling time for Avenue B

Signs are now posted along Avenue B ... noting (warning?) that DOT contractors will be milling — "the process of grinding off the top layer of asphalt or surface of a roadway" from Houston to 14th Street.

Signs note (warn?) that the work will occur from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. tonight and tomorrow. 

The city milled Avenue C in early June. That roadway stayed in a fillings-rattling state until late July. Hopefully, Avenue B can be repaved more quickly than 7 weeks.

Thanks to Dave on 7th for the pic!

Updated 11:30 a.m. 

Speaking of Dave on 7th... he notes that the milling machine lurks nearby...

Updated 10/16 

The milling has been moved back to Monday and Tuesday... also, Clinton Street between Houston and Delancey is also in for a milling...

Thursday's parting shot

A ghost story on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B... pic by Stacie Joy. Looks great at night too!

Check out the art by Count Slima today at Sophie's

If you were in the mood to stop by Sophie's later this afternoon... here's some more incentive. There's an art show featuring the work of longtime EV resident (and Sophie's regular!) Joseph "Count Slima" Williams from 4-6 (his art has also been featured at Max Fish through the years) ...

Slima also worked for the Two Boots family for 30-plus years, starting with helping build the original location at 37 Avenue A in 1987.

These days you can find him kicking some ass on the pool table at Sophie's, 507 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B...

Thank you to Odetta Hartman for the photos!

The Compost Yard in East River Park is on the move

In recent days workers have started to remove the contents from the Compost Yard in East River Park to make way for the East Side Coastal Resiliency project. (EVG photo from yesterday.)

The Lower East Side Ecology Center had been facing an uncertain future in trying to secure a suitable alternative for its 30-year-old composting program. In June, the city announced that the Compost Yard could return to its current location after the demolition/rebuild of East River Park over the next 3-5 years. 

Here's an update via the LES Ecology Center website on what is happening...

Our priority is to continue operating the existing drop-off sites during this transitional period. With the loss of the Compost Yard, we have begun hauling food scraps from our drop-off sites to the Staten Island Compost Site. This shift in our operations also means we’re using a new green bin at our drop-off sites. 

We are working with the City to build out a temporary compost site so that we can compost the food scraps we are collecting again in spring of 2022. 

Our compost yard volunteer workdays, compost donation appointments, and compost site tours are suspended until further notice. Our 24/7 Compost Yard drop-off will be moving. More details soon! 

You might be curious what is happening with all the compost currently at the Compost Yard. The freshest, active compost piles are being moved to the Staten Island Compost Site where they will finish their composting process. The finished compost will also be moved, we hope to donate as much of this material to neighborhood Parks as possible.

Meanwhile, the LES Ecology Center will be working from Seward Park over the next few years. 

Workers are expected to start razing the 57.5-acre East River Park in the weeks ahead, cutting down the 1,000 mature trees and eventually rebuilding the park atop eight feet of landfill.

East River Park Action and other advocates say there are better ways to preserve the park and provide flood protection, such as the one mapped out in the years after Sandy. In late 2018, the city surprised community stakeholders by announcing a complete overhaul of a plan discussed over four years of local meetings.

During a weeklong series of protests outside City Hall last week, the advocates (finally) got the attention of Council Speaker Corey Johnson to ask for him to hold an oversight hearing on the East Side Coastal Resiliency project. PIX11 and The Village Sun covered the advocates' impromptu meeting with Johnson.

You can also watch a video of the exchange right here... it's not clear what, if anything, might transpire from the conversation...