'Orson’s Shadow' at Theater for the New City

Photo by Lola Sáenz 

"Orson's Shadow," written and directed by Austin Pendleton (pictured above), is wrapping up its two-plus-week run on Sunday at Theater for the New City. 

The play debuted in 2000 and had its NYC premiere in 2005 at the Barrow Street Theatre, where it had a 349-performance run. 

The plot, via Theater for the New City: 

"Orson’s Shadow," based on true events, takes place on the stage of the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin and later on the stage of the Royal Court Theatre. In his declining years, Orson Welles is directing a production of Eugène Ionesco's "Rhinoceros," starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright. 

Olivier is fresh from his triumphant theatrical portrayal of vaudevillian Archie Rice in John Osborne's "The Entertainer" and is about to reprise the role in its film adaptation. He and Plowright are in the early stages of a romantic liaison and his tumultuous marriage to Vivien Leigh is all but ended. The noted critic Kenneth Tynan becomes entangled in the conflicts between Welles, Olivier, and Leigh, adding tension and complexity to their relationships and influencing their decisions and perceptions.

You can catch a performance Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. (Thursday is a pay-what-you-can performance.) Find tickets here. 

Theater for the New City is at 155 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street. And be sure to check out the art in the TNC lobby gallery — when you go to the play or just stop by... 

A look inside Trader Joe's Pronto, now open on 14th Street in Union Square

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Trader Joe's Pronto opened yesterday at 138 E. 14th St. at Irving Place (steps away from the Trader Joe's at 142 E. 14th St.). 

As we noted, this is the one (and only one planned) for the brand, a grab-pay-and-go concept offering up some of the brand's more popular items ... and (ideally) without the line wait of the TJ's mothership where people seem to always be stocking up ahead of a storm.

The outpost has wraps, salads, pre-packaged meals, fruit, yogurt, drinks, snacks, etc. 

Here's a look around...

Daily hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The space was previously home to the TJ's wine shop, the brand's only liquor license in New York State. It abruptly closed on Aug. 11, 2022, after 15-plus years in business. Workers here reportedly planned to unionize when the company announced the closure.

Our post from yesterday includes a statement from the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.

NYPD: Suspect arrested in connection with the 2 recent shootings in Tompkins Square Park

Photo from March 21 by Stacie Joy 

Reporting by Stacie Joy 

A 38-year-old man is in custody this afternoon in connection with shootings in Tompkins Square Park on March 16 and March 22, police sources say. 

According to the NYPD, the suspect, identified as Waldemar Alverio, was arrested on Delancey Street by officials at the 7th Precinct. 

The shootings were said to be the result of an ongoing beef between Alverio and another man, sources said.

Following a scuffle in the Park on March 16, Alverio allegedly fired several shots, striking two innocent bystanders. (Neither victim suffered life-threatening wounds.)

This past Thursday, police said Alverio returned to the Park where he fired 5-7 times without striking anyone. One bullet penetrated a window above Niagara on Seventh Street at Avenue A.

No word yet on the charges against Alverio. 

Since the shootings, the NYPD has added foot patrols to Tompkins Square Park.

By now, you should have seen your 9th precinct officers patrolling on foot in and around Tompkins square park. They will be addressing crimes and quality of life issues. Please, be rest assured that we will continue to do our very best to keep this legendary park safe!! pic.twitter.com/D3YXAnd5CB

— NYPD 9th Precinct (@NYPD9Pct) March 25, 2024

1st sign this spring of the wisteria on Stuyvesant Street (and that townhouse is for sale!)

We're officially on wisteria watch this spring on Stuyvesant Street.

An EVG reader who shared these two photos yesterday noted that residents on the block were worried the plant had died, "but it's BACK."

The purple paradise of flowering beauty® resides outside 35 Stuyvesant St. at 10th Street... and it inspires both Instagram users and jigsaw-puzzle makers.

And this fantastic home has been on the sales market since the fall — for the first time since 1958.

Here are details via Corcoran:

35 Stuyvesant Street is a jewel of a house that requires a complete restoration ... Five stories, not counting the English basement with 32' frontage (4 windows wide facing south) and a magical Wisteria Vine. There are 6 floors for the new owner to transform into a unique and lovely home. Please take note that an architect and skilled contractors will be necessary to restore this house to its previous splendor. ... This is a special opportunity to create a masterpiece. 

Price: $4.2 million.

Lee B. Anderson, called the godfather of the Gothic revival in America, was the long-time owner. He died in 2010, and his caretaker has been living in the space.

Curbed has a great piece on the home from last fall right here.

Anderson won a 2003 Village Preservation Award for "nurturing his wisteria and making the Village a more beautiful place." 

Openings: Trader Joe's Pronto on Union Square

Photo Friday by Pinch

A one-off store on Union Square opens today for the Trader Joe's brand.

Trader Joe's Pronto is a grab-pay-and-go concept at 138 E. 14th St. at Irving Place (inside TJ's former wine store and steps away from the Trader Joe's at 142 E. 14th St.).

"Trader Joe's Pronto is a one-of-a-kind extension of our store in Union Square," a company spokesperson told EVG. "This additional space allows us to carry more of the products our customers in this neighborhood purchase daily."

The idea is that TJ's shoppers can get items in a hurry for, say, lunch and dinner and not have to wait in longer lines with customers shopping for the week. 

And there aren't any other Prontos planned for now.

The spokesperson said, "We do not have plans to open additional Trader Joe's Pronto markets in New York or elsewhere in the country."

 
TJ's Pronto hours:10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

The wine shop, representing the brand's only liquor license in New York State, abruptly closed on Aug. 11, 2022, after 15-plus years in business. Workers here reportedly planned to unionize when the company announced the closure.

Since the shop closed, Trader Joe's has held onto the space for storage at the base of NYU's Palladium Hall. At the time, the company announced that the "space currently used for the wine shop will be used to improve the overall operations of store 540, our grocery store in Union Square." 

In a statement to Gothamist, a company spokesperson said that its decision to close the store had nothing to do with the unionizing efforts. The spokesperson called the outpost an "underperforming wine shop," which anyone who saw the lines out the door disagreed with.

Last fall, EVG readers noticed activity inside the 138 E. 14th St. space, fueling speculation of a wine store comeback. Perhaps they were planning for Pronto.

As CNBC noted in 2021, TJ's founder Joe Coulombe previously ran a chain of convenience stores in California called Pronto Markets, though they couldn't compete against the likes of 7-Eleven.

Updated 4:30 p.m.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) released this statement:

"Trader Joe's decision to open a new store in place of its former wine shop, after displacing its former staff without warning, is a giant slap in the face. We are disappointed, but not surprised, to learn that the space has been filled before reopening our shop. While management claims to be searching for a new location to move its successful wine store, they've been content to let its former location lay empty for almost 2 years as an alleged cost-saving measure.

"We believe Trader Joe's is doing everything in its power to prevent a profitable unionized shop from reopening. We refuse to let Trader Joe's continue to get away with their egregious and illegal union-busting tactics."

Checking in on the former mucky tree well on Avenue A

Photos by Stacie Joy

Last Tuesday, we reported on longtime East Village resident Siobhan Meow taking care of the formerly mucky-smelly tree well on Avenue A just south of Sixth Street (now known as the Noel Reed Memorial Tree Pit).

We spotted Siobhan at work yesterday, putting in some early ground cover for the soil ...

We're looking forward to seeing this formerly soggy, bread-ridden plot come to life this spring.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• This spring, new life for the mucky tree well that smells like dead things on Avenue A

Tribes of Morocco relocates to a larger storefront on 9th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Tribes of Morocco recently debuted in its new home at 346 E. Ninth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

The boutique offering hand-crafted Moroccan goods moved to this larger space from down the block at 428 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. (The business dates to the 1990s at other LES outposts.)

Owner Khalil H. said the aisles are wider here ... and he has more room for new merchandise, including clothing and a Moroccan foods/drinks section.

Here's a look at the well-appointed shop ...

Tribes of Morocco is open daily from noon to 8:30 p.m. You can follow the shop on Instagram here.

Monday's parting shot

Photo by Derek Berg 

On Cooper Square, a shoot for a Maybelline commercial... maybe it's Maybelline!

Marking the 113th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire

Today marks the 113th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.

As in past years, volunteers have participated in the chalking project (organized by Street Pictures), writing the names and ages of the victims — mostly young women —  in front of the buildings where they lived on the Lower East Side.

The reader photos are from St. Mark's Place (above) and 11th Street...

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City on March 25, 1911, was the largest industrial disaster in U.S. history ... causing the death of 146 garment workers who either died from the fire or by jumping from the factory windows.

The Triangle Waist Company was located on the northwest corner of Greene Street and Washington Place, just east of Washington Square Park. The Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition website has more details on the tragedy and its legacy.

Friday is the deadline from these 2 East Village housing lotteries

Friday is the deadline for two new East Village residential buildings that include "affordable" units. 

We wrote about 351 E. 10th St. between Avenue B and Avenue C here.

There's also an open lottery for three units at the under-construction 645 E. Ninth St., a 7-story residential building on Avenue B and Avenue C. (H/T PIX 11.) 

Per the Housing Connect website: 

The building consists of spacious and modern apartments built with meticulous attention to detail and quality. Two bedroom unit has 2 levels and stairs. Amenities include bike storage lockers, pet-friendly, shared laundry, dishwasher, outdoor areas, package lockers, and virtual doorman. 

Now for the income eligibility: 

• A one-bedroom unit with a monthly rent of $1,741 for incomes ranging from $59,692 to $88,970 

• A one-bedroom unit with a monthly rent of $2,500 for incomes ranging from $85,715 to $165,230 

• A two-bedroom unit with a monthly rent of $2,900 for incomes ranging from $99,429 to $198,250.

Find more details and apply online here.

The new building, developed by Center Development Corporation, sits on the site of a former residential parking lot on the block ... and across the street from La Plaza Cultural. 

Coming soon to the East Village: No More Cafe, 'a haven for alcohol-free celebration'

Here's some potential respite for anyone tired of a booze-heavy nightlife scene.

No More Cafe, which opens next Monday at 352 E. 13th St. just west of First Avenue, is touted as a "zero-proof hideaway." 

Per the Cafe's website: 

A Haven for Alcohol-Free Celebration. Zero-proof is more than just abstaining from alcohol. It's about fully embracing life's experiences without compromise. At No More Cafe, we offer a way to enjoy socializing and taste without relying on alcohol, ensuring every choice feels like an upgrade. 

Rodrigo Nogueira, who worked as a corporate chef at Michael Mina Group, a San Francisco-based restaurant management company specializing in creating and operating full-service dining concepts, is behind this venture. 

In an Instagram post last month, he wrote: 

A little over a year ago, I reached a personal milestone: no more alcohol. I embarked on a journey across the country in search of a place that resonated with my new lifestyle. I wanted an environment where enjoying going out meant engaging in great conversations, savoring delicious food, and relishing proper drinks — all without the shadow of alcohol. 

You can find more details about No More here.

 

Other alcohol-free destinations in the East Village include Hekate Café & Elixir Lounge, which opened in January 2022 at 167 Avenue B between 10th Street and 11th Street.

Openings: Yummy Hive on 2nd Avenue

Yummy Hive debuted last week on the SW corner of Second Avenue and 10th Street. (H/T Steven!)

This is a 24/7 deli with an extensive offering of sandwiches, salads, smoothies, etc. (One EVG reader was impressed with the selection, though he wondered how many people might order the Seafood Sampler Platter, which costs $19.99 and features chilled shrimp, tuna salad, smoked salmon, calamari rings, lemon wedges, cocktail sauce, and crackers.)

You can find their menu on Yelp. 

This storefront has been empty since Capital One® left in 2019.

Previously

Art Gotham is the new tenant for the landmarked 4 St. Mark's Place

The upper-level retail space at 4 St. Mark's Place, just east of Third Avenue, is now occupied by the gallery Art Gotham. 

This will be the second location for the business that started in 2005. Per its website, the gallery represents "early and mid-career contemporary artists. With locations in Soho and the East Village, Art Gotham is dedicated to providing a platform for emerging talent and fostering a vibrant artistic community in New York City." 

The inaugural exhibit, "Rockstart," takes place this Thursday evening from 6-9 ...

There is no word on hours moving forward. The outpost at 478 West Broadway is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The upper level has been vacant since 2019, when Chi Snack Shop and the Imogene boutique closed. Wanyoo, Asia's largest gaming café chain, was at a lower level for a minute but never reopened after the pandemic started in March 2020. A bar-cafe called Lava Ground was the last leaseholder, a business that seemed to be open once every few weeks before disappearing.

Until February 2016, 4 St. Mark's Place housed Trash & Vaudeville for 41 years. The store relocated to 96 E. Seventh St. in 2016.

The Hamilton-Holly House (aka 4 St. Mark's Place), built in 1831, was once owned by Alexander Hamilton's son. The landmarked building, which changed hands for $10 million in the spring of 2016 for $10 million, also underwent a gut renovation and expansion.

Kolkata Chai Co. closed for renovations until April 1 on 3rd Street

Photos by Stacie Joy

Kolkata Chai Co. is closed until April 1 here at 199 E. Third St., just west of Avenue B. 

Door signage notes that ownership (brothers Ani and Ayan Sanyal) are "making some much-needed changes to our equipment and decor."

The cafe's Kenmare Street location is open. 

The shop, serving masala chai, debuted in September 2019 in the East Village.