Today in street festivals

Photo by Steven 

Today in street fairs: the Second Avenue EV Festival is getting underway along — Second Avenue, from 14th Street to... St. Mark's Place? (The online listing says Fourth Street, but...)

Anyway, this one held in April is usually pretty solid as far as street festivals go...

Saturday's parting shot

A view along St. Mark's Place late this afternoon between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

This block is again part of the Open Streets program for the following days/hours: 

• Fridays: 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. 

• Saturdays: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. 

• Sundays: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

News to dry for: La La Laundry is back with gas on Avenue B and 11th Street

After a three-week saga, Con Ed has restored the gas service to La La Laundry (and presumably the entire building) on the NW corner of Avenue B and 11th Street. 

While the business, which includes a plant shop and cleaning service, remained open, La La's patrons could not use its dryers without the gas hookup.

For now, La La has extended its closing to 10 p.m.

As the laundromat ownership previously explained: 

On March 26, a routine maintenance task took a harrowing turn. An elderly mechanic, entrusted with welding duties in our boiler room, suddenly felt unwell, prompting a call to 911. Responders, fearing a gas leak, urged the shutdown of the boiler's gas supply. However, a fateful misstep by a Con Ed worker resulted in the cessation of gas to the entire building, despite NO leak being found within our premises. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• La La Laundry looking for some help after 3 weeks without gas 

A crowdfunding campaign is here.

Saturday's opening shot

A view of Tompkins Square Park this morning. 

And as previously mentioned, there are many Earth Day-related activities today (yes, Earth Day is officially Monday) ... such as!

• Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens (LUNGS) is hosting its annual Spring Awakening to celebrate the neighborhood's community gardens. (Details) 

• The volunteers at Loisaida Open Streets are hosting events throughout the day on Avenue B between Eighth Street and 10th Street (details) ... part of NYC's Car-Free Earth Day.

4/20's opening shot

As seen on Avenue A at 11th Street yesterday... thanks to EVG reader PM for the shot. 

And happy 4/20 to those who celebrate this high holiday.

Friday's parting shot

Tits Dick Ass tonight at the Knitting Factory at Baker Falls on Avenue A... headlining a bill that featured Gargoyle ... Suburban Speed ... and Femcel ...

Ways to be 'Wicked'

 

The fifth record from Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds is out today on In the Red Records. 

The above video, which features L.A. punk icon Alice Bag, is for the track "Wicked World."

Headline H/T.

NYPD searching for hockey-stick-wielding suspect who whacked woman in the leg on 6th Street

Police are looking for a man they say struck a woman in the leg with a hockey stick in an unprovoked attack on an East Village street.

According to the NYPD, a 26-year-old woman was walking on Sixth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue around 10:30 p.m. on April 9 when the suspect hit her in the back of her thigh.

WANTED-ASSAULT: On 4/9/24 @NYPD9PCT a female victim was walking in front of 433 East 6 Street when she was approached by an unknown individual who struck her in the leg with a hockey stick.
Any info call us at 800-577-TIPS Reward up to $3,500 pic.twitter.com/hsOleIF5cu

— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) April 18, 2024

The Post interviewed the victim, Amber Nguyen, who said she was walking with a group of friends when the assault occurred. The man did not say anything before the attack. 

After the hit, she and her friends reportedly followed the man, who was still carrying the hockey stick, for several blocks before he stopped and turned to the group saying, "I’m going to fuck you up!" 

The group retreated into a restaurant and the suspect fled. 

EMTs treated Nguyen, who was left with a bruise, at the scene. 

Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential. 

Thursday's parting shots

Photos by Peter Brownscombe

Danny Cortes presented Ray with a miniature Ray's Candy Store today outside the shop at 113 Avenue A...

The miniature/diorama artist has also created versions of the Mars Bar and 57 Great Jones St.

Waiting for a sunnier day? (And some mold and mildew remover)

The beach beckons here on Seventh Street and Second Avenue... photo today by Steven...

Earth Day extravaganza: A celebration of East Village community gardens this Saturday

On Earth Day this coming Saturday, Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens (LUNGS) is hosting its annual Spring Awakening to celebrate the neighborhood's community gardens. 

Details!

Our parade begins at noon from El Sol Brillante, 522 E.12th St., between Avenue A and Avenue B. It will feature our Tree Goddess, Batalá, Stiltwalkers, and more. The parade will travel east on 12th Street, south on Avenue C, west on Sixth Street, north on Avenue A, enter Tompkins Square Park at Seventh Street, and end on Avenue B and Ninth Street. 

Several EV community gardens will host events throughout the afternoon, from workshops to live performances. Check this link for a schedule to date.

The Spring Awakening coincides with the 2024 debut of activities on the Loisaida Open Streets, where a slate of events is held throughout the day on Avenue B between Eighth Street and 10th Street. This is part of the citywide Car-Free Earth Day. 
 

PARTIAL brick reveal at 1 St. Mark's Place

Yesterday marked a partial reveal day on the NW corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place... where workers peeled off away some of the all-weather wrap on the 9-story office building...

Noted EVG reader Jacob Ford, who shared these pics: "It was a surprise (to me at least) the brick is slate instead of red."

True! The rendering shows a different color for the building with 50,000-plus square feet of office space and some 8,000 square feet for retail.

The rendering lists a July 2024 completion date.

Reader report: Alphabet Grocery hasn't been open lately

The gates have been down at Alphabet Grocery on the NW corner of Avenue C and Sixth Street for the past week. 

An EVG reader noted that the corner market changed a few weeks back and "looked more like a grocery store." They also stopped selling lottery tickets. 

There isn't any signage about a kind of closure, temporary or otherwise.

The shop is in a building owned by the NYCHA.

Honoring the late downtown legend Patti Astor at Astor Place

The downtown 6 stop at Astor Place is now full of tributes to the late Patti Astor, as these photos via an EVG readers show ...

The tribute is courtesy the East Village-based The Lisa Project. 

Astor died on April 9 at her home in Hermosa Beach, Calif. She was 74.

Per The New York Times:

Patti Astor, the downtown Manhattan "It" girl, indie film star and co-founder of Fun Gallery, the scruffy East Village storefront space that in the early 1980s nurtured young graffiti artists like Futura2000, Zephyr, Lee Quinones, Lady Pink and Fab 5 Freddy, as well as showcasing artists like Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf and Jean-Michel Basquiat...