3 new bakeries-cafes have opened in the East Village

Here's a quick look at three new bakery-cafe options in the East Village...

• Sweet Cake, 215 First Ave., just south of 13th Street.

The Flushing-based bakery and cafe, which serves coffee, matcha drinks, and Asian-style desserts, is now in service between 12th Street and 13th Street. (Previously.) 

• Oasis Cafe, 198 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street.

The bakery-dessert shop, which started in Flushing, is now in soft-open mode. The brand also has locations in Astoria and Midtown, and it ships its sweets, such as eclairs, cheesecake, and cookies, nationwide. (Previously.) 

• Red Beard Coffee & Bakery, 194 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street

Red Beard debuted on Saturday. This sibling to the Lazy Llama on First Street serves espresso via Ioannis Coffee Chef and offers freshly baked bread, pastries, and several sandwich options. Hours: Daily from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. (Previously.) 

Top photo via Pinch, the others by Lola Sáenz 

This smoke shop won't be reopening after an assault and robbery

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Several weeks ago, two smoke shops were robbed near Fourth Street and Avenue B — the Green Apple Smoke Shop, 240 E. Fourth St., and Best NY Smoke Shop at 46 Avenue B. 

The suspect allegedly assaulted the workers at both locations and has since been apprehended. Police sources tell us that the suspect had a gun, though it turned out to be fake. Per our sources, he was wanted for similar robberies in the Bronx and Uptown. 

Green Apple, one of the many unlicensed cannabis businesses to pop up in the past two years, never reopened after the attack. We're told the worker on duty was severely injured. 

The shop is now permanently closed. Yesterday, management started cleaning out the shop. We were invited inside to see the damage from the robbery...

Monday's parting shots

Felton Davis shares these photos from early this morning, noting: "In the enormous pre-dawn tableau, the rainbow could not be seen, but it was there, waiting for its moment..."

Click on the images for a bigger view...   

High winds bring down a branch in Tompkins Square Park

Late this afternoon, around 5, a tree branch came crashing down inside the Ninth Street and Avenue A entrance to Tompkins Square Park. (Thanks to the reader for the above photo.) '

The branch fell about 10 feet from Derek Berg while walking with Wilfie. 

He took these photos ... including after the FDNY responded to the scene...

According to the Weather Channel, New York Harbor is under a gale warning until 8 p.m. Gusts could hit 40 mph.

Today in parallel parking

Residents along this block of Sixth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B were curious about this parking job.

EVG reader flojo shared these photos of a Mercedes C300, shown with the bottom of the driver's side door pinned against a tree guard.

Per flojo: "[The car] doesn't look like it can come out without pulling one or the other off. But plenty of room to pass on the passenger side and not quite on the sidewalk, so not a total fail."

[Updated] A look at 14th Street this morning after the triple stabbing and homicide yesterday

Updated 4 p.m.

The suspect, 30-year-old Alejandro Piedra of Brooklyn, has been charged with one count of second-degree murder — depraved indifference and two counts of second-degree attempted murder — depraved indifference, according to the NYPD and media reports.

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This morning, the NYPD Crime Scene Unit and various media vans remain on the scene along 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. (Previously.) 

Just before 6 p.m. yesterday, a fight broke out between several people on the block. In the end, police say, a 38-year-old man was stabbed in the neck and later died. A 51-year-old woman was knifed in the leg and taken to a hospital in critical condition, while a 32-year-old man was stabbed in the back and hospitalized. The two hospitalized victims are expected to survive, according to published reports. 

A 30-year-old man is in police custody. His relationship with the stabbing victims isn't clear. 

An employee at the cheap-slice pizzeria at 418 E. 14th St. told the Daily News that she saw a man in a cape and another waving a piece of wood start fighting outside the shop. 

"I was just doing my job and I saw a man with a 2-by-4 and a man with a cape and a knife. I was like, 'This is like Looney Tunes.'" 

Longtime EVG reader Notorious shared these photos from this long-troubled stretch of the East Village. 

A few residents told us they were shocked to see pools of dried blood and rubber gloves from the first responders on the sidewalk this morning ...

City Councilmember Keith Powers, whose district starts on the north side of 14th Street in Stuy Town, issued this statement yesterday, calling 14th Street "out of control."

Statement on today’s attacks on 14th Street. pic.twitter.com/EFgucCe2WK

— Keith Powers (@KeithPowersNYC) June 24, 2024

Updated 11 a.m.:

District 2 City Councilmember Carlina Rivera has released a statement...

Our community faces serious challenges related to homelessness + mental health. I remain committed to working with agencies and community-based orgs to ensure we're connecting people to services and investing in programs that improve wellbeing, quality of life, and public safety. pic.twitter.com/XfSaVqLRXd

— NYC Council Member Carlina Rivera (@CMCarlinaRivera) June 24, 2024

And from Assemblymember Harvey Epstein...

My statement regarding the violence on 14th Street: pic.twitter.com/GhS7WqXdZz

— Harvey Epstein (@HarveyforNY) June 24, 2024

The refurbished Tompkins Square Park basketball courts return to service with help from the WNBA

There's a dedication ceremony this afternoon to unveil the refurbished Tompkins Square Park basketball courts. (Thanks to the EVG reader for these photos!)

These courts, which have been closed since June 5, have undergone a transformation. They now boast a mural titled 'Gaze' by Na Chainkua Reindorf over a resurfaced court and new rims and backboards.

Not mentioned on the posted signage about the court closings... this is a collaboration with Glossier, a beauty website, Project Blackboard, the WNBA and the Parks Department. 

Glossier CEO Kyle Leahy, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and Connecticut Sun star Brionna Jones are expected at the courts this afternoon at 3, per the event flyer a reader shared with us...

And more about Project Blackboard: 

Project Backboard is a 501(c)(3) organization, founded in 2015, whose mission is to renovate public basketball courts and install large-scale works of site-specific art on the surface to strengthen communities, improve park safety and encourage multigenerational play...

The courts were last refurbished in the summer of 2015 with funding from YouTube. 

The NW corner of 1st Avenue and 2nd Street awaits its new development

Late last week, workers removed the sidewalk bridge from around the NW corner of First Avenue and Second Street, ending the demoliton phase of this new development...

And a view of the pit... (photo by Steven)...

As previously reported, a 7-floor residential building with ground-floor retail is awaiting city approval for the new address, 88 E. Second St. 

According to DOB paperwork, the proposed building will be 19,278 square feet, with 2,994 square feet designated for commercial space. Plans call for 22 residential units, likely rentals, given the square footage. 

Read our previous posts for more about the project and prior businesses at 33-37 First Ave. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• 37 1st Ave., once home to some East Village music history, is now rubble

The all-new Boiler Room announces itself on 2nd Avenue

The window lettering is up now for The Boiler Room at its new home, 45 Second Ave. between Third Street and Second Street. (Thanks to Garth for the photo!) 

According to The Boiler Room's website, they hope to be open for Pride Weekend. 

After nearly 30 years in operation, the no-frills LGBTQ+ bar closed this past April at 86 E. Fourth St. near Second Avenue.

Management said the building's landlord at No. 86 had them in a two-plus-year court battle over pandemic-related back rent payments. 

As for the new address, the space will include the well-worn bar from Fourth Street.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Iconic gay dive bar the Boiler Room is closing later this year ahead of a move to a new East Village space

Opening weekend for Carnitas Ramírez

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Friday marked the opening day for Carnitas Ramírez at 210 E. Third St., just east of Avenue B. 

And, despite the heat, there was a line when the doors opened at noon. This is no surprise, as this sibling to Taqueria Ramírez, the celebrated Greenpoint establishment, has an ardent fan base.

The overall consensus from everyone I spoke to was "authentic," "delicious," "they do it right," "fucking epic," and "worth the heatstroke." 

For now, Carnitas Ramírez will just be open on Fridays (noon to 10 p.m.), Saturdays (11 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and Sundays (11 a.m. to 9 p.m.).

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• A taco test run at Carnitas Ramirez, opening June 21 in the East Village

[Updated] Reports of multiple people stabbed on 14th Street between Avenue A and 1st Avenue; 1 fatality

Updated 9 p.m.

One of the stabbing victims, a 38-year-old man, has died, per PIX11. 

Another update here.

Updated 6/24

The suspect, 30-year-old Alejandro Piedra of Brooklyn, has been charged with one count of second-degree murder — depraved indifference and two counts of second-degree attempted murder — depraved indifference, according to the NYPD and media reports.

-----

There are reports that three to four people were stabbed late this afternoon on 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

Per Fox 5: 

When officers arrived on the scene, they found one man who had been stabbed in the neck, a woman who had been stabbed in the back, and a man who had been stabbed in the leg. 

All three were taken to Bellevue Hospital. The man stabbed in the neck, and the woman stabbed in the back are both in critical condition. 

The man who was stabbed in the leg is reportedly in stable condition. A man was taken into custody at the scene, and police say a sharp cutting object was also recovered. 

Photos via @UrbanMyth show blood on the sidewalk just west of Trader Joe's, where the various vendors sell items of dubious quality...

There's a lot of conflicting information at the moment, such as the relationship between the victims. We'll update you when more details have been verified.

With drug use/sales and general quality-of-life issues, locals have complained about this relatively lawless stretch of the East Village for years with a tepid response from the city. 

In January, a caretaker at Immaculate Conception Church on 14th Street near First Avenue was slashed in the neck with a razor blade after trying to stop a man from urinating between cars. 

Updated:

Multiple residents have pointed out crime scene tape on 13th Street just east of 13th Street. One resident witnessed three people fighting here, before taking off running toward First Avenue and 14th Street.

A tribute to Patti Astor at First Street Green Art Park

First Street Green Art Park is celebrating the life of Patti Astor, the "First Lady of Graffiti Art." 

Astor, a cofounder of the Fun Gallery in the East Village in 1981, helped introduce a range of graffiti artists to the broader art world. She died in April at age 74. 

A handful of artists created this tribute (this Instagram post has more info about the artists and curators) ...

On the main wall, Shiro_one finished this large mural on Wednesday, which includes work by Al Diaz.

The Astor tribute got underway on June 15 with music by Large Professor... and the start of the various mural work... (photos below by Stacie Joy)...

The murals are expected to be up through the summer. First Street Art Park is at 33 E. First St. There's an entrance on First Street just east of Second Avenue... and another on Second Avenue near Houston.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a reader-submitted photo outside McKinley Playground on 4th Street)...

• RIP James Chance (Wednesday) 

• Rent Guidelines Board approves increases for 1 million rent-stabilized apartments (Tuesday) 

• Father Seán is leaving the East Village (Monday) 

• Rocks off: The Fillmore East memorial plaque is MIA on 2nd Avenue (Friday) 

• Early voting ends Sunday ahead of Primary Election Day on June 25 (Thursday) 

• At the 4th annual East Village Zine Fair on St. Mark's Place (Monday) 

• About the 'Mutual Aid Plaza' benefit show at La Plaza Cultural (Saturday) 

• Asian Taste is back open on Avenue B and 3rd Street (Tuesday) 

• Heat Dome watch now in effect (Tuesday) 

• Last weekend for A Sustainable Village on 9th Street (Saturday) 

• Summer vacations: B&H Dairy on 2nd Avenue (Friday) 

• A look at Partea 1 year in (Tuesday) 

• Bad Habit closing on Avenue A as owners will head west to start a family (Thursday) 

• Signs from an old chair: Remembering East Village standby Angelica Kitchen on 12th Street (Thursday) 

• A timeline for the reopening of the Tompkins Square basketball courts (Monday) 

• Wondering about Wonderland Bar on 2nd Avenue (Thursday) 

• Schmuck announces itself on 1st Avenue (Thursday)

• Blank Street Coffee reopens on 1st Avenue and 13th Street (Friday) 

... and we can't wait to see what LinkNYC's NYC Fact No. 1,132 will be... (Photo from 3rd Avenue near 12th Street)...

Weathering the heatwave

The heatwave continues in the NYC metropolitan area (and the Northeast U.S.).  

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory until 8 tonight, with the heat index expected to hit 100 in the city. 

Cooling centers are open across the city, including today, though the options are limited with the usual Sunday closure of the Tompkins Square and Ottendorfer library branches. You can find cooling centers via this link. (Most of the options are for senior residents.)

There are also 45 NYC public schools open today for residents, though the closest to the East Village are on Division and Monroe streets. Find the list here. 

A city news bulletin notes: "New Yorkers should also take advantage of additional cool options such as museums, movie theaters, coffee shops, or a neighbor, friend, or family member's home."

Another viable option is a shopping trip to Key Food on Avenue A and Fourth Street, where the temps seem to be in the single digits. 

Meanwhile, thunderstorms may happen later this afternoon and early evening...

Good Morning! Another day of heat and humidity and afternoon strong to severe thunderstorms for the entire area. Stay weather aware today, and check https://t.co/wTqdsomHTB for updates throughout the day. #NYWx #CTWx #NJWx pic.twitter.com/rtC8wYPvso

— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) June 23, 2024

Some relief is on the way...

Heat wave day #4 in NYC (longer in suburbs!) as heat, humidity & haze hold. Many weather alerts in place related to heat, air quality, & rip current risk but relief is coming! Front brings strong to severe storms second half of Sun. & leaves behind comfier conditions Mon. @abc7ny pic.twitter.com/lyI6kU9LLh

— Dani Beckstrom (@danibeckstrom) June 23, 2024