Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Tuesday's parting shot
Hello Mary headlines Bowery Ballroom
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
This past Thursday, local trio Hello Mary headlined the Bowery Ballroom for the first time in support of their recently released second full-length album, Emita Ox.
We've enjoyed watching the band's evolution, from almost-shows in Tompkins Square Park to Nublu ... and Webster Hall and now Bowery Ballroom.
Following openers Bleary Eyed and Starcleaner Reunion, the hour-long set spotlighted Hello Mary's take on '90s alt-rock, blending raw energy with emotional intensity.
We caught up with the band before the show backstage — (from left) drummer/vocalist Stella Wave, Guitarist/vocalist Helena Straight and bassist Mikaela Oppenheimer ...
Backstage is calm and relaxed, with an air of happiness and playfulness. The trio, energized by the presence of friends, family, and even a few parents in the audience, laugh and joke together. Before stepping on stage, they run through a warm-up song and vocal exercises, finishing with a lively dance to stretch, loosen up, and keep the mood light.
Hello Mary has been on a U.S. tour, their first time as a headliner.
Said Wave, "We've never headlined a full U.S. tour before, so it feels very exciting — especially to play in our hometown and headline a venue like Bowery Ballroom, where we've attended so many shows."
Keep tabs on the band via Instagram.
Kenny Scharf up next at the Brant Foundation
Art via The Brant Foundation
Kenny Scharf, a pioneer of the street art movement in the 1980s East Village, will be the subject of a major survey at the Brant Foundation next month.
The Foundation announced details yesterday:
Opening Nov. 13, the exhibition brings together over 70 paintings, sculptures, and objects created throughout the artist's expansive career, beginning with works from the late seventies. The survey is compiled from the Brant collections as well as major loans from institutions and private collections, including The Whitney Museum of American Art (New York) and The Broad (Los Angeles).Kenny Scharf is co-curated by Peter M. Brant & Tony Shafrazi in close collaboration with the artist.
Tickets (here) for Nov. 13 – Dec. 22 are currently available, and the remaining tickets (Dec. 23 – Feb. 28) will be released in the upcoming weeks.
The exhibition will be open Wednesday through Sunday.
Tickets are $20, $15 for students, and $15 for East Village residents. Admission is 50% off every Wednesday from 2-6 p.m.
The Brant Foundation's first show at 421 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue in the spring of 2019 featured work by Basquiat — some 70 works collectively valued at $1 billion. Other exhibits include a career-spanning Warhol collection in the spring of 2023.
Coming attractions: Upperz Cafe and Bar on 14th Street
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
A brother-sister team is opening a new cafe-bar concept at 319 E. 14th St., between First Avenue and Second Avenue, next month.
Marilyn Velazquez and Ramon Velazquez (pictured above) are behind Upperz Cafe and Bar. With a CB6-approved liquor license, the establishment will feature breakfast and pastries in the morning with coffee drinks and "artisanal bar food," like pizza bites in the evening. They will also offer mocktails and organic energy drinks. Plans include hosting special events in the evening, such as a Dungeons & Dragons and movie night.
How did they end up in this location, the former 787 Coffee, which closed in June 2023 after multiple break-ins and deteriorating quality-of-life issues along the corridor? It turns out their third business partner, Fern Gelin, plays soccer with the building's owner.
"We'd like to offer healing for the community," said Ramon, who also does all the woodworking in the space.
If you're on Instagram, you can keep tabs on the opening here.
Coming attractions: BKLYN MACS on 9th Street
Photo by Stacie Joy
BKLYN MACS, which will serve "macaron-inspired desserts and beverages (including Partners Coffee from Brooklyn), is expected to debut Friday at 438 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.
The business started as Phivi Box, a dessert company offering subscription boxes for macarons and other desserts.
This is their first retail outpost. (They have a kitchen facility in Sunset Park.)
In 2019, the husband-wife owners of the business quit their corporate jobs and launched Phivi Marketplace, an e-commerce events platform, before pivoting to desserts during the pandemic.
Signage alert: Hubani Restaurant on 1st Avenue
Top photo by Steven; 2nd pic by Choresh Wald
In recent weeks, we've seen activity inside the storefront on the SE corner of First Avenue and 1th Street.
It looks like a quick-serve food establishment, perhaps like Bereket on Houston and Orchard.
We have a better idea of the new tenant with the coming-soon signage that arrived late last week for Hubani Restaurant... which will serve Halal food...
This space was last home to an unlicensed weed shop (Recreational Plus Cannabis Dispensary). Before this, Eleven Consignment Boutique was here before closing amid a legal battle in November 2019.
Monday, October 28, 2024
Where is the $1 million NYPD mobile command unit that Mayor Adams promised for the troubled 14th Street and 1st Avenue corridor?
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
During a press conference on Aug. 8 at the 14th Street Y, Mayor Adams announced that a $1 million state-of-the-art Mobile NYPD Command Center would be placed near the troubled corner of 14th Street and First Avenue. (The Times first reported that Adams allocated the money in early July.)
According to the news release touting the command center on Aug. 8, the city noted it was part of a "fiscally responsible $112.4 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Adopted Budget passed in June."
Two and a half months later, no one seems to know about — or wants to comment on — the mobile command unit. When can residents expect to see it on 14th Street? Given his legal troubles, how much is the city's first indicted sitting mayor paying attention to neighborhood issues like this? (In addition, NYC's interim police commissioner is leaving after a few weeks on the job.)
This long-problematic stretch of 14th Street finally seemed to garner attention after, tragically, a triple stabbing among unhoused residents who were vending left one man dead on June 23.
The corridor had been a problem for years. Mayor Adams gave it the proper amount of lip service during a press conference on Aug. 8:
"When we came into office, we had a clear mission: protect public safety, rebuild our economy, and make our city more affordable and livable, and the '14th Street Community Improvement Coalition' precisely addresses these concerns — enhancing the quality of life and making the East Village safer. Our administration does not and will not tolerate an atmosphere where anything goes."
In a piece from July titled "A Street Brawl, a Stabbing Spree and a New York Block No One Can Fix," The New York Times observed:
East 14th Street also embodies New York City's struggles with a web of interconnected ills that have defied attempts to rein them in and have flared since the pandemic in parts of Manhattan: homelessness and mental illness, addiction and rampant shoplifting and seesaw battles for control of public space.
Since the stabbings on a Sunday afternoon in June, the NYPD has been a regular presence on the block, both on foot patrols and in patrol cars. The NYPD also installed three light towers between A and First on the south side of 14th Street. The city formed the multi-agency 14th Street Community Improvement Coalition to address the complicated convergence of public safety issues, including illegal vending, retail theft, and substance use and sales.
One matter that hasn't been resolved is the weekend flea market at Immaculate Conception on 14th Street at First Avenue, which some residents said contributes to the quality-of-life issues. The market is too big for the available space, and it attracted a patchwork of sellers with dubious and stolen merchandise setting up on the sidewalk along the block. The police have mostly kept them away from the corridor.
Residents have noted improvements along 14th Street, though familiar issues have been gradually resurfacing. Late last month, a 68-year-old woman was bashed in the head by a stranger on 14th Street and First Avenue.
Against this backdrop, where is the $1 million NYPD mobile command unit that "will serve as a central hub for law enforcement operations in the area"? Is it still on the way?
According to a source at the NYPD who was not authorized to speak on the record: "It's not something that was going to happen right away. No time frame or date was given [for its arrival]."
The source continued:
In my experience, the NYPD will just show up and arrive without proper communication with anyone involved. I don't know when the unit will arrive, but I don't think we will see it this year. Local elected officials may have more info than we will have. We are usually the last to know.This [mobile unit] will require manpower, and three officers will be assigned to it at all times. Where are the three officers coming from? Right now, two officers are assigned to the foot post at the location — one from the 9th Precinct and one from the 13th Precinct.
I asked the NYPD source if the underlying issues had been addressed and if the problems might have spread to other areas.
Absolutely, the problem has been pushed to other areas. We have seen illegal vendors move into the confines of the 13th Precinct, and some vendors have moved to First Avenue and Houston Street ... We have received complaints regarding 12th Street and First Avenue, but I have only seen homeless people there, no vendors. Now they [the vendors] are scattered around.When we take the footpost away, they will all come back. We did this once before during the DeBlasio administration. We were there for a month or two, and as soon as they took the footpost away, [the vendors] all came back. We have questions, too. Is this going to be an overtime post? Where are these officers coming from? We made the press conference, we made these nice promises; when are we going to see this? These are good questions to ask local elected officials. When is it coming? You need to announce when it is going to happen. Give me a time frame.
"At this moment, the Council does not have an update to share on the timeline of the mobile command unit," said a spokesperson for Adrienne E. Adams, speaker of City Council. "I would implore you to reach out to NYPD if you haven't already to get answers to your questions."
From the office of District 2 City Council Member Carlina Rivera: "NYPD press would have the most accurate timeline — we are working to get an update as well."
State Assemblymember Harvey Epstein was the most talkative on the topic.
"There is regular police [presence] on 14th Street and coordinated efforts with both the 9th and 13th [Precincts] working together along with sanitation, DHS, etc.," he said. "My understanding is the command center exists now but [is] not visible to the public except what we see on 14th Street with police and equipment there."
When I pressed for clarification, he said, "Let me ask."
Epstein said he contacted the Mayor's office three times for an update and was told there was no update.
Leaders at Community Board 3 also did not answer. "I have nothing on record to say," said longtime District Manager Susan Stetzer. CB3 Chair Andrea Gordillo said, "I don't have anything official to follow up with, but as soon as I do, I'll let you know."
I also contacted the Mayor, the press office at City Hall, Sen. Brian Kavanagh, District 4 City Council Member Keith Powers, and the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information. However, none of them got back to me.
I waited to file this story to give people time to respond. They did not.
Meanwhile, I would have contacted more people listed on the press release about the mobile unit, but they have either since been indicted or resigned.
Signage alert: Fattoush by Salma on 1st Avenue
Photos by Pinch
Signage has arrived for Fattoush by Salma at 221 First Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street.
The restaurant, serving Mediterranean cuisine, is an offshoot of Salma at 351 E. 12th St., just west of First Avenue. There is no word on an opening date yet.
Salma, described as an "authentic Lebanese grill," debuted in the fall of 2021.
After a short stint, Dim Sum Go Go closed at 221 First Ave. in February.
The former Sushi Dojo space is for lease on 1st Avenue
The former Sushi Dojo space is now for lease at 110 First Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.
We don't know the exact timing of the recent closure. The Sushi Dojo website simply says, "We're Closed. Thank you for your support since 2013." Its Instagram account doesn't mention a closing.
The restaurant, from chef David Bouhadana, received acclaim during its early days here. However, in the fall of 2015, ownership let go of its chef for his reportedly "unprofessional" handling of DOH codes and conduct.
The fine-dining allure of Sushi Dojo changed over time, and recent Instagram posts show deals for "anti inflation omasake" — 10 pieces for $45.
According to the listing for the fully vented space, the rent is $15,000 monthly.
2 recently opened restaurants close for renovations on 2nd Avenue
The restaurant at 80 Second Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street is closed for renovations.
Per an Instagram post: "We will be temporarily closed for the time being as we go through some changes here at #SundayDreamin. Give us a follow so you can stay up to date for when we reopen!"
Sunday Dreamin opened in May, and we mostly heard positive things about the food.
Meanwhile, one block to the north, the Sunflower East Village has also announced a closure for a "restructure" (photo by Steven)...
This sister cafe to the one on Third Avenue in Gramercy Park (with the Instagram slogan "Let’s Brunch baby!") also opened in May. It's not known what a restructure entails, but there was a very long build-out ahead of the grand opening.
Sunflower is owned and operated by the same folks as the previous tenant here, Eros, the Greek restaurant that quietly closed in August 2022. Eros took over for their diner concept, The Kitchen Sink, in September 2021.
Unfortunately, in recent months, neither Sunday Dreamin nor the Sunflower seemed all that busy.
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Week in Grieview
• Curtain falls on Connelly Theater: Archdiocese takes center stage in script scrutiny drama (Thursday)
• Office building on the former site of B Bar & Grill will be home to Chobani House — 'a new model for urban development' (Friday)
• Canines, crowds, cops and chaos: At the annual Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade (Monday)
• Op-Ed: The back of our ballot in NYC (Thursday)
• Openings: Gizmo on 14th Street (Tuesday)
• RIP Gary Indiana (Thursday)
• About Sofaclub, a licensed cannabis shop opening this fall on Avenue B (Wednesday)
• A look at Walter Salas-Humara's 'Guardians and Realms' at 14BC Gallery (Wednesday)
• And now, your Budget Mart signage on Avenue A (Thursday)
• Openings: DupBopBro on Houston (Wednesday)
• A moment in Tompkins Square Park with Robert Leslie (Tuesday)
• Closings: A-Roll Bar and Grill on St. Mark's Place (Tuesday)
• Houston Village Farm hasn't been open lately (Monday)
• Talking baseball (Friday)
• About a new home for Baker Falls on the Lower East Side (Monday)
... and there's a rally to save community gardens citywide at City Hall...
Another chance to catch 'Caught Stealing' filming around the East Village
Photos by Stacie Joy
Crews for the Darren Aronofsky-helmed crime thriller "Caught Stealing" (aka "Chelsea Honeymoon") will return to the neighborhood this week.
We've seen fliers covering a pretty wide swath, from Cooper Square to Avenue B, for the filming taking place on Tuesday. So expect to see more late 1990s set dressing ... one confirmed location is the Quick Coin laundromat on Avenue B between Third Street and Fourth Street.
The laundromat will be closed for set dressing during the day tomorrow (open again after 5 p.m.) ... closed Tuesday... reopening Wednesday after 4 p.m.
Several weeks ago, workers were seen dating the laundromat to fit the late 1990s. However, there must have been a change in the production schedule, as the filming didn't take place.
Everything with the yellow caution tape was for the shoot. 
Charlie Huston adapted the screenplay from his 2004 book "Caught Stealing." The story finds Hank Thompson (Austin Butler), a former baseball prodigy, now a binge-drinking bartender, being chased by a criminal element in the late-1990s East Village.
The cast includes Zoë Kravitz, Regina King, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Bad Bunny, Griffin Dunne, Vincent D’Onofrio and Action Bronson.
DOT adds new 2nd Avenue offset bus lane
As previously reported, the new-look Second Avenue would include shifting the curbside bus lane to an offset bus lane to help speed up travel times...
From a DOT press release in June:
Second Avenue serves the M15 local and SBS route—the city's busiest bus route with 57,000 daily riders. To improve bus service, NYC DOT will be moving the existing curbside bus lane on Second Avenue one lane over — known as an offset bus lane. This redesign will keep the bus lane clear while better accommodating deliveries on the corridor.The offset bus lane design will allow NYC DOT to upgrade bus lane operations to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing consistent, reliable, and dedicated space for buses to move quicker while reducing bus lane blocking. (The current operations of the curbside bus lane are weekdays from 7-10 a.m. and 2-7 p.m., originally put in place to accommodate commercial loading and overnight parking.)
Upgrading curbside bus lanes to offset lanes has shown to improve safety for vulnerable road users in addition to improving bus service.
According to Streetsblog in June, bus speeds in lower Manhattan "have cratered to under 7 miles per hour on 81 percent of buses that run during the afternoon rush."
First Avenue through the East Village also has an offset bus lane.
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