Sunday's parting shots

Photos by Derek Berg 

Who's a good robot dog? Tompkins Square Park today...

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a crescent moon watch from 2nd Avenue)... 

• Q&A with Steven Matrick, co-founder of the New Colossus Festival, taking place this week at East Village and Lower East Side music venues (Tuesday) 

• The return of Lucy's (Monday)

• Tompkins Square Park field house refurbished, reopening nears after final inspections (Tuesday) 

• RIP Hal Hirshorn (Wednesday) 

• A group of runners is hoping the city will add lighting to the new East River Park track (Thursday) 

• At Night Club 101 with Hello Mary (Monday) 

• Meet the new owner of Boris & Horton (Monday) 

• Ashes to ashes: A to-go twist on Ash Wednesday (Wednesday) 

• One-time studio home of Joey Ramone is for sale at the St. Mark (Monday) 

• Coming this spring to 9th Street: Irving Green (Thursday) 

• Openings: Bateman's on 6th Street (Thursday) 

• On 7th Street, the Instant Noodle Factory is closing; noodle liquidation sale commences (Monday) 

• Interesting new business opens on the Bowery and Houston (Wednesday)

• From pizza to politics: Eleven B serves up a new campaign HQ on Avenue B (Wednesday)

• Signage alert: Butter Smashburgers on St. Mark's Place (Wednesday) 

... and EVG reader Bryan K. shared this Christmas tree discard with us from Second Street between Avenue B and Avenue C... Per Bryan, "Trying to camouflage the shame by dropping it among some old tree branches!"

About Robert Sietsema's New York

Longtime food writer-critic Robert Sietsema (The Village Voice, Eater, The New York Times) recently launched a Substack newsletter that offers an array of reviews, openings, neighborhood explorations, think pieces, etc. 

He'll also "focus on value and good food around New York City." 

This piece he did a few weeks ago caught our eye: "All the Soups at B&H Dairy, Ranked." 

You can read more about the newsletter and sign up for a subscription here. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• These are longtime food writer Robert Sietsema's 10 favorite East Village meals

Sunday's opening shot

A photo from Third Street featuring a clock as a reminder of Daylight Saving Time... aka, Spring Forward where we lost an hour of sleep (at least until Nov. 2).

Saturday's parting shots

Photos by Steven 

As seen on Second Street today... don't forget to tip!

'Art Handlers' at Bullet Space

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"Art Handlers" is the new group show at Bullet Space ... with an opening tomorrow (Sunday!) evening from 6-9. (Otherwise, hours are Saturdays-Sundays from 1-6 p.m. or by appointment.)

The urban artist collab is at 292 E. Third St. between Avenue C and Avenue D. 

Noted

The Enron parody continues, with flyers around the neighborhood advertising a job fair in Washington Square Park on Thursday for interns to join the fake-revived company.

This Enron has been pushing The Egg, a (fake) at-home nuclear reactor. 

Per CNET: 

The Egg appears to be part parody and part art project, but there may be something else stirring under the surface. Connor Gaydos is listed as Enron's CEO in the company's articles of incorporation in Delaware... Gaydos is the co-author of a book about Birds Aren't Real, a movement designed as a parody of conspiracy theories. Birds Aren't Real pushes the idea that birds are government spy drones. 

The scandal-plagued Enron, mired in accounting fraud, filed for bankruptcy in December 2001. According to Britannica, the collapse of Enron, which held more than $60 billion in assets, involved one of the biggest bankruptcy filings in U.S. history.

Damn Damn Damn

 

RIP Brian James, the guitarist and co-founding member of the Damned. He died this week at age 70.

In October 1976, the Damned released their debut single, "New Rose," written by James. The Damned was the first UK punk band to release an official song. It appreared on the Damned Damned Damned record. 

He also played with the Lords of the New Church and Iggy Pop, among others.

   

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• The Damned's Captain Sensible on the return of drummer Rat Scabies, the importance of the Ramones and the legend of CBGB

An info session for community and faith leaders on protecting immigrant New Yorkers

Via the EVG inbox... 

Join New York Immigration Coalition and the Lower East Side Community Care Coalition to learn how your organization can be an ally in the fight to protect our neighbors. Attendees will be taught how to identify valid vs invalid warrants and the rights your organization has in an encounter with federal authorities. 

March 8 2-4 p.m. 

St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery 

131 E. 10th St. at Second Avenue 

Sign up at this link.

Women-fronted bands take over the Parkside Lounge stage for International Women’s Day

On International Women's Day this Saturday, the Parkside Lounge will come alive with seven hours of music as 10 women-fronted indie rock bands take the stage to celebrate women in music.

"This year's show features 10 women-fronted bands, with a mix of talented female and male musicians," said Val Kinzler, founder of We The She, a NYC nonprofit whose mission is to reinforce gender equity and healing through the arts by creating interactive workshops and community-supportive events. 

The lineup includes East Village singer/songwriter Patti Rothberg, who will perform her 1996 debut album, Between the 1 and the 9, in its entirety with her new band, The Patti Rothberg Coincidence.

Most performers are the NYC downtown rock scene veterans; others are up-and-coming talents. 

Here's a rundown (note that Rome 56 had to drop out)

• 6 p.m.: The Ruminators (Jill GE & Patti Rothberg) 

• 6:35 p.m.: Violizzy & Friends 

• 7:20 p.m.: QueenPins (featuring Rigel Mary Sarjoo) 

• 7:45 p.m.: Sue Lashley

• 8:15 p.m.: Rew Starr 

• 9 p.m.: Exit 99 

• 9:50 p.m.: Val Kinzler Band 

• 10:45 p.m.: • The Miss J Experience 

• 11:30 p.m.: The Patti Rothberg Coincidence 

• 12:20 a.m.: The Record Players NYC 

 

Parkside Lounge is 317 E. Houston St. at Attorney. 

Tickets are $5.

A group of runners is hoping the city will add lighting to the new East River Park track

A group of runners who use East River Park are advocating for the city to add lights to the new track when it's rebuilt as part of the ongoing East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project. 

Per the petition:

The East River Park Track will soon close through at least 2026 and undergo a complete reconstruction ... The designs for the new track do not include sports lighting. Now is the time for our community to organize and petition our city to incorporate lighting into this fully funded reconstruction project, ensuring the rebuilt track meets the needs of the community now and in the future.

The volunteers state: 

• The track in its current and future planned form has inadequate lighting, which creates risks of personal harm and athletic injuries after dark

• Many of New Yorker City's 8+ million residents rely on evening hours to exercise due to work or school schedules. Lighting ensures the track remains open and usable year-round. 

• Maximize Public Investment: Adding lighting during the ESCR project reconstruction is far more cost-effective than retrofitting later. This ensures the track reaches its full potential as a safe, accessible, and well-used public space. 

And The East River Park Track is one of only two regulation tracks open to the public in Manhattan and the only one located south of 135th Street (the other regulation track is located at Riverbank State Park on the Upper West Side). It is a vital community resource that deserves to be ready to meet the community’s needs for safe all-year-round use after its reconstruction.

The group's effort received a boost last week when Community Board 3 passed a resolution in favor of the lighting, writing:

 ... Community Board 3 supports the efforts of community advocates in ensuring that the track remains a safe, accessible, and well-lit public resource year-round while also addressing environmental concerns related to lighting. 

Find the petition here.

Coming this spring to 9th Street: Irving Green

Photos by Steven

Renovations are underway inside 321 E. Ninth St., between First Avenue and Second Avenue, where Irving Green will open this spring.

Per its Instagram account, this is an "East Village destination for curated homeware and gifts with a touch of Irish charm." 

The shop takes over for the March Hare, which closed at the end of January. Read about that here.

Openings: Bateman's on 6th Street

Photo via Bateman's 

Two East Village residents are behind Bateman's, a new cocktail bar on Sixth Street. The bar's name and concept are based on Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho, a black comedy horror novel from 1991 (and a 2000 film starring Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman). 

The lounge, via husband-wife duo Carlo Olcese and Natasha Van Duser, with baroque-style paintings and Tiffany chandeliers, features a 10-seat bar and a 20-seat dining area for the small-plates-style menu. 

Bateman's, 308 E. Sixth St., between First Avenue and Second Avenue, is open daily from 5 p.m. to midnight and closes at 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. 

If you're on Instagram, you can check out pics of the drinks here.

No word if there's any Huey Lewis & the News on the bar's soundtrack.

Wednesday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

This year's New Colossus Festival is underway at East Village and Lower East Side music venues. It will feature more than 200 bands and various industry panels. 

At Baker Falls, 192 Allen St., between Houston and Stanton, there was an afternoon slate of conversations ranging from independent release and distribution strategies to creating music videos. 

The live music continues through Sunday. Check out the slate here.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Q&A with Steven Matrick, co-founder of the New Colossus Festival, taking place this week at East Village and Lower East Side music venues