Noted

Doing yoga with your dog. (The New York Times)

[Photo: Michael Nagle for The New York Times]

Though somehow, this still seems really expensive (call me when it drops to $29,999)

From the Times:

Bargain seekers, nostalgists and ascetics, take heart: the $200,000 apartment has returned to Manhattan.

And breathe easy: the location is not Yorkville or bust. At these prices, you’d be excused for imagining a box perched on the West Side Highway — or at the very least, a treacherous trek to the subway. Instead, you’ll find properties in Carnegie Hill; Avenue B in the East Village; Tudor City; and the East 50s, 70s and 80s.

Brokers and sellers expressed mild shock — and in some cases outright chagrin — that prime Manhattan property can now be had for a fraction of an A.I.G. bonus.

“When was the last time I saw these prices?” said Dan Danielli, a broker at Halstead Property. “Not in a long time. Let’s put it that way.”

"Oh, you know, it's bank, nail salon, bank, nail salon, bank, nail salon"

I missed this piece in the Observer yesterday titled, "Chloe Sevigny, Miss East Village, Waxes on Changing Nabe and Embattled Beatrice"

It's about Ms. Sevigny being at the 158th-anniversary party for Kiehl's.

A few snippets:

"If Kiehl's were a woman, she'd be Chloe!" the president of Kiehl's, Chris Selgardo, declared to the Daily Transom. Mr. Selgardo, a bulky, muscular man with a thick black beard, was dressed casually in jeans, a muscle shirt and a blazer. "We love Chloe. Someone like Chloe, she's just so East Village."

And!

Given that Ms. Sevigny and the store are both residents of the East Village, we asked Mr. Selgardo how he felt about his little apothecary being surrounded by all the shiny glass buildings sprouting up in the area. (One Ten Third, for instance, which has gone up directly across the street.)

"Yes, that was new, that was definitely new," he replied. "The Village has changed, but it's not so bad. New York is cleaned up. But, I think, more so than any other part of the city, it remains very spirited and very interesting. But, you know, I don't want to see a Pottery Barn on the corner."

And Ms. Sevigny? How does the 34-year actress think the neighborhood has changed?

"Oh, you know, it's bank, nail salon, bank, nail salon, bank, nail salon," she replied. "The Subway across the street from Veselka, it's just an eyesore. The bigger chains coming in everywhere, it's depressing. You know what really bugs me about the neighborhood, actually? The students! The N.Y.U. kids and they've opened an SVA dorm near my house, so now it's even more."

Konged

The 1976 version of "King Kong" is playing on AMC these days. It's fun in that hey-here's-an-awful-movie-playing-now-on-AMC-and-don't-Jessica-Lange-and-Jeff-Bridges-make-a-nice-couple? kind of way.

Noted

The LES legend continues...Yes, it's Lady GaGa:

"I do have a bit of a rock and roll heart even though I'm a pop artist. But I'm a different kind of punk. I like clean, sophisticated lines and detail, which is why I love Chanel and Versace!"

"If people are inspired by my looks, then I love that I'm affecting culture. But I do think that whatever your influence you have to be careful to execute properly."

Have a good Friday

Things that will get you in the mood for Easter if...

...you like chocolate crosses...



...or Flamin' Jesus shots...(at the Double Down on Avenue A)

At St. Brigid's: That sinking feeling

In his most recent letter to parishioners (dated March 25), Edwin Torres, chairman of the Committee to Save St. Brigid’s, reported that the steeples at the church on Avenue B at Eighth Street will not be replaced as previously reported.

Torres also reported that the church's entire foundation needs to be stabilized. Why?

"The church sits on what is basically porridge," he wrote. "There is no bedrock until you reach 92 feet. There is also an underground stream which runs very close to the property."

However serious, Torres said he's confident the problem "is being addressed by well-qualified people with experience and knowledge in restoration."

This is the No. 1 bar in NYC?

Something called The Clubplanet Nightlife Directory has named its top-10 bars of NYC. And No. 1 bestest of the best bars?

#1 Best Bar in NYC
Elsa
217 East 3rd Street
New York, NY 10003

Just when you think East Village will forever stay in its un-gentrified hip-ness, a snazzy, upscale place like Elsa opens, as if the be-seen type of bars simply spilled out of the over-packed Lower East Side, and nestled in the surrounding neighborhoods. Well, the better for East Village scenesters. One thing is sure— if you like your drinks well-mixed, Elsa is the place to be, mostly due to its signature cocktails, courtesy of the best bartending pros, which is why its made our list as one of the best bars in New York City. And in case you were wondering about an appropriate outfit — you can get tailored on the spot two days a week. Elsa is styled after a tailor shop, but those old-school sewing machines are not a simple decoration. Now, we’ve already heard about linking the idea of shopping and drinking (boutique lounges), or drinking and doing your nails (Beauty Bar), but drinking while waiting for your hand-made jacket, that’s quite a new take on New York watering holes’ versatility.

Why have these storefronts been empty for so long?

Today, Jeremiah has a list of places loved — or just well-liked — around town that have been sitting empty with "for rent" signs.

Meanwhile, there are other storefronts in the LES/East Village that have seemingly been empty for years... Look at the recent photo below taken by the EV Grieve Intern of the former Tina Nails on First Avenue near 14th Street. The "Dear customers" sign remains. The place has been closed since September 2007.



Or how about the Coffee Pot (and, since last fall, Two Boots Restaurant) on Avenue A? Or the long dormant (and jinxed?) restaurant space at 171 Avenue A...?

These storefronts all seem like prime EV/LES locations. What gives? Shit economy? (Though some of these places have been empty since the recession...) Jinxed locations? Stupid landlords?

Here are just a few of the storefronts that remain empty....

There's the former Tonic space on Norfolk, sitting empty next to Blue.



And Kelley & Peng on the Bowery and Second Street.



Second Avenue and Third Street. (The one with the CRAZY landlord!)



East Sixth Street near Avenue A.



East Sixth Street near First Avenue.



Third Avenue near 12th Street.



First Avenue between First Street and Second Street.



First Avenue near East Seventh Street.



For further reading on EV Grieve:
Cafe de Nova space for rent; Avenue B back up to 22 vacant storefronts

A 35-year-old former Ivy League fencer and “Star Wars” buff is pretty much running the city

Well, at least according to the Times. Meet Edward Skyler! (Kind of like Skywalker!)

(And that's NOT Mr. Skyler in the photo.)

A little creativity outside a Duane Reade

On Third Avenue and 10th Street.

Vampire Easter Weekend

At Blockbuster on East Houston.

Buy a Hannah Montana hollow egg this Easter

At Duane Reade on Avenue B.

Mundane details continue to fascinate at former Love Saves the Day spot

Wow, the ramen guys really are going to brick up the windows. That seems...weird.

Nostalgia for 1980s New York in Beijing

From the Times:

What’s interesting about “Ai Weiwei: New York Photographs 1983-1993” at the Three Shadows Photography Art Centre, in Beijing, is that the Americans I know who have visited the exhibit, particularly those born and raised in New York, tend to focus on the location photos: the raw, grimy East Village sidewalks; Tompkins Square Park with its anti-gentrification protesters and drag queens; shirtless students at St. Marks Place; the bums on the Bowery and the gritty sidewalks and graffiti-covered subway cars that inspired “Stranger Than Paradise,” Jim Jarmusch’s 1984 film set partially in New York City. They are drawn to them precisely because they induce feelings of nostalgia for 1980s New York.

But Chinese visitors viewing the exhibit, most of whom have never been to New York (or America, for that matter), tend to focus on the Chinese people in the photos. Where the typical American will focus on how much Times Square has changed from the 1980s to now, the typical Chinese viewer looking at that same photo will focus on what looks like a Chinese immigrant sitting on top of a taxi.

Hummus Place expanding on St. Mark's Place?

Yesterday morning, I noted that Sympathy for the Kettle had closed at 109 St. Mark's Place.



Hummus Place shares the address on the west side of the building. Word on the street is that Hummus Place is taking over the former Kettle space. Which is one reason why Hummus Place on St. Mark's was closed today and workers were coming in and out of the space. There's an outgoing phone message at the St. Mark's store stating that all the NYC Hummus Place locations (four in total) will be closed for the holiday from April 8-17. Sounds like a good time for an expansion.

The Holiday expands its hours

After Stefan's death earlier this year, the Holiday was only open on the weekends. Now, though, as this flier on St. Mark's shows, the Holiday is expanding its hours. Which is a good thing.

An award for navigating "the wilds of don’t-ruin-my-neighborhood blogosphere resentment"

In Time Out's Eat Out Awards this week, the magazine's critics bestow the Best Sweet Revenge award upon Bespoke Chocolates. Why?

As if the seven levels of city-permit hell weren’t enough, chocolatier and former Union Square Cafe pastry staffer Rachel Zoe Insler also had to navigate the wilds of don’t-ruin-my-neighborhood blogosphere resentment before she even opened the doors of her unassuming bonbon shop. Insler placated the haters with patience and warmth — and won over everyone else with her pretzel-covered sea-salted caramels, cardamom-scented Turkish coffee truffles and the rest of her handmade sweets. 6 Extra Pl at E 1st St (212-260-7103)

Well, now. I hope you haters are happy now! Got your just dessert!

Hell yeah, it's HoJo's

Thanks to reader/frequent commenter Mick for passing along the url to HoJoLand, a comprehensive Web site devoted to the history of Howard Johnson's. The last HoJo's closed on Times Square on July 9, 2005 (first photo below). As HoJoLand points out, there were 10 HoJo's in Manhattan at one point...



...like this one on 53rd and Lexington...



...uh, somewhere on Broadway...



and at 1551 Broadway...



Meanwhile...you'll find the world's largest repository on the last HoJo's in the city on the site...