Update: Whole Earth Bakery and Kitchen remains closed for renovations

Whole Earth Bakery and Kitchen, which has operated at 130 St. Mark's Place since 1991, closed Aug. 14 for renovations. The shop was expected to reopen Aug. 18, as the signs noted. However, a walk by yesterday afternoon revealed that the renovations continue... the gate is partially open. It looks as if someone is inside working...



Anyone have information? Anyone talk to Peter?

Previously.

Posts that I never got around to posting: What's left behind at the former Jersey Shore Store?

The Jersey Shore store on Broadway between 11th Street and 12th Street closed back in early July. (It was only planned to be temporary.) The space is available.



Anything left behind inside the store?



Hmm — seems about right.

Dog shit days of summer

One of these days I'll post some urban etiquette signs on my Flickr page...when I do, I'll include this one from 12th Street near Avenue B.



I appreciate people being direct...

Sharpie-wielding artist off the hook; MTA misses out on making some money

Back in February, pop artist Yoshitomo Nara, spent the night in jail for doodling a smiley face on the wall of the First Avenue L-train stop. Thank God this fiend was busted! Oh, the charges were dropped today.

His attorney modestly told the Post: "He can get back to wowing the art world with his great art."

The paper also notes the following:

The always cash-strapped Transit Authority missed an opportunity to make some money off the incident -- their efficient employees wiped the graffiti off the wall. It's been estimated the brick it was on could have been sold for an estimated $10,000.

Image via.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning edition

Contemplating "Rear Window" and the rears in the window at the Standard (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

“GRAF: Reading the Writing on the Wall; images of the L.E.S. 1968 to present" continues through Monday at the Tompkins Square Park Library Gallery (The Villager)

Another long night on the streets for the Mosaic Man (Neither More Nor Less)

Remembering the 82 Club on East Fourth Street (This Ain't the Summer of Love)

A lot of people want the Aqueduct (The Real Deal)

What you get for $1 from the Condom Lady (Slum Goddess)

Gettin fit in Stuy Town! (Stuy Town's Lux Living)

Meet-and-greet Kiss for $995 (Brooklyn Vegan)

Boy on a leash (BoweryBoogie)

Be a wingwoman for these guys — $30 an hour! (Hunter-Gatherer)

Breaking news: Second Avenue sinkhole paved over!

Oh! A reader alerted us that city crews filled in the crater yesterday. Hmmm... this blows our theory that the MTA was merely getting ready for the Second Avenue Subway dig expected down here sometime around the year 2987.

Anyway, let us take a look back at this most precious of sinkholes. (And I have an unconfirmed report that "The Second Game of Preaseason Football Pub Crawl" got swallowed up by this thing....)





Previously.

Meet the Man in the Van

You may recall reading about Jimmy Tarangelo back in March. For the past eight years, he has lived with his four dogs in a 20-foot-long Boise Cascade Aristocrat (with a Ford Econoline for storage) over on a street in the West Village...

Now, Brooklyn-based filmmaker Sean P. Dunne has put together a fascinating six-minute documentary on Tarangelo.

Man In Van from Sean Dunne on Vimeo.

For further reading:

Mobile Home (New York magazine)

The Aristocrat: The Mystery of the West Village Camper (Scouting New York)

Van man sleeps in park (New York Post)

What's going on with the playground at Mary Help of Christians?

There was a fund-raiser for Mary Help of Christians outside the church on 12th Street near Avenue A this past Sunday.



There are still two masses here on Sunday mornings.

Anyway, seeing this fund-raising sign made me wonder.... Whatever happened to the sale of the former school's playground?



It has been nearly a year since The Real Deal reported the following:

Two thirds of a 15,000-square-foot East Village playground that was home to a popular flea market is under contract in a quiet, all-cash sale for $10.4 million to the Archdiocese of New York, court documents said.

The playground, divided into three ownership lots, is adjacent to the shuttered Mary Help of Christians Catholic Church on the east side of Avenue A between 11th and 12th streets. The Archdiocese owns the church located on a 13,000 square foot lot, city records show.

The two parcels, under contract since July, total 7,500 square feet and are owned by a Roman Catholic order called the Salesian Society, based in New Rochelle, NY. The third part of the playground, totaling 7,500 square feet, is owned by the Archdiocese, records show.

The Archdiocese did not respond to requests for comment, but real estate professionals speculated the church parcel and playground would be sold and developed into residential housing.

The only thing growing here now are weeds. Which is fine by me. Couldn't this space be turned over for community use? Do we really need another condo or dorm?






The Mary Help of Christians market vendors relocated last fall to the playground behind Earth School, Thompson Square Middle School and P.S. 64 on Fourth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C. I believe the flea market is done for the summer, though...

For further reading:

Bob Arihood has posts on the faithful souls who come to the church steps every night to say the rosary. Here.... and here. (The third photo in this post is one of my all-time favorites...)

The Church Ladies (The New York Times)

Second Avenue sinkhole gets first celebrity endorsement

Second Avenue and Seventh Street. Previously.

Now THIS is permanent brunch

At the one-and-only Odessa on Avenue A.


Previous posts on the actual Permanent Brunch on First Avenue.

Beer and pizza for former Bounce Deuce

Eater reports that the former Bounce Deuce on Second Avenue at Sixth Street is becoming a pizza/beer joint. As Eater noted: "No word yet on whether or not they're keeping the flat screen TVs (and yards of beer)."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Every Bounce Deuce story imaginable

Memorial for Eric "Taz" Pagan grows outside Forbidden City

And down the street at Common Ground...




Previously.

Report: Lawyer representing alleged killer says his client is innocent

From the Daily News:

A lawyer representing an ex-con charged with murdering an East Village bouncer claimed Tuesday an off-duty cop witnessed the shooting and told police the alleged killer was innocent.

"An off-duty cop was present," said Paul Brenner, a lawyer for Louis Rodriguez, 29. "He said Mr. Rodriguez was definitely not involved."

Brenner's comments came after Rodriguez was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on murder charges in the slaying of Eric (Taz) Pagan outside Forbidden City on Avenue A early Sunday.

"My client wasn't there," Brenner said, adding that he asked prosecutors about the cop -- whose name he did not know -- but got "no response."

The prosecution said they stood behind the charges.

The Village Pourhouse turns three (though it feels longer)

On Sunday, the Village Pourhouse at Third Avenue and 11th Street celebrated its third anniversary...



...and on this occasion, VP introduced its new Take Out Window... (The window has been there for some time, though apparently was never put to use... )



Over the past three years, the Pourhouse has helped bring numerous cultural events to the East Village, including the Snuggie Pub Crawl, the King of Pop Pub Crawl, the Toga Pub Crawl, the Halloween Pub Crawl, the 11th Annual Luck of the Irish St Patrick’s Pub Crawl, the Halloween Hangover Pub Crawl, the Cinco de Mayo Pub Crawl, the Olympic Pub Crawl...

Never been to the place myself. So I went to Yelp to find out what the people think. A sampling of various reviews...

Two stars!

Yes, it's right next to the NYU dorms, so there's bound to be trashiness and other obnox-auchery going on.

Sure, the food and cheap beer will attract ditzy, but hot, girls and ditzy, fratty guys, all of whom at one point of the evening will be spilling drinks on you, stepping on you, or crotch spooning you or all of the above.

Whatever. (I, of all people, can appreciate any or all of these things.)

But really. Really? This place attracts the douchiest crowd ever.

That's the bottom line. It's not really about the place, or the set up, or anything like that. It's merely the fact that for some reason, 90% of the people who spend a majority of their night here, end up being really irritating, obnoxious, trashy drunks.

And honey, it's okay to be drunk and messy and sometimes funny - even when you're not trying to be --

But for goodness sake, this isn't Hoboken. Now stop crying about how your boyfriend doesn't love you and get away from this congregation of douchebags.

Three stars.

Strange but pretty girl walks up to me...moves her scarf, insists i look at her chest and asks if I like Kansas...

she is making her breasts jump up and down and I realize she is wearing a Jay Hawks shirt. I hardly notice cause all I see are breasts...I don't lie...I say, I didnt even know who the jay hawks were until just now but from what i see i'd gladly learn more about them...she starts talking...i hear womp womp womp, womp womp womp, womp womp womp womp...not in that order. I come out of my fog and realize, she is still talking...and i remember some of the womps as south dakota then kansas then dc then New York. Then she excuses herself to go talk to her friend...yay.

And four stars...

Friendly staff, lots of tv's showcasing a variety of sports, three large rooms, great owners, great beer selection, food is simple but executed well. This is a sports bar and it accomplishes its goal.

Atmosphere is a bit on the popped collar side but it's a sports bar, so the whole goal is to attract sports fans, and if you don't like watching sports, then don't go to a sports bar, which you will notice because of the trail of polo shirts that lead you through the door :)

There you have it! Meanwhile, I keep hearing womp womp womp, womp womp womp, womp womp womp womp...

New place with sliding glass doors coming to Avenue C

Baraza on Avenue C near Ninth Street closed up earlier this summer... Something new is coming to the space...it looks to be another bar/restaurant. And those are sliding glass doors, which, depending on the volume inside, the neighbors will just love during the warmer weather months...



And Baraza was owned by the same folks up as Esperanto up the street.

Previously.

Window pain on the Bowery

The Chase branch on Bowery and First Street lost a window the other day. And someone else left behind a little saliva on the window next to it...

Press Advisory: "Stop the violence"

COMMUNITY UNITES TO CALL ON ELECTED OFFICIALS TO STOP SPIRALING VIOLENCE ON THE LOWER EAST SIDE

LOWER EAST SIDE COMMUNITY RESIDENTS JOIN TOGETHER TO PETITION ELECTED OFFICIALS AND GOVERNMENT TO WORK TOGETHER TO STOP THE VIOLENCE, PROVIDE JOB OPPORTUNITIES AND RESTORE FUNDING TO COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Wednesday, Aug. 26, 11 a.m.

At
CAMPOS PLAZA TENANTS’ ASSOCIATION

205 AVENUE C at 12th STREET

(ENTER THROUGH THE ‘L’ on 12th and C)

Memorial service information for Eric "Taz" Pagan

One of Pagan's former co-workers at Forbidden City provided the following information:

VIEWING

Redden's Funeral Home:
325 W 14th St. N.Y. 10014
212-242-1456

Days:
Wed 4pm -9pm
Thurs 4pm -9pm

SERVICE

Immaculate Church 14th St. Btwn 1st Ave. + Ave A.
Friday MASS
UPDATE: The service begins at 9 a.m.

Previously.

At Lucy's: "We miss you!"

Well, Lucy's is on holiday until Sept. 10.

Unfortunately, not everyone knew. There are several notes on Lucy's door for people to meet elsewhere. Like, Amanda's birthday party was moved to the Niagara.





And there are people who just miss Lucy.



Like us. So. A few randomy random photos from our Lucy's photo archives from this past year...

Former Cedar Tavern is now "retail space available"

Well, plenty has been written about what's taking the space of the former Cedar Tavern location on University Place...six "floor-through loft-like residences," according to the listings. And it looks as if two units are left -- including the $3.4 million duplex penthouse!



And what about the groundfloor? I thought a tenant had already been lined up ...



For further reading:
Development Du Jour: 82 University Place (fka Cedar Tavern) (Curbed)

Pining for the Cedar (Flaming Pablum)

Meanwhile, Back on University Place (Flaming Pablum)