Was poking around Flickr for some Mars Bar photos the other day...and came across this classic uploaded Nov. 1. (Reprinted with permission from the photographer.)
Friday, November 6, 2009
Outside the Mars Bar: The quick and the dead
Was poking around Flickr for some Mars Bar photos the other day...and came across this classic uploaded Nov. 1. (Reprinted with permission from the photographer.)
Feed me with your dis
Anyway, the East Village is Dead mural continues to attract attention... there seems to be a new addition every time I walk by...and the mural probably already looks different since I took these shots...
Previously.
Previously.
Le Gamin is now the Village Bistro East
Just yesterday, an EV Grieve reader asked:
Here's what Eater had to report back on Sept. 28:
As the chalkboard sign shows, Le Gamin is now the Village Bistro East. It opened last night.
So... new name. New theme. Same owners.
Previously.
I happened to walk by there [Wednesday] and it appears that the renovations are indeed continuing. The Le Gamin sign however, has mysteriously disappeared...
New name? New restaurant? New owners?
Here's what Eater had to report back on Sept. 28:
Just a quick note to assuage the East Villagers in the crowd. A number of readers have written in both here and on EV Grieve to report that Le Gamin on East 5th St. between Aves A and B—the last Le Gamin in Manhattan—has closed. A worker at Black Iron Burger Shop next door reports that no, they are just renovating, extensively. They will reopen with the same name but a different "theme" and a more "modern" look on October 10. Funnily enough, the restaurant closed for renos just one year ago when the original owner...
As the chalkboard sign shows, Le Gamin is now the Village Bistro East. It opened last night.
So... new name. New theme. Same owners.
Previously.
Avenue B's pretzel logic
Always Hungry reports that the long-dormant space at 29 Avenue B near Third Street is now home to the Sigmund Pretzel Shop, owned by two former Bouley staffers. Per Sigmund:
The Salted and Seeded Pretzels (three kinds: Caraway, Sesame and Poppy Pretzels) cost $2.50 each. Flavored pretzels (Jalapeño-Cheddar and Cinnamon Raisin) cost $3.00 each. There will also be pretzel dips: whipped butter, whole-grain mustard, cream cheese, warm three-cheese sauce, horseradish-mayo and Nutella. Pretzels come with one dip; additional dips cost 75¢ each. A half-dozen pretzels of any variety with three dips costs $16.00. A dozen pretzels with six dips costs $30.00.
(via Eater)
P.S.
The Steely Dan reference is to drive Slum Goddess batty. (Battier?)
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Emergency renovations shutter Paradis To-Go
EV Grieve reader Eric notes that the Paradis To-Go cafe on Fourth Avenue near 12th Street is currently closed for emergency renovations. He also wonders if they're losing business to the new Think Coffee up the Avenue.
[Image via]
Books Through Bars is out of money, so....
From the good people at ABC No Rio:
Books Through Bars Bingo
Books Through Bars is out of money, so we're playing cheap/fun/awesome Bingo to pay for postage and keep sending packages full of books to folks incarcerated in America's broken prison system.
It's free to get in, cheap ($1!) to play, and we'll have beer from the Brooklyn Brewery for sale. Plus you'll be playing for totally rad prizes from places like:
NY Adorned Tattoo Shop, Bluestockings Bookstore, Le Poisson Rouge, St. Marks Bookshop, NYC Hall of Science, the Angelika, IFC Film Center, the Beehive Collective and much more.
Dope beats from DJ No Flag, color commentary from the loudest nun you know — basically, you should be there:
Books Through Bars Bingo
ABC No Rio (156 Rivington St), Friday Nov. 6th at 8pm.
Read more about the program here.
Construction starts on new Ninth Street senior facility
Work has started on the Dona Petra Santiago Apartments on East Ninth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D. Plans call for an eight-story, 57-unit facility for seniors.
While this is a good thing for the community, a few neighbors weren't pleased to discover that construction starts at 7 a.m.
The residents of one building were told by management that construction wouldn't start until 8 and never on weekends. Work is expected to be done during the winter of 2011.
While this is a good thing for the community, a few neighbors weren't pleased to discover that construction starts at 7 a.m.
The residents of one building were told by management that construction wouldn't start until 8 and never on weekends. Work is expected to be done during the winter of 2011.
Mystery camper on Ninth Street has moved
For the longest time I wanted to do a post on that mystery camper that was parked for the last, oh, year or so on Ninth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D. The Biggest Pants posted these photos last May.
I don't spend much time on this block, so I only saw the owner(s) a few times. Two guys hanging out, acting as if they were in a state park.
Here's a Google maps shot of it...
According to an EV Grieve reader: "The guy who owns it takes stuff out of the garbage and inexplicably chains it up to the motorhome and the fence next to it (he has a bathtub, a few shopping carts, chairs, a grill, etc). He never moves the trailer when the street is cleaned, yet he has no tickets."
And the camper was parked across the street from the Police Service Area #4...
I struck up a conversation with who I believe owned the camper late in the summer. I hoped to swing by another day for an interview. When I did return, the camper was gone...
However, many items that look as if they belonged to the camper man are still chained up nearby... The EV Grieve reader believes camper man had to move when the senior facility construction began...
I don't spend much time on this block, so I only saw the owner(s) a few times. Two guys hanging out, acting as if they were in a state park.
Here's a Google maps shot of it...
According to an EV Grieve reader: "The guy who owns it takes stuff out of the garbage and inexplicably chains it up to the motorhome and the fence next to it (he has a bathtub, a few shopping carts, chairs, a grill, etc). He never moves the trailer when the street is cleaned, yet he has no tickets."
And the camper was parked across the street from the Police Service Area #4...
I struck up a conversation with who I believe owned the camper late in the summer. I hoped to swing by another day for an interview. When I did return, the camper was gone...
However, many items that look as if they belonged to the camper man are still chained up nearby... The EV Grieve reader believes camper man had to move when the senior facility construction began...
Living in The Penthouse, The Duplex or the Townhome on Irving Place
Haven't been on Irving Place in some time...I had read about the new luxury homes coming to 57 Irving between 17th and 18th...Jeremiah noted the start of the construction on this historic block back in March 2008.
Anyway, here's how 57I is looking now...
... featuring homes named The Penthouse, The Duplex and the Townhome.
Some of the homes are still available (two at the $18 million level). Here's a rundown...
The Townhome
The Townhome at 57 Irving Place is the quintessential urban home. With three full floors, this unique residence features four bedrooms, five full bathrooms, and two powder rooms as well as private street and lobby entrances. Superb conveniences include a private garden, single-car garage, and a full floor of amenities complete with its own thirty-foot saltwater swimming pool, media/entertainment room and fitness spa.
And it looks as if 57I is keeping in line with the bathing-in-front-of-an-open-window trend...
Anyway, here's how 57I is looking now...
... featuring homes named The Penthouse, The Duplex and the Townhome.
Some of the homes are still available (two at the $18 million level). Here's a rundown...
The Townhome
The Townhome at 57 Irving Place is the quintessential urban home. With three full floors, this unique residence features four bedrooms, five full bathrooms, and two powder rooms as well as private street and lobby entrances. Superb conveniences include a private garden, single-car garage, and a full floor of amenities complete with its own thirty-foot saltwater swimming pool, media/entertainment room and fitness spa.
And it looks as if 57I is keeping in line with the bathing-in-front-of-an-open-window trend...
Stromboli Pizza getting an enclosed sidewalk cafe
At St. Mark's and First Avenue....an upgrade over this, I suppose...
Now, perhaps, they'll also renovate the exterior to make it look like the old storefront again...
[Bottom photo via]
The Blarney Stone is still closed
Perhaps they'll reopen in time to capitalize on the Yankees World Series victory parade Friday morning.
Previously.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
What will the city look like after another Bloomberg term?
Speaking of how much things change, Alex has an extensive here-and-now series over at Flaming Pablum. As an example, this is Bowery and East First Street from 2002, the year Bloomberg took office ... 2002 doesn't seem like that long ago...but just look...
You probably know what it looks like now...
Sure, the city landscape is getting sterilized... but I fear that we're losing our spirit and character as well... can we withstand another four years?
For further reading:
Cleaning up people (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)
Photos via Flaming Pablum. Go there for a lot more.
Readers respond to Le Souk's closure
[Image via Eater]
Several people left comments yesterday in response to Le Souk closing up on Avenue B. A sampling:
First Le souk has been on Ave B more than 8 yrs. (get your facts straight bro the club has been there since 1999)
This place has been closed by several parties (no pun intended).
1 The peeps who moved in years after Le Souk and several other biz wrestled the area away from the crime that kept these same people hiding in there safe hoods.
2 The Neo fascist LOCAL and NYC administration, that is more intent on trying to facilitate/negotiate mutli-billion dollar deals with construction developers than creating programs to help build and sustain small businesses.
This seems to me an amazing situation in the current economic climate. To crush any kinda business, let alone one that brings thousands of dollars a day to the local economy. Call me silly or irresponsible but it just seems like an absurd maneuver to me.
And!
Why all the haters? This neighborhood was nothing before Le Souk arrived. You will regret your petty 311 calls and waa-waaing baby talk to the community board when the rats and drugheads take over. You will beg us to return. Guess we will be giving our money now to the good people on La Guardia Place, home of the Le Souk Harem. I hope they will appreciate all that Le Souk regulars have to offer a neighborhood.
And!
If you don't want to live on a street or ave. that has businesses, perhaps moving out of the city would be best for you. The city is alive and people go out and night life abounds.
And!
Forgive me if I'm wrong but isn't LeSouk a Mom & Pop shop that has been put out of business by people complaining everyday about the noise and their over crowding?
Are we mourning the loss or congratulating the NIMBYs who blocked them from doing business.
And!
It's very arrogant to feel that just because someone wants to go out get really drunk and be loud and obnoxious that it's okay to be a disturbance to others and that residence ought to be "grateful" for you coming and bringing revenue into the neighborhood - because of course it was rat and drug infested before, right? And was "nothing" before you came spending your money, right? Unfortunately this is the mentality that is causing clubs and bars to experience difficulty when it comes to getting liquor licenses.
And!
It's worth noting that -- neighbor complaints notwithstanding -- Le Souk's liquor license was terminated by the SLA because the club failed to operate in compliance with applicable laws, not because residents had issues with it. Surely the complaint history did not help, but this termination was about more than noise complaints, and it went through the court system.
For all of the talk about the negative impact on businesses, why did local business owners not show up en masse to speak on behalf of Le Souk at community board meetings, if this one particular club was truly that important? Closing Le Souk does not represent a fast track back to 1980. Countless nightlife spots in the East Village operate successfully as good neighbors and no one has less fun as a result.
Previously.
The Blarney Stone is closed (again)
Uh-oh. Thanks to a tipster who points out that FiDi fave the Blarney Stone on Fulton Street has been closed now for five days. As you may recall, the bar was mysteriously closed for seven days or so this past February.
Previously on EV Grieve:
The Blarney Stone is back in business
Noted
Via The Washington Post:
The closeness of his victory is sure to raise speculation about the impact of the term-limits change and how much that served to trump Bloomberg's accomplishments in office. That subject had already dominated conversation at polling places around the city Tuesday.
"The main thing is to get Bloomberg out," said Véronique Doumbé, 52, a filmmaker from West Africa, speaking at an East Village polling place. "I'm coming from a country where the president never wants to leave. Term limits are essential for a democracy."
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Meanwhile, at the Mars Bar...
Here's a photo that Slum Goddess took at the Mars Bar for another entertaining post... and she mentions that nagging rumor making the rounds that we just don't want to believe: The Odessa is going to close for good.
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