ConEd kills a tree

Speaking of First Avenue... I honestly meant to post this about a month ago... So, there was that steam leak at the northeast corner of First Avenue and 11th Street... went on 24/7 for months...(ConEd told nervous residents that there was no asbestos here...)



In late June, ConEd finished up the job... leaving behind a dead tree where the steampipe was working...



[Above photos via EV Grieve reader Blue Glass]

Here's what the tree used to look like...

Theatre Condos getting a gaming store

Last November, I noted that the second-floor retail space was now available in the Theatre Condos on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place...

And, as the signage up there shows... we have a taker! (Hey, having four "for rent" signs must work!) Looks like this space will be home to "the best videogame store in New York" ...





Grab a few $1 slices at 2 Bros and make a night of it...

[Update: Oops! Jeremiah has already made notice of this on July 8.]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Hello again: Revisiting the past of St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue

When the Gap moved into the East Village

For further reading:
St. Marks Cinema and Theatre Condos both via Jeremiah's Vanishing NY.

FroYo crime scene

In front of 16 Handles on Second Avenue the other day...

Life Cafe is temporarily closed

Last evening on 10th Street and Avenue B. No mention of a closure on their website or Twitter feed.

I'm running out of headlines to explain the continued alterations to the Shepard Fairey mural

Painted black today.

Previously.

Marshals seize brand-new Cafe Hanover on St. Mark's Place

Wow. That was fast. The Cafe Hanover on St. Mark's Place has been seized by the marshal's office...




Many thanks to EV Grieve reader Ryan for the shots... no word on the fate of the U2/2U karaoke portion of the empire here at the former Mondo Kim's.

The grand opening was just last month!



Previously on EV Grieve:
2U (or U2) Karaoke is now open on St. Mark's Place; Hanover Cafe coming soon

Tonight at the Mars Bar

Cooper Union puts the brakes on its skateboarding bank

Cooper Union brass have apparently had enough of gleaming the coop... As Quartersnacks point out, the bank has been skatestopped with spiked metal bars running across the entire surface. "Drunk people will still climb on it, but skateboarders will not."



Well, balls.

And here is the review of the spot from QuarterSnacks:

Spot: Clearly a display of “progressive” architecture, this retarded appendage of the new Cooper Union building quickly turned into one of best skate spots in the area. The bank is an upwards triangle, fairly mellow, and made out of ridiculously smooth, polished concrete. It is narrow, and you will need to dip in and out of the corner when skating it, or simply pop a wallie over one of the many slanted pillars also extending from the building.

Bust — ♦♦♦♦♦ / Almost Immediate: Your time here typically will not last longer than five minutes, but forces greater than all of us have been known to intervene and grant sessions that last for up to a half hour. The spot is positioned right next to the front security desk, so odds are inevitably against you. Oh, and white people with liberal arts degrees will often stop by and ask you why you’re destroying such a magnificent work of art.

How will the Coop entertain us now?

Previously on EV Grieve:
Gleaming the Coop

New on 98 Bowery: Basquiat, Haring and ART/new york

[Photo via 98 Bowery]

Marc H. Miller has told me about another major addition to the 98Bowery site.

ART/new york; A Video Magazine on Art
(1981 - 1985)

Between 1981 and 1985, Miller and Paul Tschinkel collaborated on 17 ART/new york programs containing interviews with more then 50 artists. Miller wrote the narration and conducted the interviews. Tschinkel produced the series and worked the camera. The tapes were co-directed. (Tschinkel continues producing ART/new york programs.)

This is the story of the early years of a pioneering effort to provide video coverage of the New York art world. 98Bowery now includes segments from historic video programs with artist interviews and rare footage of exhibitions. Among the footage that you'll find:

-- Richard Serra & the Tilted Arc Controversy (1982-83)
-- John Ahearn, "We Are Family", Public Sculpture Dedication, South Bronx (1982-83)
-- Graffiti/ Post Graffiti – Opening at the Sidney Janis Gallery; Collaborative -- Painting Demonstration at the New York Society for Ethical Culture (1985)
-- Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Fun Gallery (1983)

There are also audio excerpts from interviews with Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Mapplethorpe, Brice Marden, Nam June Paik and Cindy Sherman.


[Photo of Haring via 98Bowery]

As you can imagine, there are stories behind every video here... I asked Miller to share an anecdote about one of the interviews...

"The posting of the Jean-Michel Basquiat tape is in part an attempt to reclaim my credibility. It is the original program that Paul Tschinkel and I made in 1982 and it captures a 21-year-old Basquiat just as he was coming into his own. It includes footage from his phenomenal Fun Gallery exhibition and about four minutes from a 40- minute interview. This may have been the happiest and most upbeat moment of his life.

"Unfortunately, after Basquiat died in 1988, my interview with him was released in its entirety without any editing. In retrospect, this was an incredibly naive and foolish thing to do. Buried within the interview were a few clumsy moments and exchanges in which I played the devil's advocate to elicit lively responses. Over the years, these are the moments that have received the most attention. It's something I've had to live with. I'm just happy after 20 years that I can get the original tape back out there."

Here's an excerpt of ART/new york program no. 30A: JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT: An Interview, uploaded to YouTube by Tschinkel.



By the way, the new Basquiat documentary by Tamra Davis, "The Radiant Child," opens tomorrow at the Film Forum.



For further reading on EV Grieve:
Life at 98 Bowery: 1969-1989

Revisiting Punk Art

Q-and-A with Curt Hoppe: Living on the Bowery, finding inspiration and shooting Mr. Softee

Voices from 98 Bowery's past

Avenue A icy/icee wars

A few weeks back, The Scoopinator reported that the new NYC Icy on the other side of Avenue A has taken half of Ray's business (according to Ray) ... so... Slum Goddess yesterday noted that Ray is now selling -- icees...




Thanks to Slum Goddess for letting me borrow the photos! And be sure to read the rest of her post, which features a headline that I hope someone in the mainstream media borrows: Just read my fucking shit.

Anyway, will NYC Icy now start serving hot dogs or egg creams?

Bedbugs inspire local artists

Thanks to EV Grieve reader Dan N. for the photo here on St. Mark's Place near Second Avenue... As he noted, "This kind of makes having bedbugs look like one wacky experience that all New Yorkers should love."

And the Summer of Bedbugs continues...

Sidewalk shed partially down on Seventh and A

Since March 10, workers have been repairing the facade on the building at Seventh Street and Avenue A... which meant a sidewalk shed for Yuca Bar and Ray's... Yesterday, workers removed the sidewalk shed on the Seventh Street side...





Still more time for shenanigans on A, though, near Ray's and the World Famous Pee Phone©.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Scaffolding to cover Ray's, Yuca Bar

The name Gruber mean anything to you?

Speaking of Seventh Street and Avenue A... almost time for the annual viewing of "Die Hard With A Vengeance," the Best Worst Bruce Willis movie... as you may or may not know, this cheeseorama includes a scene filmed in Tompkins Square Park and on Avenue A...

Hard to keep a good plywood peepee down

Someone (Hello, Penistrator!) really wants to draw a big dick on Shepard Fairey's mural on Houston and the Bowery... here's the latest...





Previously!

July 12!

[Photo credit: DNAinfo]

July 13!


July 18!


July 19!


Previously on EV Grieve:
Shepard Fairey plywood penis getting painted over

The street has a message for Shepard Fairey

We'll always have Craigslist

Seeking Sexy TOPLESS Female to deal poker at my party - Sat. 7/31** (East Village)
Date: 2010-07-19, 5:10PM EDT

Hey there. About 10 of my good friends and I are getting together on the night of SATURDAY, JULY 31 to play some poker and smoke cigars, and thought it would be a nice gift to my friends to hire a young, sexy woman to deal for us - TOPLESS. We are nice, respectful, fun (and funny) 28 year olds from Long Island. Looking for a fun girl who can handle a deck of cards and would deal texas hold'em poker for TWO HOURS (10PM-Midnight) on Saturday July 31. $100 cash for the 2 hours - easy money! Liquor and a cigar are included!

If you think this would be fun and are down for a sexy and funny night, then email me! PLEASE INCLUDE PICTURES! (Face + body).

Thanks guys...

Coming this fall to Avenue A: Tompkins Square Bagels

Last Monday, I pointed out that a bagel shop may open at 165 Avenue A in the former Monk Thrift space... that it would be from the people who own the Bagel World stores in Brooklyn.

Well, Christopher Pugliese who runs those shops has confirmed the opening. As he said: "We're going to bring the bagel back to the East Village."

Pugliese, who has lived in the East Village the last four years, shared a lot of information with me (including the rent amount: $9,000 monthly) ... so here are some excerpts:

---

If all goes well, we should be open by October the latest. When David's closed, I was very angry/disappointed. That's when the seed was planted to open a shop. I was kind of on the fence about it for a while. After I learned about how David's was pushed out by Hot and Crusty, I was motivated and on a mission to open.

----

My partners and I grew up in Brooklyn and we've been making bagels since we were kids. We're going to hand roll and kettle boil our bagels. The whole place is going to be old school NYC. We're naming it Tompkins Square Bagels. We're all big into NYC history. We'll have a full deli with cold cuts, home made cream cheeses, lox, whitefish, etc. I'm going to bring in a chef to do some simple breakfast, brunch and dinner food.

----

We are going to try to keep the prices really low in hopes of becoming more of a local neighborhood folks kind of spot. I'm hoping to work closely with the schools and Boys and Girls Clubs in the area, be active in the community, sponsor different events, and hire kids from the neighborhood.

---

We have three shops in Brooklyn and none of them sell beer or cigarettes. I won't here either. We won't seek a liquor license. That said, I now understand why Alphabet City is overflowing with bars and restaurants yet at the same time lacking the most basic of neighborhood businesses; butcher, bookshop, fish market, etc. The only way anybody can afford to pay the insane rents that landlords around here are asking is to sell something you can markup as much as liquor.

---

Honestly, some nights I get really freaked out about whether or not I'm making the right decision. None of my shops pay anywhere near that amount [of rent] and I'm in great areas: Park Slope, Cobble Hill and Fort Greene. If we're not extremely popular right from the get go, we probably won't last a year.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Bagels for Avenue A?

Protect our community gardens

Below is a list of steps to take NOW in the fight to save our gardens:

1.Call and write your City Council member and tell him/her to "permanently preserve our community gardens by passing a law designating our community gardens as parkland." For complete City Council Member contact information go here.

2. Attend the Aug. 10 Public Hearing of the Department of Parks & Recreation and Department of Housing Preservation and Development's Proposed Rules governing Green Thumb Community Gardens at the Chelsea Recreation Center. Time to be announced soon. Check out the Parks Department's website for hearing details.

Here's the New York Times article discussing these proposed
rules.

3. Hand out the Save Our Gardens flier: download here.

4. Spread the word. Ask your friends, family and everyone who enjoys our gardens take each of the above steps.

SPREAD THE WORD.

Living local: Here comes the 123 Third Ave. sales center!

So the new condo going up now on the corner of 14th Street and Third Avenue (East Union Square!) looks to be ready to unveil the sales office ... it's on 10th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue... (near the home of the 10th Street Scribbler!)

Given the paper on the front windows, it's likely not open just yet...




Still. Let's take a look inside!

So. First things... I guess "Live Local" is their catchphrase of choice. I mean, you're technically living local no matter where you live, right? (Curious if anyone suggested, say, Livin' la Vida Local?)



And what does living local entail? Well! Whole Foods! The Strand! Paragon! The Coffee Shop!



... and Gramercy Tavern? That's a mere six-plus blocks away! (And phooey on your Union Square Cafe, Danny!)




... and they subscribe to the Times...(Take that Wall Street Journal!)

I guess it all makes sense now why the 123 ad went up here back in January ...



Still no prices just yet on the 123 website.

(Updated) Burgers for this Seventh Street stable?

Mohammed Falafel Star on Seventh Street near Avenue B closed up back in March... and there was action behind the plywood for months... and now, workers have removed the plywood... and check out what the new eatery coming here looks like:




Hmm... interesting looking stable/dungeon combo... The folks next door at the dry cleaners say the space will be a burger joint... and there is a liquor license pending here...



[Updated: Melanie has an interior shot... and hears that it will be a Mediterranean restaurant]