
Previously on EV Grieve:
At Sea Salt, the lights are still on, but no one is dining
WHITE NOISE (225 Avenue B; 212-539-0925)
SCENE: Sexy rock chicks too young to know a lot of the ’80s tunes they’re hearing lounge about on Gothic-style furniture. Co-owners Luke Brian Sosnowski and Timothy Falzone keep Maroon 5 off the playlist, and the scene lasts very, very late. Those who remember Chelsea’s defunct rock club Snitch will dig this scene, especially when bands play surprise shows. People who look like East Villagers circa 2000 will get in easily; those who discovered the ’hood post-Starbucks may find themselves left out.
CROWD: Fashion Week saw plenty of wayward models and late-night stragglers coming from events like the John Varvatos/Original Moonshine whiskey launch party.
BOOZE: A bottle of Stoli is $350, but rarely ordered and not a ticket for admission. The specialty cocktail is a $9 Jack Daniel’s honeycomb lemon mix. Beers range from $4 to $7.
PROS: Has the potential to get trippy and wild.
CONS: First-time operators may struggle to maintain control.
Large room for rent in a Prime East Village Townhouse. Easily fit a queen size bed, small coach & entertainment unit.
Although it has existed for four years, the paint line has escaped most people’s notice. And among those who have paused to register its presence, few have probably spent much time contemplating its origin. It is, after all, just a simple bit of paint: one more arcane marking in an urban landscape filled with street art and random splashings; a small-caliber mystery in a big city rich with secrets.
“The orange drip that flows through the East Village,” Sharon Jane Smith, 57, mused on Sunday as she gazed at the section of the line that meandered past her East Village shop, A Repeat Performance, on First Avenue near East 10th Street. “I have no idea where that orange drip came from."
What used to be a dingy, run-down bar in a relatively dingy, run-down neighborhood has transformed into a posh lounge destined to draw crowds to Avenue C. Bedlam, named after the first insane asylum in London, opened its doors this past week, offering a new hang-out spot for those who like to feel old-world in a modern way. Non-crazies Sara Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Anderson Cooper, Solange Knowles, and Alan Cumming made it to the opening fete earlier this week. The new bar and lounge captures the mood of late 19th-century parlor life — think Edith Wharton or Robert Louis Stevenson.
Thankfully Bedlam isn’t a showy, out-of-place jewel box of smartness; the flavor of the neighborhood and the former space is retained with the exposed brick wall and original, red vinyl benches. The back room—slated to host private events—still features 40C’s generous-sized bathroom and skylight (in addition to—surprise!—more animal heads).
Creative cocktails like the Sagamore House — named after Teddy Roosevelt’s country house — will be available for whoever’s feeling fancy, but the average hipster can still order their Bud. The new bar has also plucked some top DJs from well-known establishments like Santos, Heathers, Le Bain at the Standard, and the former Mister Black, so expect — dare I say it — bedlam.