Remembering Michael Shenker

As you may know, Michael Shenker, a longtime squatter and community activist, passed away last Saturday morning. Colin Moynihan wrote a feature on Shenker's life and death earlier this week for the Times:

Mr. Shenker was perhaps best known in the neighborhood as a tactician who thought up ways to protect appropriated buildings and community gardens that were subject to eviction or bulldozing. Some of the projects he started ended up with narratives as dramatic any of the operas he loved.

Meanwhile, there are several gatherings scheduled to celebrate his life.

Friday
Musical program in honor of Michael
7 p.m.; music starts around 8 p.m.
At 5C Cafe, Fifth Street at Avenue C
Burt Ekoff, Michael's piano teacher, and friends will be performing.

Sunday, October 10
Time's Up Garden Party
3:30 p.m. at El Jardin Del Paraiso
Located on Fourth-Fifth Streets between Avenues C and D
Michael was a co-founder of the More Gardens Coalition and a force behind saving NYC gardens. Reverend Billy and the choir will be at this event.

Saturday, October 16
March Around the Neighborhood
Meet in the middle of Tompkins Square Park at 5 p.m.
Friends will march around the neighborhood and arrive at his funeral.

Funeral for Michael at Mary House (Catholic Worker)
7 p.m. at 55 E. Third St.

Sunday, October 24
Celebration of Michael with Eric Drooker and Eden and John's East River Strong Band.
6-10 p.m. Location TBA



Previously on EV Grieve:
Michael Shenker, 1955-2010

Noise wars: Bowery resident sues the eatery down below

A resident at 344 Bowery is suing her downstairs neighbor, the Spanish tapas joint Sala. The New York Law Journal wrote about the case yesterday:

New York City has a reputation as the city that never sleeps. As a recent decision by Supreme Court, New York County Justice Joan M. Kenney in Kahona Beach LLC v. Santa Ana Restaurant Corp. demonstrates, balancing that 24/7 vitality against competing quality of life concerns can sometimes be problematic and require court intervention. In Kahona Beach, the limited liability company owning a condominium apartment in Manhattan, and the individual residing there, sued a restaurant/lounge located directly below the apartment, the principal of the restaurant/lounge and the restaurant/lounge’s landlord. The suit sought damages and permanent injunctive relief based on defendants’ allegedly having created a private nuisance by playing music too loudly.

You need a "premium subscription" to access the article ... However, I'm thankful that the lawyer behind the blog NonConformingUse passed along the link with a quickie explanation:

Feel free to read through the whole article (which is just a jargony rehash of the decision). Basically, this case is cleared to go to trial — there are issues of fact that a jury needs to decide.

Also, as I reported back in August, Sala is for sale.

[Updated: Eater is reporting that Sala was victorious in the lawsuit.]

First resale at Village Green?

At the Village Green on 11th Street, everyone's favorite eco-indulgent condo, a one-bedroom apartment is back on the market — listed at $1.05 million....

Here's the Corcoran listing:

Great south facing one-bed one-bath with an office. This 880 square foot apartment provides room for generous room proportions, office, and a washer/dryer. Floor-to-ceiling windows add to the feeling of spaciousness. There are solid FSC certified 4-inch wide white oak floors throughout. There is also a shallow balcony off the living room for those who enjoy growing their own herbs or just some beautiful flowers in the gorgeous southern light!The master bath features Persian green marble countertops, glass tiled walls, Zuma tub/shower and advanced water conservation Toto toilet and fixtures.

According to StreetEasy, this unit was sold last December for $1,041,280. It was recently relisted for $1,170 million... and, last week, the priced was shaved 10 percent to 1,050 million. See if for yourself during open houses on Sunday and Wednesday. As far as I can tell, only one other unit — the $1.9 million penthouse — remains on the market ... with 34 of the 36 homes taken...

An early look at Duane Reade's 2010 Halloween costume collection

Preview No. 1:

Salt water daffy

The latest from the Pretzel Crisps folks.... And here's a little background on the previous Pretzel Crisps campaigns....

In which Cat Sitter watches Keanu Reeves get chased by extras down 11th Street

A dispatch from our friend Cat Sitter in the City ... who's trying to get some work down while "Generation Um" films nearby:

I keep getting distracted by the sound of someone yelling instructions and people cheering. I just went outside to see what's going on, and I found myself standing about six feet away from Keanu Reeves on the corner of 11th Street and Avenue A. Dressed all in black, he is tall and handsome as you would expect.

I didn't want to snap a photo of him because I felt like I would be invading his privacy (I wouldn't fare so well as a paparazzo, would I?), so I took a picture of the other people in the scene with him. They were all dressed like cowboys and cowgirls, and they kept chasing Keanu out of the parking lot and down 11th Street.

But will Keanu join Cat Sitter for lunch and CNBC?

Silver working to save the east side of the Bowery from further towering development

More development is certainly in the works along Cooper Square and the Bowery... Like this newish "for sale" sign that was added to the empty lot at Sixth Street and Cooper Square... While the City Planning Commission voted to approve rezonings in the Third and Fourth Avenue corridors in the East Village last week, one important area wasn't included: The Bowery.

The west side of the Bowery has a height limit of 120 feet. However! On the east side, developers can toss up anything that they'd like, and they have: the Bowery Hotel, the Cooper Square Hotel, New Museum, the new Cooper Union Building, and 52E4.

In The Observer today, Matt Chaban reports that the Bowery Alliance of Neighbors (BAN, if you're nasty) have a powerful ally: Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver.

Despite his persuasive ways, the city doesn't exactly seem to be cowering with fear... Per Chaban's aricle:

Rachaele Raynoff, a department spokeswoman, explained it this way in an email:

The Department of City Planning appreciates the dynamic nature of the historic Bowery, and its enduring strength as a vital, economically thriving corridor, having seen a range of new development activity and investment. The wide, centrally-located street continues to support a mix of commercial, residential, community and cultural uses, and has excellent access to mass transit. As the Department considers citywide policies on rezoning, we work hard to balance the varying needs of a broad and ever-expanding city and continually seek to strike a balance among uses, constituencies and planning strategies.

In other words, were the city to downzone everything, there would be nowhere left to build.

An ugly brawl on St. Mark's Place

NYC The Blog posted this footage today from an early Sunday morning fight on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.... Per NYC The Blog: "A passerby who recorded the altercation doesn't know what caused the fight, but believes it began after one man made advances on the girlfriend of another. ... The person who recorded the video told NYC The Blog that two individuals were hurt badly: 'One had his face completely swollen and purple, while the second had a nasty gash on the side of his head and was bleeding a lot.' Police and ambulance did not arrive, and the fight was eventually broken up by friends and bystanders."

Good news-bad news: No L train service this weekend

Pending existential crisis via EV Grieve reader Shawn Chittle:



At least you possibly won't be licked on the face by a stranger.

Urban Etiquette Sign already needed for brand-new rental

Apartments in the freshly renovated 325 E. 10th St. hit the market several weeks ago.... Several units remain on the market, as the stickers on the front door note...



...others have been rented....




...and, already, there's need for Urban Etiquette Signs for the new tenants...



Might need some more notes once the whole building is rented.

Previously on EV Grieve:
With two 'public roof decks,' 325 E. 10th St. ready to contribute to 'lively community'

So what's going on at 325 E. 10th St.?

Speaking of 325 E. 10th St. ... A reader sent me an e-mail saying that he or she had been in the process of renting an apartment here. That was until the other day.



"After a long application process (for which we were approved) we were told the entire building was no longer going to be listed for rent. This was while we were in the process of cutting checks for lease signing. Something is up with this building. We were given no explanation, and everyone involved felt as if we had been worked over. This deal has been in process all week, and I know personally I felt comfortable enough with how things were moving to not continue looking for apartments. Could be a condo conversion, or a complete sale of the property to a third party ..."

StreetEasy has listings for 12 units here. I sent an agent at Icon Realty Management an e-mail asking if units here were still available. He responded, "Yes, to schedule a viewing, please call me." I sent a follow-up note, ID-ing myself as a blogger, and asked for clarification on what was happening here. I didn't receive a return response. That was last Wednesday.

In any event, while walking by recently, an agent was showing the apartments... the front door was open. And a worker told me that it was OK to walk in and take a look. So I did.



There are two buildings here.... a courtyard separates the two... From what I could tell, the second building contains the studios, which start at $2,000.




Everything in the studios are top of the line, including the washer and dryer... but the studios seem small — even by small East Village studio standards.




...and here's a one-bedroom unit in the front building...





And here are a few photos from the roof of the second building... the "roof decks" are listed as an amenity here. Doesn't seem like much of a party destination — a little too close to the neighbors .... not that that will deter anyone...






Finally, when I looked at the Icon site last night, there weren't any units listed here now. The jilted renter thinks that the second building is still on the market, but not the front building. So, what's going on with 325 E. 10th St.? This is a story that's likely to be continued...

An East Village apartment that makes you "think Williamsburg"

The description for this nice one-bedroom home on East 10th Street between Avenue C and Avenue D, which hit the market at the end of the summer, is “Think Williamsburg, but live Manhattan." Which makes no sense to me.

And nothing in the listing screams Williamsburg either:

Southern Exposure / Faces Courtyard = Quiet serenity awaits.

Amazing East Village location = Great night life and steps to Tompkins Square Park

Huge, Open layout + Chef's Kitchen = Entertain guests, while you cook!

2 FULL baths = 1 for you and 1 for your guests

Walk-in Master Closet = SAVE $, no need for mini storage.

2 Bus lines across the street = no need to fight your way onto the L train

And best of all.....Maintenance you can afford. At only $625/mo this home is an exceptional opportunity for those of you keeping within a tight budget, but not wanting to sacrifice.

So where's the Williamsburg part? A mention of the L train? I expected some circa-2004 stereotypes. Skinny jeans! Facial hair! Wacky bikes! Arcade Fire!

Anyway, I'm probably missing something. See for yourself during the open house Sunday morning from 10-11. Bring your $560,000.

Citibank thinks that we're excited for a new bank branch

On Union Square, at the corner that once housed the Virgin Megastore...




...why else would Citibank feel the need for a countdown clock? Woo 57 days!



This will complete the transformation of Union Square South... the former Circuit City-Virgin Megastore space on 14th Street between Fourth Avenue and Broadway now features Best Buy, Duane Reade, Nordstrom Rack and the incoming, state-of-the-art Citibank.

Wow is right

Spotted on First Avenue near 11th Street.

Can it really be time to start advertising the Radio City Christmas Spectacular? Well, yeah — the show starts on Nov. 5. Wait! I still want it to be September!

That WOOM.... WOOM... WOOM sound on Seventh Street

A reader reported a jarring sound — "like WOOM... WOOM... WOOM" coming from somewhere on Seventh Street between Avenue B and Avenue C...

Too much tuba from the Zum Schneider Octoberfest house band? Uh. No....

Just a construction working tossing bags of sand or something heavy from the fourth-floor fire escape into the dumpster on the street.

We'll always have the L train

Via Craigslist:

To the guy who spit on me last night - w4m - 21 (East Village)
Date: 2010-10-05, 2:40PM EDT

Me: standing on the platform of the L train at Union Square, harmlessly kissing my companion.

You: Absolutely fucking batshit.

I have no idea what prompted this, but thanks for coming up and spitting in our faces. I really appreciated your saliva in my eye. It really made the mood all the more special.

Cowboy hats, balloons and film crew at AlphaBet Cafe

"Generation Um" continues filming around the Lower East Side... there's a noontime scene being shot now at the AlphaBet Cafe on 14th Street and Avenue B... no sign of lead Keanu Reeves... but there are several people in straw cowboy hates (er, HATS!) and balloons...




According to IMDB, the film is set in Los Angeles... which means the LES is more LA than LA?

Claim: Webster Hall's DayGlow paint party oversold by 1,900 tickets

[Via]

On Sunday, we told you that Webster Hall hosted DayGlow, billed as "the largest paint party in the world.... and the party was eventually shut down by the NYPD and FDNY... According to a Webster Hall source, there were 2,100 pre-sold tickets -- and 4,000 in attendance. Regardless, as Eater noted, "It's nice to know that the building's management, event promoters and authorities could help bring the party to a peaceful end with no one getting hurt." Very true...

"I see a walk by Coyote Ugly in your future..."

In recent weeks, a psychic has set up shop on First Avenue next to Coyote Ugly.... as these photos by First Avenue correspondent Blue Glass show, the psychic continues to make improvements to the space....




...looking pretty good now...




...and now rather handily right next to the bike lane...

Headless body spotted outside Mars Bar