And we're off!

So! The Select Bus Service starts on the M15 today...we checked in here on First Avenue near Third Street to see what was what and what not....



MTA officials were onhand to make sure things were going smoothly... at this time, there were more MTA people than actual passengers... one rider asked if he had to give the ticket to the driver. Nope, you just get on... Things went off here without a hitch...






We'll see how things go Tuesday in the first full rush hour (since, like, a lot of people don't have to work on Columbus Day tomorrow...)

Out of tune — and time

Photo from last night on Sixth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue courtesy of EV Grieve reader Jesse.

MTA preps for M15 SelectService

The M15 Select Bus Service starts tomorrow... and MTA crews are working on Second Avenue making final preparations....like changing the schedules and what not...



Still waiting for the over/under on how smoothly this will work...

90 minutes before opening time at Zum Schneider

So much for my advice that you need to get there early for Octoberfest....




There was a healthy line forming here on Avenue C at Seventh Street a few hours before... ZS opens at 1. And tomorrow is the last day for Octoberfest.

What's on at the picture show?

Here at the Village East Cinema on Second Avenue and 12th Street...



I'm just glad that "I Spit on Your Grave" wasn't placed next to "Nuremberg."

A kiss before dying

On the Bowery.

The Bowery, 5:29 p.m., Oct. 8

Here kitty kitty

Killer Pussy with "Pocket Pool." 1982.

Powerful new Twitter account rolls into the East Village

Oh, you remember our orange Lamborghini post from earlier? Yes, it now has a Twitter account.



Per @EVLambo:

"Orange Lamborghini" is the new "90's Range Rover" in the EV. For serious.

Fuckin' A, baby! Let's do it!!!

[Updated] False alarm at the Mystery Lot

An EV Grieve reader and fellow Mystery Lot aficionado sent along this e-mail earlier today:

There's something going on there this morning. Looks like some wooden platforms have created a path from the base of the large building under construction on the corner of 14th and 3rd. And some dirty metal things (scaffolding parts?) are being placed on them. I hope this leads to some sort of haunted house installation. Likely not.

Then! Before EV Grieve could scramble onto the scene for a photo... the reader wrote back:

Well...it's gone now.

(The platform, not the Mystery Lot)

[Cursing at sky]

UPDATED!

A Curbed reader got a photo of the mystery structure....


[Via Curbed]

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

On that quaint old town of NYC (The Grumbler)

Amy is selling brownies at Ray's (Slum Goddess)

About Eric Drooker’s illustrated edition of Ginsberg’s Howl (Patell and Waterman’s History of New York)

St. Mark's Place circa 1967 (Flaming Pablum)

Random musical interlude...



Another Bowery storefront on the market (Bowery Boogie)

The hidden graffiti of Chinatown (NYC the Blog)

Rust never sleeps (The Gog Log)

Pee-Wee Herman visits Katz's (Cat Sitter in the City)

Have fun trying to figure out the L train this weekend (Runnin' Scared)

Why a woman dressed as a knish will be walking on Second Avenue Sunday (The Lo-Down)

More on yesterday's downed tree/light pole on St. Mark's Place: East Village Feed ... NearSay ... The Local EV ... Neighborhoodr ...

A Blondie promo poster (Stupefaction)

Good Beer NYC coming soon on East Ninth Street (Fork in the Road)

And for Northern Spy fans, via the EV Grieve inbox:

Northern Spy Food Co. has recently introduced delivery service and to celebrate the new addition, they’re offering a sweet deal for the rest of the month:

With every delivery order, Northern Spy will include complimentary sweets for dessert. For now, each order will come with a free bag featuring a variety of Liddabit Sweets’ — seasonal and fresh, responsibly made sweets.

Finally ... and talking about nice cars...

Headline of the day: 'Show-Tune-Singing NYU Pukers Make Neighbor's Life a Living Hell'

That comes courtesy of Curbed, who has a piece on an Eighth Street apartment owner near NYU. Oh, the regret of picking this spot!

Not all New Yorkers have to deal with drunken drama students screaming show tunes at the top of their lungs at 4 a.m. ... And then there’s the vomit. It’s more of a weekend phenomenon, especially around the bars in Washington Square.

Show tunes? I'll sing show tunes!

And now, visual confirmation of the orange Lamborghini

Yesterday, Foursquare's Dennis Crowley tweeted: There's nothing more out of place than an orange Lamborghini in the East Village.

And now, thanks to EV Grieve reader Joe, we have visual confirmation of said car:



On Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

New tenant making move on southwest corner of 14th and Third

After sitting dormant for nearly 22 months, the prime patch of real estate on the southwest corner of 14th Street and Third Avenue apparently has an incoming tenant... workers just put up the freshly painted green plywood...





Robin Raj moved a few hundred feet away on Third Avenue in early 2009... At the time, Curbed heard from the RR guys that the new landlord wanted $60,000 a month in rent. (Heh, oh boy...)

I quickly looked at the DOB records... nothing too alarming afoot... nothing like, a mate for 123 Third Ave. ... Per the DOB:

Application is filed to combine two buildings. General construction, plumbing structural work, install new storefront, install temporary wood fence to be removed upon completion of work...

Even with three Duane Reades and one Walgreens within a block or two of here ... I have to go with a Duane Reade...

Previously on EV Grieve:
All your Robin Raj news here.

Papa John's shows off its big, green awning; plus, reader reaction!

Just following up on my Worldwide Exclusive™ from last week... the incoming Papa John's on First Avenue between 12th Street and 13th Street has unveiled its awning.... Meanwhile, readers had some pointed comments about the incoming PJ. Among them!

Anonymous said...
Not sure what's worse that it's opening or that people will actually order from them.

Anonymous said...
It's the natural progression, kids, beer, pizza.....

So let me see... do I want Motorino ?, Artichoke ?, Papa Johns ????

Anonymous said...
ugh. Aren't there laws against this sort of thing?

Bowery Boogie said...
don't forget the sole domino's down on allen street. still boggles me who orders from there. haven't seen the noid on delivery in some time.

Jen said...
I happen to like the taste of Papa John's- the price is better than getting Motorino or Artichoke. Just because something is a chain doesn't automatically mean it's bad.

EV Heave said...
This will keep me busy.

Anonymous said...
You mean it will keep you EV Heave-y.

And please, don't blame people under 30 for this. I can't think of one person I know who would order this crap.

But alas, under 30, living in the east village and not a hipster . . . by all accounts of commenters on this blog, I must be a . . . yuppie?

Amanda said...
Papa John's and Domino's have their uses, but I don't think of them as pizza. Sometimes you're in the mood for pizza, sometimes you're in the mood for some crappy fake cheese. Just because people live in NYC, where there is better food available, doesn't mean they don't still like to eat lesser food on occasion.

Anonymous said...
@Jen: "I happen to like the taste of Papa John's"

Papa John's ships in dough and sauce from factories that mass produce thousands of pounds of generic, low quality, garbage.

The reason it's cheaper is because of these economies of scale. I don't mind those economies being applied to my computers or technologies, but not my f'ing pizza.

Jen, grow up, get some taste, and put up that extra $1 or $2 for some real food made by a person in a kitchen, not a machine in a factory.

Rmom said...
Um, when I feel urge for pizza on 1st ave I go to Vinny Vincentz. I've never had Dominos or Papa John's, so I don't know if they are any cheaper than Vinny's, but I guess I can eat them when I move somewhere else. So for now, I'm totally happy with my neighborhood pizza (and I don't have to wait in line like Artichoke's!)

Anonymous said...
@Anonymous: "Jen, grow up, get some taste, and put up that extra $1 or $2 for some real food made by a person in a kitchen, not a machine in a factory". Wow, some rude f*cking people here, and Anon is so courageous by speaking his mind (of course not with his own voice).

Yeah, yeah, yeah - you're all too cool for us. Thanks for reaffirming the douchyness of the downtown hipsters. Like we all want to spend $20 on a lunch.

Jen,you know about Motorino and can make your own choices. Just eat what you want and dump this place, and let blogs like this one die.

Welcome to the machine(s)

In preparation for Sunday's Select Bus service debut on the M15, an MTA crew worked on Second Avenue near 14th Street on the artificially intelligent machines that will seek to exterminate what is left of the human race.




And, well, maybe this is just me... but why are the machines this far away from the actual bus stop...? I'm sure there's a good reason for this that I'm just not processing at the moment... anyone?

'30 Years Hanging on the Edge'

Brooklyn-based artist Peter J. Ketchum has a new exhibit now showing at the New City Gallery 155 First Ave. (at 10th Street) through Oct. 24 titled "30 Years Hanging on the Edge."

He told me a little more about his work.

"Over the years, critics have labeled my work Retropop, Grandpop and Folkpop Art. Whatever POP, it is derived from actual images and words found in printed ephemera — snapshots, ads, postcards, comics, coloring books etc. from 1867 - 1950s. Every word in the mixed-media work appeared in print somewhere. I invented none of it. That is the horror of it."

Ketchum, who says his "family has been on this Island since the 1630s when there was a wall separating the Lower East Side from the dangers of bears," collected the ephemera from around the world, mostly flea markets and tag sales.

"I am interested in subjects ranging from the origin and perpetuation of stereotypes to the death of civility. My work looks at the impermanence of individuals and the long afterlife of their prejudices and foibles."

Here's a look at some of his work.





The gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

New ad campaign preys on our worst fears: terrorism, body odor

On the 4 train.

Downed light pole on St. Mark's Place

Thanks to EV Grieve reader Steven Matthews for sending along these shots from earlier this evening... here on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... it appears a light pole fell ... no word on any injuries...

Noted

From the EV Grieve inbox...

Hi Friend-

I am in touch with an Australian Ugg Company that has contacted me about doing some blogger seeding. I would love to add your site to the list of bloggers that will be receiving free Uggs. Please respond with your blog URL, I will forward your info along to the company and upon being selected they will send you a link to drop ship the boots. It's that simple, only because we love you so much!