At the Mars Bar, a gentle reminder that the end is near

Now he commandeth all men every where to repent ... a subtle new addition at the Mars Bar...

[Photo by Bobby Williams]

A letter for the 'mail delivery person'

Over on East Fourth Street, there seems to be an issue with leaving mail for a building. There may be a new key for the building, one which the mail carrier doesn't seem to have now. But residents insist that the same key will work!

This sign sent along by Jeremy sums it up...

However, if you read the fine print, the "mail person" disagrees, writing that "you will get your mail when I get a key." And just to show that the mail person isn't nuts, he or she has a witness! "The guy in the restaurant saw me try the key. It doesn't work." But, but... just turn the key upside down!

In any event, building residents haven't received any mail this week... Can another urban etiquette note be far behind?

An early HOWL! this year

At The Villager, Scoopy notes that this year's Howl! Festival is early this year... unlike the usual late summer date, this year's event will take place June 3-5, including Art Around the Park. Underground HOWL! events will take place throughout the month. Check the Howl! website for details as they become available.

Pangea has been closed the last few nights

Pangea on Second Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street has been closed the last few nights... mail was stacked up ... and the day's bread delivery was on the gate...

Wednesday evening!

Last evening!

It's likely just temporary ... [Updated: We just heard from the owner — will have more in a bit...but they do hope to reopen soon...]

Reminders: Art Bike Parade tomorrow

From the EV Grieve inbox...

The East Village Community Coalition is hosting the 4th Annual LES Kids' Art Bike Parade on Saturday, April 30 in East River Park. The event celebrates sustainable streets in our neighborhood while turning bicycles into moving works of art. Previous parades have been successful and it's free of charge. For more info and register here.

Bleecker Street, 5:23 p.m., April 28

[Updated] Comments today

Apparently there is some Blogger/Google-wide issue today with the comments section. If somebody decides to comment as anonymous or with Name/Url, then they are automatically treated as if they had chosen to comment with their Blogger/Google account. Uh-huh. The Blogger people are aware of it, as everyone with a Blogger account is pissed. They are working on a fix. Apologies in the meantime...

[April 29, early: Blogger has seemingly fixed the problem. You may now comment away and write things like "BALLS"]

April 27

EV Grieve reader Steven took this last evening around 6:30 on Avenue C at Ninth Street...

As he admits, "I didn't have a daily newspaper so I used one of the free ones from the box down the block. I took a close-up of the date too, for verification."

Resourceful in the opinion of this reporter.

Gruber MacDougal, spokesperson for the International Coalition of Tree Tossing in the Spring (ICTTS), is said to be monitoring the situation from the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research, Oslo, where he is finalizing a white paper on the carbon content of international trade since 1990.

New food cart disappears

Back on April 12, EV Grieve contributor samo noted a new food cart had set up on the northwest corner of Houston and First Avenue...

And, after a few days, it quickly disappeared...

Theories?

Here are your proposed East Village Historic Districts

On Tuesday night, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) revealed maps of their two proposed historic districts in the East Village. Off the Grid, the blog at the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, has more details here.

Anyway, too bad the district doesn't included the soon-to-be-demolished Mars Bar on Second Avenue and First Street... the proposal stops just short...

The next step: A public presentation and hearing before CB's Landmarks Subcommittee on May 12 at 6 p.m. at BRC, 30 Delancey St.

Previously on EV Grieve:
About time

Seems like old times, except older: 34 Avenue A and 200 Avenue A back on the SLA docket

The folks at CB3 have posted the May meeting schedule, including the docket for the SLA licensing committee... Lots of action again this time around... First, the meeting place and time: SLA & DCA Licensing Committee, Monday, May 16 at 6:30 pm — JASA/Green Residence, 200 East 5th Street at Bowery

A few highlights. (The whole caboodle is here.)

Applications within Resolution Areas

• To Be Determined, 34 Ave A (op)

We're not sure just yet who is looking at trying to revive the former Mo Pitkin's/Aces & Eights space this time around... the same crew with their "performance venue"? A new crew! We'll find out...

• Solo Pizza (Solo Pizza Inc), 27 Ave B (wb)

• Ave B Caffe Buon Gusto Inc., 545 E 5th St (aka 76 Ave B) (wb)

[Whistling....]

• Paradiso (Paradiso NY LLC), 105 Ave B (wb)

This is the cafe/coffee shop near Seventh St.

• Boxcar Lounge (Oops of New York Inc), 168 Ave B (op)

• Bat Yam Food Services Inc, 97 St. Mark’s Pl (wb)

• To be determined, 14 Ave. B (op)

Well! At one point, various people were going to combine 14-16 Avenue B at Second Street for some massive club bar-restaurant with mama from the old country cooking, etc. However, CB3/SLA always shot down those plans ... and now Discovery Wines is taking the space at 16 Avenue B. And now someone is giving the smaller space at 14 a whirl...

Sidewalk Café Applications

• 26 Seats (Paris Cuisine Inc.), 168 Ave B

• Peels Restaurant (325 Bowery Restaurant LLC), 325 Bowery

• Cacio & Pepe (Peprico Inc.), 182 2nd Ave

Just realized that I've never eater here.

Alterations/Transfers/Upgrades

• To be Determined (Not A Bookstore LLC), 200 Ave A (trans/op) (Superdive)

The art gallery with a full liquor license is back. Last month, the committee told them to do more (and better!) community outreach.



• To Be Determined (Epicurean Management), 11 E 1st St (trans/op) (Bowery Wine)

Something new in store for the Bowery Wine Company? A quick flashback to the BWC protest in 2008.

• To be Determined, 500 E 11th St (trans/op) (Angels & Kings)

Another reject from last meeting. The committee told them to do more (and better!) community outreach.

• Hop Devil Grill, 125-129 St. Marks Pl (trans/op)

• To Be Determined (Evir Corp), 117 Second Ave (trans/wb)

Dunno what's going on here... this is now 7.2 at the corner of Seventh Street... onetime home of the Kiev...

New Liquor License Applications

• Led Zeppole (Arti Restaurant & Catering Group), 328 E 14th St (wb)

• The Toucan & The Lion (Type A Goods LLC), 342 E 6th St (op)

What's with the names these days? And this is the entity taking over the Mara's Homemade space.

Going underground with the Mosaic Man

In a new entry at Neither More Nor Less, Bob Arihood takes us into the basement workshop of the Mosiac Man, Jim Power. As Bob notes, it's "where Jim and Jesse Jane seem happiest." And perhaps it's the happiest Jim has looked since he was run out of the Cave some four years back?

See the photos here.

East Village subs for Inwood in 'Law and Order' shoot

Filming for "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" continued yesterday inside (and outside!) Vazac's on Avenue B and Seventh Street... Not really newsworthy given the various "Law & Order" shows having been filming around here for nearly 20 years...

However, it did seem as if the cast members — especially former Christodora House resident and L&O cast member Vincent D'Onofrio — were especially accessible, posing for many photos...

...and look at the temporary street signs on Seventh And B...

A fictitious intersection in Inwood...

Photos by Bobby Williams.

An open call to improve our 'physical fabric'

From the EV Grieve inbox a few weeks back...

From now through April 30, the Institute for Urban Design (IfUD) will turn to the New Yorkers to reframe the debate about the future of the city’s public spaces. By the City / For the City is an innovative two-part open call for ideas that begins by asking New Yorkers where they see potential for improvement in the city’s physical fabric, and then asks the international design community to respond to the challenges set forth by the public. Together, ideas from citizens and designers alike will represent an atlas of possibility for the city’s future, which will provide the foundation for the first-ever Urban Design Week from Sept. 15–20.

The IfUD will host Urban Design Week, a public festival created to engage New Yorkers in the collaborative process of city-making, including the complex issues of the public realm, and to celebrate the streetscapes, sidewalks and public spaces at the heart of city life. It will include a rich roster of discussions, tours, screenings, workshops and events across the five boroughs, and highlight the collective nature of city-building.

You can read more about it here.

Meanwhile! A progress report from the IfUD last night:

We've already had 300 ideas submitted around the five boroughs, and they really run the gamut. In the East Village, people have suggested everything from an adult exercise area in Tompkins Square Park, to a community theater and art space on East 13th, to more co-working spaces around the neighborhood for artists and startups. Someone even made the very specific and pointed suggestion that the EV aim for a reduction in the number of bars, froyo shops, and cupcakeries to chase out "the yunnies, yuppies, and tourists who just trash the neighborhood."

I'll vote for that last one... Anyway, you can leave your ideas here until Saturday. And, if you want, let me know what you picked...

Bento Box 'informally' opening tonight; and look at those pipes!

Bento Burger, the Japanese-flavored burger joint that took over the Marfa space on East Second Street, "will be very informally open" starting tonight... leading up the the grand opening on Tuesday. You can read more about the place with its "Blade Runner" look here.

Meanwhile, Dave on 7th took these shots on the exterior yesterday...

Lucy's is on a holiday, friends

And on Avenue A, Lucy's, an EV Grieve favorite, is on one of its usual holidays... back open next Thursday...

We always like the sunny, handwritten signs marking her vacations... Like!

Mystery car arrives in the 35 Cooper Square lot

Perhaps someone is there to see about putting a tarp on the roof of 35 Cooper Square?

Cooper Square slows down

We recently pointed put that the city put up new traffic lights on Cooper Square at Sixth Street... and yesterday, the city turned on the lights...

Per East Villager in the comments:

"Very happy to see that as it is now much safer to cross the streets here. Traffic noise is substantially reduced also, as vehicles must now drive slower.

Also all the traffic has been reconfigured! A large triangular work area has been closed off, and southbound vehicle traffic is being rerouted around the triangle. Is this the beginning of work for the Cooper pedestrian plaza?"

True! The traffic patterns have been reconfigured. I tried to get a photo of this, but I couldn't find a place to park.

Meanwhile at Cooper Union...

...skateboarders are testing out another part of the building's terrain...

Previously.

At Cienfuegos, paint it black

Just the other day, we pointed out that the Cienfuegos Cuban-eatery complex on Avenue A at Sixth Street had unveiled its new sidewalk cafe...

And two readers commented on the matter, and neither was too kind:

glamma said...
that picket fence just looks so freakin stupid.

RyanAvenueA said...
i agree. for some reason it just really irks me. They did some interesting decorating that ruined it with that lumber liquidator fencing.

Well!

Yesterday, workers painted the fences black... better?

Photos by Bobby Williams.

Previously.