Above the Mars Bar: neighbor vows return; next door, killing rats

So the Mars Bar will be open a little longer ... However, some of the residents who live upstairs have already moved out... and per their curtain call, they'll be back.

Meanwhile, just a building down on Second Avenue, the baiting program begins ... the first sign in the demolition process...

Finally, at least one Mars Bar patron believes that the place won't be open today... to prevent any kind of teary farewells and looting. Just a feeling, that's all.

That's a wrap for the Film Academy Cafe on Astor Place

The demolition of 51 Astor Place begins today (abatement, etc.). And with that, the Film Academy Cafe had to vacate its home of 18 months... Wednesday was the Cafe's last day. Workers gutted the place yesterday.

Previously.

Dukovny Floors closes on First Avenue

[Photo by Blue Glass]

Both Blue Glass and Dave on 7th noted that Bernard Dukovny Floors on First Avenue just north of 11th Street has closed...

I went to Google Maps for a Street View... and the Google mobile caught Mr. Dukovny standing in front of his store...

I keep wondering what he was thinking about...

Open Road Park back open last evening

Dunno if it was supposed to be yet... but the gates were open... and I counted 14 skateboarders inside...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Open Road Park closed now on 12th Street

Why the Open Road Park is closed

Happy endings: No more blood on the bench

On Wednesday, we wrote about the new bench adjacent to the MTA ticket machines on Second Avenue just south of 14th Street.... the one with the dried blood on it... EV Grieve reader Peter figured it had been there for five days. MTA officials standing there told him that it wasn't there problem.

Before!

Anyway! As of last evening, the blood is gone.

Now!

Now if someone would only pick up that coffee cup!

And now, the newly designed menu at Odessa

Matt Rosen at Neighborhoodr notes the newly designed menu at EV Grieve favorite Odessa on Avenue A.

The previous menu seemed to be about, oh, 20 pages... Matt says that the new version is more streamlined.

Oscar winners film TV commercial in Yonah Schimmel, Katz's

A reader came across this scene earlier this week at Yonah Schimmel Knishery on Houston ... a crew was on the scene filming a commercial. After a little digging, it turns out this is a high-powered crew — Tom ("The King's Speech") Hooper on the left and Guillermo ("Pan's Labyrinth") Navarro on the right. They were also filming a scene at Katz's ... it's for a credit card commercial...

When using a Groupon at Veniero's

Last evening on 11th Street. Such confusion among the Grouponers! We even heard squealing.

Before 'Raging Bull' tonight in Tompkins Square Park

Oh, don't worry — we won't be posting all these photos before every movie in Tompkins Square Park this summer... we were curious about the first one, what we could expect, etc.

If you went, what did you think? Of the scene, not the movie..

Photos by Bobby Williams.

Things to be advised about before watching 'Raging Bull'

On the way in to see "Raging Bull" tonight in Tompkins Square Park. In perpetuity, of course! Photo by Dave on 7th.

Avenue A, 7:17 p.m., June 30

Soon, 'Raging Bull'

Bobby Williams spotted crews setting up for the "Raging Bull" screening tonight in Tompkins Square Park... I remember those cheers...

...and it looks like quite a production, with sponsor tents and what not...

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Bobby Williams]

A rundown on the recent high-profile police activity on the LES (BoweryBoogie)

Ray becomes a naturalized citizen of the United States of America on July 15 (Neither More Nor Less)

About the changes coming to PS122 (The New York Times)

CIA activity on East Fourth Street? (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

Return to the Chillmaster's (The Gog Log ... and Marty After Dark ... and Slum Goddess)

An update on Tuesday night’s riot outside Tammany Hall on Orchard Street (The Lo-Down)

2 great NYC neon signs (Ephemeral New York)

Tonight is your last chance to see the exhibit by photographer Jesper Haynes, titled "St. Marks 1986-2006" at Gallery Onetwentyeight, 128 Rivington St. Closing party tonight 6-9.

And Billy Leroy notes that The White Wolf of the Bowery told his pal The Grizzly Bear that there is a treasure trove of grease and blubber oozing out of Pulino's and to hurry up and wolf it down before those slick L.E.S. Rats get to it...

Just a few more hours left for Veselka at the First Avenue/Houston kiosk

Matt Duckor at The Feast reports this morning that Veselka closes today at noon at the First Avenue/Houston kiosk. They'll be vacating the space to make way for S'MAC. Meanwhile, Veselka Bowery is expected to open in the next year or two.

[Photo by Matt Duckor]

New Seventh Street mansion re-emerges with additional floor

The Economakis Manor isn't the only recently unveiled, newly minted single-family home in the East Village... Here we are over at 64 Seventh Street between Second Avenue and First Avenue. (Or, for coffee fans, between Van Leeuwen and Abraco.)

Before!

Jeremiah wrote extensively about the history at this address in March 2010. (Read his post at Vanishing New York here.) It has been the Les Deux Megots coffeehouse that attracted everyone from Allen Ginsberg to William F. Buckley Jr. ... as well as the Paradox, the macrobiotic restaurant where Yoko Ono and Loudon Wainwright III both worked...

According to Streeteasy, this 1837 Federal Townhouse was originally part of Peter Stuyvesant's parcel of land.

Today!

It's now a single-family home again just like in 1837 ... though now with an elevator. Per the Streeteasy listing, the new owner bought the place in April 2008 for $5.7 $5.3 million.

The house is configured with 13 windowed rooms: three interior rooms, a kitchen on the main floor, three bathrooms and four fireplaces.

Meanwhile, we're not sure what kind of welcome wagon the new tenants will receive from neighbors. According to the DOB, there have been 22 complaints filed against 64 Seventh St. in the past 12 months, ranging from "illegal work on Saturdays" to some steel beams used for the additional floor causing some walls to crack at 62 Seventh St.

Will tonight mark the last call at the Mars Bar?

That's what people keep asking us.

Short answer: We have no idea. June 30 was the date some reliable sources had mentioned earlier in the month; the same date that Joe's Locksmith next door and some of the tenants upstairs are moving out.

However! Two reliable sources have said that Hank has put in the weekend liquor order. So either tonight will be a helluva blow out, as one of the sources put it, or the bar will be open for what promises to be a lucrative holiday weekend.

So if you're thinking about going tonight for one last time, then go ahead and stick to those plans. Worst case is you'll have to go again in a week or two or so.

One thing we can say with some certainty: The bar stools are disappearing. One regular noted that people have already been taking them as souvenirs.

Just in case — dibs on the toilet seat!

Extra Place is turning into a big sidewalk

We've been watching the work of late on Extra Place. A worker said that they were installing new pipes or something.

Before!



And now look what's happening... it's getting sidewalked!

[Photo by Bobby Williams]

Oh no! No more skateboarding! Or dogwalking! Or basketball playing! Or "Wonder Woman" posing!

Four years later, maybe it really will look like this some day...



Someone please get Cheetah Chrome on the phone...

Is your landlord harassing you, being a general pain in the ass?

[Photo by Dave on 7th]

GOLES is holding a workshop tonight on how to deal with harassment from landlords, presented by tenant attorney John Gorman.

Details from GOLES:

Town Hall Meeting
Tonight at 7
PERSEVERANCE HOUSE
535 EAST 5TH STREET (BTW AVE. A & AVE. B)
• Do you have repairs that the landlord refuses to do?
• Is your landlord treating you with no respect and dignity?
• Are you being taken to court without a justifiable reason?
• Are you receiving inaccurate rent statements?

IF YOU ANSWER YES TO ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS, THEN YOU ARE A VICTIM OF LANDLORD HARASSMENT.
COME TO A COMMUNITY FORUM: FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN STOP YOUR LANDLORD FROM HARASSING YOU!

Tonight in Tompkins Square Park: 'Raging Bull' (and Don King?)

Tonight marks the first of the free music-movie nights in Tompkins Square Park. This evening's film entertainment: "Raging Bull." (Bring the kids!) And we're told that Don King is introducing the movie. Seriously.

The details:
Featured Music: Raging Bluegrass, with Odetta & Gryphon
Gates open at 6:00 pm. Movie starts at sundown

(Gates?)

Here's the trailer...



Oops. I think we made a mistake.

Anyway! And the rest of the schedule...

July 7 — Coming to America
July 14 — The Warriors
July 21 — Star Trek
July 28 — Arthur
Aug. 4, — Pope of Greenwich Village
Aug. 11 — Kickass
Aug. 18 — Rosemary’s Baby
Aug. 25 — The Godfather
Sept. 1 — Stake Land

Here's the official website for the summer movies.

On the CB3/SLA July docket: the bakery bar; other stuff!

Oh my! We're still sorting through this month's CB3/SLA madness... and along comes the docket for July! Drowning... in... liquor ... licenses...

Kidding! ... So the fun continues on Monday, July 18 at 6:30 pm — JASA/Green Residence, 200 E. Fifth St. at the Bowery.

Here are a few of the items on the agenda...

Renewal with Complaint History
• 1011, 171 Ave C (op)

Complaints? Teneleven? This is a fine neighborhood bar.

Applications within Resolution Areas
• Tozzer Ltd, 112 Ave A (alt/op)

Hmm... 112 Avenue A is the Niagara's address...

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

• Duke's (Lime 673 Inc), 129 Ave C (op)

• The Cardinal Restaurant #1 Inc, 234 E 4th St (wb)

• U2 (Joy Café Inc), 6 St Marks Pl (3rd & 4th Floors) (wb)

U2 (or 2U) karaoke is looking to make a comeback here at the former Mondo Kim's.

• TDD & G LLC, 126 St Marks Pl (op)

The former Why? Curry space which is now called what?

Alterations/Upgrades
• The Toucan & The Lion (Type A Goods LLC), 342 E 6th St (alt/up/op)

The former Mara's Homemade.

• Bowery Tech Restaurant LLC, 327 Bowery (alt/up/op)

An alteration of some sort for the Bowery Electric...

• Pangea (Judex Enterprises Inc), 178 2nd Ave (alt/op/sidewalk café)

• Vandaag (Better Living Food Corp), 103 2nd Ave (alt/op)

New Liquor License Applications
• Asian Chef Express Inc, 96 3rd Ave (wb)

• Shima Japanese Restaurant (H&T Restaurant LLC), 188 2nd Ave (wb)

• Phoenix (Hughes Murray Walsh Corp), 447 E 13th St (op)

• Sweet Boutique (Sweet Boutique NY Ltd), 85 2nd Ave (wb)

Ah! The bakery bar moving into the former Sin Sin space...

• Company, 242 E 10th St (op)

• To Be Determined, 700 E 9th St (op)

Hmm, this is the address of Banjo Jim's ...

• To Be Determined, 308 E 6th St (op)

This is Zerza, the Moroccan place...

• To Be Determined, 81 E 7th St (op)

This is Krystal's Cafe 81, with the shamwow sign.