Breaking: Workers remove the plywood and sidewalk shed at 35 Cooper Square

The boards and sidewalk shed are are down at 35 Cooper Square. Thanks to Goggla for the photo and intel. Per Goggla: "Behold the beautiful whitewashed vacant lot at 35 Cooper Square."

She notes that a friendly worker told her that new construction is not set to happen until next year.

Meanwhile, a shot that I took two nights ago... see how that historic building has just faded into the ugly hotel now...

Previously.

Awning switch imminent at BaoHaus on 14th Street

Jennifer at Xoom sends along this shot of her new neighbor on East 14th Street — BaoHaus, the new eatery from Eddie Huang. His shop replaces Thai Me Up.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

How you can help save the classic Jade Mountain neon sign on Second Avenue (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

Hard to find anything on Avenue A without a smartphone! (Nadie Se Conoce)

The history of the All Saints Ukrainian Church on East 11th Street (Off the Grid)

More on the East Village landmarking (The Villager)

The photography of Ai Weiwei (The New York Times)

Bike ridership jumps at downtown bridge crossings (The Lo-Down)

Blue Stockings reopens on Allen Street (BoweryBoogie)

The classic Randazzo's Clam Bar in Brooklyn (Lost City)

Thanks to the Daily News for mentioning me in their article on Redrum's rescue ...

And it's never to late to watch footage from last Sunday's World Naked Bike Ride ...

Bar on A is for sale

Multiple tipsters have passed along word that some possible changes are coming to several longtime Avenue A nightspots.

One that we can talk about now: Bar on A (or BOA or Barona) on the corner of 11th Street is apparently on the market...

According to the listing, rent is $13,500 a month with $265,000 key money.

Bar on A owner Bob Scarrano passed away last March.

The BMW Guggenheim Lab looking to kill off a few more rats before next week's gala opening?

EV Grieve reader Steve Carter notes the new rat traps along First Avenue Houston leading up to The BMW Guggenheim Lab, which opens to the public on Wednesday. There are seven traps in the above photo... Anyway, what kind of a "mobile urban laboratory" doesn't have rats?

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Guggenheim wants our rat-infested First Street lot

Residents pitching in to help refurbish First Street garden

Designs for urban life apparently don't include trees

Continuing to question the BMW Guggenheim Lab's benefits to the local community

Anyway, rats are passé now that the mainstream media are on to them

Thanks to Crazy Eddie for passing along these photos... Union painters are protesting outside Stuy Town ... setting up a picket area yesterday on 14th Street at Avenue B.

On Wednesday, EV Grieve reader thisboyshouts noted that the group had the familiar inflatable rat with them. However! Yesterday, Crazy Eddie points out their picket friend...

As he says, "Love the inflatable cockroach. The Rats are so passé today now that the mainstream media is on it at Tompkins Square Park."

Oh, and here's more on the union protest.

Condom trucks look as annoying as food trucks

As Runnin' Scared pointed out last Friday, Trojan's "Good Vibrations Truck Tour" is coming to town. That's right! Vibrator trucks!

EV Grieve reader Stephen Popkin saw these last night on Third Avenue near 34th Street...

They will likely be around the East Village tonight. If they haven't been already.

Per Jen Doll:

These trucks and all the goodness they contain will be in town [last night and tonight], chilling outside of bars in the West Village, Murray Hill, the East Village, the Meatpacking District, the Lower East Side and Williamsburg. Or, as we like to call it, "the Vibrator Hexahedron."

Honoring the workers of Gourmet Garage in Soho

We've always liked Curt Hoppe's work. (See our posts on him here... and here.)

His latest project is titled "The Sum of Our Parts," a photographic project celebrating the workers of Gourmet Garage on Broome Street in Soho ...

For the series of hyper-realist paintings, Hoppe took photos of the workers... their photos were taken during a period of nine sessions, not lasting more then 15 minutes each.

...and here are a few of the photos...

The exhibit, presented by the Woodward Gallery, is in the front windows of the Gourmet Garage on Broome and Mercer through August. Gourmet Garage opened as a wholesaler in 1981 ... and as a storefront in 1992.

The Yippie Museum Cafe reopens today

On July 1, we noted the Yippie Museum Cafe on Bleecker Street between Elizabeth and the Bowery was undergoing renovations...

According to the Cafe's site, they'll reopen this morning at 10.

Joe's Bar is closed, but why — and for how long?

Uh-oh. Joe's on East Sixth Street between Avenue A and B is closed. No note out front with any explanation. I called the bar. The number is "not in service."

The bar was closed in October 2009 for one week in what an insider called "an insurance snafu." However, the phone wasn't disconnected when that happened.

We hope that this is all just temporary. The last thing we need is the loss of another good neighborhood bar ...

If you have any information or know a bartender here, then please let us know: grieve98@gmail.com

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[Priority mail art on Avenue C. Photo by Robert Galinsky]

Why the Jade Mountain sign 'was a thing of real cultural value and significance' (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

Ray's A (Neither More Nor Less)

The new Fedora is as horrible as you'd ever imagine it would be (Marty After Dark)

An East Village bike sting draws criticism (The Times)

Moving forward with the SPURA Environmental Review (The Lo-Down)

More about Upstate on First Avenue (Grub Street)

Looking at "Rock Family Trees: NY Punk" (Stupefaction)

Looking at Eddie Huang's 'Great Wall of Chinamen' (Eater)

"Gossip Girl" invades Gossip Angel Orensanz on Norfolk Street (BoweryBoogie)

Have you visited the EV Grieve animated GIF tribute Tumblr? (EVGIF)

Mars Bar exterior demoliton under way

EV Grieve correspondent samo notes some Mars Bar demo going on this morning... A worker is cutting the cinder blocks outside the bar...

S'MAC planning on an early fall opening at the First Avenue/Houston kiosk

We first heard that S'MAC will be taking over for Veselka at the First Avenue/Houston kiosk back on June 4, as reported by Patrick Hedlund at DNAinfo.

Little Veselka cleared out as expected at the end of June.

So when will S'MAC take over the space? We asked Sarita Ekya, who runs the popular East 12th Street macaroniship with her husband Caesar.

"We just finalized our agreement and picked up keys for the space," she said. "There is work to be done before we open so it looks like early fall at this point."

So, will there be S'MAC samplers for breakfast? Or where there be more traditional items for sale at that hour?

"We plan on being open the morning hours for coffee, pastries and the like," she said.

Previously.

Reunions! Missing bird — named Redrum — belongs to Lucky Cheng's owner

Yesterday, an East Second Street resident found this bird outside his window. (You can read that post here.) Turns out it's a Red Lorikeet.

And as of last night, we learned that it belongs to Lucky Cheng's owner Hayne Suthon, who lives nearby. As she said in an email, he somehow got spooked ... and got of her apartment and into the trees near her apartment. "He would not come down but called to me. I had no idea how I was going to get him down."

That he ended up on the other side of First Avenue comes as a bit of a surprise to her. "We never saw him fly before. He just hopped around and, even when the dog played with him, he would just coast like a plane that could not get airborne."

Suthon is relived that he is OK, and is grateful that his rescuers took such good care of him... and thankful to everyone who helped look for him.

The two will be reunited this morning. And I forgot to ask what his name is. And his name is Redrum.

About Ratstravaganza!

So what started as some parents getting upset that rats are overtaking the Ninth Street playground in Tompkins Square Park has become a full-on media frenzy. ABC, NBC, Fox and NY1 have all filed reports. (Hello, CBS?)

Of course, all this media hysteria is great fun to watch.

But! Bob Arihood makes some good points in a post at Neither More Nor Less. For starters: "From what we've seen over the last 4 or 5 years that [rat] population hasn't changed all that much."

And as he points out, some of the criticism of the Parks Department is misdirected. A lot of people simply leave bags of food/trash lying around. Like this one from yesterday that contained some pretty tasty lo-mein.

And perhaps people such as The Pigeon Lady shouldn't be pulling up the chuckwagon for the pigeons. Maybe there should be a 10-pound limit? All the leftovers become rat food.

In any event, Bob has some sensible ideas. You can read his post here.

Also, if you are interested in getting involved with the Tompkins Square Park & Playgrounds Parents’ Association ... they have a Facebook page.

Finally, you know what will likely happen... with rat fear at an all-time high, pranksters will begin dressing up as rats to push people over the edge. PANIC. Just like those no good kids who pulled a fake shark prank in "Jaws."

[Top dead rat photo from yesterday by Bobby Williams]

Tonight in Tompkins Square Park: 'Arthur,' plus the moon and New York City

Tonight marks the fifth of the free music-movie nights in Tompkins Square Park. This evening's talkie: "Arthur," the original from 1981 with Dudley Moore. The movie starts at sundown. The Debonairs are the pre-film musical guest.

Then the movie. But first! The guy who hosts this will yell for a bit. And now, the movie. But first! Someone will come up and do a, say, yo-yo demonstration. OK! Just moments away. Now, though — a short film! Here's the director to thank some people! The feature is next! Right after this EPIX ad with Leonardo DiCaprio! Now you guys ready for the movie?!

Anyway! Let's take you back to the prom... and something for all you lovers in the house. Christopher Cross with "Arthur's Theme."



And upcoming...
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.

86 the cold drunks on Avenue A

Last week ... in the middle of the heatwave on Avenue A and Third Street...

[EV Grieve reader Rita]

Now!

Thanks to Esquared for the new photo.

Are you ready for some Monday Night ... Steakhouse at Casimir?

Back in April, our friends at East Village Eats pointed at that Casimir on Avenue B had new owners. What kind of changes can you expect there? This news release that arrived yesterday should give you some insight...

Who wouldn’t want to treat themselves to a decadent steakhouse dinner? However, steakhouse prices have put this luxury out of reach for more and more diners. But not anymore! East Village French bistro Casimir has introduced Monday Night Steakhouse – a weekly special featuring every steak on its menu for only $9.95!

Starting Monday, July 25, 2011 Monday Night Steakhouse is set to tempt your taste buds without sacrificing your budget. Indulge in 12 ounces of favorites such as ribeye and skirt steak, filet mignon, steak tartare, the juicy Casimir hamburger and even a grilled pork chop – all for the wallet-friendly price of $9.95.

This new and exciting special is the brainchild of new management that is poised to reinvigorate the restaurant, an early pioneer of the East Village dining renaissance. Mario Carta formerly of Chazal and Lea Midtown has amassed over a decade of expertise managing and developing restaurant concepts which he plans to utilize in this his latest endeavor. Monday Night Steakhouse is one of many new initiatives that Carta plans to roll out during the upcoming months. Although the management may be new, Carta plans to retain the inviting atmosphere, attentive service and uncomplicated cuisine that has made Casimir popular among destination diners and neighborhood locals.

Monday Night Steakhouse is available on Mondays from 5:30 pm to 12 am. Casimir is located at 103 Ave. B, between 6th & 7th Streets.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Changes in store for Casimir on Avenue B?

Fox 5 ready to go live with the TSP Ratstravaganza!

Dave on 7th is on the scene too!

Previously.

[Updated] WABC discovers the rats in Tompkins Square Park

Welcome to the the TSP Ratstravaganza! NBC has been here already. Where the hell are those slackers from CBS and Fox? (NY1 checked in earlier too.)

Photo taken this afternoon via @biggayicecream.

And later... Bobby Williams caught Michele Charlesworth in action...

And the report...



Previously.