Holy Basil remains closed for 'technical difficulties'

A reader notes that Holy Basil, the second-floor Thai eatery on Second Avenue near Ninth Street, remains closed for "technical difficulties," according to their outgoing message. They have been closed for a week. The place is sealed up ...

...with no sign of explanation for diners...

Well, the DOH socked them with 110 violation points, and temporarily closed them last week... the DOH report is as ugly as it gets... "evidence" of live mice, roaches, etc.

Rite Aid paints over a memorial on Avenue D

In late September, friends of 22-year-old Makever “Keba” Brown created a memorial for him along the wall of Rite Aid on Avenue D...

On Sept. 13, Brown was struck and killed on the FDR during a police pursuit, as DNAinfo reported.

Several readers have since pointed out that Rite Aid has painted over the tributes...

Yummy House-Plump Dumpling mashup is now called Yummy Dumpling

Back in March, Yummy House closed on Third Avenue... and moved in with Plump Dumpling on Second Avenue at 11th Street...

Apparently, they have decided on a name...

And our money was on Plump House...

h/t @marytom

Company under new ownership, closed for renovations

Several readers noted that Company, the bar on East 10th Street just west of First Avenue, is currently closed for renovations...

The sign notes they'll reopen Thursday... and that they are under new ownership... In July, the CB3/SLA committee allowed a transfer of the liquor license in an ownership change here...

Heartbreak at Heartbreak

Eater noted the great news/awful news for Heartbreak, the Germanic-themed restaurant on Second Avenue and Second Street ... they were included in the recently unveiled Michelin New York restaurant guide this year ... Unfortunately, as Eater also reported yesterday, Heartbreak is currently "closed for renovations." So they won't be able to immediately take advantage of the Michelin windfall...

Avenue A, 8:09 p.m., Oct. 4

At the memorial for Bob Arihood outside Ray's. More photos tomorrow.

Photo by Faces.

Looking at the new IHOP sidewalk canopy

Workers put it up this morning...

And what about the large opening on either side...?

Bob Arihood obit in the Daily News; plus a gathering tonight at Lucy's

Bob Arihood's obituary appears today in the Daily News, though it's not online.

The feature includes a quote from Bob's brother Leslie, his only surviving relative, and offers other biographical information, such as that he graduated from Purdue University in 1968. Bob lived in Chicago briefly before settling in the East Village in 1970. Said his longtime friend Jefferson Siegel: "He was the conscience of the East Village."

According to an autopsy cited by the Daily News, Bob died of cardiovascular disease.

In addition to the candlelight vigil tonight at 8 outside Ray's... we received the following information:

There will be a gathering of Bob's friends tonight at 7 at Lucy's at 135 Avenue A near Ninth Street.

A memorial is being planned, possibly for this weekend.

Claim: East Village super holding Time Warner hostage for free cable

We've heard that some people in certain sections of the East Village are without Time Warner Cable/Road Runner service.

Last night, Adam called Time Warner and got a rather unexpected response. He documents what happened at Adam's Life. To an excerpt!

Finally, I connected with a service rep. He sounded young. Stumbled a little bit over the script he was reading. I assume he's new. This will be important in a moment. I asked him what the heck was happening. And he told me this:

The box that controls the cable, internet, pretty much everything else for Time Warner Cable in my area of the East Village is located in the basement of a building. In order to service this box, Time Warner Cable needs to contact the super of the building and be let in.

The super of the building, according to the service rep, REFUSES TO LET TIME WARNER INSIDE.

"Why is he refusing?" I asked.

"He wants free cable," the rep responded.

Apparently, Time Warner has tried to reason with the man, but he refuses to budge. Today, he's refused to answer the door or his phone. He's cut off all communication.

"It's a very unusual situation," the rep said.

To top if off, the rep gave Adam the super's address. Adam is mulling his next move. Read the whole post here.

Here comes IHOP's sidewalk canopy

Look out... coming through... After adding the three-story IHOP banner yesterday, workers are on the scene of the EVOHOP this morning installing the sidewalk canopy, which will extend nearly to 14th Street... Perhaps this is just part of Art in Odd Places that's taking place now along 14th Street? (Ha.)

Thanks to Jennifer at Xoom for the photo...

Reminders: Candlelight vigil tonight at Ray's for Bob Arihood

Shawn Chittle and Lindsay Wengler are organizing tonight's vigil. Per their message:

We wanted to put together a candlelight vigil for Bob in front of Ray's at 8 pm.

Please tell people to bring a candle and or flowers, photos of Bob or photos Bob took. We all think instead Bob would want people to just buy something from Ray's in his memory!

We are presenting Ray with a framed portrait of Bob to hang up so he's always watching over Ray.

Meanwhile, many people have written tributes to Bob. Here are some of them.

Slum Goddess

Single Linds Reflex

Jeremiah's Vanishing New York

The Gog Log

Marty After Dark

Runnin' Scared

NY Through the Lens

East Village Corner

BoweryBoogie

Shawn Chittle

DNAinfo

Your guess is as good as mine

Yesterday in Tompkins Square Park, by Bobby Williams.

And now, let's go inside John Legend's apartment

Last Thursday, Jennifer Gould Keil at the the Post reported that Grammy Award-winner John Legend was selling his two-bedroom condo at 52E4 — the 15 stories of condo on the Bowery and East Fourth Street — for $2.95 million.

The listing is now online at Prudential Elliman.

Let's take a look.

Here's the copy:

Panoramic Living - Enjoy spectacular views from the luminous walls of glass, that make up this fifteen story 'iconic' tower. 52 East 4th is the 'ultimate' in downtown luxury living, featuring direct elevator access, surround sound, dramatic ceiling heights, architectural steel trusses, and state-of-the-art bathrooms and kitchen, all designed by Andre Escobar. This full service condominium is situated in the highly desired East Village, directly adjacent to The Bowery Hotel. Building amenities include a setback and landscaped building entrance, parking garage, roof deck and an exterior spa-swimming pool. Doorman from 8AM-8PM. The only thing missing in this 'unique' masterpiece is you!

Thoughts? Nice. A lot of taupe. Not the best color in case you spill a Slurpee purchased from the 7-Eleven on the ground floor.

Joe's Pub reopens today

After a three-month renovation, Joe's Pub reopens this evening on Lafayette Street. In an op-ed for WNET's MetroFocus, Joe's Pub director Shanta Thake writes about the struggles to reflect the constantly changing East Village community in her programming. As she writes, "Today, the East Village more likely brings to mind three things: college students, Starbucks and soaring rent costs."

(Only three?)

Uh, here's more:

The mission at Joe’s Pub is to reflect the community surrounding it on our stage, which, in practice, always meant a programming vision that is incredibly diverse in terms of genre. But as we at Joe’s Pub prepare for our rebirth into the East Village arts scene Oct. 4, we are forced to ask ourselves: does that actually reflect the community surrounding us anymore? Or are we serving a mythical audience that we ourselves conjure up out of the steam from our own lattes to look like the East Village of yesteryear? The answer to that is less simple.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal has more on the changes. "Attendees should be pleased not only by the music, but by renovations that seem to eliminate the venue's shortcomings." Like! The bar is smaller and it has been moved to a corner, which does away with "the clattering glasses and chattering drinkers."

An NYPD alert on East Third Street

A resident of East Third Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue noted the arrival of these flyers on Saturday...

We saw them for ourselves – taped up along various buildings ... Anyone see these on the adjacent blocks?

Given the block, the burglars are advised to steer clear of 77 E. Third St. Or maybe not.

New roll-down gates for the Mars Bar

Goggla passes along this information... Workers have installed new roll-down gates at the Mars Bar and the adjoining space here along the doomed stretch of 11-17 Second Ave. (Also, someone painted over the graffiti on the First Street side... where that fresh blank black patch is...)

Anyway, not sure why you'd install new roll-down gates on a building that will be demolished. As for that, the worker told Goggla that he didn't know anything about a pending date for start of the demolition. But he thought "soon."

Previously.

This afternoon at the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall,

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Yarn-hater de-yarns the Astor Place cube

That was sort of fast... a little bit ago some kind of worker started cutting off Agata Olek's latest yarn creation...

[Via @ArtObserved]

Booo! And here are some shots from earlier in the day by East Village resident Beep Iams (@beepiams) ...

Watch Agata Olek cover the Astor Place cube in yarn

This morning, we posted photos of the Astor Place Cube now covered in yarn courtesy of artist Agata Olek... Here she is in Astor Place. Photos by peter radley.

And here is the video of how she did this...

Behold the East Village IHOP's new 3-floor-high sign

This morning on East 14th Street...