Tomorrow: Concert in Tompkins Square Park, memorial for Bob Arihood

[Photo by Melanie at East Village Corner]

Two things to note for tomorrow... there's a free concert in Tompkins Square Park during the afternoon organized by Jay "Blonde Boy" Wilson and sponsored by The Shadow. The music will be more of the jazzy/bluesy/rock variety featuring:

• Blonde Boy Wilson
• Faith
• On Kaa Davis

In addition, there will be a tribute to Bob Arihood (this show was scheduled before he passed away) with a table of his photos and a few guest speakers.

[Photo by jdx]

Also, friends of Bob have organized a memorial at The 6th Street and Avenue B Community Garden starting around 2 ...

By the way, Jefferson Siegel wrote a lovely feature obituary in this week's issue of The Villager. You may read it here.

EV Grieve Etc: Mourning Edition

[Yesterday in Tompkins Square Park by Bobby Williams]

More from Occupy Wall Street (Runnin' Scared)

Goggla takes photos at Occupy Wall Street (The Gog Log)

A two-part blog post on the late Cornell Edwards and the Flower Stall on East 13th Street (My Private Coney ... part 1 ... part 2)

A meal at Manatus on Bleecker (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

The interior of the Hotel Chelsea is in ruins (The Real Deal via Curbed)

Little Lads opens on Delancey (BoweryBoogie)

East Village Eats Tasting Tour set for Oct. 22 (FabNYC)

Still House, which sells "decorative accessories, tabletop items" and what not, opens on Seventh Street near Avenue A (The New York Times)

Handsome Dick Manitoba shares an anecdote about an interview he did about Bob Arihood with a "writer" (quotes his) on his Tumblr:

Told the writer, that Bob worked at the Fillmore East when he was young. “What’s that?”, she asked. At the end of the interview, she asked me to spell my name. “Manito, ah, ya’ know what, just say Handsome Dick Manitoba”… She starts giggling. “Uh, I don’t think my editor will let me print that”. “Why not?” I ask, “that’s my well known punk rock singer name”..’Oh really, you’re a singer?”…Yes, I sang for a band called the Dictators, and I own the bar Manitoba’s ,and I do a national radio program for Little Steven on Sirius-XM radio…and”…”Little Steven, really?…YOU KNOW HIM?…Tell him I love his work”…
WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON ON THIS PLANET!!!!????!!???

Horse Trade Theater Group signs new lease on Under St. Mark's

Finally some good news around here... Back in March, we first reported that 94 St. Mark's Place, home to Under St. Mark's and the Horse Trade Theater Group, was for sale, putting the future of the venue in doubt ... another crushing blow against the remaining East Village artistic community? ... From the inbox...

Horse Trade Theater Group signed a seven-year lease on UNDER St. Marks Theater, securing the space as an artistic playground for the numerous performance artists who have been calling the downtown theater home.

“We are so happy and relieved to have come to this agreement so that UNDER St Marks can continue to be used by the artistic community of New York for experimentation, collaboration, and avant guarde performance” said Horse Trade Theater Group’s Artistic Director, Heidi Grumelot. “We doubt that any other basement in this city enjoys as much continual creative activity as UNDER St. Marks. Ultimately we hope to safe guard USM so that we no longer need to focus on preserving the space for our artists, but can instead focus on producing and promoting the work of our artists.”

“We would like to thank the entire community for standing behind us over the past couple of months and showing their support both in spirit and in actual dollars” stated Managing Director, Erez Ziv. “The monies raised through our fundraising campaign this summer have helped us to provide for a modest signing bonus and to offset the small rent increase over the next few years. We have not given up on the dream of owning our own space and are currently in discussions with our landlord to figure out a way to make this a reality.”

UNDER St. Marks is a downtown performance venue with a rich history. An experimental theatre space since the 1960’s, this 45-seat basement theater is now home to a wide variety of performance artists. Horse Trade intends to launch a capitol campaign in order to purchase the theater when their new lease runs out.

Previously on EV Grieve:
94 St. Mark's Place on the market, and what will it mean for Under St. Marks?

Horse Trade Theater Group launches campaign to buy 94 St. Mark's Place

So where do you order Chinese food from?

OK, so not the most pressing social issue. A diversion nonetheless. In any event, several readers — via email or the comments — have asked for recommendations for Chinese takeout/delivery. This question came up in the comments here ... and here ...

Seems like a lot of favorites have closed through the years. Like Mee's Noodle Shop and Grill on First Avenue. I liked Bamboo House on Second Avenue at Sixth Street. Until it closed about, what, five, six years ago?

China Town on Houston was OK the few times that I tried it... (Remember a few years ago when the 'N' fell off — China Tow?)

What about Happy Wok on Avenue C? The DOH recently paid them a visit. (Violations included "Duties of an officer of the Department interfered with or obstructed.") Let's just say that they're back open (only 4 violation points now!) ...

OK, we're ready for some Ma Po Tou Fu...

Tonight at Theatre 80: Jennifer Blowdryer, Richard Kern and 'Story of a Junkie'

We're nearly a week into the Howl! Arts month-long benefit supporting HOWL H.E.L.P.'s (Howl Emergency Life Project. Read more about them here.)

Lots of interesting performances every night at Theatre 80 at 80 St. Mark's Place. Tonight at 8, Jennifer Blowdryer presents 86'd, "rejection stories from a colorful collection of downtown's finest."

Later, director Lech Kowalski will be on hand to introduce his 1980s heroin classic "Story of a Junkie," filmed in the East Village...



Also on the bill — Richard Kern presents his short "Zombie Hype."

The admission is $10. (If you can't make it early, then you can see the films starting at 10:30.) For more info on HOWL! Arts, go here.

Veselka Bowery teams up with UrbanDaddy for a sneak-preview 'five-course pierogi-and-vodka pairing'

Veselka Bowery watchers have been wondering when the, um, Veselka Bowery location on East First Street will open. If the following is any indication, then soon....

A reader sent along this link from UrbanDaddy, in which its "members" can pay $75 for a sneak preview tasting menu Sunday night... the deal includes a "five-course pierogi-and-vodka pairing." The reader, who said he is Polish so there is "much love for vodka and pierogi," had a few unkind words about this pairing. (The same UrbanDaddy that champions the lowest-common denominator places like, say, Superdive.)

Crif Dogs inflated a lot of balloons to celebrate 10 years of weiners

On St. Mark's Place, Crif Dogs celebrated its 10-year anniversary yesterday with $1 hot dogs...

Um, sorry to be telling you this the day after... But look at the balloons. We like balloons! Pretty pretty!

Photos by Bobby Williams...

Cooper Craft and Kitchen restores dignity to the corner of Second Avenue and Fifth Street

At least from the outside. The plywood is down at Cooper Craft and Kitchen, here on the corner ... former home of the horrible-looking pink spaceship, Kurve.

The space will be a craft-beer-focused bar-restaurant from the team behind Dempsey's and Sláinte. With a lot of barrels inside, probably.

Noted

Spotted at Second Avenue and First Street.

Earlier today on Seventh Street

...near Second Avenue... By Bobby Williams.

[Updated] About that Time Warner cable outage in the Lower East Side

Is that end of today like 5 p.m. or 11:59 p.m.?

Previously.

UPDATED: 6:30 p.m. — Seems to be up and running. In time for "Road House" on AMC tonight.

h/t @pablo_escolar

Your chance to see inside a historic townhouse on East 10th Street tonight (complimentary wine alert!)

The beautiful homes at 123-125 E. 10th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue have been on the market for more than three years... oh those handsome single-family Anglo-Italianate townhouses!

Here's the listing at Rubicon:

If you were to travel back in time to New York City in 1854, it would appear virtually unrecognizable. Yet, arrive at Renwick Triangle, formed by the intersection of Stuyvesant Street and East 10th Street, and it would seem as if time stood still. Of all James Renwick's masterpieces in this corridor, one stands out as more imposing and grander than the rest. Architecturally paired, 123 East 10th Street and 125 East 10th Street are now offered for sale together. At 28 feet wide, of grand scale and proportions, with approximately 8,400 square feet of interior space, and a large, terraced rear garden, this presents a new owner with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a modern home at an iconic address. Behind an exceptionally handsome facade, 5 stories tall including an English basement, this magnificent townhouse has 18 fireplaces, original moldings, detailed mantelpieces and an ornamental cast-iron "Juliet" balcony which runs the width of the building. Since this townhouse is located in the middle of the St. Mark's Historic District, the extraordinary morning light and tranquility will be forever preserved. Given the scope of this offering, Rubicon Property has created a prospectus on this residence, its history and its future, which can be furnished on request by qualified buyers or brokers

Oh, the point of bringing this up now? There is an open house at 123 E. 10th St. tonight from 6-9. With complimentary wine! (Woo!) Says a Rubicon rep: "This is a magnificent opportunity to look into a piece of history." And Rubicon donates a $1 to charity: water for every person who signs in for the open house.

And the combo houses are yours for $12.95 million.

Chico creates tribute for Bob Arihood at Ray's Candy Store

Yesterday after, we posted photos of Chico working on a mural for the Ray's Candy Store awning on Avenue A ... Single Linds Reflex, who worked with Chico on the concept, was there to watch it happen ... Here's a sort of Blogger time-lapse with the final work ...

And later... Chico talks with Lucy and Ray...

Claim: Like no one seems to have cable

We're getting all sorts of reports of widespread (East Village) Time Warner Cable/Road Runner outage this morning... been out since last night around 11. Which meant we had to create today's posts via our Brother International SX-4000 Portable Daisywheel typewriter with Perfectype professional touch keyboard. Blame this guy?

IHOP's suburbification of East 14th Street complete, we hope

Wow. Just seems like June 12 yesterday when we first saw the warning sign on East 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...

And yesterday, workers put the finishing touches on the IHOPnopy...

Per EV Grieve reader Tom:

Wow. First the extra-wide awning, then the 3-story high banner, and now the sidewalk canopy. That's a whole lot of IHOP Blue!

I think they're trying to compensate for not being able to build one of those giant blue roofs found on classic suburban IHOPs.

[Manhasset IHOP pic via Tom]

Don't give anyone any ideas!

h/t Jennifer at Xoom for the IHOPalert...

The East Village pep talk diaries

[El Jardín del Paraíso, East Fifth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D. By Bobby Williams]

We recently posted an email from a longtime East Village resident who was losing faith in the neighborhood. We asked for people to submit comments on the things that they like about the East Village. We'll periodically post some of the comments, like this one.

Steph said...
Early morning walks.
Marble Cemetery — open hours are magical
International Bar
Tile Bar
Coal Yard
Chillmaster
Community gardens — can't express how much I love walking around on a summer weekend going into the gardens.
Summer weekends — w/o college kids and everyone being out of town makes me renew my love with the hood.
Hell's Angels
The sense of community and the diversity of people — it's still here. It's still better than all of Manhattan and don't even mention Brooklyn.

Read all the comments here.

Orphaned baby squirrel alert on Seventh Street

Spotted on Seventh Street near Second Avenue late yesterday afternoon. Thanks to EV Grieve reader David M. for the photo.

Old-timer Blarney Stone becoming a gastropub with 35 plasma TVs in the Financial District

Every so often we wander away from the neighborhood...

We've written before about our fondness for The Blarney Stone on Fulton Street near Nassau in the Financial District ... a fine place for some beers and affordable quality food from the steam table by the front door. And they open at 8 a.m. A good crowd. Office workers. Construction workers. Horse players. A few people working on a scheme.

[Photo by IrishNYC via Flickr]

The place closed for good in March 2010.

Now, a reader sends along the following item from UrbanDaddy with news of what this space is becoming...

Welcome to The Fulton, a 4,300-square-foot gastropub where the menu looks like it’s from a steakhouse and the flat-screens are invisible (except when they’re not), opening Saturday in FiDi.

This place feels like a long-lost executive’s lounge from the 1920s. There are diamond-tufted leather banquettes everywhere. Herringbone wood walls. Hanger steak frites. Old framed photos of Fulton Street (circa horse-and-buggy era). And a slew of cracking antique mirrors... that happen to conceal 35 state-of-the-art invisible plasmas.

So when a game isn’t on, and the TVs are off, every set will be hidden behind two-way glass. Perfect for when you want to quietly sip on a Ginger Inn (that’s vodka with guava, lime, raspberry and ginger) while splitting short ribs and cheddar grits with that comely market analyst.

Like the sound of the "old framed photos of Fulton Street." A little history for the lifeless.

Don't be shy, ladies and gentlemen... step right up!

Earlier today in Tompkins Square Park. By Bobby Williams.

Chico creating a mural honoring Bob Arihood at Ray's Candy Store

In progress now on Avenue A. We understand that it will be a portrait of Bob on one side... and Ray on the other side. Photo via Single Linds Reflex.

And here are two more in-progress photos... via @biggayicecream ...