Does a quiet block even exist in the East Village?

A reader is looking to move apartments later this year, and is starting to do some research for an ideal block. Despite being in a so-called Resolution Zone, the Community Board continues to OK liquor licenses, and the block the resident lives on has "disintegrated into a chaotic nightly mess."

The reader loves the East Village (in general!) ... but was thinking — is there such a thing as a quiet residential block here?

The reader grew up here and is "well aware silence does not exist in this city, but there has to be a strip that's known to be more civil and residential and less likely to draw those bar crawlers who come from I don't know where."

Finally.

"While the neighborhood has certainly changed, I want to still believe there is hope."

I made a few suggestions, including:

• 10th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. (Yes, a major thoroughfare to and from Avenue A, but only one liquor license — the Brindle Room.)
• 11th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.
• 13th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.
• Seventh Street between Avenue C and Avenue D.
• Second Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

I made more suggestions... but that's enough for now.

There are many fine blocks, though I may not want to live on them. What do you think — is there a quiet block? (And would you tell us if there is?) What about the above picks?

[File photo outside Superdive back in the day]

Alphabet City Beer Co. opens tomorrow

[Photo last week by EVG reader Nathan Archambault]

Last week, we pointed out the signage at the coming-soon Alphabet City Beer Co. on Avenue C near East Sixth Street... and the owners passed along more information, which we'll post part of here...

Alphabet City Beer Co. will open its doors on Thursday, 17th to serve the East Village, just two doors down from the current Alphabet City Wine Co. on Avenue C. The store will sell upwards of 350 bottled beers, a dozen draft lines for growlers, and provisions to go as well as have small fare, tasting flights, and pints to eat and drink in a tasting bar and seating area at the rear of the store, which will accommodate approximately 25 people.

Alphabet City Beer Co. (or ABC Beer Co. for short) will carry over 350 domestic craft beers, handcrafted imported beers, and craft cheeses with a sharp focus on good value, customer service and education. Customers will be provided with magazines, newspapers, comfortable chairs, and free WiFi.

The store will be owned and operated by David Hitchner, a co-owner of Alphabet City Wine Co. and In Vino Wine Bar at 215 E 4th St, and local resident Zachary Mack.

[Via Facebook]

36th annual Ukrainian Festival is this weekend

And one of the things that we always look forward to around here...

And, as of now, we'll have nice weather for this...

Previous coverage is here.

Key Food sign is fresh!

Through the months we've been looking at the under-renovation Key Food on Avenue A and East Fourth Street... (We wrote about it here ... and here...)

One remaining thing to examine — the sign out front. Workers removed the old one.

Which we didn't even remember exactly what it looked like. So through the magic of Google...

Dave on 7th sent along this photo showing that the new sign was in place. Uh, looks like the old one. Well, if you click on the image, you can see the fonts are a little different. (Is there a font person in the house?)

And the smaller Key sign now sports a Fresh.

Does Fresh here mean like invigorated? Or, say, saucy? Or both?

Previously on EV Grieve:
How do you feel about the renovated Key Food?

Such is Life

East Village-based photographer Gudrun Georges caught a glimpse of the now-shuttered Life Cafe the other evening... capturing the 30-year-old restaurant in a sad state of interior-demolition limbo on East 10th Street and Avenue B.

Find more of her Life photos (like the one above) here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
9th Street Espresso taking over part of the former Life Cafe

CB3 OKs beer license for Zaragoza on Avenue A

[Photo via Serious Eats]

That's the word from Alison Herman, who covered Monday night's CB3/SLA meeting for Eater. You can read more about Zaragoza's plight here.

In other action... the CB3/SLA committee OK'd a sidewalk cafe with liquor license extension for Nicoletta, foodie boner guy Michael White's new pizzeria coming to 10th Street and Second Avenue.

Eater also has more details on the Standard East Village's approved alterations here.

The Lo-Down has coverage of the meeting here ... and here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Making the case for Zaragoza Mexican Deli & Grocery to serve beer

Waiting for Mila?

Odessa Cafe on Avenue A is the site of an interior shoot for "Blood Ties," the 1970s-era family crime drama starring Clive Owen and Mila Kunis ... The crew seems to be locking down the sidewalk more so than usual, a few passersby have noted...

Photos by Shawn Chittle...

Landmarks Preservation Commission spares historic stable from the condo afterlife

From the EV Grieve inbox...

After a six-year campaign led by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP), the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) today voted unanimously to landmark 128 East 13th Street, between 3rd and 4th Avenues. The building is believed to be the city's last surviving horse auction mart building, served as the studio of artist Frank Stella, and during World War II was an assembly-line training center for women. The structure was designed in 1903 and by the firm of Jardine, Kent, and Jardine.

In July 2006, the GVSHP discovered there were plans to tear the place down to make way for a seven-story condo.

Previously.

Here's the Asbury Park outpost of Max Fish

Last week, Paper reported that Max Fish was opening an outpost on the Asbury Park boardwalk for the summer...

Movin' On Up NYC took a look at new beachier Max Fish upon its grand opening last weekend ...

The bar also has a patio...

Per Movin' on Up: "The spot [owner Uli Rimkus] secured for the bar is on the southern patio of Convention Hall, jutting out onto the beach. The view could not be more picturesque."

9-story hotel next to Merchant's House a no go for now

Various residents and and preservationists came out last night at a CB2 meeting to oppose plans for a nine-story hotel next door to the landmarked Merchant's House on East Fourth Street. Plans call for demolishing the one-level garage/repair shop adjacent to the circa 1832 Merchant's House.

There are concerns that the construction next door would harm the landmarked Museum.

As DNAinfo reported, CB2's Landmarks Committee unanimously voted to deny the application. The proposal will go before CB2's full board meeting on May 24. According to DNAinfo, the Landmarks Preservation Commission will consider CB2's recommendation in June when it gives final approval for the new structure The Landmarks Preservation Commission will consider the proposal in June.

Anyway, you haven't seen the last of this proposal, which will likely be modified to a 4- or 5-story structure.

Curbed has coverage from last night here.

And starring Alan Rickman as Hilly Kristal

Last Tuesday, Roger Friedman at Forbes noted that the CBBG movie by husband and wife filmmakers Jody Savin and Randall Miller was a go.

Now, The Hollywood Reporter brings word that well-regarded English actor Alan Rickman will play CBGB founder Hilly Kristal in the biopic about the club's origins.

And here's Rickman as Hans Gruber inside the Nakatomi Plaza in "Die Hard."

[Image via FanPop]

51 Astor Place (almost) has its first tenant

[Sunday at the the pit. Photo by Bobby Williams]

As you may know, the Death Star 51 Astor Place is being built entirely on spec. However, The Commercial Observer brings news that 51 is ready to ink its first tenant — the Hult International Business School. Pending approval of the state's Board of Regents, the school with campuses in Boston, San Francisco, London, Dubai and Shanghai is expected to take the entire second floor.

No word on where they'll lease space for their fraternity and sorority houses. (OK — that's a joke.)

H/T Curbed.

Today in TV commercials filming in front of Veniero's

Chase continues to film a commercial or something around the neighborhood... seen here on East 11th Street at First Avenue right now ...

...where Shawn Chittle found an briefly unattended craft services tent...

A mid-morning Craigslist 'Missed Connections' break

5 am — St Marks to 20th Street - w4m (East Village)
Date: 2012-05-13, 2:37PM EDT

Met outside Crif Dogs and walked from St Marks to 20th Street really late at night/early morning. Had a photo session w/ a homeless man. I bought cup noodles from him. I was wearing a black and yellow leopard print dress and ketchup on my face...

Via

Construction starts at the the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space on Avenue C

[Bobby Williams]

Construction started yesterday at C-Squat on Avenue C ... the building's long-empty storefront will serve as the future home to the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space — aka, MoRUS.

Laurie Mittelmann, who along with Bill DiPaola, the executive director of Time's Up, is helping spearhead the project. She gave us a quick update last night.

"We're building a staircase to connect the museum's storefront with the basement — a portion of which will also be rented to us. C-Squat residents are funding the installation of a new storefront and roll gate, which will be constructed by a 6th St. squatter. Hopefully we'll have interns working in the space in a week or two (the construction is scheduled to go at light speed) and we'll be open to the public in about a month and a half."

As in The New York Times reported in March, the museum "was being established to, among other things, tell the story of how activists in the East Village took over abandoned properties and over the years transformed them into permanent housing or community gardens."

And in case you haven't seen this yet, here's a video about the museum...



And here's the MoRUS website with more information.

'RESPECT this gesture'

Spotted on East Seventh Street. I keep reading this and don't think I totally get it either. I should have taken a photo of the look too.

Belcourt has closed; Prune people's Calliope on tap

Over on East Fourth Street and Second Avenue, Belcourt has closed...

As we pointed out in January, the space will give way to a "new American" restaurant called Calliope run by some Prune alums... According to Diner's Journal, Eric Korsh, the executive chef at the Waverly Inn, will be opening the space with his wife, Ginevra Iverson, Prune's one-time sous chef.

And if you were a fan of Belcourt's "famous brunch and Oyster hour," they'll be doing it across the street at Nomad now, according to the Belcourt website...

Free tonight: Richard Hell, the 1980s in 'Smithereens'

From the EV Grieve inbox...

The Seward Park Branch Library is pleased to announce the first program of the Lower East Side Heritage Film Series: the Eighties. Tonight at 6:30 in our Community Room. In this installment of our FREE monthly series we will be showing on VHS:

Smithereens (1982, 89 min., VHS)

Susan Seidelman directs her first feature film: Wren is nineteen and determined to break into punk rock. The pieces of her world are scattered over Lower Manhattan: a grungy Lower East Side apartment, the abandoned train yards along the Hudson River, and the helter-skelter world of East Village rock clubs. It doesn't matter that Wren can't sing, write songs, or play an instrument. She's desperate to make the scene, and desperation makes people do dangerous things.

Starring Susan Berman, Bran Rjin and Richard Hell. With music by the Feelies, ESG, and Richard Hell and the Voidoids.

Seward Park Branch Library
192 East Broadway

And here's a trailer of sorts...



And here's an article that Seidelman wrote for Filmmaker magazine about making the movie.

That '70s show on Avenue A with 'Blood Ties'

"Blood Ties," a 1970s-era family crime drama, will be filming around parts of Avenue A and Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place today, most likely. (Unless the rain KOs filming for the day... It is supposed to rain, right?) Clive Owen and Mila Kunis star in the English-language debut of director (and actor!) Guillaume Canet ... it's actually a remake of the 2008 French thriller "Les Liens Du Sang" ... the cast includes Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard, Zoe Saldana, James Caan, Lili Taylor and Domenick Lombardozzi...

Checking in on the CB3/SLA meeting: Standard East Village gains approval for alteration

Previously.

h/t @ShaneEvanDavis