A youngster in the trees

Earlier today in Tompkins Square Park. Photos by Bobby Williams.

The next stop is...

Heaven 17 with "We Live So Fast" circa 1983...

Have fun whatever you're doing this weekend. We'll see you back in here in, oh, an hour or two.

Beer bard back with 'Light or Dark' at McSorley's

The Daily News has a feature today on Geoffrey Bartholomew, the poet bartender at McSorley's since 1972.

Bartholomew, who took writing classes at City College where his teachers included Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller, just published his second collection of poems, titled "Light or Dark."

Here's a sampling via the News:

from “Restaurant Inspection”

They come in all shapes & sizes

both guys and gals

thermometers and test strips

eyeballing it all

protecting your health

The violation reads:

I did see 9/10 live flies

Well, effing bully for you

but at $100 a fly

that’s an even grand

On Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Bartholomew and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Franz Wright will be give a reading at McSorley's.

You can find the McSorley's Poems website here.

The tattoo-piercings-smoking-accessories awning war is on!

Yesterday, workers installed a new awning/sign for Kulture on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...

[Photo via EVG reader Anna C.]

And today...

Meanwhile, almost directly across the street...

Hmm. Tough call. Will have to see these at night to be a favorite.

Breaking: Former bank branch to become a Duane Reade on First Avenue

[February 2010]

The now-shuttered HSBC branch (the one that some residents tried to save) on First Avenue just north of 14th Street is getting a new tenant. Earlier in the week, pcvstBee pointed out that renovations had started on the space.

Now, a reader passes along this tip ... that the Duane Reade on 14th between First Avenue and Second Avenue will be moving into this former HSBC space (yes, right next to the CVS). A Duane Reade employee and the Fruit Stand Guy outside the former HSBC confirmed this to the reader. (Woo! Sourcing!)

So what's the loudest block in the East Village?

We did that post last week about a reader looking for a quiet block to live on (helpful, by the way!) ... asking if such a thing even existed these days. (This post.)

Following that, another reader thought it might be sorta therapeutic to prompt a discussion about the loudest block in the neighborhood. Bar noise. Traffic noise. Noise noise. The usual.

Sure. What the Hell.

So.

I've never lived on these blocks, but they seem as if they could be really loud at times.

• St. Mark's Place closer to Avenue A (apartments facing St. Mark's Place)

• Third Avenue (OK, maybe between 10th and 12th...)

• Near or around Avenue A and Houston

Anyone else?

[File photo outside Superdive back in the day]

East Ninth Street smells like manure this morning

Just between Avenue A and First. Did a manure spreader jack-knife here last night?

Shocking revelations: People like looking at photos of topless women on the Internet

Last Friday, we posted the item about the topless advocate who was walking around the neighborhood topless. (This post.)

Since then, we've received quite a few more photos (which we never posted) of the women, first identified by Racked as Moira Johnston.

Anyway, our post quickly became the most-viewed, uh, post in EV Grieve's five-year history, easily topping the former No. 1 — The East Village rolls out welcome wagon for new Starbucks.

Which begs the question: Will you start posting more photos of topless women?

Yes. And we will also include some peen for equal time.

Actually, that wasn't the question.

This is: What was the least-viewed EV Grieve post of all time?

Oh! So many to choose from.

Blogger doesn't keep track of such things. But if we had to guess. It was this one from July 9, 2008...

Per the post:

Drug store celebrity exit wars
Duade Reade has Mario Lopez gracing its exits (and disguising the store's security system). Not to be outdone, Rite Aid (at least the one on 14th Street between Avenues A and B) wants us to smell like David Beckham.

According to Google Analytics, no one even casually glimpsed at this post.

Benny is missing

Benny has been missing since last Friday. His owners are really worried ... all the info is on the above flyer...

Former Stuyvesant Grocery now open as Adam's Deli on East 14th Street

[May 7]

A few weeks ago, EV Grieve reader LvV passed along the good news that Stuyvesant Grocery, the deli on East 14th Street and Avenue A that a fire destroyed in May 2010, was reopening at the former locksmith shop ... just west on 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Now, our friends at pcvstBee report that the store — now called Adam's Deli — opened yesterday...

[right to left Adam, Nasser & Sal via pcvstBee]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Conspiracies: What next for 14th Street and Avenue A?

Renovations in order for Stuyvesant Grocery and Pete's-A-Place?

Today in Tompkins Square Park

The Free Store got rained out.

Photos by Bobby Williams.

[Updated] EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning edition

[Photo by James Maher. Find more of his photos here]

21-year-old woman killed early this morning in a hit-and-run on Broadway and 14th Street (DNAinfo)

On putting together the new Joey Ramone record (NPR)

How the size of NYU's campus stacks up against other universities, such as Stanford (Off the Grid)

The Pen and Brush Club townhouse on East 10th Street has been sold (Curbed)

The move in New York State to ban anonymous online speech (Runnin' Scared)

A note for High Line tourists (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Downed tree closes part of Clinton Street for the moment (The Lo-Down)

East Village resident Jim Gaffigan does not like Subway (Grub Street)

Photographer Camilo José Vergara has been documenting Harlem for nearly four decades (New York Historical Society)

14 photos of a rainy & stormy NYC (Gothamist)

Lower Manhattan restaurants of the 1960s (Eater)

Beastie Boys in London circa 1986 (BoweryBoogie)

... and not a very good endorsement here on First Avenue and East Second Street... ("in-house thief alert")

[Via Marjorie Ingall]

Accusations on Avenue A

EVG reader Ron Z. spotted this on the M14 stop on Avenue A and 11th Street this morning... We're not sure how widespread this flyer campaign is. Have you seen these?

In any event. We blocked out the man's face ...

Here now, a documentary short about the intersection of 14th Street and First Avenue

Karen Loew, who lives near 14th Street and First Avenue, passed along the above video ... which explores the chaotic crossroads in "Intersection: Babel." It premiered last Thursday at the LABA Festival at the 14th Street Y.

The video includes interviews with people on the street as well as community leaders to explain what is unique (and not!) about 14th and First. Per the description, "'Intersection: Babel' is a documentary short looking at a place that's all about leaving it."

Among other things, the video explores the hazardous transportation environment here... from the crisscrossing M14s and M15s (and placement of the bus stops) ... the access road to Stuy Town at the northeast corner ... the tricky left turn for autos (and pedestrians) from eastbound 14th onto northbound First ... the L entrance/exit that's pretty much in the intersection on the southeast corner...

Monsignor Kevin J. Nelan of the Immaculate Conception Parish says it's like "a mini Times Square." City Councilmember Dan Garodnick says that there's "a lot of activity but not a lot of personality" here.

Agreed!

Directed and produced by Karen Loew.
Videography and editing by Cory Antiel.
Dance by Julie Gayer Kris.

This morning on St. Mark's Place

How much of a rent discount for not having gas for cooking?

A resident is looking for a little advice about the current situation in his or her East Seventh Street apartment building. (It's a different building than the one we wrote about here in March 2011.)

Some background.

On April 12, workers shut off the gas because tenants had been smelling a gassy odor in the building. The residents didn't have hot water or gas for cooking for nine days. The hot water returned on April 20 — but there still wasn't any gas for cooking.

According to the resident, the building's landlord, Koppelman Management, was difficult, if not impossible, to reach. When someone did get in touch with a building rep, they apparently blamed the matter on ConEd. On May 7, full gas service was restored to all but five of the apartments. To date, gas for cooking is still not available in the five apartments.

Tenants have called 311, though the resident described the exchanges as "ineffective." Meanwhile, the resident says management offered a 15-percent discount on the May rent for the gas outage from April 12-May 7. But the resident, who's in one of the five units still without gas for cooking, thinks that's a low-ball figure, considering people have spent more than 15 percent of the rent on food in the past five weeks.

So far, the resident hasn't paid the May rent, and won't until the issue is resolved.

"The entire building is pissed off but everyone is at a loss for rules/laws, etc. This building has never properly been taken care of and ... this has been a constant problem. [Residents have] had rent strikes in the past just to get regular maintenance done."

Any constructive input? Do you calculate what you think you spent on food and subtract that from the rent? Other options?

If you ever wanted to own a house and garden as seen in House & Garden

Over at 119 E. 10th St. (Central Village!), this home hit the market last week. Here's part of the Corcoran listing:

As featured in House & Garden: Uniquely special, garden level, 1 bedroom with office in a historic brownstone on the loveliest block in the East Village. Upon entering this very special apartment through your private gate, one is instantly transported to a retreat in the country.

... Continue through to the dining area complete with a wall of casement windows framing the view to the Old World, common garden behind and a Dutch door opening directly to this spectacularly private oasis.

Here are a few photos of Old World East Village...

Of course, the home doesn't come with an Old-World price: $1.7 million for one bedroom and 1.5 bathrooms.

Here are some Howl! Festival highlights

[Photo via ~ Joan]

From the EV Grieve inbox yesterday...

I am delighted to send you the updated Schedule of Events for HOWL! Festival 2012 (June 1–3) in Tompkins Square Park. The spirit of Allen Ginsberg comes alive as more than 350 artists, poets, and performers, including youthful new talent, light up the Main and Kid’s Stages and transform the Park into giant artwork infused with the creative energy, flamboyance, and countercultural panache that’s the hallmark of the East Village.

Named the Village Voice’s Best Outdoor Festival 2011, The HOWL! Festival, the quintessential East Village event, features:

· Opening Celebration: A Group Reading of Allen Ginsberg’s HOWL, led by poet Bob Holman, the Festival opens with a “Greek chorus” of poetic voices from Beat to Slam reading their work and culminating with the signature reading of Ginsberg’s Howl.

· The Great HOWL! OUT LOUD Kid’s Carnival offering games, miniature golf, clowns, and fairway attractions; tons of arts and crafts activities including the Kids Around the Park, mask-making, origami, face painting, and more; and continuous entertainment by and for kids including teen heartthrob and straight up rocker Jack Skuller (http://jackskuller.com), Tap City Youth Ensemble, Rosie’s Theater Kids, and the forty piece band, TriBattery Pops.

· CBGB favorites like Deans of Discipline, Bowerty Tones and Sic F*cs .

· Renowned Butoh company Vangeline Theater presenting The Raft of the Medusa, inspired by Gericault’s painting.

· Riki Colon hosts House of HOWL! extravaganza with legendary Voguers and theatrical drag.

· The Hot HOWL! Tea Dance, the Festival's poppin' Disco with DJ Johnny Dynell, and Hip Hop HOWL!

· BANDERA FEVER! "La Reina" Rhina Valentin hosts two days of live music, poetry, art, educational workshops and displays focused on Puerto Rican culture.

· Art Around the Park, a live-action, weekend-long event with more than 140 artists transforming a 900 foot long blank "canvas" in an explosion of color and artistic styles.

· LOW LIFE 6: EAST VILLAGE OTHERS: Jackie Factory’s, Chi Chi Valenti and Johnny Dynell stage a be-in of love and glitter. The Sunday evening climax to HOWL! celebrates the world-changing explosion of East Village culture from 1966-1972 and pays homage to movements and supernovas of the time like The Exploding Plastic Inevitable; Jack Smith; The Fugs; the Yippies; and the Bowery-raised Warhol Superstar, Jackie Curtis.

Find the Howl site with more specifics here.

This is what a fence on First Avenue looked like on May 20, 2012

This year, we'll post photos like this of various buildings, streetscenes, etc., to capture them as they looked at this time and place... The photos may not be the most telling now, but they likely will be one day...

[Updated] 4 photos of incoming East Village restaurants

Views yesterday of ... Michael White's pizzeria Nicoletta on Second Avenue at 10th Street...

... Iconic Hand Rolls on First Avenue at St. Mark's Place...

[Bobby Williams]

... Jim Power working on mosaics at the Bean on First Avenue at Ninth Street...

[Bobby Williams]

... and a menu meeting at Calliope on Second Avenue at East Fourth Street...

[EVG reader Pedro]

Updated 3:30 p.m. —
Thrillist has a Calliope preview here.