How about some more gelato for Second Avenue?

Jeremiah and I have both been watching the former Estroff Pharmacy space on Second Avenue between St. Mark's Place and East Ninth Street ... As he noted about the "cryptic symbol" in the front window of the incoming business... "Fro-yo? Mashed potatoes?" ... (And cause for an anxiety dream) ...

[Via JVNY]

Workers on the scene this morning are putting in the new signage and front window, etc. Any guesses?

It will be a gelato shop/cafe.

Gelato? Aren't you thinking that a new gelato shop just opened on Second Avenue? Yes, down just south of East Fourth Street...

Meanwhile, around the corner on St. Mark's Place...

The shell of the former Timi's Gelateria Classica™ — "a gelato franchise for the 21st century, with true Italian artisanal gelato made fresh daily" — sits empty since closing late last year.

Canvassing Tompkins Square Park

Workers started hanging the canvas for Art Around the Park a little after 8 this morning...

...and workers were still at it around 10...

Seems as if there's more canvas up this year too. Anyway, all par of the Howl! Festival.

In case you were going to hang out in a cemetery today

Via EVG regular Spike...

The rain (or threat of rain!) has KO'd the first Open Day of the summer at the New York City Marble Cemetery on East Second Street... they will be welcoming visitors tomorrow...

Noted

Spotted outside Tompkins Square Bagels on Avenue A.

Photo by Shawn Chittle.

Subway, 108 First Ave., 9:07 p.m., June 1

Breaking: The Pudgie's-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's eatery has (soft) opened on First Avenue

[A few days ago...]

The Pudgie's-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's action-packed combo at the site of the former King Gyro between Third Street and Fourth Street is soft opening...

Via the development agent for Pudgie's...

#eastvillage pudgies nathans and arthur treachers now open on 1st ave and 4th street! Soft opening today!

— FollowTheChickn (@FollowTheChickn) June 1, 2012

Previously.

Of 'Mice' and Mo-Dettes

The Mo-Dettes with "White Mice" circa 1979.

[Updated] Julius Klein has left the East Village

We recently heard that Julius Klein was closing up his studio/gallery space on East First Street at the end of May ... he has leased another space on 23rd Street and Lexington ...

Sure enough, we walked by his space today, and the landlord already put up the for rent signs ...

The for rent sign say "Food OK."

9300 Realty (aka Steve Croman) purchased the building at 44 E. First St. in February 2011 for $2.3 million, according to city records.

As for Klein... Among his many artistic endeavors, the writer-painter-sculptor-designer founded and directed XOXO, a gallery and performance space on East First Street at Second Avenue from June 1991 through July 1997. That was one of the many buildings demolished to make way for the sterile, glassy hell of Avalon Bowery Place.

[Steve Carter circa 1997]

[Julius Klein in front of the former XOXO via Facebook]

Countdown to Howl!

Gets under way at 4:30 today.... Here's the schedule.

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Also, be on the lookout for walking crosswalk signs

In Tompkins Square Park.

Photo by Bobby Williams.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning edition

[St. Mark's Place at sunset. Photo by Guido H.]

Remembering (and honoring) the Justus Schwab Saloon on East First Street (DNAinfo ... and some history via Off the Grid)

Hilly Kristal's son Dana continues to fight CBGB movie (SPIN)

CIA "frame job" in the East Village? (BoweryBoogie)

About the Funny Songs Festival next week (The Lo-Down)

Growing pains for Chelsea Residents (The Wall Street Journal)

Stars canoodle at one of those places foodies like on First Avenue (Page Six)

Day trip to Asbury Park (The Gog Log)

When New York was the King of Beer (Capital New York)

For no reason: Guns N' Roses ban fans from wearing Slash t-shirts to their UK gigs (NME)

White Rabbit Coffee officially opens today (with something free for EVG readers)

White Rabbit Coffee officially opened today... it's is the new daytime component of Jim Chu's White Rabbit bar/lounge (formerly Den of Thieves and Idlewild) on Houston Street between Eldridge and Forsyth (or, First Avenue and Second Avenue if it helps...)

In addition to selling coffee and sandwiches and what not during the daytime hours... his friend Rob Aloia will share his pop up art shows featuring local artists in the space. Plus, Chu aspires to encourage the development of community and collaborative work. "I am inviting small groups to use reserved space during the day, free of charge and obligation, to develop their work, be it arts, philanthropy or entrepreneurial," he told us via email. "The goal is to create a living expression of the environment that people from my generation were so lucky to have."

You can read more about all this via an interview with The Lo-Down the other day. (BoweryBoogie has more on this news here.)

Meanwhile! Chu is offering EV Grieve readers "a free beverage of their choice" (during cafe hours!) ... to the first 20 customers who swing by 145 Houston today and mention EV Grieve (no shouting) ...

Photo via The Lo-Down.

What will this be the summer of....?

It's June 1, might as well go ahead and declare/label this the summer of something around here. Why wait?

After the summer of 2010, some blogger the worldwide media declared that it was the Summer of the Bedbug(s). Last year, the Summer of the Rat(s).

Among the 2012 contenders: The Summer of the Bee. Or The Summer of the Swarm.

And we're well on our way. With the swarm on the Bowery a few weeks back (which ended up in Tompkins Square Park). And how about the swarm the other day at the Seaport?

It's happening. Out on the streets. People know.

And we've obtained photos that city officials don't want you to see.

And the City's Frontline Bee Responders practicing, uh, responding.

I'm happy to have this be the Summer of Something Else. Just let me know in the comments. Will work on it.

Why yes — you can rent an apartment on East Fifth Street between A and B for $13,000 a month

The last time that we checked in on 532 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, the new, eco-friendly building had two-bedroom apartments for upwards of $5,600. We paid a return visit to Streeteasy and found one listing for — $13,000. (And no fee — ha!)

Just a few specifics mentioned at the No Fee Rentals website ... (Three bathrooms ... private balcony... deck) It is available starting today...

The listing for a $13,000-a-month apartment hilariously mentions that "The East Village attracts people not only for its diversity, but for its relatively affordable rents."

Hell, yeah — we're just giving stuff away over here!

The market price has been set on this block. Your move, Ben.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Beaming up on Fifth Street

Demolition on East Fifth Street

On the way: A five-story apartment building for Fifth Street

Alejandro is missing has been found

Alejandro (aka Ale "All-AY") got off his leash last night near his Avenue A home... here is the flyer his distraught owner has made...

Updated 12:41 p.m.
Alejandro has been found... apparently some employees of Grey Era Vintage on East Ninth Street found him last night and took him in for safekeeping..

[Updated] 6 months after drug bust, Sunburnt Cow reopening garden with a 'just say no' party

Last December, the NYPD closed Sunburnt Cow Avenue C due to "suspected illegal drug activity." Since then, the bar-restaurant-drunken-brunch destination has only been open on weekends and for special events ... So.

From the EV Grieve inbox...

Celebrate the opening of the outdoor garden at The Sunburnt Cow with a party that would make Nancy Reagan proud! Boldly declaring their stance on drugs, The Sunburnt Cow invites you to join them and “Just Say No” on Friday, June 1, 2012.

Dine under the stars in the breezy outdoor retreat just in time for summer.

JUST SAY NO AT THE SUNBURNT COW
FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

OUTDOOR GARDEN OPENED 7 DAYS A WEEK
4:00 PM – 2:00 AM

And we had asked the Sunburnt Cow folks for a comment about all this... Via a rep:

"The Moo Life Group does not support or condone drug use of any kind at its properties and this evenings 'Just Say No' event reinforces that fact through The Sunburnt Cow's usual irreverence and humor."

Previously on EV Grieve:
NYPD shuts down the Sunburnt Cow

3 East Village restaurants closed this past week

Heard from a few people yesterday who were surprised to learn about the various closures... so a recap:

Vandaag, Second Avenue at Sixth Street

[peter radley]

Typhoon Lounge, St. Mark's Place near First Avenue

Zaitzeff, Avenue B near East Second Street

I actually thought there would be two more on this list... heard about two other places near the end.

People still miss the Mars Bar

A new message on the plywood on Second Avenue at East First Street ... outside the former Mars Bar, which closed for good last July 18.

This is what ABC No Rio looked like on May 27, 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...

One consequence of all the photo shoots in Tompkins Square Park

Everyone starts posing.

Photos by Bobby Williams.