Navigating the Mars Bar underpass at 21 E. First St.

[Photo of 21 E. First St. from last Friday by Bobby Williams]

We continue to watch the 12-story apartment building (quickly) rising on Second Avenue at East First Street, the former site of the Mars Bar, among other things...

However, we usually take it all in from afar... so we didn't notice the walkway set up to navigate the construction site on the southwest corner... we enter on the East First Street side...

Oops. A little turned around now...

... finally. Daylight and Second Avenue!

...and along the Second Avenue side...

Fun! Can't wait to walk through it late at night!

Oh, and what's left of the Hank Penza sidewalk art...

As seen last July ...

[Photo by Goggla]

Looking at the former Lakeside Lounge

While we wait to find out more information about all the applicants on this month's CB3/SLA meeting (Monday at 6:30 p.m.), including ...

• Lakeside Lounge (La Ritt Inc), 162-164 Ave B (op)

...we did notice that workers have finally taken down the sign and painted the former Lakeside Lounge on Avenue B near East 10th Street ... the popular music venue closed in April after 15 years...

In reporting on the closure, New York Music Daily wrote that the Lakeside "will be replaced by a gentrifier whiskey joint, no doubt with $19 artisanal cocktails and hedge fund nebbishes trying to pick up on sorostitutes when their boyfriends are puking in the bathroom – or out of it."

That just seemed to be just an angry reaction to the Lakeside's closure... there's nothing official, but we did hear that someone involved with Niagara would be taking over the space... Meanwhile, if you have any tips, please let us know via the EV Grieve email ...

Reader report: Organic market taking over former Kate's Joint space

Last Thursday, a reader noted some activity at Kate's Joint, which closed last April on Avenue B and East Fourth Street.

Now, EVG reader Worth Civils passes along a solid tip: The former vegetarian restaurant will become an organic market. Further details are scarce at the moment, but this news should allay any fears of another Starbucks.

Previously.

St. Brigid's now has front steps

The renovations continue on Avenue B at East Eighth Street.

Photo by Bobby Williams.

Prune returns from summer break

Prune on East First Street reopened last night after a week off for summer vacation... and some housekeeping, like a new coat of paint outside...

Anyway, Sunday morning around 9, we saw two women pull up in a cab to try Prune for brunch. (An hour before the place would normally be open. First in line!)

The two were disappointed to learn that the place was closed for a break. With the cab driver offering some logistical input, the two consulted their tour guide for an alternate brunch spot ... meanwhile, one of the painters went inside and brought out the women some sort of Prune trinket (matchbooks? business card?) ... they seemed pleased by this and took off for their second choice... likely ignoring our suggestion to try Odessa...

'Milling' about on Avenue B, and towing cars

As you probably noticed, a lot of streets are getting torn up in the neighborhood ... in preparation for repaving ... lost track of all the streets, actually...

The southern stretch of Avenue B had its turn late last week...

And tonight, more of the Avenue "is scheduled for pavement milling," per the signs...

And if you left your car on Avenue B from, say, East Fourth Street on up ... your car is likely being towed...

Per EVG reader ‏@leighmg ... who notes that crews are breaking into cars to tow them...

Budding Second Avenue sinkhole now out of the running as a sinkhole to watch this summer

After our "2 potential sinkholes to watch this summer" listicle from Friday... several readers pointed us to another budding Sinkhole to Watch ... this one on Second Avenue at East Seventh Street, an intersection well-known for famous sinkholes...

As seen yesterday...

Yes, perfect!

But! Today, workers patched up the hole for now...

111 St. Mark's Place is for sale

[Massey Knakal]

There's a new listing for 111 St. Mark's Place, the six-story building pictured here between Avenue A and First Avenue. The asking price: $4.2 million.

Here's the Massey Knakal listing:

The property features 2 commercial units and 10 residential apartments all which are junior 2-bedrooms. Of the 10 residential apartments 2 are RC, 2 are RS and 6 are FM. The average rent regulated rents are renting only at approximately $11/NSF which is a fraction of the market, as the FM units are renting for approximately $45/NSF. All of the FM units have been fully renovated and feature granite countertops and high-end appliances. The property currently generates approximately $280,272 in annual gross revenue and nets approximately $203,394 in annual operating income.

The property benefits from being less then one block away from Tompkins Square Park where residents can enjoy beautiful summer days as well as outdoor festivals and concerts. Prospective purchasers have an opportunity to acquire a well maintained, beautiful brick building located in one of the most desirable residential neighborhoods of Manhattan.

(Per the listing we learn that the two rent-controlled units are $285 and $256, respectively.)

According to public records, the building was previously sold in May 2009 for $1.1 million to a group that included Alistair Economakis.

Meanwhile, the vacant storefronts here will soon be home to the under-construction Macaron Parlour, as DNAinfo first reported back in February.

Per the Macaron Parlour website, the shop will open next month.

Aiko's stencil art on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

A few photos from last evening of Aiko putting her mark — via stencil and spray paint — on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall... Photos by EVG regular peter radley ...

Claim this land!

You know the empty lot over on East Second Street near Avenue D...?

Anyway, there are now signs on the Second Street side providing information on how you can use this space... Members of 596 Acres recently posted these ... (the Brooklyn-based group of gardeners have identified vacant lots throughout NYC ... they want to help empower local residents to take them over and make the land something useful and green ...)

It's a great opportunity to do something with this space... the surrounding area won't be green for too much longer. Behind this property... the Karl Fischer-designed, 33-unit apartment building is under way where 316-318 E. Third St. used to be... workers demolished the circa-1835 house back in March.

And to the east of this plot... on the corner of Houston and Avenue D ... a big development is in the works... But this particular parcel will remain empty, as I understand it...


Read more about 596 Acres in this Times feature from April.

The Wayland plans to expand on Avenue C

The Wayland opened on Avenue C at East Ninth Street back in January... and now the cocktail bar and music venue plans to expand to the empty space next door that Bite Me Best recently vacated.

Rob Ceraso, one of the owners, confirmed the move.

"The main catalyst for the expansion was to gain a full kitchen. When it was offered to us it was hard to say no," he said in a message via Facebook. "Our food has become more popular than we had originally anticipated. We've grown out of the tiny kitchen we designed behind the bar."

Ceraso said that most of the former pizzeria will be used as a kitchen and prep area. In addition to offering more menu items, they will increase the size of the bar by five-six seats... with another four seats at a table.

He noted that the kitchen will continue to be open during almost all of the bar's business hours. They've been serving food until 2 a.m. on weeknights and 3 a.m. on weekends.

And the general reception so far for The Wayland, which took over the Banjo Jim's space?

"Things have been going well," Ceraso said. "The neighborhood has been really great to us."

The Wayland appears before the CB3/SLA committee next Monday for approval.

The Meatball Factory looks rather closed

EVG reader Tony noted the following this past weekend:

The Meatball Factory/Pop-up Restaurant/The Meatball Factory Plus has not looked very open the past week, with no sign of any movement in other ways, either. Hopefully it is not going to become a 7-11 or IHOP East.

True. The space looked rather deserted when we stopped by. They were not open during their announced hours yesterday. The inside was in some disarray... there were dirty glasses ... empty shelves... scattered tables and chairs...

Perhaps, like several other restaurants (Prune, The Immigrant), The Factory took off last week for vacation. But there's no note... No message on Facebook... No outgoing phone message...

The Meatballers opened here on 14th Street and Second Avenue to some fanfare last October (our dearly departed reviewer liked it!) ... the place had a celebrity chef of sorts, "Top Chef" alum Dave Martin, who left in the spring,

The Factory apparently closed in early May ... quickly becoming a pop-up restaurant by The Hole people called Hole Foods.

It reopened in late May with an expanded menu that featured a little bit of everything. Sake! Sangria! Fajitas! A raw bar!

As you may recall from last July ... a Meatball Factory rep told an EV Grieve reader that the meatballs here "will put the Meatball Shop to shame."

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Renovations for the Meatball Factory

Noted

Spotted at everyone's favorite, the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office on East 14th Street... Via Andrew Adam Newman on Ave C, who noted: "Don't bother — there's no pleasing those other doors."

Wine bar aiming to take over former Furry Land Pet Supplies

Furry Land Pet Supplies closed up here on Avenue A near East 12th Street last January... Now, a couple hopes to open a wine bar in this space. The applicants are on the July CB3/SLA docket.

We'll have more information on this later. Meanwhile, the proprietors did meet with neighbors, one of whom noted that, aside from wine, they will serve "light appetizer-type food." No kitchen. With a closing time of 2 a.m.

The CB3/SLA meeting is next Monday at 6:30 p.m. The usual place: JASA/Green Residence, 200 E. Fifth St. at the Bowery.

Inside the new Nevada Smiths, featuring 2 life-size projection screens

So Nevada Smiths closed up on Third Avenue last November... and as we first reported, the soccer/football bar was going to move north one block to 100 Third Ave. (In the meantime, they've been showing matches at Webster Hall.)

Anyway, work continues at the address... and owner Paddy McCarthy gave DNAinfo's Serena Solomon a guided tour of the new space last week... You can read the article here.

A few highlights of the new, $3 million establishment:

The bar will broadcast soccer matches and other sporting events from around the world on 20 plasma televisions scattered throughout the space, as well as a pair of massive projection screens that measure 18 feet by 10 feet.

"It will be the only [television screen] you can see life-sized people on," said McCarthy, boasting that the projection screens are the biggest of any bar in New York City. The screens are so large, in fact, that a crane had to hoist them into the building through a window, with the job requiring an eight-man team.

For McCarthy, the sound system is a huge focus of the new Nevada Smiths because he wants sports fans to hear games crystal clear.

"No matter where you are, there will be speakers everywhere," he said, noting the space will be soundproofed throughout.

McCarthy also said that the space won't be just for sports fans — there'll be a wine bar in the basement.

One last note: McCarthy is renting an apartment directly above the bar.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Those persistent rumors about 74-76 Third Avenue and the future of Nevada Smiths

The East Village will lose a parking lot and gain an apartment building

'Endless Brunch' will live on when the Sunburnt Cow reopens

On Thursday, we passed along the news release stating that The Sunburnt Cow on Avenue C will temporarily close and "not only undergo a physical transformation, but ... also shift focus to more gourmet oriented food and drink as opposed to its current deal-driven status."

Given the end of its "deal-driven status," we assumed that also meant the end of the drunken brunch deal, featuring "all you can drink" uh, drinks... and hordes of woo-wooers weekend afternoons...

Not so!

Per a Sunburnt Cow rep: "The Cow plans to continue the weekend 'Endless Brunch' when it reopens."

Our apologies to the temporarily crestfallen Endless Brunch crowd.

Per the Cow's Facebook page, they will remain open through August ... before the renovations begin.

Week in Grieview

[Avenue A at East 10th Street]

St. Mark's Bookshop looking for smaller home (Monday)

Parishioners hear that Mary Help of Christians has been sold (Friday)

Moving away from 50-58 E. Third St. (Tuesday)

Meet the brothers who bought 50-58 E. Third St. for $23.5 million (Thursday)

The future of the Bowery Poetry Club (Friday)

Jugger-nut! (Monday)

Aiko! (Tuesday)

Sinkholes! (Friday)

The end of the Odessa Cafe and Bar? (Friday)

Temporary sunroof at 154 Second Ave. (Thursday)

A cab rams into the Staples on Broadway (Sunday)

Mourning TomKat's breakup (Monday)

Chico's temporary Kiss mural (Wednesday)

Nicoletta's hilariously small delivery zone (Friday)

'Bernie Williams' is missing [Updated: RETURNED HOME]

Creature and several other readers noted these flyers that they first noticed on Friday night... around the southern stretch of Avenue A and side streets...

...and an earlier version of the flyer...

[Via Creature]

Updated: Per the comments, Bernie has returned home after a short holiday...

Keeping cool in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Bobby Williams.

More on the Cro-Mags stabbing at Webster Hall Friday night

Colin Moynihan at The New York Times has more on the assault that took place Friday night at Webster Hall involving Harley Flanagan and current members of the Cro-Mags.

Per the article:

John Joseph, the band’s lead singer, said that Mr. Flanagan had been at odds with other members of the Cro-Mags since he left the band in 2000 and had not been permitted to rejoin.

“This dude has been a negative thorn in the side of this band forever,” Mr. Joseph said. “I hope he gets what’s coming to him.”

Flanagan was reportedly charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

BoweryBoogie was a witness to the assault... read his reports here.