Tough times at Cooper Union

Wish fulfillment

Lee Ranaldo, here with "Off The Wall," is one of the many performers taking part in All Tomorrow’s Parties/I'll Be Your Mirror this weekend at Pier 36 on the East River. Ranaldo's band plays Sunday evening. (He had to cancel his set tonight with Leah Singer.)

The Lo-Down has a Q-and-A with festival founder Barry Hogan here. More festival info here.

Tomorrow in First Park: 'James Day,' benefit for 2 year old with cancer

From the EV Grieve inbox...

East Village Community to Hold Benefit for 2-Year Old Neighbor

A fundraiser, “James Day,” will take place tomorrow in First Park, located on the corner of 2nd Avenue and Houston Street, from 11 am to 4 pm to support James Panitz.

Shortly before his 2nd birthday this past spring, James was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a form of cancer often found in children. He has been undergoing intensive chemo and radiation therapy, and while the results are encouraging, a long course of treatment remains ahead of him. The related medical expenses have been overwhelming for his family. In the hope of assisting with this family’s burden, a group of friends and neighbors from their East 1st St block, and beyond, are coming together to help.

James Day (which will take place on the same date as the Annual 1st St Block Fair) will be a “Family Fun Day.” There will be games & prizes for kids, “Hula Hoop” and dance performances, t-shirt decorating, face-painting, live music and a Silent Auction. The Brooklyn-based artist, Bishop203, has designed a special t-shirt for this event. Also, the Centre-fuge Public Art Project will be installing a new cycle of artwork and the artists will be on-hand to lend inspiration to t-shirt embellishment.

There will be no fees associated with participating in this event, rather donations will be gratefully accepted from those who wish to contribute. We welcome everyone to take part in a very special event and to support the tremendous courage of young James and his parents, as they battle his cancer.

Memorial for a fallen pigeon on First Avenue, perhaps

[Photo by Judy Murchison Bodor via Facebook]

Here we are at First Avenue at East Sixth Street. Spotted yesterday morning by Judy and her son on the way to school... which led to a discussion: Art project or Crazy Pigeon Lady (and I mean that in a nice way).

I'm going with art project. Anyone else?

Brother of Bendy Thing

[Via EVG reader Anna]

This morning on Seventh Street and Avenue A, where renovations continue at 130 East Seventh St. Per the DOB: "Convert portion of existing commercial building to general residential use on floors 4 thru 7 ... reconstruct portion of existing penthouse."

20 East Village bars and cafes to enjoy a football-free Sunday

As I first reported, the NFL season has started. OK, first things — the following isn't any kind of an anti-football post... I personally like football, and am rooting for the A's and Orioles to take the American League Wild Card spots. Anyone but the Patriots.

So, two-plus weeks into the NFL season, I've heard a few grumbles from people who don't care for being overrun by the jersey-clad set on Sunday afternoons/early evenings while out having a drink. (Or just trying to walk on the sidewalk.) Perhaps it's the barking. Or the matching his-hers NFL jerseys. Or the pre-Jäger shot Bro call. Or...

I've updated this post from January 2011... here is a list of a few bars/cafes (some may have TVs, but you likely won't find any sporting events on them...) where you should be able to enjoy a football-free existence for a few hours... (and what's with all the italics?)

• 2A, Avenue A
• Boxcar Lounge, Avenue B
• B-Side, Avenue B
• Blackbird, Avenue B
• Bua, St. Mark's Place
• Burp Castle, East Seventh St.
• Coal Yard, First Avenue
• Fish Bar, East Fifth Street
• HiFi, Avenue A
• The International Bar, First Avenue
• Jules Bistro, St. Mark's Place
• KGB Bar, East Fourth St.
• Lucien, First Avenue
• Max Fish, Ludlow
• Niagara, Avenue A
• Otto's Shrunken Head, East 14th St.
• Scratcher, East Fifth St.
• Swift Hibernian Lounge, East Fourth St.
• Vbar, St. Mark's Place
• William Barnacle Tavern, St. Mark's Place

Please name other football-free bars-cafes in the comments. (Like The Library? Are they still only showing movies on the big screen in the back Sundays?) The above list isn't 100 percent comprehensive by any means... (and Hookah bars don't count...)

[P.S. Thanks to esquared for help with the list]

How hipsters can get paid for being hipsters

Spotted on First Avenue and East 13th Street. The Open Call is tomorrow from 2-4. (p.m.) And I have no idea what the overused term "Hipster" really means these days... and neither does the person who made these flyers.

Rent this Avenue D townhouse for $5,200 a month

[Via Google]

Here at 15 Avenue D, above Mom's Pizzeria, is a new listing for a 1,500-square-foot, three-floor townhouse that's renting for $5,200 a month. Per CitiHabitats:

MAGNIFICENT TOWNHOUSE STEPS FROM THE EAST RIVER! Enjoy COMPLETE PRIVACY, 3 floors of your own private space, a fully equipped windowed kitchen with a dishwasher, your private laundry room with a washer & dryer, exposed brick, hardwood floors, strolls along the river, and so much more!

And a few photos...

Kinda seems like a deal considering the dormy new units around the corner at 326-328 E. Fourth St. are going for as high as $8,000. And those units are apparently renting quickly.

And this is the rental world that we live in today. Where $5,200 on Avenue D seems like a deal.

How's life by 326-328 E. Fourth St. these days?

Speaking of 326-328 E. Fourth St. Icon EV, the new rentals here between Avenue C and Avenue D, were available for move in starting Sept. 1. Units are priced between $3,500 for two bedrooms and up to $8,000 for six bedrooms. The building's design is described in the listings as "a Classic New York Atmosphere." (To accomplish this, workers gutted the 170-year-old buildings and added two additional floors.)

Anyway, they seem to be popular enough — a good number of the units have already been rented. According to Streeteasy, seven units have been rented at No. 326 and five at No. 328.

And what do the neighbors think so far? Via the comments the other day:

Our building on 3rd Street faces the back of this atrocity. We used to see blue jays and cardinals in the old tree at the edge of this property, but that was the first thing they cut down (it never would have gotten in the way of construction). Now in the same spot overcharged renters have access to an ugly concrete patio, and what looks and sounds like frat boys [who] sit and drink beer and smoke cigarettes and talk too loudly till way past midnight. Shame.

San Matteo Panuozzo is closed for renovations

We walked by San Matteo Panuozzo on St. Mark's Place one evening earlier in the week and noticed that it was closed ... there's now a sign that says they are closed for renovations and will reopen on Tuesday...

We didn't spot any noticeable renovations going on... Anyway, we look forward to having them reopen — mostly so we can try it. We heard that their pizza-panino hybrid sandwiches are good. (Are they good?) San Matteo Panuozzo opened here in late February ... it's an outpost of the Upper East Side-based San Matteo Pizza and Espresso Bar.

As we recall, CB3 OK'd a beer license for San Matteo in April ... with the stipulation that it close all days at 11 p.m.

Gem Spa needs to buy a new vowel!

Flooding KOs the Local 269 for now

Several readers let us know that The Local 269, the nice little live music venue on East Houston and Suffolk, is temporarily closed.

A band playing at 269 later next week noted on Facebook that their show "has been canceled due to a flood at Local 269 that destroyed their sound system."

We called the 269 for more information, but the number isn't in service now. And there aren't any messages about the flood on their website or Facebook page. Additionally, they didn't respond to emails asking for more information.

Last week, BoweryBoogie reported that 269 E. Houston, the six-story apartment building where the Local lives, is for sale. Current asking price is $9.95 million. The Massey Knakal listing notes that the commercial unit is leased out through December 2013.

The Local 269 space was previously home to Meow Mix and Vasmay Lounge. The Local opened in February 2009.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former Vasmay Lounge space is now the Local 269

Today in photos of rats scratching their ears in Tompkins Square park

Near the men's room in Tompkins Square Park ... photo by Bobby Williams.

Amazing

East 10th Street near First Avenue this evening. Photo by Steven Hirsch.

Are car bumpers recyclable?

Spotted on East Seventh Street this morning. Maybe you already saw the "Missing Bumper" flyers posted around the area...

Benefit for East Village photographer Shell Sheddy tonight at Tompkins Square Bagels

[Photo by Shell Sheddy via Facebook]

Via the EV Grieve inbox... New York Councilmember Rosie Mendez is hosting a benefit tonight from 5-10 at Tompkins Square Bagels (165 Avenue A) for East Village-based photographer Shell Sheddy.

Per the invite:

Shell Sheddy embodies the very soul of the East Village and we will gather to honor her contributions and fundraise for her endeavors and livelihood. She is an artist, activist, humanitarian and East Village cultural historian of the very highest pedigree, photographing everything from punk shows at CBGBs to political events, nightlife, streetlife, and seemingly everything in between.

"Photos by Shell Sheddy" will be on display for sale for the night, and a percentage of the proceeds from Tompkins Square Bagels during those hours will be donated to Sheddy. There is also a raffle, featuring "Dinner w/Rosie" and selected prints as prizes.

The East Village will soon be down to 1 gas station

Back on April 10, we wondered how much longer the East Village would have any gas stations. There are currently two — the BP at Second Avenue and East First Street... and the Mobil at Houston and Avenue C.

[EVG file photos]

Well. you can kiss that Mobil goodbye.

The Real Deal reports that the station has been sold to a brokerage firm for $8 million.

To the article:

The site, at 350 East Houston Street on the corner of Avenue C, is a 6,000-square-foot lot that is home to an Exxon Mobil station whose lease is coming due in the near future, a source close to the deal, which closed Friday, said. Existing zoning allows for 43,000 square feet of residential development on the parcel, which has 120 feet of frontage on Houston Street.

The article also notes that the Seiden family has owned the site for about 50 years.

Not a surprising bit of news, really. As we mentioned before, with the unused air rights, gas stations are just too valuable to be gas stations on such prime real estate in Manhattan, where Crain's noted there are just 40 or so left.

Previously on EV Grieve:
How much longer will the East Village have gas stations?

h/t Curbed

The Nicoletta effect?: Another East Village pizza place calls it quits

Last month, Closed for Renovations signs went up at Pomodora, the "pizzaria" on Second Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street. We saw crews working inside, and it did seem like a renovation was taking place ... and we didn't note it at the time.

However, a supervisor at the scene told Blue Glass yesterday that the space would soon become some kind of "Italian-French fusion" restaurant. What that means... we have no idea.

Pomodora and its misspelled pizzeria opened in May 2010, taking over part of the former beloved Dunkin' Donuts space.

Not for nothing... but this is the second pizza place within a half block of Nicoletta that has closed in recent weeks. As we noted Tuesday, Plum Pizzeria on the west side of Second Avenue near East 10th Street has also closed. Nicoletta opened to some fanfare on June 15.

Still, Pomodora and Plum didn't seem all that crowded before Nicoletta arrived...

The campaign to 'Save our Neighborhood Diner' on University Place

As you may have read at Jeremiah's Vanishing New York and Flaming Pablum, University Diner on University Place at East 12th Street shuttered after 60 years of continuous service. The diner closed yesterday for good at 4 p.m.

Eater noted that the landlord is seeking $40,000 a month in rent.

Regardless, some fed up neighbors are petitioning the landlord "to only consider renting to a similar diner/restaurant: One that is low-key (soft lighting), affordable, with the same welcoming, friendly feeling."

And "NO! to franchises, bank fronts, noisy bars, phone stores..."

[Thanks to EVG reader Scott for the photo]

The sad last few weeks of Pete Wentz's former hotspot Angels & Kings

[Former East Village bar owner Pete Wentz]

We noted yesterday that 7-Eleven (and maybe some other franchise?) was taking over the space previously held by Bar on A at 170 Avenue A and the adjacent Angels & Kings at 500 E. 11th St.

Aces & Eights Angels & Kings quietly closed in late April... a fact that no one reported on for several weeks.

Quite a contrast to when Angels & Kings swaggered onto the scene in the spring of 2007 with the requisite UrbanDaddy d-baggery:

Launched in part as a hangout for the members of Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is... and Gym Class Heroes, Angels and Kings — or AK-47, as the kids are calling it — is your chance to sip a cheap bottle of beer and chat up attractive TRL aficionadas.

To no surprise, that premise eventually fizzled. And it maintained its status as yet another bar to avoid in the neighborhood, the kind of place Yelpers grumbled about because of "hearing some d-bag nyu student show off his AWFUL rendition of 'The Humpty Dance,' or watching this Finnish girl sing 'Mambo No. 5.'" And don't forget the beer pong tourneys!

By last fall, the space was being used to show Penn State football games on Saturday afternoons (and the Steelers on Sundays!).

In January, the CB3/SLA gave the OK for the people behind Keybar on East 13th Street to take over the Angels & Kings space and open a bar-restaurant serving Hungarian food. We never heard what happened to those plans.

This past summer, we noticed that the building's super started using the entryway to store trash and recyclables...

And people took notice that this was a good space for trash.

Anyway, the space is now in plywood hell, resigned to another life of suburbia hell, this time as a 7-Eleven.