Everything that you wanted to know about Halloween City but were afraid to look

We've been so excited [ed. note: not really] to visit the seasonal [ed. note: no shit] Halloween City in the Shoppes at Red Square [ed. note: don't call them Shoppes] on East Houston.

Anyway, the store is open, and we finally looked at some of the offerings to help make your Halloween planning a little easier. [ed. note: what are you, 12?] A quick note: An employee said that they were getting a lot more stuff in, so...

We conveniently broke the offerings down into categories... A few things: the employees were friendly, and the prices seemed a little ... high? Maybe the $5.99 for the Severed Bloody Fingers are a good buy — you can use them year round when you dine out.

-----The Realistic Disguises-----

-----The Accessories-----

-----The Electronics-----

-----The WTF-----

-----The Gaga-----

Just 26 shopping days left!

Looking at the Loews Village 7 marquee

[Via Cinema Treasures]

Have you noticed how beat up the corner of the Loews Village VII marquee is? Looks as if a truck ran into it.

I hadn't. I guess I normally walk on the other side of Third Avenue here at East 11th Street to either a) avoid the bros at Village Pourhouse or b) the construction along 74-84 Third Ave. (despite the tempting blogger portals).

Plus, I hate this theater. I'd rather stand in line two hours at the Rite Aid on First Avenue and East Fifth Street. (Which I think I have ...) The last time that I saw a movie here ("Congo" in 1995?), I was the only person in the auditorium who didn't order nachos. (OK, I was there in the spring. Saw something kind of dumb.)

Plus, well, the place just sucks. Yes? No?

And this is how Cinema Treasure announced the theater's arrival in 1991: "With funkier offerings at other East Village theaters such as the Village East and Cinema Village, Loews opened this multiplex with more mainstream fare in mind for a gentrifying neighborhood."

For details on what stood on this corner before, check out theses posts at Jeremiah's Vanishing New York here ... and here.

This weekend: Harvest Arts Festival in the Gardens

From the EV Grieve inbox... news release slightlty edited...

The "Harvest Arts Festival in the Gardens" will take place this weekend in community gardens on the Lower East Side. Each participating garden is designing its own unique and multidimensional arts program, and it’s going to be a very eclectic mix of music, dance, performance, and visual arts and workshops — from jazz to comedy to making mud balls to an art rumble competition. The Festival is free and open to all.

The Festival will kick off with an opening night party:
➢ Friday evening, October 5, from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., at La Plaza Cultural, Ave C & 9th Street
The Festival will continue in community gardens:
➢ Saturday, October 6, from noon until 5 p.m.
➢ Sunday, October 7, from noon until 5 p.m.

The following 24 gardens have already signed on, and more are expected to participate:
• Dias y Flores, 13th St between Aves A & B
• Vamos a Sembrar, Ave B between 12th St & 13th St
• El Sol Brillante, 12th St between Aves A & B
• Children’s Garden, 12th St & Ave B
• Campos Gardens, 12th St between Aves B & C
• 11th St Community Garden, 11th St between 1st Ave & Ave A
• 11BC Garden, 11th St between Aves B & C
• Toyota Children’s Garden, 11th St between Aves B & C
• 9C Garden, Ave C & 9th St
• La Plaza Cultural, Ave C & 9th St
• DeColores Community Garden and Cultural Yard, 8th St between Aves B & C
• Earth People Garden, 8th St between Aves B & C
• Fireman’s Garden, 8th St between Aves C & D
• Green Oasis and Gilbert's Sculpture Garden, 8th St between Aves C & D
• Sam & Sadie Koenig Garden, 7th St between Aves C & D
• 6B Garden, Ave B & 6th St
• Generation X, 4th St between Aves A & B
• El Jardin del Paraiso, 4th St between Aves C & D
• Parque de Tranquilidad, 4th St between Aves C & D
• Orchard Alley, 4th St between Aves C & D
• Kenkeleba House Garden, 2nd St between Aves B & C
• Peachtree Garden, 2nd St between Aves B & C
• Le Petit Versailles, 2nd St between Aves B & C
• Children’s Magical Garden, Norfolk & Stanton Sts

The Harvest Arts Festival in the Gardens is being organized by LUNGS (Loisada United Neighborhood Gardens). For Festival updates go here.

The Secret Garden, or a Private Garden?

As you saw in the above post, the "Harvest Arts Festival in the Gardens" will take place this weekend in community gardens throughout the Lower East Side.

One space that won't be taking part: The Secret Garden on Avenue C at East Fourth Street. The garden has been closed since late June.

After the closure, the following signs were posted (since removed) noting some of the forthcoming improvements that "will enhance the experience for our children and their families."

[Click images to enlarge]

According to the sign, "The Secret Garden will become a more welcoming place where each and every member our our diverse community may enjoy the quiet pleasures of green space, especially our children."

The sign goes into detail about a "community member who has been at the center of the controversy involving the many violations in the garden." The sign's author has also taken note "of the many violations with the garden, including illegal outhouse, storage of lighter fluid, fires, alcohol, smoking, dumping or urine, and the disturbing noise levels."

The Secret Garden was tentatively set to re-open on Aug. 4 "beginning with an orientation for membership followed by an open house for the community at large." (There will be a $20 membership fee.)

Two months later, the Garden is still closed. And it currently doesn't look too differently from the photos taken earlier in the summer after it closed...

Of course, all these developments are not sitting well with nearby residents who formerly had access to the Garden. One resident said that this was a "beautiful garden that was fully maintained by an existing community of mostly Puerto Rican senior citizens from the neighborhood — lovely people ... always warm and friendly."

Another tipster claims that this group have been displaced, and will not be invited back to revamped Secret Garden.

Slide show ending in A Building

Back in March 2011, we first noted the condo in the A Building with a slide. Yes — this slide.

Phil Galfond, a professional poker player, owned this place and put it on the market.

According to the Post:

The new owner of the two pads atop the East 13th Street building, identified by sources as Daniel Gieschen, a Canadian who made a bundle selling a software company, paid $3.3 million for the ultra-modern residence.

“He plans on inviting all his friends to America for a slide party, and then he wants to donate the slide to a children’s museum or to a charity,” said listing broker Elizabeth Kee of Core.

In times like these, there's only one thing to do: SLIDE PARTY!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Just your everyday penthouse combo connected by a stainless steel slide

Places where I never watched a baseball game in 2012

Veselka Bowery.

Had always planned to watch a game here during the regular season, which ended Wednesday night for the Yankees. I often saw the chalkboard sign noting the game time. And there are several flat-screen TVs at the bar.

I was going to do a post on watching a game at a seemingly unusual place. The thought of doing this at Second Avenue and East Ninth Street would be very strange.

But I suppose the Bowery branch is trying to build a bar crowd, tap into the increasingly sports-minded neighborhood. The things that you have to do to survive.

Anyway, guess I can go for a playoff game...

Fall Friday flashback: Yesterday's First Avenue manhole explosion, the movie

On Fridays this fall, and probably winter and spring and... we'll post one of the 12,000-plus EVG, uh, posts from yesteryear... like this one from Oct. 27, 2010 ...

------------


Many thanks to EV Grieve reader Jason B. for this video...

A few highlights:

• The onlooker in the beginning eating a banana
• The firefighter dragging the Voice box out of harm's way (32-second mark)
• The young man crossing the street right in front of the smoking manhole and getting yelled at (46-second mark)

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated]: Explosion, fire on First Avenue and Ninth Street

Red-tailed hawk making it easier for you

Just sitting there on the railing right out in the open ... just waiting to be photographed...

Photos by Bobby Williams.

Today on East 10th Street and Avenue B

Photo by Bobby Williams.

...a little earlier via Andrew Adam Newman on Ave C.

Yu've likely seen other sukkahs around the neighborhood... the Jewish holiday of Sukkot continues through Sunday.

A quick Bowery retail inventory

Change seems to be happening quickly on the Bowery... or maybe not. So we thought we'd add up some of the recent developments.

Starting at East Fourth Street.

1) 2 Cooper Square
The plentiful retail space remains on the market... minus a pop-up tenant here or there, the storefront has been empty since the building officially opened in 2010.

2) 350 Bowery
The address was recently home to Gallery 151, which is now in Chelsea on West 18th Street. One reader thinks another gallery is going into the space. Anyone else hear differently?

3) Bowery at Great Jones
Downtown Auto & Tire moved away in April. There were all sorts of rumors of suitors — Eddie Bauer, Quicksilver — though no takers just yet.

4) 332 Bowery
Steve's on the Bowery closed last week. BoweryBoogie has reported that the Intermix brand is taking over the Steve's space.

5) Bowery and Bond
Jeez, The Washington Mutual closed up in March 2009 ... and the space has gone though an assortment of brokers... and remains empty...

6) 302 Bowery
The Patricia Field boutique moved a few storefronts away in the spring. The space remains on the market for $30,000 a month.

7) 319 Bowery
The Amato Opera building has sat vacant since the company closed on May 31, 2009. The new renderings are a hoot, though sadly realistic.

8) 313 Bowery
Most recently, the space was home to the Morrison Hotel Gallery and the Steven Tyler pop-up shop Riff (and once, the CBGB Gallery). BoweryBoogie got word that it will become the first East Coast Patagonia Surf Store.

[Bobby Williams]

9) 3 E. First St.
Loris Diran, the high-end Bowery boutique in Avalon Bowery Place, has moved away. Their assistant designer and tailor Robert Pendleton recently died due to heart failure.

10) 303 Bowery
I only just noticed that the Mischa Nicole boutique is gone... no word of a move on their website... the store opened in early 2011...

...and two quick notes south of Houston...

11) 263 Bowery
The Karl Fischer-designed building is now on the market for $5.95 million. Per the listing:

263 Bowery, located between East Houston and Stanton Streets, is a newly constructed 7-story mixed-use condominium building with three commercial condominium units totaling approximately 6,500 square feet. The combined Basement and Ground Floor commercial unit is currently vacant, while the Second Floor commercial unit is currently in contract to be leased for a 10 year term and the Third Floor unit is currently leased through 2012.

263 Bowery presents an opportunity for a retailer to establish a ground floor presence in a vibrant neighborhood that includes an array of trendy restaurants, boutique retail shops, hotels and bars.

[Via BoweryBoogie]

12) 260 Bowery
Currently home to the Standard Sheetmetal Fabrication Corp. It remains on the market.

Empty East 11th Street lot will yield to 8 stories of affordable housing

The long empty lot here on East 11th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B...

[Google]

... will soon be home to eight stories — 46 units — of affordable housing for formerly homeless and mentally disabled East Villager residents, according to Curbed. Here is the design by Edelman Sultan Knox Wood Architects...

Per Curbed, the building "is subsidized by HPD's Housing Loan Program, and the community space on the first floor will go to local organization Community Access. The design includes a passageway between East 11th Street and Joseph Sauer Park on East 12th Street."

Read more about the project here.