Don't Panic: Free concert tomorrow in Tompkins Square Park

And the band times:

2 p.m. — ALIENZ
3 p.m. — JENNIFER BLOWDRYER
4 p.m. — SEXUAL SUICIDE
5 p.m. — ICONICIDE

Red dawn, though at sunset

Photos by Bobby Williams.

A Blues explosion

The Gun Club live in 1983 with "Preaching the Blues."

The Daily News goes all out in its coverage of a Bowery Hotel bellhop who allegedly sold pot to an undercover cop

Wow. The Daily News had three reporters on this six-sentence story that included photos of the 25 year old being led out of The Bowery Hotel (in his uniform) in handcuffs yesterday and a photo of him after being released on a criminal possession of marijuana charge last night.

Per the Daily News, the accused is a college graduate with no criminal record.

Did someone at the paper have a bad experience at the hotel?

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

Did the D.O.E. ignore cracks in walls at East Side Community High School? (The Villager)

City Council OKs SPURA plan (BoweryBoogie) ... Bloomy's reaction (The Lo-Down)

A call for statewide gun control measures outside Campos Plaza (The Villager)

Bike lanes mean business for the East Village (Streetsblog)

Marching with Honk! on First Avenue (Animal NY)

"Boss" actor Jeff Hephner's East Village, where he lives with his wife in her childhood home on East Fourth Street (The Daily News)

Hospitality industry will soon be the city’s No. 1 employer (The New York Times)

Campaign to shutter two XXX shops in Chelsea (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

WNYC checks in with local reaction about the new East Village/Lower East Side Historic District, including this soundbite:

"Have you ever come down here to grab a drink and seen all the heroin addicts walking around, and seen how bad a neighborhood it actually really is?" said Richard Dawson, a server at the Sidewalk Café. He doesn’t see much charm in the East Village. The 22-year old shook his head, "there’s a lot of homeless people around here and a big heroin scene still."

And on East Sixth Street near Schwimmer Manor, the new coffee shop opened today ... a family run place called Elsewhere Espresso...

The sign as well as a small menu will arrive next week, per a reader on the block. You can read more about the place at the Local.

San Francisco Giants fans apparently damage East Village tree during Game 5 celebration

The San Francisco Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds yesterday to advance in the National League playoffs. The Giants became the first NL team to overcome a 2-0 deficit in the division series.

Which brings us to this Urban Etiquette Sign an EVG reader spotted on Second Avenue near 14th Street... near Bay Area-rooting sports bar Finnerty's.

Per the sign:

"This tree destroyed by band wagon S.F. Giants fans celebrating Game 5 at curiously S.F. affiliated bar 'Finnerty's.' Hint: Good marketing, nothing more. Not winning awards for neighbor of the year. Get this tree some Melky Juice stat!"

(Melky Juice? The sign leaver knows his or her baseball...)

And here is the damage the bandwagon fans apparently caused ...

Neighbor here will likely be rooting for the Nationals or Cardinals now.

Soft opening today for Hanjoo on St. Mark's Place

We spotted the coming soon signs for Hanjoo at 12 St. Mark's Place in May. And per the flyers on the door, the well-regarded Korean cold-noodle specialist from Flushing is having its soft opening today. (Unless the signs went up yesterday, and...)

You can read a review on Han Joo here at Serious Eats.

In recent years, the ground-floor address has been Hirai Mong, Gama, San Marcos, Siren and @Cafe ... and, at one time, the second home of St. Mark's Bookshop...

2 new floors in the works for East Second Street building

In August, we compiled a post with 17 current East Village construction projects. Since then, we've learned about a few that were never on our radar, such as the eight-story building on East 11th Street that will provide affordable housing for formerly homeless and mentally disabled East Villager residents.

And on a smaller scale: We learned about renovations coming to 80 E. Second St. just west of First Avenue the other day via the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation website. (It was in a post-East Village rezoning development sites chart. The PDF is here.)

According to the DOB, the city OK'd work here in July for the following: "To enlarge the existing 4 story to a 6 story, 5 family dwelling."

Dan Damir Sehic of C3D Architects PLLC is the architect.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Here are 17 current East Village construction projects, bringing in 534 new residential units

A Daniel Craig moment outside the Theater For The New City Building

The Post noted in April that Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig were continuing their house hunting around town... and that Weisz, who previously lived on East 11th Street with then-husband Darren Aronofsky, looked at 238 E. Fourth St.

Anyway, last evening around 10, our own Mrs. Grieve is in a cab waiting for the light to change on East 10th Street near First Avenue. At that moment, the front door to the Theater For The New City Building opens and Daniel Craig walks out. He heads to the curb, tosses his gum into the street and turns to wait for other people coming out the door — a woman in her late 50s and Rachel Weisz. Then the light turns and the cab moves on...

Maybe they were at a party. Or maybe they are the people who are buying the $4.95 million penthouse here that went into contract in the summer:

This full-floor apartment is truly one-of-a-kind with unobstructed views in every room from all four exposures and over-sized windows! The views include the Empire State bldg., Chrysler Bldg., and new Freedom Tower, among others. It's what New Yorkers dream of owning and wait for years to find! It even has 3 balconies. Sophisticated and chic, the home is in triple mint condition with contemporary finishes & materials - a fully custom renovation featured in Elle Decor (UK Edition). A key-locked elevator opens into a warm and welcoming foyer, but it's the massive living room (34' x 28'9") that really draws you into the space with scenic views that are spectacular both during the day and at night, especially from the balcony.

And who throws gum on the street?

A glimpse into the Mystery Lot

Now that we know exactly what the future holds for the (soon-to-be-former) Mystery Lot (see here) ... we especially appreciate these last looks inside the plywood... here are two glimpses from the East 14th Street side via EVG reader Spencer Elzey...

Ah. All that graffiti, soon to be entombed behind luxury...

Previously on EV Grieve:
City approves new building for Mystery Lot

The Mystery Lot likely facing a luxurious end

The last days of the Mystery Lot

[Updated] EV Grieve Eatery Etc.: AAA Amici Pizza looking closed; Glaze starting delivery

EVG reader Jodi noted that AAA Amici Pizza (formerly New Amici and Due Amici, right?) on Third Avenue at East 12th Street has been closed... the gates were down when we went by last evening. And no one is answering the phone. See if we can learn more about what's happening here today... (Another victim of the Nicoletta Effect?) Also, a new cafe is in the works adjacent here in the the long-closed D&M Convenience store on East 12th Street.

UPDATED: AAA Amici Pizza is back open...

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The folks at Glaze — the Seattle-style teriyaki place on Fourth Avenue near East 13th Street — sent us a note saying that they are now delivering to parts of the area... from 11 am until 10:30 pm ... for now, the delivery zone spans from Avenue A to Sixth Avenue, and from East Fourth Street to 23rd Street.

Have you eaten here? I tried it and liked it...

They are also up for a beer-wine license during Monday's CB3-SLA committee meeting.

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And Zagat noted that the Filipino Gastropub called Jeepney on First Avenue near East 12th Street opened last night (read more about it here) ... and maybe they are saving money on vowels and stuff on the sign...

[Via EVG reader @robbyohara]

[Updated] An East Fifth Street view of the Standard East Village renovations, and its future lobby

Bobby Williams notes the workers putting up the plywood late yesterday afternoon. As you know, the Standard East Village is putting in a Jai alai court moving its lobby to this side of the building (and adding a small enclosed bar).

[Click on image to enlarge]

Previously.

Updated 10-13

Workers continued boarding up the construction site yesterday...

[EVG]

Last three photos by Bobby Williams.

Cool for kids: Schools unveiling the new rooftop garden on the Robert Simon Complex

From the EV Grieve inbox...

WHAT: Ribbon-cutting-ceremony for Fifth Street Farm, an innovative new rooftop garden on the East Village’s Robert Simon Complex, home to the Earth School, PS 64, and Tompkins Square Middle School.

WHO: Students, teachers, and parents from the Earth School, PS 64, and Tompkins Square Middle School; architect Michael Arad; supporters of Fifth Street Farm; attorneys from the Community Development Project at the Urban Justice Center; city elected officials including Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, City Council Member Rosie Méndez, and State Senator Daniel Squadron.

WHEN: Friday, October 12, at 1 p.m.

WHERE: Robert Simon Public School Complex, 600 East Sixth Street (at Avenue B)

BACKGROUND: The Fifth Street Farm Project will unveil an innovative, low-cost rooftop garden designed by 9/11 Memorial architect Michael Arad at the Robert Simon Complex in the East Village, home to the Earth School, PS 64, and Tompkins Square Middle School. Working with a limited budget and challenging space, a dedicated group of teachers, parents, students, and community partners spent six years developing plans and gathering funds and permits to build the rooftop garden.

The new 2,400-square-foot rooftop farm will foster a greater awareness and understanding of the natural world, especially the role plants play in the food web, by providing the means for low- and middle-income inner-city schoolchildren to grow, harvest, and eat herbs, vegetables, and fruit. The space can also accommodate study of environmental and natural science, including experimentation with storm-water capture and solar energy.

The Villager wrote about it here back in April 2011.

Exclusive first look inside the first Monimax 4000W wall mount ATM on the Bowery

Yesterday, we exclusively reported the exclusive that the Bowery will soon be home to a Monimax 4000W wall mount ATM, which offers unprecedented deployment flexibility while supporting a robust set of traditional ATM service offerings.

We now follow that up with the first look inside here at East Fourth Street ...

[Bobby Williams]

We'll let you know about the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Fall Friday Flashback: Nuts? One plan to expand Tompkins Square Park

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. 23, 2009 ...

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Last Friday, we ran the post on Yelp's reviews of Tompkins Square Park. And a commenter floated this idea:

I keep thinking: I'd love to see the park grow into Ave. A and Ave. B, even given the obvious work that would have to done to reroute traffic, etc. (Well, Union Sq. expanded into the street. And, the George Hecht Viewing Gardens grew up in the street. And, um, well, yes, it would require some doing. I know it's nuts. The Parks Dept. is more likely to, I dunno, turn the Temperance Fountain into a Shacklet and set up craft vendor stalls in the oval, at best, than get expansionist on our asses.)

The expansion would present logistical nightmares galore. (And what to do with the Farmer's Market? Move it to Seventh or 10th Street?). And what purpose would this additional space really provide?

Still, using our sub-remedial Photoshop skills.... dare we dream?

A journey through the East Village and Lower East Side in 1978 [Video]

Thanks to Alex at Flaming Pablum for this link to "Viva Loisaida 1978." (The link has been making the rounds on Facebook.)

The description via YouTube:

Produced by "Gruppe Dokumentation" & "Tylis" and filmed in Loisada, by Marlis Momber, this 10 min. commercial gives a brief preview before gentrification occurred in Lower East Side in the Fall of October, 1978 with Chino Garcia & Bimbo Rivas.

East Side faculty returning to vacated school for quick supplies grab tonight

On Sept. 24, students and faculty at the East Side Community School on East 12th Street had to evacuate when part of the building's eastern wall was found to be separating from the rest of the structure.

Since then, the some 650 displaced students have been relocated to other schools in the city... Students and faculty had to leave on the 24th before they could collect all their supplies, technology, etc. (Find out how you can help them with donations here.)

However, as DNAinfo's Serena Solomon reports, East Side Principal Mark Federman has arranged with city officials to return tonight with some of his teachers to collect as much instructional equipment as they can.

"We are only going to get a couple of hours," he told DNA. "We will tag and box everything, and then the movers will take it from here."

Did a Subway close on First Avenue?

A tweet from yesterday.

@evgrieve Not sure if you've covered this, but the Subway on First Ave near 13th Street has been closed the last few weeks. Chain retreat?

— Adam Fusfeld (@afusfeld) October 10, 2012

We hadn't noticed. Sure enough. Late yesterday afternoon.

We called the restaurant. The line went dead after 10 or so rings.

There aren't any notes on the front door. But there is one sign of doomsday:

The Wacky Wok menu!

Perhaps this closure is temporary. (But wouldn't you leave a sign or something telling people that, say, due to a plumbing issue, the restaurant will be temporarily closed?)

Meantime, do you remember the last time that a franchise closed around here? Maybe the Dunkin' Donuts on Second Avenue?

And now the renovations really begin at 50-58 E. Third St.

[Yesterday outside 50 E. Third St. Photo by Bobby Williams.]

There hasn't been any shortage of drama at 50-58 E. Third St. Back in July, reps for the new owners, GRJ, a fund co-founded and co-managed by brothers Graham and Gregory Jones, promised that the remaining tenants would have to endure "heavy construction" in the days and weeks ahead.

At 50 E. Third St., a tipster recently claimed that "illegal" work was taking place in the building. The resident or, perhaps, neighbor, wasn't too specific, just that it was a living hell.

Tenants have noted other worrisome developments in the last week or so, claims such as workers shutting off the water without any notice or knocking a hole in someone's living room wall from next door and claiming that it was an "accident."

On Sept. 24, the DOB approved a whole bunch of work for No. 50:

"Renovation of existing apartments 2A & 2C on 3rd floor, 3B & 3C on 4th floor, 4C on 5th floor, 5A, 5B & 5D on 6th floor. New metal balconies facing rear in conjunction with apts. 2C, 3C, 4C & 5D. New roof decks in conjunction with apts. 5A, 5B & 5D."

There are several complaints on file with the DOB for No. 50 (12 since Aug. 23), including a Partial Stop Work Order that only applies to the balconies.

Yesterday, the DOB approved the exterior renovation of the entire building; ditto for the exteriors at No. 58 and No. 54, the other two buildings that the Jones brothers purchased for a three-building price of $23.5 million. (There is paperwork on file dated yesterday for interior work at No. 54, renovations that will be similar to No. 50. The DOB assigned those plans to an examiner. There is only a permit for exterior work on file for No. 58.)

In April, 17 residents of the buildings received letters that stated, in part: "It has been agreed with the impending new owners that your lease will not be renewed and that you will be expected to vacate at the expiration of your lease." The residents banded together and formed a tenants group; local politicians came out to offer support during a rally on May 7. However, as one former resident put it, the Big Real Estate Machine was too great to overcome.

Per Gregory Jones in the news release announcing the sale this past July: "We see a real opportunity to reposition the buildings. We'll invest significant capital and we look forward to creating the most desirable walk-ups in the East Village."

Have any tips or photos about the situation here? Please send them our way via the EV Grieve email

Previously on EV Grieve:
Reader report: Three apartment buildings sold on East Third Street

Advocate for East Third Street buildings moving to Washington Heights

More about the lease renewals at 50, 54 and 58 E. Third St.

Tenants at 50, 54 and 58 E. Third St. banding to together in face of building sale

More drama at 50-58 E. Third St.; 'heavy construction' awaits tenants who stay

Duane Park-Bowery Poetry Club mashup coming together

Several months have passed since since there was any news about a revamped Bowery Poetry Club, which closed on July 17. The BPC website promised a fall return, which seemed optimistic considering nothing has been happening inside the space.

As DNAinfo's Serena Solomon first reported, BPC would merge with Tribeca burlesque club Duane Park. But just how all this would work was a bit of a mystery.

However, Grub Street provided an update yesterday afternoon. At a CB2 meeting Wednesday night, Duane Park co-owner Marisa Ferrarin told Grub Street that "Holman will do poetry readings on Sundays and Mondays, and that Duane Park — with Southern-inspired food and live entertainment like burlesque shows, magicians, and contortionists — runs the space the other nights of the week. The arrangement is flexible, so the duo may do poetry dinners together."

And when should all this happen? It seems a little vague — the new place should open "sometime next year after renovations are complete."

Meanwhile, BPC II will still have to compete with this next door...

[Photo by Jeremiah Moss]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Is Duane Park in the Bowery Poetry Club's future?

What is happening with the Bowery Poetry Club?

Bob Holman on the future of the Bowery Poetry Club

Clearing out the Bowery Poetry Club; plus, free knowledge!