Tim Hortons will never win this neon-light battle on East Houston

That Tim Hortons-Cold Stone Creamery combo opened recently on East Houston near Ludlow... since then, the Hortoners added an admittedly pretty snazzy neon sign ...

But it's tough to compete in the neon-light category along here...

Rugs and Ugs

At EVG favorite Block Drugs on Second Avenue and East Sixth Street tonight ...

Last Monday!

We took a closer look at the sign on Sunday... the D is in the neon shop for repairs, as a few people noted in the comments or on Facebook...

Report: Cooper Union students end week-long occupation of 8th-floor suite

Per the Free Cooper Union Facebook page:

After seven days in the Peter Cooper Suite, the Students for a Free Cooper Union have left on their own accord, holding a press conference outside the Foundation Building and dancing while Reverend Billy And The Stop Shopping Gospel Choir blesses FREE EDUCATION TO ALL!

The Huffington Post has more on story here. DNAinfo covered the Citywide Student/Faculty Rally on Saturday here. DNAinfo has a report here.

The 11 students also distributed a holiday card...

Previously.

Report: Citi Bike share back on track for a May debut, probably definitely

[File photo by Shawn Chittle]

Superstorm Sandy added another round of delays to the city's long-delayed Bike Share Program. But! The New York Times reports that at least 5,500 bikes at 293 stations will be ready by May.

Bleecker Bob's won't be moving to the East Village — or anywhere else, for that matter

Back in January, our friend Ken Mac at Greenwich Village Daily Photo first had the scoop that venerable Bleecker Bob's Records was closing.

Then we heard that the store hoped to relocate, possibly in the East Village — something in the $4,000 rent range. We scouted some possible locations for them. (Here ... and here.)

As late as September, the store was still looking to move here.

Apparently this won't happen.

As you may have seen at Jeremiah's Vanishing New York or BoweryBoogie this morning, Bleecker Bob's has announced that it is closing for good in early 2013. (Alex noted this yesterday at Flaming Pablum.)

Per the Bleecker Bob's Facebook page:

well, it's SAD NEWS people. don't really know how to say this so here goes.....after 40+ years in existence, BLEECKER BOB'S will be closing!!!! looks like another month or 2 maybe.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[UPDATED] Let's help Bleecker Bob's find space in the East Village

Bleecker Bob's is for rent

A petition to add more willow trees to La Plaza Cultural on Avenue C

In recent years, several of the majestic willow trees were lost in La Plaza Cultural Armando Perez on Avenue C and East Ninth Street. The winds and soaking rain of Hurricane Irene in August 2011 helped to uproot the garden's prized tree.

As Colin Moynihan wrote about the significance of the tree to the neighborhood in The New York Times:

The gardeners who run La Plaza ... staved off several attempts at the garden’s development in the 1980s and ’90s. During those battles, the tall willow was embraced as a symbol of resistance and its likeness appeared on fliers and posters urging neighbors to oppose planned takeovers.

Workers removed one a willow tree in October 2008. Following Superstorm Sandy, workers had to take down part of one of the garden's two remaining willows.

In response, East Village resident Lindsey Kister has launched the following:

This is a petition to replace the weeping willow trees destroyed by hurricanes Irene and Sandy in the East Village community garden, La Plaza Cultural Armando Perez. Community parks and gardens are important cornerstones of the East Village community. The willow trees stood tall for thirty years in La Plaza Cultural and were symbols of resistance and survival. The trees were loved by the community and complimented the unique character of the village ... It is time to replant these trees and reenergize the spirit of the garden.

As Lindsey said, "Once we get 100 signatures, change.org delivers the petition to the various departments listed on the petition. There's no guarantee that the city will respond, but I figured it was worth a shot. Those trees were amazing."

Indeed. Find the petition here.

Previously.

Fern Cliff Delicatessen is closing on Third Avenue

A tipster points out that Fern Cliff Delicatessen on Third Avenue at NYU will be closing... the tipster notes that the shelves are mostly empty...

...and a listing for the space his already appeared... per the flyer, "non cooking food considered." But! "No coffee, pizza or frozen yogurt."

From looking at this photo on the listing, businesses where women can pose like this are apparently welcome...

Look at the Mystery Lot now

Oh, here's our monthly look inside the former Mystery Lot via EVG reader Katja, who took the above-photo on Saturday...

Eventually, one day...

[Via Curbed]

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

A chance for people who shit their pants at least 3 times a month to get some recognition

Been a few months since we checked in on the wall outside The Stone on East Second Street at Avenue C. Been some back and forth with tagging the wall, painting the wall, tagging the wall, etc. In August, this appeared...

... and most recently...

Previously.

DOH temporarily closes Nino's

Late Friday afternoon, we noted that Nino's 2.0 had abruptly closed once again on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place... at the time, we didn't spot the DOH's calling sticker...

The DOH inspector found 86 violation points during a visit on Wednesday. The top 4 listed violations:

1) Hot food item not held at or above 140º F.
2) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.
3) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations.
4) Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer or thermocouple not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding.

Also, as we pointed out in that same post, the 2 Bros. supreme slice joint on St. Mark's Place had reopened... They were closed for renovations following a fire in a nearby apartment in September.

Long-vacant Bowery retail space resorts to scotch ads; Claire Forlani's giant billboard hand terrorizes me

On the Bowery and Bond, the Washington Mutual closed in the corner space back in March 2009. And it has remained empty.

While the space awaits a new tenant, it's now being used to sell some Dewar's...

As AdWeek noted of the tagline, The Drinking Man's Scotch Preferred by English Women with Scottish accents.

And these ads, featuring actress Claire Forlani, give me the creeps. Rather, that GIANT HAND on the billboard on Lafayette and Great Jones gives me the creeps. It's like some B-movie severed hand prop.

But as creepy as Harrison Ford's head...?

[January 2010]

'ALL uses considered' for these two retail spaces on St. Mark's Place

For lease signs arrived for two empty storefronts on St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue... most recently Baoguette Cafe and Timi's Gelateria Classica™ ...

The listings haven't appeared just yet on the Walter & Samuels website...

We're assuming the spaces are destined for some kind of chain or dessert or specialty food shop (like a place that specializes in, say, snail caviar). Or maybe our dream of a shop for buying and trading used cassettes will finally be realized...

Mighty Quinn's looks mighty close to opening

Several readers have noted the progress at Mighty Quinn's, the new slow-smoked BBQ place opening on Second Avenue and East Sixth Street. The sign was unveiled last Thursday here at the former Vandaag space. Nothing official for the opening date, per the various Mighty Quinn social media sites. (Per Facebook: "We're getting very close...") This marks the first "brick and mortar location" of the BBQ food truck favored by the food-truck crowd.

Previously.

At the Tompkins Square Park holiday tree lighting

Some light rain. No big deal. Photos by Bobby Williams.

And here's a video via Janko Puls ... A version of "Rudolph" from The Carolers of Olde New York from Theater for the New City ...



GammaBlog has more photos and video here.

Week in Grieview

[The birds of St. Brigid's]

Q-and-A with Leonard Abrams, publisher of the East Village Eye (Thursday)

Former Mars Bar space hits the retail market (Friday)

What's up with the F train? (Thursday, 19 comments)

Marketing 166 Second Ave. in the 1920s (Wednesday)

Rawvolution closed on East 12th Street, temporarily or not (Thursday)

Whole Earth Bakery needs your help on St. Mark's Place (Tuesday)

Block Rugs (Monday)

A look at 6 new or restored East Village buildings (Monday)

Pub crawl alert (Friday, 21 comments)

More details about Pride & Joy BBQ coming to the former Lucky Cheng's (Monday)

Workers back in action at incoming Avenue A 7-Eleven (Friday)

East Village artist meets Jay-Z on the R (Thursday)

The latest on the lock-in at Cooper Union (Saturday)

Dee Dee felt 'very jolly' when the Ramones were on 'Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee in 1988. Watch it here. (Friday)

Be a member of CB3 (Thursday)

At the opening of the The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space last night

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) officially opened yesterday on Avenue C ... EVG contributor Shawn Chittle was there and took these photos. (You may find more here.)

For further reading:
Eden has more photos and video from the MoRUS opening Saturday (Slum Goddess)

New Museum Set to Honor East Village's Squatter Past (DNAinfo)

One more try for the MoRUS opening after storm flooding (The Villager)

East Village Shrine to Riots and Radicals (The New York Times)

First Ford Pinto sighting in 27 years

A snappy-looking Ford Pinto spotted on East Seventh Street via Dave on 7th.

Reminder: Holiday tree lighting this afternoon in Tompkins Square Park

Previously.

In case that you wanted to know that someone recently tagged the Starbucks on First Avenue and East 13th Street

Someone also tagged the wall outside the Starbucks on First Avenue and East Third Street during the blackout...

[Updated] Flea market at St. Brigid School today

Entrance on East Seventh St. just east of Avenue B...

Updated 10 a.m.

Dave on 7th stopped in... we're on our way...