Scott Stringer has big plans for the East River

Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer is giving his annual State of the Borough speech tonight ... and part of his talk will include his vision for the East River Blueway Plan, which will "reconnect residents with the riverfront," as The New York Times reported.

The plan won't be unveiled officially for a few more weeks, but the Times got a sneak peek.

Of particular interest around here:

One proposal — the most costly to execute — would elevate the bike and pedestrian path over the F.D.R. Drive at 14th Street, where the path currently narrows to four feet near the Consolidated Edison substation.

The plan calls for a new pedestrian bridge that would rise gradually from blocks away, allowing users to avoid that difficult bottleneck. The bridge would also serve as an inland sea wall that could help prevent flooding and an explosion like the one that rocked a substation during Hurricane Sandy, which contributed to the blackout across Lower Manhattan.

Read the whole article at the Times here. Gothamist has more details and renderings like the one above right here.

Flashback:

Avenue C and East Eighth Street on Oct. 29, before the power went... via Daniel Scott ...

Demolition starts on former garage and lot; new developments coming for Lafayette Street

Goggla passed along these photos yesterday, noting that the demolition had started on the former ZP Auto Repair Shop on the southwest corner of Lafayette and Great Jones. The shop moved out to Brooklyn in the spring of 2011. This prime real estate (car-care center? hahaha!) had been on the market for years. Workers started prepping the space for demolition back in the fall.

By the end of the afternoon, the garage was mostly gone...

The demolition extends to the parking lot and billboard on the northwest corner of Lafayette and Bond...

There are big plans in place for each corner.

At 10 Bond Street, developers have aspirations for a 7-story, 11-unit condo building. (Find more details and renderings at Curbed.)

[Via Curbed]

One note: Earlier reports list Annabelle Selldorf as the architect of record for 10 Bond Street. However, the plans waiting approval at the DOB list the notorious Gene Kaufman as the architect.

Meanwhile, there are other big plans for the opposite corner at 372 Lafayette. The city just approved architect Morris Adjmi's plan for a new 6-story apartment building...

The last rendering we saw looked like...

The above image came via Off the Grid, who has more details on this project here.

Now where do people get their cars repaired?

Previously on EV Grieve:
New skyline for Lafayette Street?

Another corner still primed to fall on NoHo

Meanwhile, farewell to Claire Forlani's disembodied scotch ad hands

With the demolition yesterday of the former garage on the southwest corner of Lafayette and Great Jones...

[Goggla]

... we bid a tearful farewell to Claire Forlani's disembodied scotch ad hands, who have been gracing us with their giant, B-movie-severed-prop presence on the wall above since early December.

...until we meet again...

On the rocks — just like you like it.

MoRUS hosting 'Direct Action Fashion Show' this Saturday night

From the EV Grieve inbox...

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) presents: DIRECT ACTION FASHION SHOW

Celebrate how activists use costumes, puppets, and props to draw awareness to various environmental, social, and political issues and create positive, sustainable change.

At the same time that parts of our city will be taken over by Fashion Week’s bold images intended to grease the wheels of extreme consumption, we plan to explore the ways in which spectacle can be used for the greater good, rather than corporate gain.

Prior to the event, the Rude Mechanical Orchestra will lead a march to pay tribute to the community gardens, as a reminder that this vital community resource still needs our support. Earth Celebrations, Time's Up!, People's Puppets of OWS, The MoS Collective and other organizations will be in attendance, and Arrow Chrome will DJ. Special appearance by Gene Pool, the "Can Man." Expect food, drinks and sparkles galore.

WEAR YOUR BEST PROTEST FASHION — EVERYONE IS WELCOME ON THIS RUNWAY.

MoRUS (Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space) History Museum
155 Avenue C, between 9th and 10th Streets, Manhattan
7pm; Saturday, February 9, 2013; $5-10 sugg., no one turned away

Find more info at the MoRUS website... and at the Facebook event page.

Get well soon, Chester

A reader noted that Chester, longtime grill man at EVG favorite the Stage on Second Avenue, has been out of work in recent weeks with some health issues. We understand that he's doing better, though.

So get well soon, Chester. See you behind the counter again soon...

Updated 12:30

In the comments, our friend esquared™ notes that there's a photo of Roman and Chester from a digital video installation at the NYPL Lunch Hour NYC exhibit ...

The 'No-7 Eleven' elves were at it again

Back at it on the corner of Avenue A and East 11th Street, site of the incoming 7-Eleven...

...and now, with a reference to the building's new owner, developer Jared Kushner, publisher of the New York Observer...

Previously.

Nino's Pizza has closed, again

At this point, it is safe to say that we have no idea what's going on with the Nino's Pizza space on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place.

To recap.

Nino's Pizza on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place closed sometime after Superstorm Sandy... and we heard multiple stories about its future ... Then! A few days later, a sanitized, woody Nino's reopened under new ownership, but the place didn't seem the same. One reader said, "It looks like the inside of a pine coffin."

Plus, the pizza was a little different. Then the place closed again. The it reopened. Then closed. Then closed. Then reopened. (Or maybe it's the other way around?) The DOH temporarily closed the storefront in early December... It reopened by the end of the month.

We first noticed that they were closed again this past Sunday, when we walked by during the Super Bowl. A fine time for a pizza place to be closed.

For now Nino's 2.0 remains closed. Outgoing message says that the number has been "temporarily disconnected."

So. If you happen to know the status here, please let us know via the comments or the trusty tipline.

Another tree comes down in Tompkins Square Park

Bobby Williams notes that workers removed yet another tree in Tompkins Square Park today... we haven't heard anything official yet, though Dutch Elm Disease is always a likely culprit.

That's it for the Village Scandal on East 7th Street

After a nine-year eviction battle, the landlord took possession of the Village Scandal, the longtime vintage hat shop, at 19 E. Seventh St., on Monday afternoon.

A tipster with knowledge of the proceedings said that owner Wendy Barrett vowed to continue fighting this.

However, today, the store has been cleaned out...

There's no message on the store's website, Facebook page or outgoing phone message.

Previously.

A scene from this morning on East Broadway

Via EVG Facebook friend Susan...

'War' is declared as city plans luxury development in the middle of public housing

Here we go.

The Daily News reports today that the cash-strapped New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is planning on leasing playground and community center space for luxury high-rises

Per the article:

[T]he agency plans to lease out land to private developers who will then build some 3 million square feet of luxury apartments smack in the middle of Manhattan housing projects.

Internal documents obtained by the Daily News show the planned 4,330 apartments in eight developments are all in hot real estate neighborhoods, including the upper East and West Sides, the lower East Side and lower Manhattan.

Of the new units, 20 percent will be set aside as "affordable" — designated for families with net income of $50,000 or less.

But will the richies want to live so close to the poors? Not to worry! Per the article: "The new luxury towers will face away from the old, deteroriating affordable housing."

As the Daily News put it: "The housing authority is planning its very own Tale of Two Cities."

On the Lower East Side, a parking lot at the Baruch Houses will be redeveloped into luxury towers. There are also plans to lease a parking garage at Campos Plaza on Avenue C.

Meanwhile, residents are mobilizing against the plan. The Lo-Down has details from last night's CB3 Land Use Committee meeting, where Smith Houses Tenant President Aixa Torres warned: "This is a travesty," she said. "We are not going to take this… When no one wanted to live here, we stayed… if you want a war, you got a war."

The upside for the NYCHA: They expect to generate $31 million to $46 million in annual lease payments, "all of which will go toward fixing up deteriorating buildings. The agency currently has a backlog of 420,000 repair orders and faces a $60 million budget gap annually," the Daily News reported.

Out and About in the East Village

In this weekly feature, East Village-based photographer James Maher provides us with a quick snapshot of someone who lives and/or works in the East Village. Editor's note: Given the freezing temps when we were going to do this last week, we arranged to do this interview indoors.

By James Maher

Name: Cheryl Pyle
Occupation: Musician (Flute and Bass), The Flute Mistress of Epic Doom Metal
Location: 11th Street Between A and B
Time: 2 on Saturday, Feb. 2

I moved to the East Village from San Francisco after college in 1980 because I had been meeting a lot of jazz musicians who said that the jazz was in New York. I stayed with a friend, a bass player’s wife, on 14th street near 6th Avenue and we went around to all of the jazz clubs. There was Fat Tuesday’s, Village Vanguard, Jazz Forum, Jazzmania and Lush Life — there were tons of clubs. There was also Bradley’s on University Place, where everyone would go after they played and would hangout till 6 or 7 in the morning.

When I used to go to the Village Vanguard and Max was the owner, he would let all of the jazz musicians in for free, and he’d be down there, this little guy with a cigar, and he would say, “Did you find some gigs? Did you find a place to live?” He was that kind of New York guy. My first Christmas Eve here I spent down there; he let me in for free. I think Elvin Jones was playing and his mom was there and it was just a very old New York kind of family atmosphere for jazz.

So I met a lot of jazz musicians and I met this drummer from San Francisco and he said, “Oh, I think I have this apartment building in the East Village and you can move in without first and last months rent.” We came over here and the neighborhood was scary. There was a couple here, Ice and Joyce, and they said, “Take an apartment. The landlord abandoned the building. Pay us when you can.” The rent was $180 a month. I took this apartment, my friend Todd took the one downstairs, and another piano player took the one in front. Then the city offered to sell us the building for $5,000 in 1981, so we all put in $250 dollars and bought it. And I’m still here.

The dynamic of the building was pretty cool because Ice and Joyce were very cool. There were a lot of artists and musicians and dancers. Even though we were all broke, it was a great time. A lot of times we didn’t have heat, so you’d just have to take cold water baths and stuff. It was pretty raw but we all knew each other. We have been ongoing fixing the building. I’ve painted several times. I sanded the floors myself. We did a building repair on the roof. We landscaped the backyard and fixed it up so we could sit out there when it’s warm. We put in a new boiler. I was just doing plumbing last week. I love doing plumbing. We all have tools.

But the neighborhood was really really scary. The building right across the street had a lot of drug problems and I think there were seven murders there. I remember my mom came to visit from California in 1984 and we walked out and there was this car stripped on the street in a blazing fire. This stolen car ring from New Jersey used to bring cars over, strip them and light them on fire on 11th street. It was like a war zone. I always carried Mace with me. One time I was putting my key into my door and this guy put a knife to my throat. He cut my chain off but I had Mace in my hand and I Maced him. He threw me down and ran away. That was my one mugging situation.

I had mostly been playing the jazz flute since I moved here. Being in this creative atmosphere is really important and it has given me some opportunities to play with some amazing people. I was able to record at RCA BMG in Midtown with some of my jazz idols, Charlie Haden and Paul Motian. And in 1999, I started playing the electric bass and rock and heavy metal. I got into that whole scene. We played at CBGB, which was just fantastic. It’s kind of crazy to have this jazz side and then this heavy metal side. In 2008, I did a recording for an epic doom metal band in Denmark called Altar of Oblivion. I found myself being called the flute mistress of epic doom metal.

James Maher is a fine art and studio photographer based in the East Village. Find his website here.

The Daily News is the latest media outlet to discover that the Bowery is pretty nice and stuff these days

[EVG file photo]

There's an advertorial article at the Daily News today titled "From Skid Row to celebrity hangout — the Bowery cashes in."

Ultimately, it's about the new 250 Bowery condo, "where Paul Simon and Scarlett Johansson have looked at apartments." (Also, per the Post last month, Shaun White.)

Here are the best lines from the piece:

• The drunks are still there — only now they drive Bentleys, wear Prada and date supermodels.

• "This is not the Bowery of 20 years ago when we ... stepped over the homeless," said broker John Gomes

• "It has grit — and artsy people with good taste aren’t afraid of that," [250 Bowery developer Zach] Vella said.

• "The Bowery could be the Park Ave. of downtown someday," said Oren Alexander, 25, of Douglas Elliman.

Voting is now open for the best line...

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Post declares that the Bowery is 'out' for 2011

Page Six Magazine says the Bowery calls to mind "an L.A. vibe"

On no...no no! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The Hyatt Union Square will open in May, probably

Our favorite fivesix-years-in the-making development, the Hyatt Union Square, now has an another official opening date, Crain's noted yesterday. They put the opening date in April... recent opening dates included Nov. 15 and Jan. 2, though Sandy took care of that.

Per the article:

Rooms at the 11-story Hyatt will start at $315 per night during off-peak season. The Hyatt has been under construction for years and work has been held up multiple times because of violations filed by the city's Department of Buildings.

We looked at the Hyatt Union Square website... And found that the hotel will start accepting guests after May 1. But we're not taking any bets that this will actually happen.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Through the years with the sunlight-blocking Hyatt Union Square, opening Nov. 15

Designer Cara Marie Piazza opens pop-up shop on East 11th Street

An EVG reader passed along word of a new storefront at 647 E. 11th Street just west of Avenue C... Relique features the handmade work of Cara Marie Piazza. According to her bio, she is "a natural dyer and textile designer." Her bio also notes that she is a native New Yorker who graduated from the Chelsea College of Art and Design in London. You can read more about her and her designs at her website.

The reader noted that the storefront opened Monday night. The space was previously home to Kasadela, which was unable to reopen at this location following Sandy.

Updated:
Apparently this is just a pop-up shop for Fashion Week, per a commenter...

Kasadela will not return to East 11th Street

As we just noted, there's a new boutique in the space that previously housed Kasadela, the popular Japanese cafe on East 11th Street near Avenue C ... an intersection that was hit hard by Sandy's storm surge.

Despite a crowdsourcing fundraiser that raised some $16,000, Kasadela's owners were unable to reopen. They held a farewell party at this location in December.

The owners explained it all in a blog post back in December:

It hurts us deeply to announce our official closure from 647 E. 11th street ... As some of you already know we suffered greatly from Sandy and though we tried all that we could to re-open our current circumstance just won't allow that to happen ... The forces that led to this decision making were many, but ultimately it was the LACK of support from our Landlord and building management ...

As far as relocation is concerned we're currently fundraising to make that happen; the economic injury we've sustained prompted a dear friend to launch a donation account for Kasadela on GoFundMe and we've applied for a small business loan offered as Sandy relief. We haven't received any coverage from insurance and the costs of renovating far exceed what we've earned. The process of re-opening will take some time and great effort, so please keep us in your thoughts and we greatly appreciate all the support we have and will continue to receive.

Here's more about Alder, the new pub opening on Second Avenue from Wylie Dufresne

As you may know, noted LES chef Wylie Dufresne is opening a 50-seat pub that will serve "modern casual food and well-crafted cocktails," as Grub Street first noted last fall ... it will be at the former Plum Pizzeria at 157 Second Avenue near East 10th Street.

The New York Times today has more details on the menu and stuff.

[Mr. Dufresne] will specialize in what some might think of as a cubist spin on pub grub. There will be “stuff you can kind of graze and nibble,” as Mr. Dufresne put it: pigs in a blanket, clam chowder, Caesar salad, chicken liver toast, oxtail stew, calamari, pub cheese.

But in keeping with the chef’s style, each dish will be twisted into a surprising manifestation. That Caesar salad won’t come in a bowl; it will arrive as finger food, transformed into bite-size pieces of nigiri, with a sliver of charred, Parmesan-dusted Spanish mackerel resting on a rib of romaine lettuce and a dab of eggy sauce.

And, the Times notes, "no dish at Alder will cost more than $25."

Also!

Mr. Dufresne, 42, has family roots in Rhode Island, but he spent his adolescent years near where Alder will open. “The East Village is where I cut my teeth as a kid,” he said. “I ran around here on a skateboard.”

Previously on EV Grieve:
Wylie Dufresne bringing fancy cocktails for foodies (29 comments)

RIP Arpad Miklos

Several media outlets are reporting today that Arpad Miklos, a gay porn superstar, has died. According to reports, he killed himself some time this past weekend. He was 45.

A reader said that Miklos, whose real name was Peter Kozma, lived on East Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

There have been several tributes, including this one from former co-star Colby Keller via Big Shoe Diaries (link NSFW):

While I don't pretend to fully know the rationale behind his decision, I can say that I've struggled myself with depression and suicide. Like any physically-demanding, socially-vexed form of labor, sex work isn't easy work — not least because of the stigma and meager income. You give a lot of yourself for what can seem like very little in return. It can take its toll emotionally. The naked body is a vulnerable body after-all. We should remember to celebrate Arpad, the sexy man behind the scenes and in front of the camera who gave so much of himself for our desire, and not condemn a choice privately considered and personally significant enough to result in such extreme measures.

My thoughts go out to his family and friends. He'll be sorely missed.

Miklos previously worked as a chemist in his native Hungary.

There are also posts about Miklos at The Huffington Post ... Pitchfork ... and Joe. My. God.

[Image via Pitchfork]

Report: Jared Kushner paid $49 million for 7 more Ben Shaoul-owned properties in the East Village

[118, 120 E. 4th St. via Massey Knakal]

Jared Kushner's East Village shopping spree continues. Last week, the developer (and New York Observer publisher) closed on a portfolio of 17 walk-up apartment buildings in the East Village for some $130 million, as The Real Deal first reported.

This afternoon, The Real Deal is reporting that Kushner bought seven more walk-up rental buildings for $49 million from developer Ben Shaoul's Magnum Real Estate and Meadow Partners.

The addresses: 118, 120-122, 195, 199, 201 and 203 East 4th Street.

Shaoul's renovations of 118 and 120 E. 4th Street prompted the start of the blog Occupy East 4th Street.

According to The Real Deal, Shaoul paid a combined total of $25.1 million for these seven properties in 2010 and 2011.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Ben Shaoul and company put East Fourth Street buildings on the market for $25 million

4 East Fourth Street apartment buildings hit market for $32 million

Rumors: Is Ben Shaoul selling his East Village properties?

[Updated] A quick look at the long short-stack line on East 14th Street

It's National Pancake Day. (Thanks to everyone who sent me a card!) And IHOP is giving away short stacks (of pancakes) to anyone who wants to wait in line today. Per the news release: "Proceeds the restaurant chain hopes to raise $3 million as the first national fundraising campaign to kick off the 2013 fundraising year for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals."

Photo by Dave on 7th (who's now standing on 14th).

Oh, and a longer view...

Updated 6ish

The line is growing...