Avenue A and East 7th Street via Bobby Williams...
Saturday, March 2, 2013
A brief history of humiliating Teddy bears in the East Village
Goggla spotted this on East Second Street near Avenue B today ... and yes, the note around the neck reads "can't bear it anymore."
Why must people do this to poor stuffed bears? From the EV Grieve "humiliating teddy bears" archives...
Here are the new bike corrals outside Continuum Cycles on Avenue B
Thanks to @chufucious for passing along this photo showing the brand-new bike corrals in front of Continuum Cycles (and Continuum Coffee) on Avenue B near East 12th Street...
Here's a photo of the DOT installing them yesterday via @nixta ...
Back in December, we noted that CB3 OK'd bike corrals (CityRacks!) for the 4th Street Food Co-op and Continuum Cycles.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Here's your new East Ninth Street bike rack (18 comments)
More bike corrals on the way for East Village businesses
New-look Flea Market Cafe shows itself on Avenue A; reopens March 11
The Flea Market Cafe closed back in the fall for renovations... the paper is off the front windows now...
The folks at Ten Degrees around the corner on St. Mark's are now operating the restaurant. There's not much information on the Cafe's website, except for the opening date — March 11.
H/T to esquared™ who had the details last month in a comment.
Speaking of flea markets...
There's one today at the East Side Community High School on East 11th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue ... 12:30-5 p.m.
Lawsuit claims a British empire at the World Class Learning Academy on East 2nd Street
An axed admissions director at the World Class Learning Academy — a U.K.-based independent school for kids from 3 to 11 — claims in a lawsuit that British employees are treated much better than their American counterparts, the Post reports today.In the suit claiming national-origin, sex and age discrimination, Sarah Bottoms, who lives in Brooklyn, alleges that administrators at the school on East Second Street "gave British employees greater allowances for time off, raises, excusal from student supervisory duties and subsidized lunches."
The school, at the site of the former LaSalle Academy, is run by Brits John and Dawn Taylor.
Also, there's this claim:
"On more than one occasion, Ms. Taylor told Ms. Bottoms that men preferred Asian woman because" their sexual organs were smaller, the suit claims.
Bottoms says she went to HR — and was fired.
An attorney for the school, where tuition is upwards of $34,000 annually, said that they will conduct a thorough investigation of the allegations.
[Image via Facebook]
Friday, March 1, 2013
[Updated] Fire at Village View tonight
[Via an EVG reader]
We're still waiting for more information about the fire that broke out tonight around 7 in an apartment in Village View at East Fourth Street and First Avenue...
.@evgrieve RT @buzzfeednews Whoa! -- Fire in the East Village, New York vine.co/v/bXplZmiW3Er
— matt L (@longoM) March 1, 2013
To be continued...
Updated:
Per a source: Fire in one room on 18th floor. Quickly extinguished. One firefighter slightly injured.
At John Penley's NYU protest
This afternoon, longtime activist John Penley started his campout to call on NYU to help house the homeless.
Bobby Williams stopped by to see what was happening...
Bobby Williams stopped by to see what was happening...
'Walter Robinson: Indulgences' opening tonight at Dorian Grey
From the EVG inbox...Walter Robinson: Indulgences
Recent Paintings & Works on Paper Exhibition: March 1-31
Reception: tonight, 6-9
Dorian Grey Gallery is pleased to present "Walter Robinson: Indulgences," a solo exhibition of new paintings and works on paper.
Robinson's work visualizes the idea of indulgence, both in terms of contemporary consumer appetites and in reference to the religious practice by which sins can be forgiven. Using a straightforward illustrative style, he presents pop culture images of cheeseburgers, alcoholic beverages and other comestibles, as well as pin-ups (both female and male), pharmaceutical products, portraits of celebrities, and paperback images of romance and drama.
Walter Robinson was born in 1950 and has lived in New York City since 1968. He has a long career as an art critic and editor, co-founding "Art- Rite" magazine in the 1970s, serving as news editor for "Art in America" magazine in the 1980s and early '90s, and as founding editor of "Artnet Magazine" from 1996 to 2012.
Gallery info here. Dorian Grey is at 437. E. Ninth St. near Avenue A.
[Image via Dorian Grey]
Musical interludes: Steve Cannon plays piano at Tribes Gallery
Love the ending. Video by Jim Flynn. Learn more about Steve Cannon and A Gathering of the Tribes on East Third Street here.
Jennifer's Way Bakery now opens tomorrow
Had to push opening just one more day- sat at 12 !Just making things better for u all. Xoxo @jenniferswayje
— Jennifer'sWay Bakery (@JWayBakeryNYC) March 1, 2013
In case you were planning on waiting in line... Actress Jennifer Esposito's gluten-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar-free, soy-free, peanut-free, allergy-friendly, organic bakery is at 263 E. 10th St., between Avenue A and First Avenue.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Actress Jennifer Esposito's Jennifer's Way Bakery opening soon on East 10th Street (46 comments)
John Holmstrom on the CBGB movie and the East Village of 2013
In part 1 of our interview with John Holmstrom yesterday, the Punk Magazine founding editor talked about launching the publication with Ged Dunn Jr. and Eddie "Legs" McNeil that chronicled the burgeoning NYC punk scene and seeing the Ramones for the first time at CBGB in 1975.
Today, Holmstrom, who has lived in the East Village since the mid-1970s, discusses putting the recently released "Best of Punk Magazine" compilation together as well as his feelings about the neighborhood today.
Why did you think the time was right for "The Best of Punk Magazine" collection?
I didn't decide that the time was right — I had been trying to get this book done since the 1980s! I was able to get a small collection of Punk Magazine material together when I was the publisher at High Times, but we had no budget for promotion. So when it sold great in book stores regardless, I figured that a full-fledged collection could do well.
I shopped the proposal around in 2008, after trying to work with Legs on a similar project, which he seemed disinclined to make happen. He was too busy with other projects so I moved on. Then the economic meltdown happened and we couldn't shop the book proposal for a while. Then once it was accepted, I missed a few production deadlines because the whole thing was just so much damn work. I still feel burnt out from it all!
However, as in 1976, I seem to have accidentally brought the book out at the right time. There seems to be a resurgence of interest in all this stuff right now. Which is great, since I did worry that it was being forgotten forever, once again.
Was there a particular issue or feature that you enjoyed revisiting? Maybe something that you hadn’t looked at for some time?
Although I have pretty much memorized all the Punk Magazine material so it's imprinted on my brain forever and ever, I always loved "Mutant Monster Beach Party" the best — even though it sold poorly and became our death knell in a way.
In fact, the main reason I wanted to publish the book was to make this available to the public: MMBP but everything else as well. A lot of people kept bugging me to either reprint back issues or somehow make the material available: not everyone enjoys biding on eBay, I guess.
The most gratifying thing about getting this book out is that I have found out that a lot of people agree with me! They think that MMBP was our high point. At the time, no one made a big deal about it.
I understand that you did some consulting on the CBGB biopic. Depending on if you’ve seen any rough cuts or the final print — what are your thoughts on what you’ve seen?
Please help me quash this rumor: I did no consulting whatsoever on this film. I did meet with the filmmakers early on and showed them Punk Magazine, I might have loaned them a few issues. But they never really consulted with me about anything.
They did send me a film script and asked me for my thoughts but they pretty much ignored all of my suggestions — by that time it was much too late for them to make any significant script changes since they were filming in just a few weeks! It turns out that they had their own plans for me — they wanted to be able to use Punk in the movie, and I enjoyed their script so much I gave them permission to use the magazine however they wanted to. Then it turned out that they wanted to use Mary Harron, Legs and I as characters in the film. They even flew me down to watch the filming of the scenes with my character!
I thought the three actors: Peter Vack (portrays Legs), Ahna O'Reilly (playing Mary), Josh Zuckerman (playing me!), did an amazing job. I wanted to interrupt them during every scene and tell them how everything happened back in the day, but I knew that would be the height of unprofessionalism so I resisted the temptation. And after a while I observed how they were playing it in their own way and figured this was the best way for it to happen.
I did see a rough cut — the filmmakers again flew me to see it a few months ago. Naturally there's no way for me to have an objective opinion but I thought it was great. I loved it. The test screening audience also liked it: After the movie, they asked the 20-person focus group if they liked the film, and every single one of them raised their hand.
Of course, there was some nit-picking afterwards, and I think all nit-pickers will have a field day dissecting any and all mistakes that were made. But what no one can argue with is that the film is a funny and nice tribute to CBGB and the whole punk rock scene. Everyone wishes it could have been longer so it could include more people, but all you have is 90 minutes. So at the end, this is the story of CBGB, how Hilly started the club and how it sort-of accidentally became the home of punk rock.
The weird thing is that... back in the 1970s? It was not the "Home of Punk Rock." All those bands, except for maybe the Dead Boys, avoided that label like it was Poison or any other 1980s hair metal band's name.
[John Holmstrom, left, and friends]
What are your feelings about the East Village of 2013?
Like I have always felt about it: It's a nice place to live, but I wouldn't want to visit there.
I am lucky enough to have a cheap rent, thanks to rent-stabilization. On the other hand, if we didn't have it, I probably would have moved to Philadelphia or Detroit or someplace a long time ago. Even so, it's an expensive place to live.
The worst thing about this part of town is how NYU has displaced so many residents and businesses, and how so many laws, regulations etc. have been kicking the nightlife to the curb. All of Manhattan is becoming a huge, gated community.
I never felt all that unsafe living here, even when I was robbed a few times. So what's the difference when you get robbed a little bit every day by high prices for everything and having someone break into your apartment and steal something? Not much, really, except you can stop the break-ins but you can't stop the high prices. I always vote for the "Rent Is Too Damn High" guy, for instance.
But even he couldn't stop this. This is my main grievance with all politicians: They always take the credit or get the blame for social forces beyond their control. This economic problem happening all over the country — except for places like Detroit or Philadelphia where no one wants to live. But the 1970s were so wonderful because the publishing industry was still thriving, there was still a strong middle class, and even though the country was in a recession and New York was going bankrupt, we were still in much better shape than we are now. Sad, isn't it?
Then again, that's what New York's East Village was when I moved here. No one in their right mind wanted to live here.
Do you think NYC will ever see the spirit of that era again?
Nope.
First of all, the cell phone and social media have made everyone narcissistic; doctors are making people crazy with anti-depressants (which block creativity, so all the rebellious teenagers like me are now placed on meds!), and well, I could go on and on and on.
The worst thing to me is that I believe climate change is real, and I don't think the world is doing enough to stop it. Especially after Hurricane Sandy, I am afraid that by the end of this century, my beloved Manhattan Island will be submerged under many feet of water.
Hey — it's not like this is the first time civilizations have been submerged. Like Donavan sang: "Hail, Atlantis!"
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Find John Holmstrom's blog here.
Find the Punk Magazine site here.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Revisiting Punk Art
Q-and-A with John Holmstrom, founding editor of Punk Magazine
John Penley-led protest will call on NYU to help house the city's homeless
Longtime activist John Penley is staging a campout at NYU starting this afternoon at 4 to call on NYU to help house the homeless."There have been almost no street protests about housing in so long someone has to do it," he wrote on Facebook.
He will be stationed at Washington Square South, and hopes to sleep on the Judson Church steps at night. During the day, Penley said that plans to be in front of Bobst Library where he'll try to educate students about the issues of housing and homelessness.
Per the Facebook invite:
"I plan to ask NYU students to get involved in Housing for homeless and low-income people. I also plan to ask the University, which has built for-profit dorms all over the place, to build one building for poor and low-income people who are displaced by the gentrification NYU heavily contributed to."
A group of speakers, including Penny Arcade, Randy Credico, Joan Moossy and Frank Morales, are among those who are expected to join Penley this afternoon at NYU.
In 2009, Penley, a Navy veteran who is currently homeless, donated his extensive photo collection to the NYU Tamiment Library. (Find the photos here.) Penley said that he plans to take activists inside Bobst to show them the Tamiment Library.
Per an article in The Villager last week:
He hopes to maintain the campout for a month, but recently aggravated a back injury when his car was rear-ended while he was driving in North Carolina, so doesn’t know if he’ll be able to last that long. Rumor has it he may also go on a hunger strike.
"It's not going to look good if NYU arrests me," he told The Villager, "because they have my photo archives in there."
[Photo of Penley via Facebook]
Turn your East Village apartment into an illegal hotel room in just minutes!
East Village resident Alan Roberts was shocked to receive this offer in the mail from FlipKey.
"I can't believe this company is basically encouraging me to break the law by renting out my apartment as a hotel room. Incredible."
On this topic, did you see the piece at Gothamist a few weeks ago about the city issuing a $30,000 fine to an East Village resident who rented out his room for a few days while on a trip?
Anyway, per Gothamist:
As it stands now, the current law prohibits New Yorkers from renting out single-family apartments, or rooms within them, for fewer than 30 days—unless the tenant or homeowner is living in the home at the same time.
And FlipKey does have a few East Village properties, like this one on East 13th Street...
Bishops and Barons looks closed on E. 14th Street
A tipster told us that Bishops and Barons had closed on East 14th Street near Second Avenue. We haven't heard anything official. The number to the cocktail lounge is no longer in service. And the door was locked last night around 9:30 (and there was a Kool Bloo menu hanging from the door). There's nothing mentioned about a closure on their Facebook page or website, though the "reserve now" feature says that "the restaurant you requested could not be found."
According to a description on Yelp, Bishops & Barons is "a restaurant and cocktail lounge that celebrates the days of showgirls, movie star gangsters and supper clubs."
Upon opening in May, Grub Street noted that the cocktail lounge was outfitted with "zebra rugs, plush velvet upholstery, chandeliers, and tufted leather." Drinks included The Billionaire Cocktail, with Bakers bourbon, lemon, grenadine and absinthe bitters.
The space was previously home to the short-lived Hype Lounge.
Tepito hasn't been open lately on First Avenue
Tepito opened here on First Avenue near East 14th Street back in December 2011... however, we haven't seen it open recently. (A Yelp reviewer said that he/she tried to order online from the Mexican restaurant last week, and found it closed.)
The chef here is Adrian Ramirez, who previously worked at Le Cirque and Dos Caminos. No note on the door. No outgoing phone message. No mention of a closure of the restaurant's website.
We first reported back in April 2010 that the former David's Bagels would become a Mexican restaurant...
[April 2010]By the way, anyone ever try Tepito? Seems like a tough location for a nice sit-down restaurant... And how long has that sidewalk shed been up here...?
[Winter Friday flashback] Rite Aid's sign gets more comical
On Fridays this winter, and probably spring and summer ... we'll post one of the 16,000-plus EVG, uh, posts from yesteryear, like this one from April 28, 2010 ...
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On 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.
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On 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.
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