Katz's at 125

A look at the deli this morning... celebrating 125 years in business this weekend... nice that crews from the Houston Street corridor reconstruction left the crane parked right outside for all today's festivities!



There will be live entertainment all day...



...including sets from EVG reader Stephen Popkin, who will be playing a selection of death metal music throughout the decades... (from the 1930s, 40s, etc.)...





Also today, the Katz's Delicatessen World Pastrami Eating Championship takes places as part of DayLife on Orchard Street. Find that info here.

On East Village Radio Friday, AndrewAndrew delivered their show live from Katz's. Find that archived program here.

Now everyone [with a credit or debit card!] can ride Citi Bikes!

[East 13th Street yesterday morning]

Bike Share launched last Monday for folks who bought the annual membership... and today, 24-hour and 7-day passes are now available at Citi Bike kiosks...



Here's info on pricing:



And this is happening today:

Celebrate Citi Bike!
@ Union Square
North Side of Union Square Park, Manhattan
Sunday, June 2
11 am - 3 pm
We'll have a DJ, food, a Citi Bike Street Skills
zone where you can test your urban biking
skills, NYC DOT will be fitting and giving away 500
free helmets (must be 18+ or have a parent or guardian
18+ accompany you), plus some other fun special surprises. It’s free and open to all.

Looking at some Art Around the Park

So much great Art Around the Park... here are just a few of the pieces via Bobby Williams today...

At the Howl! Festival 2013

Just a few scenes from EVG contributor peter radley...















The action continues tomorrow.

Today in the New York Post doesn't like Citi Bikes

Today's New York Post Citi Bikes Will Be the Downfall of NYC Feature highlights an East Village resident who got caught up in some stupid city bureaucracy.

Basically, here's what happened, torn right from the pages of today's paper!

An NYU grad student has finally won her battle with the city over $475 in parking fines racked up because a crew moved her car to an illegal spot to make way for a new bike-share station.

On April 30, Patricia Preston left her Honda Civic on East Second Street between avenues A and B, where she had to move it for street cleaning two days later.

When she went back, her car was gone — and a Citi Bike rack was in its place.

Anyway, among other things, the tow truck parked her car backward — handing her a $65 ticket.

The resident got all this dismissed yesterday in Manhattan Traffic Court.

At the Museum of Interesting Things

Dave on 7th checked out the The Museum of Interesting Things ("a traveling interactive demonstration/exhibition of antiques and inventions") this morning in Tompkins Square Park. Part of the Howl! Festival.

A demonstration! (Where do you upload the MP3s?)

Report: Lou Reed recently had a life-saving liver transplant

Lou Reed is recovering after a life-saving liver transplant at Cleveland Clinic, Laurie Anderson told the Times of London in an article published today.

She said that the 71-year-old Brooklyn-born Reed isn't back to full strength, but "he's already working and doing t'ai chi.

"I don't think he'll every totally recover from this, but he'll certainly be back to doing [things] in a few months," she said. "I'm very happy. It's a new life for him."

[Photo outside the The Avon 7 cinema on Seventh Avenue via the Lou Reed Facebook page]

The tree chair of East Sixth Street is... back!

Some readers pointed out that the tree chair of East Sixth Street (just east of Avenue A) returned yesterday after a week-long absence... well, the stump never left, just the chair-back thingy. (We know chairs!) Anyway, the longtime resident who created this reinforced the chair, as these helpful circles show...



Previously on EV Grieve:
What happened to the tree chair on East Sixth Street?

Now ready for Art Around the Park

[Shawn Chittle]

Among the artists taking part today, according to the Howl website:

Anca Barbu Frank Barrett, Victor Batorksy, Andres Bella, Billy the artist, Perola Bonfanti, Ian Brennan, Teresa Brown, Irma Cannovo, Simon Cardwell, Nicki Carrico, Alberto Carvalho, David Caudle, Chico, Susan Conrad, Kate Conroy, Chris Cooper, James Cornwell, Steve Cox, CRAM CONCEPTS, Emilio Cuilan, Ethan Cyr, Chauncey Dandridge, Patrick Daugherty, Taiyo De Jong, Onno De Jong, Alicia Degener, Vito Luca DiTomaso, Sophia Domeville, Peter Dougherty, Launa Eddy, Kevin Farley, Walker Fee, Luke Felisbert, Martie Flores, Alexandre Fortier, Amy Gissen, Tasha Goldblum, Mario Gomez, David Greene, Thomas Hames, Brian Harris, Jere 'JEX' Harshman, Edward Herman, Jhonatan Hernandez, Bruce Hlavna, Brianna Holley, Sam Ita, Shuri Jackson, Jeffrey Jameson, Case Jernigan, Nicolina Johnson, Ebi Kagbala, Gulnara Karpuchok, Nina Katan, Lola Katan, Ingrid Kelleman, Patrick Keyes, Darryl LaVare, Un Lee, Kevin Leong, Viveca Licata, Kerri Lindstrom, Daniel Litt, Philip Lombardo, Leslie Lowe, Andrea Lynn, Aimee Margolis, Marthalicia Matarrita, Tim McCarthy, Stephen McCombe, Fran McGee, Michael Meade, Martin Medina, Kwue Molly, Danny Mota, Michelle Nappi, Michael Natale, Jake Nelson, Alison Nolan, Daniel Olshansky, Dennis Os, James Peterson, Robert Petrick, Alex Price, David Pullman, Hannah Quirk, Jeff Richman, Frankie Roche, Doug Rochelle, Freddie Rodriguez, Kai Salvatore, Kennyray Scallon, Simon Scott, Simon Scott, Steven Shryock, Nathaniel A. Siegel, Kristen Singer, Stephen Skinner, Edward Snyder, Sok Song, Raymond Sosa, Meghan Spitzer, Bjorn Strigel, Richard Surmacz, Brett Thompson, John Trembo, Jiro Ueno, Nina Valazquez, Rolando Vega, Charles David Viera, Jonathan Weiser, Joff Wilson, Javier Winnik, Allen Yeager, and of course, the famous RISD Student...

[Via EVG's Twitter]

Now ready for Heels Around the Park

[Photo by Steven Matthews]

The Howl! Festival is underway

The day began with a group reading of Howl, featuring Lydia Lunch among many others...



...and Art Around the Park starts in the morning...



Find the full weekend schedule here.

Photos by Bobby Williams.

Bring out your dead

Perfect! East Ninth Street near Avenue C... ready for the weekend!







Photos by Bobby Williams

Something sweaty this way comes

The Dead Boys with "All This And More" live at CBGB 1977.

Behold the Katz's Delicatessen World Pastrami Eating Championship trophy

From the Katz's Facebook page:

This trophy will be awarded to the winner of the first ever Katz's Delicatessen World Pastrami Eating Championship. Come watch the event this Sunday at 2 pm on Orchard St. between East Houston St. and Delancey St.

All part of Katz's 125th anniversary this weekend.

At 'Don't Hide the Madness'

At the Pyramid on Avenue A last night, Lydia Lunch hosted "an evening of spoken word in the raw" titled Don't Hide the Madness. It was a benefit for Howl! Emergency Life Project.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy was there and shared a few photos from the evening...





Among the many performers...



Bibbe Hansen...

-----



Tony O'Neill...

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Nicole Blackman...

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Our Q-and-A with Lydia is here.

Now under wraps: The Tompkins Square Park pop-up piano

[Bobby Williams]

As noted Wednesday, the Sing for Hope Pianos return to NYC streets and public spaces tomorrow ... and we'll have one in Tompkins Square Park... and said piano arrived yesterday, and a resident immediately complained about how many parking spots this was taking up.

Students from P.S. 34 designed the TSP piano:

Our design was inspired by the composition notebooks we use in school. The front and back of the piano show the notebook cover, the sides are notebook paper and the legs of the piano are pencils. You will also notice that on the side panels of the piano, we have written "hope" in various languages.

The piano is expected to be in the Park through June 16, when it will apply for a beer-wine license followed by a sidewalk cafe then full liquor.

Previously.

Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street has her first ever annual checkup

Almost summer. And time to check in with the owners of Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street. What's new?

This week Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street realized she was overdue for her first post-adoption annual checkup. She was quite brave during the series of shots, though less so when the nice vet needed to draw blood. She winced rather dramatically and was most unhappy.

But she managed to get through it and received a spotless bill of health. Only hiccup was that she has apparently developed a bit of a weight problem. Indeed the vet’s assistant pronounced her a “Double-D girl” to which she (and we) took great umbrage. We suggested “Rubenesque” might be a better characterization but in any case she is now on a strict summer diet, which essentially means no more endless doggie snacks on demand.

She’s not particularly pleased about that even though we explained it’s swimsuit season. She was more pleased with her new jewelry showing she’s all up to date on her immunizations. She’s looking forward to showing off her new bling around the neighborhood this summer.

On the next episode: Kita learns that Howl! means something entirely different in Tompkins Square Park this weekend.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The further adventures of Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street

The further (often truly) amazing adventures of Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street

Happy holidays from Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street

Crunch moving to the Bowery; CB3 OKs New York Sports Club on Avenue A

The retail space at 2 Cooper Square has been empty since the apartments hit the market in 2009... apparently it won't be empty for too much longer... EVG reader Axis of Eville commented yesterday
that the Crunch gym on Lafayette was moving here to the Bowery and East Fourth Street in September.

And the city issued permits last week for Crunch signage here...



On the topic of gyms... As we noted last month, New York Sports Club was aiming to take over all of the floors above Gracefully on Avenue A near East Second Street...



... this moved a step closer to happening after Tuesday's full CB3 meeting ... CB3 approved "the BSA special permit application by New York Sports Club to operate a physical culture establishment/health club at 28-30 Ave A on the 2nd thru 5th floors with entrance on the 1st floor." The DOB still needs to approve the work permits. No timeline just yet when all this would happen...

Previously on EV Grieve:
RUMOR: New York Health & Racquet Club taking over the space above Gracefully on Avenue A (24 comments)

New York Sports Club in the works for Avenue A

Commemorating the East 13th Street squat evictions

From the EV Grieve inbox...

On May 30, 1995, the NYPD rolled an armored tank down East 13th Street, employing militaristic force to evict squatters from two buildings.


[Photo by John Penley via the Tamiment Library collection at NYU]

Almost 18 years later to the day, authors, artists, and activists will unite to remember the resistance and celebrate what remains.

Join us for Lower East Side squat stories, slideshows, and readings by Cari Luna, Frank Morales, Fly, and Peter Spagnuolo followed by a short acoustic set by Banji (bandless).

The event will be held at the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS), 155 Avenue C between 9th and 10th Streets on Friday, May 31, beginning at 7:00 PM.

There is a $5.00 - $10.00 sliding scale suggested donation. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Find the Facebook event page here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Q-and-A with Fly on UnReal Estate