A new reminder not to feed the pigeons in Tompkins Square Park

On Sunday, a Park worker put up new "Do Not Feed the Pigeons" signs. (Not directed toward anyone in particular) ... Why? Because if you feed a pigeon, you breed a rat...



And maybe there are a few more rats in Tompkins Square Park here toward the end of the summer? (Difficult to say!) These are a few shots of the critters last week via Bobby Williams... (Not quite the Summer of the Ratstravaganza ...)







In any event, the new signs haven't been too effective — someone dumped piles of bread right by one sign along Avenue A yesterday morning...

Tonight marks the last of the sidewalk rosary vigils outside Mary Help of Christians

Back on June 21, the scaffolding and sidewalk bridge arrived on East 12th Street ahead of the demolition of Mary Help of Christians... despite this, former church regulars continued to hold their daily sidewalk prayer service ... like last night... (something that the group has been doing since the end of 2007)...







Neighbor Anton van Dalen, who took these photos, notes that the remaining faithful will hold their last sidewalk rosary vigil tonight at 7.

He shares the following:

Lately many of us have watched in horror as one of our neighborhood's churches is being violently torn down.

Especially difficult for some of our neighbors whose stations of life were honored and celebrated where now is only debris.

The Mary Help of Christians Church had been a steady presence for generations in our ever changing neighborhood.

Generations of immigrants formed communities there to help each other find a path into the American dream.

For more then a year now I have watched them quietly gather and pray outside exposed to every kind of weather.

They are the very last few of an once huge vibrant mostly Italian, Irish and then Puerto Rican community.

So [tonight] they will gather for the last time in front of what was their church and recite the rosary once more.

I will be there, as I hope many of our neighbors, to pay respect to the dignity of their expression of community and its history.

-----

Bob Arihood captured the parishioners on film several times for Neither More Nor Less...



Find these photos here... and here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Permits filed to demolish Mary Help of Christians church, school and rectory

Preservationists call for archeological review of former cemetery at Mary Help of Christians site

Scaffolding arrives for demolition of Mary Help of Christians

The 'senseless shocking self-destruction' of Mary Help of Christians

The Jefferson shows off its open glass

A quick monthly check-in over at The Jefferson on East 13th Street... where there's a lot more brick and glass exposed..





Per Streeteasy, eight of the units are now in contract ... including a two-bedroom penthouse with roof terrace ($2.85 million asking price). Remaining homes range in price from $1.9 million to $2.2 million here at the former Mystery Lot.

Previously.

Velvet Cigar Lounge loses lease, hopes to relocate on East 7th Street

[Bobby Williams]

The Velvet Cigar Lounge at 80 E. Seventh St. lost its lease after seven years on the block. The shop closed here on Aug. 11.


[BW]

They hope to relocate to 13 E. Seventh St., next to McSorley's, and are wrapping up a crowdsourcing campaign to help make the move happen.



Part of this space was home to D.L. Cerney for many years. The boutique closed last fall after 28 years on the block, per Jeremiah's Vanishing New York.

Report: JoeDoe to reopen as Joe & MissesDoe

Over on East First Street, JoeDoe has closed... and will return as a new restaurant called Joe & MissesDoe.

Time Out has more details:

Owner Joe Dobias and his wife, Jill Schulster, will transform the old JoeDoe space—which will relocate in the spring—into a nostalgic blue-plate-special spot, offering comfort-food gone quirky: French-dip dumplings with roast beef and mozzarella, tacos with duck confit and radish, and chili topped with Fritos and jalapeños.

H/T Eater

[Image via the JoeDoe website]

Lyric Diner returning to former Lyric Diner space

The latest in the Lyric Diner saga.

First, a quick recap!

Taverna, the Greek restaurant that took over the Lyric Diner space on Third Avenue at 22nd Street, closed a few weeks ago after just six months in business. The same owners closed Lyric Diner last August.

However, as a reader notes in the above photo, the Lyric is returning.

pcvstBee first reported this development on Saturday. No word just yet on an opening date.

And it's probably a good thing that Taverna kept up some Lyric Diner signage upon opening...

A message on the plywood outside the former Mary Help of Christians

[Saturday]

As you can see, the school and rectory are gone from the Mary Help of Christians lot on Avenue A between East 11th Street and East 12th Street ... There are a few remnants of the church left in a pile.

Meanwhile, on East 12th Street ... someone left messages for developer Douglas Steiner on the plywood protecting the remains of the church late Saturday night/early Sunday morning...









Steiner bought the property last fall for an unspecified residential complex. One retail listing mentioned a "140 unit market luxury rental building." In some previous comments, a few readers said that anger should be directed toward the Archdiocese of New York, who sold the lot in first place.

H/T EVG reader Kym Gomes

Weekend recap: Odessa Cafe and Bar closes for good after Saturday

In case you missed the post from Saturday morning: Odessa Cafe and Bar closes for good after service on Saturday. The Odessa Restaurant at 119 Avenue A will remain open.


[Photo by @RTSNYC]

Photo Tech leaving East 13th Street

Photo Tech Repair Service is moving away from its home on East 13th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue ... they'll be merging with their West 34th Street location... And the space is for lease.



Interesting to see what happens along here at the southeast corner of Fourth Avenue and East 13th Street where Brothers Deli and Dryden Gallery cleared out... Construction has picked up again...



Heard a few rumors of a restaurant for the corner spot... Anyway, the listing looked like this...

Here is Han Dynasty

The plywood is down at Han Dynasty, the first New York outpost from Han Chiang, the Sichuan master with six restaurants in Philadelphia. (And will Han remove the flag from the previous tenant, Montein Thai?)

No word on an opening date here on Third Avenue at East 12th Street, but it looks pretty far along, as this blurry photo of the interior shows...



And there are "coming soon" signs up on the door.



Previously.

The magnificent 7th

Here's how the wall that was home to the Joe Strummer mural for 10 years is looking now on East Seventh Street at Avenue A...

As you probably heard, workers wiped out the mural honoring the Clash frontman outside Niagara last Monday ... the underlying brick here at 132 E. Seventh St. is crumbling, so workers are replacing that wall, as DNAinfo noted.

After the brick restoration, artists Zephyr and Dr. Revolt will recreate the tribute in the coming weeks ...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Joe Strummer gets a splash of Niagara

Joe Strummer gets a new look, skyline

Headline h/t

Last caw

A crow on East 10th Street near Avenue D... photo by Bobby Williams...

Rat caught trying to steal bike on East Eighth Street?

Looks that way. However! Passerby #1 says that the real story is it was trying to get into a neighbor's window ... and the neighbor sprayed it with water... then the rat was perched on the bike. Weird! Or not!

Week in Grieview

[7th and C]

A gut renovation for the former 9th Street Bakery (Monday)

Meet Kathy Von Hartz, 48-year resident of the East Village (Wednesday)

Kita the Wonder Dog of East 10th Street's pick for mayor (Friday)

More about Otto's Taco's, coming soon to Second Avenue (Wednesday)

Penny Pollak on her last Open Mic and feature film project (Thursday)

Erasing the Joe Strummer mural (Monday) ... which will return (Tuesday)

City temporarily closes The Brownstone on East 12th Street (Wednesday)

Alder's new sidewalk cafe (Tuesday)

Chico's corner painted over (Tuesday)

Hole (Thursday)

Chinese tea shop opening on East Seventh Street (Wednesday)

A new-look 130 E. Seventh St. (Thursday)

Vanity plate of the week (Friday)

Fire-damaged Mono + Mono remains closed, new roof on the way (Wednesday)

Affaire closes on Avenue B (Monday)

More accidents on East Houston Street

Late Friday afternoon, 73-year-old East Village resident Meipui Chow Leon was reportedly struck and killed by a Whole Foods van while she was crossing East Houston at Avenue B.



In the above photo from yesterday afternoon, an EVG reader notes what was the third accident at this intersection this weekend... where one SUV sideswiped another SUV. One passenger in the SUV in the foreground was taken away in the ambulance.

"This intersection is so dangerous," said the reader. "You've got traffic coming off the bridge and the FDR and no traffic cameras."

-----



Meanwhile, last night around 8, Bill the Libertarian Anarchist came across the scene of an accident at East Houston and Avenue C. The cab collided with a Toyota Camry Solara in the intersection. Witnesses believe that the cab driver was speeding. The driver of the Solara said that he was not injured.

The cab was flipped over when Bill first arrived on the scene at 8:15. The cab driver and the passenger were taken to the hospital. It is not known what condition they are in...

Welcome NYU, now Stop, Drop and Go

Today is NYU Freshman Move-In Day and the NYU Welcomes You event for students and parents. Which means a lot of things.



Like, for instance, it might be a really bad time to go to Bed, Bath & Beyond. (Not that there's ever a good time to go there. But detergent is detergent.)



And, as always, words to live by. Stop Drop and Go.

Noted

World Famous Pee Phone™ imposter on Third Avenue.

Summer's end...

Tompkins Square Park late this afternoon... via Bobby Williams.

Reports: 73-year-old East Village woman struck and killed by van while crossing East Houston

East Village resident Meipui Chow Leon, 73, was killed late yesterday afternoon by a van while crossing East Houston Street at Avenue B, according to published reports.

The Lo-Down reported that she was walking north in the crosswalk from Clinton Street to Avenue B.

Per DNAinfo:

That's when the driver of a 2011 Ford van, who was attempting to take a left from a southbound lane of Avenue B, plowed into her causing serious bodily trauma, police said.

An EVG reader, who took the above photo, said that four ambulances were at the scene at one point. According to witnesses, the van belonged to Whole Foods. DNAinfo reported that "the driver stayed on the scene, and was later cited for failure to yield and failure to exercise due care."

Clinton Street was closed until 9:30 last night, The Lo-Down noted.

[Updated] After 33 years, Odessa Cafe and Bar closes for good now on Aug. 31

[Thanks to @analogrombus]

There have been several closing dates for the Odessa Cafe and Bar at 117 Avenue A — first Aug. 15 then Sept. 6. There's now a new date — Aug. 31. And there's a sign up thanking patrons for their years of support.

The Odessa's assets were sold to new operators. (We don't have specifics on the incoming place, though CB3 documents described it as "a full-service American brasserie restaurant.") The Odessa Restaurant next door at 119 will remain open.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Building that houses Odessa Cafe and Bar for sale on Avenue A

Is the end nearing for Odessa Cafe and Bar on Avenue A?

Former GM from Tribeca's Tiny's & the Bar Upstairs part of team to buy the Odessa Cafe

Reader report: Odessa Cafe closes for good after Aug. 15

Reader report: Odessa Cafe and Bar will remain open through Sept. 6