The Duane Reade expansion is underway on Avenue B

Back in August 2012 we heard that the Duane Reade on Avenue B and East Second Street was going to expand... next door into the spaces previously occupied by Zaitzeff ... and the long-dead High Chai Tea Room.

In addition, Duane Reade would add a second level, digging into the basement space where the Dolphin Gym closed in February 2010.

Anyway, the city had previously OK'd the necessary permits ... and workers are prepping the adjacent space for expansion, as you can see in the photo above... Workers have replaced the former storefronts with plywood.

As discussed several times previously, this corner space was previously home to The Gas Station, aka Art Gallery Space 2B. Alex at Flaming Pablum wrote about the space here.

Per the Times:

For 10 years, the Gas Station, with its towering sculpture built from discards ranging from a 1970 Plymouth Valiant to department store mannequins to television sets, has been a symbol of the Lower East Side's Bohemian ways and artistic resolve.

The space was cleared out in 1996...

[Via Flaming Pablum]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Reader report: Duane Reade expanding on Avenue B

Here is Sara Curry Way

The city officially co-named St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue Sara Curry Way on Saturday. (The above photo is from early Sunday morning, in case you were wondering about the trash.)

There's also a new plaque in her honor outside the Little Missionary's Day Nursery at 93 St. Mark’s Place, which Curry founded in 1896 ...





Per her bio:

In addition to providing child care, Miss Curry fed the poor in the neighborhood and often gave her own clothing or shoes to those without. She organized cooking, sewing and child care classes for the mothers. She organized meetings to help families with their problems, and helped to steer parents towards sobriety and economic responsibility.

Posts here about co-naming streets always bring up questions about how the city decides such things. The Community Board 3 website provides the guidelines. (You can find the PDF here.)

Among the guidelines:

• Street co-naming requests will be heard by the CB 3 Transportation Committee. If the request is approved by the committee, the application will be voted on by the full Board for final approval. If approved, the request will be forwarded to the City Council office for Council approval. Co-naming requests will be placed on the committee agenda twice a year to correspond to the two yearly City Council votes. These dates will be determined as needed by determining the Council hearings.

• Prospective honorees should have a minimum of 15 years community involvement for individuals and should have demonstrated an extraordinary and consistent voluntary commitment and dedication to the community. Individual prospective honorees must be deceased. Exceptions may be made however for individuals who have died under infamous circumstances of crime, accident, disease, social circumstance or if the death itself leads to a greater awareness of the cause of death and a concerted effort to address that problem.

According to DNAinfo, Eileen Johnson, who has led Little Missionary's since 2001, started petitioning for the street renaming in 2010. City Council approved the request in December 2012.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Part of St. Mark's Place will be co-named for Sara Curry tomorrow

Kamakura Coffee Shop now open on East 5th Street

We missed this one... EVG reader John points us to a coffee shop that opened here at 543 E. Fifth St. just west of Avenue B on Sept. 30 ... it's apparently a nice low-key place ... espresso drinks, some vegan baked goods... No tables and chairs, though there is that bench outside...

Pie Face shows its, uh, face on Fourth Avenue

[Bobby Williams]

The sign for the latest NYC location of Pie Face went up on Saturday afternoon at Fourth Avenue and East 13th Street...



The Australian bakery reportedly opens today.

Per DNAinfo:

The 24-hour bakery [offers] a full menu of flaky pies stuffed with fillings like mince meat, Philly cheesesteak and tandoori vegetable.

The space was previously home to Brothers Deli. A tipster originally told us that the Pie Face was opening next door at the former Dryden Gallery ... and that a Juice Generation was opening on the corner. We'll see if we can get this sorted out...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Coming and going on Fourth Avenue

Southeast corner of Fourth Avenue and East 13th Street is up for grabs

Root & Bone announces itself on E. 3rd St.

As reported last week, "Top Chef" alum Jeff McInnis and current "Top Chef" contestant Janine Boothwas are joining forces to open a restaurant called Root & Bone at the former Mama's Food Shop and Heart N' Soul on East Third Street and Avenue B... the exterior is being prepped for the new venture, which "will celebrate Southern foodways," as Food & Wine put it.



... and the mural-in-progress is via @ArtByJW ...



Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Note outside Heart N' Soul explains that the chef had a 'nervous breakdown'

Mama's Food Shop closes after 15 years; 'the community nature of the neighborhood has all but vanished'

Rumors: 'Top Chef' alum Jeff McInnis will help revamp former Mama's Food Shop space

Today in photos of hawks eating squirrels along East 7th Street

Photos by Bobby Williams

Updated:

Goggla has more photos here.

One fall day

Photo this afternoon on Avenue A and East 7th Street by @Creature_NYC

Week in Grieview

[Yesterday on St. Mark's Place via Bobby Williams]

El Sombrero will stay open until early December (Monday)

What it might be like living inside the cube on Astor Place (Wednesday)

Found photos in the East Village (Friday)

Buy a synagogue (Tuesday)

Former Diablo Royale Este space on A will become a Greek restaurant (Thursday)

Rite Aid closing on East 14th Street (Monday)

Out and About with Sally Young (Wednesday)

Looking at the murals at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut (Thursday)

Is Mighty Quinn's the best new restaurant in NYC? (Tuesday)

Jerry's Artarama coming to 4th Avenue (Wednesday)

A new 13-story building for 331 E. Houston St. (Monday)

Alphabet Scoop has returned (Sunday)

Progress report on 31-33 Second Ave. (Tuesday)

The Lyric Diner returns (Thursday)

The Halal Guys are opening their first restaurant here (Tuesday)

How to see the inside of CBGB again (Friday)

What's coming to the former Mama's space (Tuesday)

Louis C.K. filmed here (Wednesday)

2nd annual Tompkins Square Iron chef is today

Via the EVG inbox...

2nd Annual Tompkins Square Iron Chef Cook Off returns to the East Village
The Tompkins Square Greenmarket will be hosting a Iron Chef-style cook-off between 2 legends of the locavore restaurant scene. Chefs must tackle a basket of market mystery ingredients and prepare a dish for a panel of judges. Will it be Jimmy Carbone from Jimmy's No. 43 representing the EV or Jacob Bensley from Miller's Near & Far of the LES? Chefs start at 12. Judging at 1. There will also be a limited number of samples available to the public.

There is a 'No 7-Eleven' rally this afternoon

Via the EVG inbox from the No 7-Eleven blog...

The bikes are coming in nicely this fall in Tompkins Square Park

Banksy's mobile garden draws a crowd on St. Mark's Place

Banksy's NYC tour continued this evening with his mobile garden making an appearance on St. Mark's Place between Third Avenue and Second Avenue... EVG regular jdx happened by ... the truck was hereabouts for roughly an hour, rambling on around 9 p.m., per jdx ...

Updated

Gothamist has more photos here.

Someone put a fake window on the Hare Krishna Tree in Tompkins Square Park

Really?

Photo by Bobby Williams

Don't fuck with 'Serendipity'

Looks as if someone tried to uproot "Serendipity," the life-sized sculpture of Christopher Gamble's silhouette in Tompkins Square Park. The silhouette is in honor of Gamble, who was homeless for nearly 28 years. Fanny Allié's creation will be in the Park through November.

Dressing it up is one thing... but this?

Photo by Bobby Williams.

A celebration of the 13 Portals tonight

[Portal 0 by jdx from December]

Since last December we've been following the 13 Portals, the interactive street art project created by Nicolina, Pérola Bonfanti and the Free Art Society ... On Saturdays this past summer, the artists have unveiled 13 site-specific, hand-painted murals ... along the way, we've been treated to some pretty colorful portal ceremonies...

And it comes to a conclusion tonight with the final (maybe!) 13th Portal. (Each unveiling provided people with the chance to acquire a key to tonight's event where the puzzle will be solved.) Nicolina passed along details about the celebration at ABC Sanctuary, 638 E. 6th St. between Avenue B and Avenue C...

The last and final Portal is this Saturday October 5!
THE PORTAL THIRTEEN.

Everyone is invited!
10:00pm - late
$13 -or- $7 in costume
Open bar from 10-11pm

We begin with the Electric Angel Theremin Convergence of Celestial Supernatural Frequencies...

from there we bring you:

The NY Zimbabwe Imbira Connection
A special performance by Angel Eyedealism
Kiss Slash Crooked Smile
Dynasty Electric
Nick Demopoulos
Monkey and the Elephant
DJ 2Melo
DJ Joro Boro
Original Sounds by PJoe

***PLUS***
Interactive Light Sound Installations by Justin Case
Visuals by Rachel Lubeck
+ Elements of Surprise~

Check out the Facebook event page here for more details. Check out the 13 Portals website here. Read more about Nicolina here.

The Nugget Spot debuts tonight on East 14th St.

The Nugget Spot has its official grand opening at 230 E. 14th St. tonight at 6...

Here's a description of their food via Facebook:

It's not just chicken and it's not just breadcrumbs. We make signature nuggets from different meats and vegetables, coated with innovative breading.

[Via Facebook]

Let us know if you try them...

Annual Harvest Festival at the 6th & B Garden today

Via the EVG inbox... at the 6th & B Garden...

Today's late-afternoon cloud coverage

Photo by Bobby Williams

Tonight I think I'll walk alone...

New Order with a live performance of "Temptation" at BBC Radio 1 studios, 1984.

Noted

Hey @770Broadway! Old called. It wants you back.

— 51 Astor Place (@51deathstar) October 3, 2013

You wish! RT @770Broadway Please stop tweeting me.

— 51 Astor Place (@51deathstar) October 3, 2013

No subtweeting here in Midtown South!